Brentwood Dermatology specializes in Acne treatment and has been providing this service for over 10 years!
What Causes Acne?
Acne has many causes, including:
- Hormones
- Excess sebum (oil) production
- Slow cell turnover
- Diet
Hormonal Changes
Acne can form during significant hormonal changes such as puberty or in your late 20’s when hormones begin to shift again. Acne can also be triggered during extremely stressful periods in a person’s life.
Excess Sebum Production
During hormonal shifts, the body often produces an abundance of the male hormone testosterone. As a result, the skin will often overproduce sebum (oil). When the excess oil gets trapped in the hair follicles (pores), it creates a comedo. The bacteria C. acne thrives inside a comedo, creating an inflamed, red blemish. If the follicle breaks from too much pressure, it can become a larger acne cyst.
Cellular Turnover
Cellular turnover is your body’s process of shedding old cells and replacing them with younger cells. Slow cellular turnover can cause acne when the old skin cells take too long to shed off, clogging pores.
Diet
Generally speaking, diet can play a factor in your overall skin health. While there is no conclusive evidence linking any specific foods to acne, some people experience improvements in their skin when they reduce their intake of dairy and high-glycemic index foods (like white bread). Eating a well-balanced diet can help in tandem with other dermatology treatments for your skin.
How Do I Treat My Acne?
There are several ways to treat acne, depending upon your unique combination of factors.
Topical Acne Treatment
How Does Brentwood Dermatology approach topical treatment?
Retinoids are key to acne treatment. Retinoids work by normalizing the follicular keratinization process (the process of shedding dead cells), minimizing clogged pores. Retinoids are also anti-inflammatory, meaning that they can reduce the swelling around inflamed blemishes.
What are some other options for topical acne treatment?
- Salicylic acid
- Benzoyl peroxide
- Purifying wash
- Spot treatment gel
While Salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide are not as effective as retinoids, they are great options for patients with mild forms of acne.
Purifying washes and spot treatment gel are normally used in conjunction with other treatments such as antibiotics.
Oral Antibiotics
Brentwood Dermatologists will prescribe oral antibiotics in conjunction with topical medications. If used together, topicals and antibiotics can be extremely effective for acne breakouts.
Lifestyle Changes
How to keep your skin healthy
- Wash twice daily (no more!) with gentle cleanser
- Drink plenty of water
- Adequate sleep
- Healthy diet
Factors that can make your skin breakout
- Forgetting to take your makeup off before bed
- Not changing your bedding weekly
- Pillowcases can get covered in dead skin cells and clog your pores
- Using comedogenic that clog your pores
- Skipping moisturizing
- Using harsh products to dry out your acne
- This can encourage your skin to produce more oil and can worsen acne
- Over-exfoliating
- If you have active lesions, it’s best to wash with foaming cleanser. Using abrasive exfoliants, you’ll most likely end up irritating your skin and potentially causing scarring by breaking open blemishes
Additional Acne Treatment – Birth Control
At this time, there are only three types of birth control that are FDA approved for the treatment of acne:
- Ortho Tri-Cyclen
- Estrostep
- YAZ
If you want more information, read our blog Demystifying Acne Treatment.
Acne Treatment at Brentwood Dermatology
Everyone’s skin is unique, so a dermatological consultation is the best way to figure out what’s causing your acne. With our dermatologists, you can create a treatment plan to finally say goodbye to acne.
