Acne & Acne Scar Treatment

Acne is a disorder resulting from the action of hormones and other substances on the skin's oil glands, sebaceous glands and hair follicles. Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) are the anaerobic bacterium that causes acne. Severe acne can lead to permanent scarring. ThermaScan’s infrared energy at a 1319 nm wavelength and BBL’s 420 nm wavelength allow controlled heating of sub-epidermal layers of the skin. The pulse duration and high scattering coefficient limit the heated region to a uniform thin layer at the epidermal-dermal boundary. With proper treatment, the procedure will lead to collagen remodeling, proliferation of active fibroblasts, and treating over-acting sebaceous glands that result in the reduction of acne and improve acne scarring non-ablatively. For a more dramatic improvement, skin resurfacing using Contour TRL, ProFractional, or ProFractional-XC at a 2940 nm wavelength is highly recommended. The wound-healing process produces fibroblasts that generate new collogen, plumping the skin and correcting skin imperfections.

Photo-Dynamic Therapy:

For the most aggressive treatment of stubborn acne, we utilize Photo-Dynamic Therapy with Levulan. This treatment uses Levulonic acid 20% as an added agent when photo-rejuvenation is used. The Levulonic acid is absorbed by active cells, like acne sebaceous glands, making the targeted acne cells more sensitive to the light. This combined interaction of the solution and the light is what gives rise to the term “photodynamic therapy.” Levulonic acid will also target sebaceous hyperplasia (which are those small (1-3mm), benign bumps under your skin) and the papules of acne rosacea. Levulonic acid, which is a clear painless solution, is applied to your skin and left on for 60 minutes. It is then activated with BBL. This second phase takes about 20 minutes.