A Breakthrough in Acne & Acne Scarring Treatments

What is Acne?

Acne occurs when the sebaceous glands in the skin’s hair follicles become overproduced. These glands make sebum which is an oily substance that lubricates the skin to stop it from drying out. Most of the time, the sebaceous glands make the right amount of sebum. However, in someone with acne, they produce too much sebum which forms a plug with dead skin cells and block the pores. When the pores are clogged, bacteria can then get trapped inside the pores and multiply. This causes swelling, inflammation and infection which is the start of acne.

How Acne Scars Developed?

Acne scars are dermal depressions, due to collagen destruction, which is commonly visible after resolution of deep inflammatory acne. Due to swollen pores, follicle wall broke down and the infected pus spread out into the dermis which destroys healthy skin tissue. Although the skin will form new collagen fibres to repair this damage, unfortunately the repair never looks as smooth as before the injury. The greater the skin inflammation, the more prominent is the scarring as it took longer for skin to heal.
Although acne scarring is likely to be associated more often with cystic acne, these scars may occur regardless of the severity of acne. It may even occur in cases with only superficial forms of acne, especially when effective treatment is delayed and it can be accompanied with discoloration of the skin.

How to prevent Acne pimples?

• To prevent acne development, try to reduce inflammatory breakouts and treat acne as soon as it develops to get it under control.
• In addition, avoid squeezing pimple as it can force debris deeper into the dermis, spreading infection and worse inflammation.
• Clean your skin with a Salicylic acid-base cleanser twice daily to remove debris from your skin and apply a moisturiser rich in vitamin A to reduce your skin inflammation and prevent new pimples to form.
• Have a proper exfoliating facial treatment at least once a month to remove accumulated dead skin cells and keep your pores open.
• Avoid using liquid base and heavy foundation as they can clog your pores and worsen your skin condition. Wear mineral makeup that is noncomedogenic and wash it off as soon as you get home.

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Can Acne Scars be Removed?

Many therapeutic measures such as chemical peeling, microdermabrasion, HydraFacial, skin needling and fillers have been performed to improve acne scarring but with sub-optimal outcomes. Ablative lasers such as Er:YAG or CO2 lasers produce significant improvement at the cost of long recovery times and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. The latest advance in acne scars remodelling is Radiofrequency microneedling that has been shown to be clinically efficient in removing acne scars without causing direct damage to the epidermis. The risks of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and scarring also are minimal in compare to light based treatments.

How Radiofrequency microneedling works for Acne Scars?

Radiofrequency microneedling combines the gentle nature of collagen induction in traditional needling with the deep skin tightening effect of radiofrequency energy. It is a safe treatment and effective procedure designed to treat acne scars by thermally restructure the dermal collagen fibres. RF thermal energy efficiently penetrates deep into the dermis, breaking down the scar tissues as well as stimulating collagen production and remodelling, without damaging the epidermis, unlike laser which produces a heating effect on the skin surface which results in high risk of post inflammatory hyperpigmentation as well as long recovery time.
The energy delivery system consists of a disposable tip with 49 ultra-fine gold-plated needles. The length of the needle is insulated and it delivers controlled RF energy deep within the dermis just through the tip. This results in localised heating effect, which in turn stimulates the body’s own collagen and elastin regeneration process. At the same time, it creates microchannels in the skin to induce wound healing response which results in rapid infiltration of growth factors and fibroblast to the area. The depth of the needles can also be adjusted from a minimum of 0.5 mm to a maximum of 3.5 mm, therefore safe and consistent levels of coagulation in the dermis is achieved.

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Are there any side effects?

There are no major side effects and downtime after the treatment and  you can resume your activities straight away.
• After the procedure, the treatment area may have slight redness and swelling for up to 24 hours.
• Skin sensitivity is normal for a few weeks and you need to avoid any kind of facials during this time.
• Using Moisturiser rich in Vit A, E and C is essential to keep your skin well Hydrated and speed up your skin healing.
• Apply Sunscreen every day and try to avoid excessive sun exposure for two weeks.
• You can apply Mineral Makeup the day after your treatment.

How long would it take to see the results?

• You would see improvements in skin tone and texture within a week or two of your first Radiofrequency microneedling, however the most impressive results are progressively seen several weeks to months after the treatment as new collagen continues to build.
• Lasting and more significant results will occur after 3-5 treatments with 6-8 weeks interval.
• Your skin will continue to improve after a course of treatments and looks tighter, smoother, more even, and radiant.

Elham
Clinic manager
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