Let’s face it: acne is the absolute worst. Whether you regularly breakout before important events or struggle to find skincare products that won’t wreak havoc on your skin, acne can be an all-consuming condition.
At About Face Aesthetics, we want to help everyone who walks through our doors feel good about the way they look. For many, increased self-confidence starts with an acne-free complexion. Fortunately, our experts have dedicated their careers to helping patients eliminate annoying acne breakouts.
Continuing reading to learn about some of the most common acne concerns and why an aesthetician consultation in Philadelphia is your key to clear skin. Are you ready to create your best complexion yet? Visit our website to schedule your initial appointment.
Acne Deep Dive
If you cope with chronic acne, you may already know that blemishes form when a pore becomes infected with debris trapped inside; bacteria, hair follicles, and /or oil and dead skin cells. Though breakouts can happen to individuals of all ages, they occur most frequently during the teenage years, when the skin produces the most sebum.
Most individuals experience acne on the face, but breakouts can also form on the chest, shoulders, and back. At About Face Aesthetics, we treat a variety of blemish types, including:
- Whiteheads: Closed, clogged pores. Whiteheads appear as small white or yellow bumps on the skin.
- Blackheads: Open clogged pores. Blackheads can look like tiny dark-spots, or pores filled with brown and black debris.
- Papules: Smaller, inflamed bumps. Papules do not contain pus like other blemishes and are often red or the same color as your skin.
- Pustules: Papules with pus at the tip. These are most commonly referred to as pimples.
- Nodules: Larger lumps underneath the skin. Can be painful and should not be treated without professional assistance.
- Cystic Acne: Pus-filled bumps underneath the skin. Often painful and can cause scarring.
What causes acne?
Because everyone has different acne triggers, no 2 acne breakouts ever look alike. Here are a few of the most common causes of acne treated at About Face Aesthetics.
Stress
Worrying about an exam or the upcoming work week? If this sounds like you, stress may be to blame for your latest acne breakout.
During periods of high stress, the body releases cortisol, a hormone that impacts nearly every function of the body. Though stress doesn’t directly cause acne, the hormonal imbalances associated with stress can worsen pre-existing acne and increase sebaceous gland inflammation. (It’s a vicious cycle, especially considering that acne itself causes considerable amounts of stress.)
Stress also slows down the healing process, making blemishes more severe and harder to get rid of.
Tight Clothing
“Acne mechanica” breakouts occur when any material rubs against heated, sweaty skin for an extended period. This friction increases sebum production and heightens your risk of developing acne.
Friction-related acne most commonly impacts athletes or those who participate in activities that involve repeated exposure to skin irritants. Examples include breakouts caused by:
- Hiking backpack straps
- Swimming googles
- Football helmets
- Tight dance or gymnastics leotards
- Wrestling face guards
- Sweaty sports bras
Pore-Clogging Products
Certain skin care products, particularly oil-based products, can do more harm than good. Comedogenic products trap oils and dead skin cells in your pores, leading to frequent breakouts.
Overly heavy lotions and creams are among the most frequently used comedogenic products. Other examples of pore-clogging ingredients to check your skin care products for include:
- Isopropyl myristate
- Propylene glycol-2 (PPG-2) myristyl propionate
- Lanolins
- D&C red dyes
Picking at Acne
If you regularly want to pop your pimples as soon as you discover them, hold off just for now—picking at your acne can actually make it worse.
When you try to squeeze a pimple, debris can become forced deeper into the follicle. This sets off a chain reaction, rupturing the follicle wall and spilling the pus into additional layers of the skin. Picking at pimples can also result in more inflammation, increased redness, and the formation of new breakouts.
Forcing the skin open to release the pus can also form scabs that leave behind scars and discoloration. Individuals who pick at their pimples and blemishes risk losing tissue during the healing process and creating pitted acne marks.
Why schedule a consultation at About Face Aesthetics?
With so many potential health and environmental factors contributing to your acne, how can you determine the best way to heal your skin?
If you’ve tried countless acne remedies without success, we are here to help. When you schedule an aesthetician consultation in Philadelphia, we will help you leave acne breakouts in the past.
Identifying Your Acne Triggers
To begin your acne consultation, your provider first asks you to describe your aesthetic concerns. Next, they conduct a full-face analysis, examining your acne to determine which breakout types you’re experiencing. Your provider may also ask about your lifestyle habits and any medications you’re taking to rule out possible triggers.
We highly recommend asking questions and voicing concerns during your aesthetician consultation in Philadelphia. Our experienced and empathetic providers want you to have the details you need to make a fully informed treatment decision.
Treatment and Product Recommendations
Once your provider determines the cause of your breakouts, you create your personalized treatment plan together. This plan may contain a unique combination of treatments that heal active acne and prevent future breakouts.
Here are some of the most effective acne solutions available at About Face Aesthetics.
AviClear
AviClear uses an intense light beam to target and regulate overactive sebaceous glands, or the glands that produce oil. This treatment addresses the most common types of acne at their source without prescription medications.
AviClear eliminates all forms of acne in the following areas:
- Face
- Neck
- Back
- Chest
If you determine that AviClear can address your acne needs during your aesthetician consultation in Philadelphia, your provider begins your treatment by applying a topical anesthetic. This numbing cream will minimize pain during your appointment. Your provider also keeps your skin moist with fresh, cool water to ensure a comfortable experience.
Next, your provider runs the AviClear handpiece over your treatment area, shrinking the sebaceous glands and helping to prevent future breakouts. Most treatments take 65 minutes to complete, and the treatment course consists of 3 treatment sessions spaced 4 to 6 weeks apart.
According to clinical studies, 92% of patients treated with AviClear saw at least half of their acne resolved 12 months after their final appointment. These results can last permanently, with added clear-skin insurance by maintaining a consistent skin care routine every day at home.
Chemical Peels
Depending on how your specific skin situation presents, our providers may recommend chemical peels to help control your breakouts. Our chemical peel processes can be customized per individual to address a variety of aesthetic concerns, including acne, discoloration left from acne, and some textural acne scarring. During your aesthetician consultation in Philadelphia, your provider will explain why and how the recommended chemical peel can best address your acne goals.
We most frequently recommend the Perfect Peel to patients with acne, since the medium-depth chemical peel works safely for all skin types and tones. Our experts also love the Perfect Peel because it requires minimal downtime, and can be customized to specifically target acne for the right patient’s needs.
On the day of your appointment, your provider gently applies the chemical solution to your face with a soft bristle brush. Your provider leaves this solution on the skin for a short period, allowing the active ingredients to work their magic before they gently clean it off.
After your chemical peel, you may experience mild flaking, peeling, and redness. These symptoms typically subside in the days and weeks following your appointment, and the skin that flakes off reveals rejuvenated skin underneath.
We recommend patients undergo 2 to 6 chemical peels to achieve optimal acne reduction. To help maintain your results, you should use a gentle facial cleanser, apply a 50 SPF sunscreen, and moisturize as needed throughout the day. We also recommend staying hydrated to speed up the healing process.
Skin Care Products
Want to address acne, scarring, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and more at home? Or want to boost your results after an in-office treatment? About Face Aesthetics has skin care products to create, maintain and enhance your best complexion yet!
We recommend scheduling an aesthetician consultation in Philadelphia to determine which skin care products best suit your unique needs. You and your provider can work together to create your personalized product regimen, which could include products from:
- colorscience – Treat acne breakouts and protect your skin with colorscience’s tinted products. Our experts love their Sunforgettable Total Protection Brush-On Shield SPF 50 and Barrier Pro Essential Moisturizer.
- skinbetter science – Replenish and repair your skin with skinbetter science’s dermatologist-backed product line. Their best acne products include their AlphaRet Clearing Serum and Clarity Regimen.
- ALASTIN – Build a routine with ALASTIN products designed to address imperfections and reverse the hands of time. Some of our favorites include ALASTIN’s Ultra Calm Cleansing Cream and HA IMMERSE Serum.
Schedule Your Appointment
At About Face Aesthetics, we understand the frustrations and insecurity that acne can cause. But with help from our team of experts, you can identify your breakout triggers and work through solutions that help clear your skin for good.
Your best complexion starts here. Visit our website to schedule your aesthetician consultation in Philadelphia.
Want to learn more about bacne treatments and aesthetician recommended skin care? Head over to our blog for more information.
