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Acne

Acne treatments: Promising therapies for clearer skin
Learn about up-and-coming acne treatments that offer new options for a clearer complexion.
With the right treatment, you can keep acne under control. But what's the best acne treatment for you? Many options are available, including prescription creams and antibiotics, which target the various causes of acne. But even with the wide range of acne treatments, chronic breakouts may still be difficult to treat.

Promising new acne treatments — such as blue light therapy, diode laser therapy or combination treatments — may be effective options if other traditional treatments fail to work. But more studies are needed to determine who would be good candidates for these emerging therapies, the effectiveness of these acne treatments and what the long-term effects might be.
Acne treatments target causes
Each hair follicle is connected to sebaceous glands. They secrete an oily substance known as sebum to lubricate the hair and skin. Sebum normally travels up along the hair shafts and then out through the opening of the hair follicle onto the surface of your skin.

When your body produces an excess amount of sebum and dead skin cells, the two can accumulate in the hair follicle and solidify as a soft plug. As the plug grows, the follicle wall can rupture, allowing more oil and skin cells to accumulate. This is the underlying cause of acne. Bacteria can trigger additional inflammation and infection resulting in complications of acne.

Acne treatments usually work by reducing oil production, speeding up the growth of new skin cells and the removal of dead skin cells, or fighting bacterial infection. Some treatments, especially combination therapies, work by doing two or three of these.

Laser and light therapy

Laser- and light-based therapies reach the deeper layers of skin without harming the skin's surface. Laser treatment is thought to damage the oil (sebaceous) glands, causing them to produce less oil. Light therapy targets Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), the bacterium that causes acne inflammation. These therapies can also improve skin texture and lessen the appearance of scars, so they may be good treatment choices for people with both active acne and acne scars.

Several types of laser and light therapies show promise in acne care. These include:
Blue light therapy.
Exposing the skin to a low-intensity blue light source is believed to destroy P. acnes. This painless procedure is usually done through a series of sessions, each lasting about 15 minutes. P. acnes multiplies rapidly, however, so ongoing treatment is necessary for best results. Side effects of blue light therapy include pigment changes, swelling in the treated areas and dryness.
Pulsed light and heat energy therapy.
Together, pulsed light and heat energy is thought to destroy P. acnes and shrink sebaceous glands, which decreases the oil production. The Food and Drug Administration approved an acne therapy that combines pulses of green-yellow light and heat to treat mild to moderate acne, including inflammatory acne. Side effects of this therapy include temporary redness in the treated areas.
Diode laser treatment.
Diode lasers can destroy sebaceous glands in the dermis, the thick middle layer of skin, without harming the outer layer of skin. Laser treatment may be painful, but the pain can be controlled with analgesics applied to the skin before treatment. Side effects of diode laser treatment include temporary redness and swelling of the treated areas.
More studies are needed before most doctors would recommend these therapies. Still unknown is who would benefit the most from laser and light therapies, the effectiveness of these treatment options and what the long-term risks or benefits might be.

Cosmetic procedures
Chemical peels and microdermabrasion may be helpful in controlling acne. These cosmetic procedures — which have traditionally been used to lessen the appearance of fine lines, sun damage and minor facial scars — are most effective when used in combination with other acne treatments.

Chemical peels. Chemicals, such as glycolic acid or salicylic acid, applied to your skin help remove dead skin cells, unclog pores, remove whiteheads and blackheads, and can generate new skin growth. These chemical peels are often used with acne creams or gels for better penetration of the medication. Depending on strength of the chemical, side effects of chemical peels range from temporary redness, blisters, scaling and crusting to scarring, infection and abnormal skin coloring.
Microdermabrasion. This type of treatment involves a hand-held device that blows crystals onto skin. These crystals gently abrade or "polish" the skin's surface. Then, a vacuum tube removes the crystals and skin cells. The procedure exfoliates and unclogs pores. Similar to chemical peels, microdermabrasion is often used with other acne treatments to increase their effectiveness.
These procedures are best done by a doctor. Trying these treatments at home could cause infections, acne flare-ups or scars. If your skin tends to form scar tissue, chemical peels or microdermabrasion could make your complexion worse.
Combination therapies
Combination therapies, for example using prescription creams and oral antibiotics, target all the causes of acne, which makes the treatment plan more successful. Several combination therapies have been shown to be effective in controlling acne:

Retinoids and oral antibiotics. Prescription products derived from vitamin A (retinoids) can be combined with oral antibiotics for better treatment of acne. Retinoids work by promoting cell turnover and preventing the plugging of the hair follicle. Oral antibiotics kill P. acnes bacteria and reduce inflammation.
Benzoyl peroxide and topical antibiotics. Benzoyl peroxide is most effective if it's combined with antibiotics applied to your skin (topical antibiotics). Benzoyl peroxide can dry up the oil, kill bacteria and promote sloughing of dead skin cells. Topical antibiotics can kill bacteria on the skin's surface and fight inflammation.
P. acnes can become resistant to a particular antibiotic, especially if that antibiotic is misused or overused. Bacterial resistance makes treating acne difficult because the antibiotic is no longer effective in killing the bacteria. Combination therapies, especially those that include benzoyl peroxide, are less likely to lead to bacterial resistance.

ที่มาของบทความ จากMayoclinic.com

Create Date : 21 ธันวาคม 2550

Last Update : 21 ธันวาคม 2550 14:47:18 น.

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