ACNEOPEDIA.COM

Cosmetic Acne Treatments

Cosmetic acne treatments are chemical peels, microdermabrasion, dermabrasion, laser resurfacing, electrocautery and cryotherapy. These procedures are not covered by most insurance policies and will come with a hefty price tag. These procedures need to be done more than once and it will take time to see desired results. Topical treatments should also be used along with these procedures.

Chemical peels have gained a lot of popularity in those trying to treat acne. It also helps minimize scarring. In a chemical peels, an acid (glycolic acid, salicylic acid, Jessner's solution, trichloroacetic acid) is used to burn off the surface layer of skin eliminating superficial acne scars and leveling out overall skin tone. In dermabrasion, a rapidly swirling wire brush is used to remove damaged skin; dermabrasion is generally a more effective treatment than a chemical peel for deeper scars. Microdermabrasion is a procedure in which fine crystals are essentially blasted at the skin and then vacuumed back away from the skin. In laser resurfacing, pulses of laser light vaporize skin. Electrocautery is the use of an electric current that is coverted into heat and passed through a fine tip. Cryotherapy deals with the use of liquid nitrogen or CO2 slush to treat acne. It is necessary to reduce sun exposure after undergoing one of these procedures.