No one likes the unsightly, embarrassing appearance acne or pimples gives your skin. And acne scars can take a long time to disappear. This skin problem is not limited to teenagers, and can appear on your skin later in your life. Acne and acne scarring appears on your skin in various forms. It can appear in the form of scaly red skin, blackheads, whiteheads, pimples or pustules.

Causes of acne

The cause of your acne may be inflammatory in nature, or related to something else. It usually affects an area of skin that has the densest population of sebaceous follicles (oily skin). These areas include your face, upper chest and back. An acne attack, or acne scarring that doesn’t disappear can result in psychological effects that include poor self-esteem and depression. Genetics and even the quality of sleep you get, your stress levels, your diet, what you drink, sun exposure, smoking and hormonal and psychological changes can play a role in an acne breakout. 

Acne scaring results when the acne becomes inflamed and cystic acne occurs. Scarring happens when the pores on your skin become larger due the accumulation of excess oil, bacteria or other impurities. This accumulation in the pores causes the follicle to break. As a result, the impurities spread to the dermis where it damages the healthy skin tissue. This, combined with the over-production of collagen to heal the wound leads to the formation of a scar. 

There are different types of acne scaring and the type of scarring that occurs on your skin depends on what damage there is on your skin and the skin repair process. The different types of scarring include:

• Ice Pick Scars (deep pits)
• Boxcar Scars (angular scars which normally occur on the temple and cheeks)
• Rolling scars (wave-like appearance)
• Hypertrophicscars (thickened appearance).

Prevention

 You can prevent acne by ensuring that you keep your face, neck and body clean.

• Wash your face twice with a gentle, cleansing product and a soft cloth that removes impurities, including make up.
• Tone and moisturize your face and neck to prevent dryness and peeling.
• Wear a sunscreen that is specifically for your face.
• Don’t wear a lot of makeup, and if you have an acne breakout, try not to wear any makeup as it can irritate your skin. It is best to wear oil-free, noncomdeogenic makeup that doesn’t have any added dyes and chemicals in it.
• Watch what hair products you put on your hair as they can get on your face and block your pores, causing a breakout.
• Eat healthier foods and drink more water to keep your body hydrated. We cannot emphasize enough the importance of water to the health of your skin!
• Don’t pick at your acne as this can lead to scarring and spread acne to other areas on your face or body.

Acne Treatments

At Dr Bhabha Aesthetics we offer a variety of treatments for every acne problem. After a consultation with one of our doctors, the appropriate treatment will be recommended and discussed with you in detail. Some of the acne treatment we offer are:

• Functional Laser
• Chemical Peels
• Laser Resurfacing

Book a consultation with Dr Bhabha Aesthetics. We are located in Bedfordview and Rosebank, Johannesburg.