Acne Care

Q: How do lasers help acne?

A: Laser Acne Treatments can be divided into two categories:

• Lasers that shrink oil glands to control current acne problems
• Lasers that reduce scars from previous acne breakouts.

Below, I’ll offer several examples of acne lasers available today. Keep in mind that there’s more than one effective laser brand out there, and be wary of individuals who insist that one brand is “the best”- sometimes, that’s the only laser that individual or clinic may have to treat a certain acne problem.

Lasers that shrink oil glands heat liquid-containing structures in the dermis, including the sebaceous, or oil, glands. When these glands are heated, they shrink in size. Smaller glands mean less oil. Less oil can mean less acne. The shrinking of oil glands seems to be particularly helpful in severe acne cases, where deep nodules or cysts form.

Examples of lasers that shrink oil glands include the:

• Quantel Aramis II 1540 nm Erbium glass laser
• Cooltouch CT3 1320 nm Nd:YAG laser
• Sciton Profile 1319 nm Nd: YAG laser

When acne damage has caused depressed acne scars, laser skin resurfacing is helpful. I prefer fractionated laser skin resurfacing, which usually requires more than one session, but less downtime after each treatment.

Examples of fractionated skin resurfacing lasers include the:

• Fraxel re:store and Fraxel re:pair lasers
• Lumenis Active FX CO2 laser

Skin resurfacing carries some risks, including pigment change. This is especially true for darker skin types.

Remember - It’s Your Face! Find a medical doctor in your area with extensive experience in laser therapy for acne, and ask which laser treatment is best for you.