Clear Clinic Skin Care Blog

14Jan

Can Facial Oils Clear Acne?

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Some skin care professionals are touting the benefits of facial oils for the treatment of acne. Dr. Schweiger notes that, “While we are always looking for the next great treatment for acne, there is not enough research to prove that facial oils clear acne. The best acne treatments have been studied and proven to improve and prevent acne.”

It is important to visit an acne expert, in order to receive the best treatment for your acne. Your dermatologist or dermatology PA will be able to prescribe the most appropriate prescription medications and recommend the most effective in-office laser and light-based treatments for your acne. While facial oils have shown promise, there is not strong evidence showing that they kill acne-causing bacteria, decrease inflammation, or decrease excess sebum production on the skin.

The current most effective types of acne treatments are:

Topical antibacterial medications – These prescription medications include topical antibiotics and benzoyl peroxide.
Topical retinoids – Retinoids regulate skin cell turnover, to clean out clogged pores and prevent the formation of a microcomedone, which can attract acne-causing bacteria.
Oral medications – Examples of oral medications include oral antibiotics, anti-androgen medications, oral contraceptive pills, and isotretinoin.
Laser and light-based therapies – These in-office treatments can clean out the pores and kill acne-causing bacteria quickly. Examples of these therapies include Blue Light Therapy, Photodynamic Therapy, and the Isolaz Laser.
In-office treatments – These treatments, which include chemical peels, microdermabrasion, and medical extractions, help to prevent acne and improve the appearance of marks from old acne lesions.

Click here to learn more about acne treatments available at Clear Clinic.

12Jan

Latest Clear Club Updates at the Clear Clinic

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Clear Clinic has updated its Clear Club program to make treating your acne an easy and affordable experience. The Clear Club is an acne treatment program that works similarly to a gym membership; your monthly fee will cover all treatments received during the course of your treatment and you will work with a ‘personal trainer’ (a dermatology specialized Physician Assistant) to guide you toward clear skin.

The benefits of joining the Clear Club are:

Monthly fee based on the needs of your skin
A personal acne coach that you will be able to contact at your convenience with questions or for prescription refills
Guaranteed same day appointments
Home delivery of prescription medications
Greatly reduced prices on acne and acne scar treatments at the Clear Clinic

Dr. Schweiger explains that, “We developed the Clear Club to better serve the needs of our patients. Our goal is to treat acne quickly and effectively, often using a combination of prescription medications and in-office laser treatments, depending on the needs of your skin. By joining the Clear Club, you will have access to the expertise of specialized dermatology Physician Assistants who focus on the treatment of acne, using the most up-to-date technology and treatments.”

Clear Club members receive a discounted price on all laser and light-based acne and acne scar treatments, in addition to treatments like medical extractions and chemical peels. The cost saved by being a Clear Club member pays for the cost of the membership quickly.

Click here to learn more about the Clear Clinic in New York City.

11Jan

Clear Clinic Featured on Harper’s Bazaar Website

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Harper’s Bazaar recently featured Dr. Schweiger and the Clear Clinic in a web feature on the 13 Beauty Trends for 2013. The feature mentioned how blow dry bars and makeup services are popping up everywhere, but Clear Clinic is the first full-service walk-in acne treatment center. This allows both our existing patients and new patients to receive prompt care for their acne.

Dr. Schweiger notes that, “Clear Clinic offers both walk-in and appointment services seven days a week. The allows our patients to receive acne-fighting treatments, such as photodynamic therapy and the Isolaz acne treatment, at their convenience. Our walk-in policy means that any day you wake up with a giant pimple on your face, you can swing by the Clear Clinic on your way to work to receive a cortisone shot to flatten it out within 24-48 hours.”

Cortisone shots: A tiny injection of a medication similar to cortisone is place directly into the pimple. The anti-inflammatory effect of this medication flattens out the pimple within 24-48 hours.
Photodynamic Therapy: This light-based treatment kills the p. acnes bacteria on the skin, which can otherwise lead to the development of acne.
Isolaz acne treatment: The Isolaz treatment utilizes two mechanisms simultaneously; a gentle vacuum opens the pore and cleans out oil and debris, while a broad-spectrum light kills the p. acnes bacteria inside the pores.
Chemical peel: Chemical peels can address both acne and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (the dark spots left behind from old acne lesions.)

Click here to read the Harper’s Bazaar feature on Clear Clinic.

10Jan

What’s New in Acne Treatment

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Dr. Schweiger recently met with fashionista.com to review what’s new in acne treatment. New ways to fight acne are being discovered every year, so it is important to keep up to date on what the current best treatments are for acne. Here are a few new things to keep in mind this year:

Benzoyl peroxide and topical antibiotics are still mainstays of topical acne treatments. Older antibiotics, like erythromycin, are now facing bacterial resistance and losing efficacy; clindamycin is more commonly used to fight acne in 2013. Dr. Schweiger’s favorite topical antibiotic formulation combines clindamycin with benzoyl peroxide, for the most effective antibacterial effect. Use these medications with a gentle moisturizer to prevent dryness.
LED Light Therapy and Photodynamic Therapy are both effective in-office treatments for battling acne. This is a great options for patients who want faster results or patients who have tried many prescription medications without improvement.
The Isolaz laser for acne simultaneously cleans out the pores and uses a broad-spectrum light to kill acne-causing bacteria. A series of treatments helps to treat active acne and prevent future acne.
Chitosan, an ingredient derived from shellfish, may play a role in killing the acne-causing p. acnes bacteria. A recent study showed that benzoyl peroxide was more effective when combined with chitosan, than when used on its own to treat acne. More research is needed before this ingredient is seen in prescription medications.
Bacteriophages are viruses, which someday may be able to be used to kill p. acnes bacteria on the skin. Like chitosan, more research is necessary before this becomes a real acne treatment.

Click here to read the feature on ‘what’s new in acne treatment.’

10Jan

The Top 10 Acne Fighting Tips You Should Follow This Year

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According to acne expert, Dr. Schweiger, here are the top 10 acne fighting tips you should follow this year:

Cleanse before bed – even if you only have time to use a cleansing wipe, it is important to remove oil and grime from the day before going to sleep.
Change your pillowcase – hair products and oil from past nights’ sleep can accumulate on your pillowcase and clog up your pores.
Don’t touch your skin – dirt and oil from your hands can transfer onto your face.
Pay attention to hair care – if you start to break out after using a new hair product, consider switching it to something else. Hair products can clog the pores on your skin and cause acne.
Visit a dermatologist – if you’re experiencing acne, do not wait to visit a dermatologist until it gets serious. Even mild acne can be quickly treated with prescription medications.
Manage your stress – increased stress causes hormones to be released into your system, which can lead to the development of acne.
No bathroom surgery – popping pimples in front of your bathroom mirror leads to increased inflammation on the skin, which can keep the pimple around longer and may result in more acne scars.
Wear sunscreen – even people with oily skin need to wear a sunscreen during the daytime. Acne medications and treatments can make your skin sun sensitive. It is important to protect it against damage from the sun. Choose a sunscreen with broad spectrum protection, that is labeled non-comedogenic or non-acnegenic.
Clean your cell phone – Oil from your skin deposits on your cell phone all day long; it is important to keep this oil from returning to your skin to clog your pores.
Consider a cleansing brush – Cleansing brushes, such as the Clarisonic, remove 6 times more dirt from the skin than traditional cleansing methods. Keep your pores clean and improve the texture of your skin with daily use of a cleansing brush.

9Jan

How to Classify Your Acne Scars

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Acne and acne scar expert Dr. Eric Schweiger explains that, “Not all acne scars are the same. There are a few different types of acne scars that can form on your skin; it is important to be able to identify the different types of acne scars, in order to determine the best form of treatment to get rid of your acne scars.”

Here is our quick guide to classifying your acne scars:

Ice Pick Scars: Ice pick scars are very deep scars, with sharp borders. They look almost as if they have been poked into the skin with an ice pick.

Boxcar Scars: Boxcar acne scars have a sharp border, but they are much wider than ice pick acne scars. They appear as round ‘pits’ on the surface of the skin.

Rolling Scars: Rolling acne scars do not have sharp borders, they appear as indented ‘wavy’ patches of the skin.

Hypertrophic Scars: Hypertrophic acne scars are not indented at all, they are actually firm bumps raised above the surface of the skin. This type of acne scarring is most commonly found on the chest and back.

Discoloration: While not truly an ‘acne scar’, discoloration can appear just as dramatically on the skin as acne scarring. There are two main types of discoloration after acne, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (dark spots) and post-inflammatory erythema (reddish spots.) Both of these types of acne marks can be addressed with topical medications, chemical peels, and in-office laser treatments.

Click here to learn more about classifying your acne scars.

8Jan

What’s the Best Order to Apply Acne Products?

Posted in Acne Tips by admin.

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When using topical acne medications, it can be confusing when to apply which product. At the very least, you will be applying a topical acne cream, a moisturizer, and a sunscreen. Some people even use serums and additional acne medications on top of their basic regimen. Its important to understand the best order to apply acne products, in order to get the best results possible from each product.

Dr. Schweiger recommends applying your topical creams in the following order:

Topical acne medications: Most topical medications should be applied first, directly onto clean, dry skin. This allows the medications to be absorbed into the skin and to work in the most effective manner possible. The exception to this rule is with retinoids, which can sometimes be applied after moisturizer is applied, in order to prevent the development of dryness and irritation on the skin.
Moisturizer: Moisturizers should be applied after the application of acne medications. The use of a moisturizer often allows the acne medications to better penetrate the skin, and prevents medications from drying out your skin.
Sunscreen: Sunscreen should be applied after both acne medications and moisturizer. It is important to apply a moisturizer with broad spectrum protection (which means protecting against both UVA and UVB rays) and an SPF of 30 of higher.

When confused about when to apply topical creams, a good rule of thumb to follow is to apply the products in order from thinnest to thickest. This will allow all of the topical creams to penetrate into the skin.

7Jan

Stop Picking Your Acne! Why Popping and Picking is So Bad for Your Skin

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As tempting as it can be, it is important to avoid popping pimples and picking at your skin when you break out. Not only does picking your acne cause it to stick around longer (due to increased inflammation on the skin), but Dr. Schweiger explains that, “Picking at or popping pimples, what we often refer to as bathroom surgery, leads to more inflammation on the skin. This results in the acne sticking around for longer, but also may increase the likelihood of post-inflammatory changes, such as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and acne scarring.”

So, what can you do instead of popping your pimples? There are a few options for at-home treatments to get rid of your pimple quickly:

Visit your dermatologist for a cortisone injection. This tiny anti-inflammatory shot can flatten out pimples within 24-48 hours. At Clear Clinic, we leave openings for last minute cortisone shots every day.
Benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid are both available in OTC formulations, and can be applied twice a day to pimples as they come up. These medications help to kill acne-causing bacteria and clear out clogged pores respectively, and are easily found at any drugstore.

The bottom line is, rather than performing bathroom surgery, speak to your dermatologist about the best option for getting rid of your pimples without popping or picking.

4Jan

Ask the Acne Expert: How Long Should I Be on Prescription Acne Medication?

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Acne expert Dr. Schweiger explains that, “All prescription medications are different. Some are intended to be used or taken for a short period of a few weeks or months, while others are intended for more long term use. The bottom line is that, for the most part, acne is a chronic condition. This means that you may need to continue prescription acne medication for an extended period of time, in order to fully control your flares. However, this does not mean that you need to continue your oral antibiotics for acne forever; it simply means that you may use some form of maintenance treatment for a period of time. This maintenance treatment is often in the form of a topical anti-acne cream or periodic laser treatments for acne.”

We approach every patient individually, so there is no set “maintenance regimen” that we recommend for everyone. However, most of our patients continue to use at least one topical medication, in addition to good skin care in the form of cleansers, moisturizers, and sunscreen, even after the bulk of their acne treatment is completed. Topical acne medications, such as Retin A, not only prevent acne from returning, but they help to improve the texture of the skin and decrease the marks left behind from old acne lesions. Over time, we may determine together that you acne has resolved, and we will then recommend that you only continue your general skin care regimen. Every patient is different, but the main message is not to simply stop using your acne medications once you are clear – it is important to consult with your dermatologist to determine which, if any, maintenance regimen is best for your skin.

2Jan

Treating Keloid Acne Scars: What are the Best Treatments?

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Acne scars most often looks like tiny indentations on the skin, but sometimes the reverse can occur. Most commonly seen on the back and chest, keloid acne scars are another type of acne scars that we often treat at the Clear Clinic. Keloidal scars are thick, raised scars, which are usually very red in appearance. They may even feel slightly tender to the touch, and they do not improve on their own over time.

There are a few methods used to treat keloid acne scars. Depending on the location and appearance of the acne scar, we may recommend a series of cortisone injections or a laser resurfacing treatment. Dr. Schweiger explains that, “It is common for keloidal scars to be present in the same area as pitted acne scars and pigment changes from acne. For this reason, we often recommend treatment with the Fractional CO2 laser, which addresses all of these issues. The laser works by stimulating healthy collagen production to replace the scarred skin.”

Cortisone injections can also be used to treat keloidal acne scars, particularly when the scars are very thick and firm, and only a few of them are present. This situation often occurs with keloidal scars on the chest and back. A short series of cortisone injections is usually sufficient to flatten out the keloidal scar, though the redness of the scar can remain. The best treatments for keloidal scars include cortisone injections and fractional CO2 laser resurfacing, your dermatologist will recommend which of these treatments is most appropriate for your scars.

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