Clear Clinic Skin Care Blog

14Jun

Why Do I Have Acne?

Posted in Adult Acne by . | Leave a Comment

A common question that we receive at the Clear Clinic is, “Why Do I have Acne?” Most people feel that if they’re washing their face every night, they should not develop acne. The truth is that the development of acne can occur no matter how diligent you are with your evening cleansing routine. There are many factors that play a role in the development of acne, including androgen hormones, increased sebum production, clogged pores leading to formation of the microcomedone, and genetics. These influencing factors cannot be avoided, so it is important to take the necessary steps to prevent acne formation. Cleansing your face with a gentle cleanser in the evening is important, but it is not the only step in the prevention of acne.

Dr. Schweiger explains that, “It is important to cleanse with a gentle cleanser in the morning and evening. A cleansing brush, such as the Clarisonic, can be helpful to getting a deeper pore cleansing. In addition, it is crucial to address any influencing factors that can lead to the formation of acne. If androgen hormones are contributing to your acne, you can use anti-androgen medications to prevent the formation of acne. Light treatments, such as photodynamic therapy, can decrease excess sebum production. Topical medications, like retinoids, can help regulate skin cell turnover in order to avoid microcomedone formation.” It is important to have your skin evaluated by your dermatologist to determine the factors that are causing your acne. Once you know where to start, addressing acne and preventing acne formation will be much easier.

Click here to read more about the causes of acne.

13Jun

How Does Benzoyl Peroxide Work to Treat Acne?

Posted in Acne At Home Treatments by . | Leave a Comment

After all of these years, benzoyl peroxide still remains one of the top acne medications. Available in both over-the-counter and prescription formulations, it is a treatment that nearly everyone with acne has tried at some point. However, not everyone who has used benzoyl peroxide understands why they are using it or how it helps to treat their acne.

Dr. Schweiger explains that, “Benzoyl peroxide treats and prevents acne by adding oxygen to the pores. This helps to kill the p. acnes bacteria that leads to the development of acne. It also helps to clear debris from the pores that attracts p. acnes bacteria.” Benzoyl peroxide is available in many formulations, including medicated cleansers and leave-on creams. In prescription medications, benzoyl peroxide is often combined with clindamycin for increased efficacy.

Click here to read more about benzoyl peroxide and other over-the-counter acne treatments.

13Jun

Focus On: Medical Extractions

Posted in Acne Scars, Uncategorized by Clear Clinic. | Leave a Comment

What makes a medical extraction different than using your own two fingers to pop a zit? A lot! First, as we’ve explained, popping your own zits is never a good idea. It can lead to further breakouts, scars and irreparable damage. Plus, the chances of you being able to fully remove the blemish without medical tools is zilch. A medical extraction session usually includes a chemical peel, to fully get rid of those dead skin cells. Then our esthetician will use an acne extractor in a sterile environment to fully get rid of the whitehead or blackhead.

12Jun

New Study Proves Effectiveness of Tria Blue Light Acne Device

Posted in Uncategorized by Clear Clinic. | Leave a Comment

New research is promising to acne patients who want to continue blue light treatments at home to clear up their blemishes. The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology (JCAD) conducted a clinical study of the Tria Skin Perfecting Blue Light for Acne device in their May 2012 issue. The Tria device uses blue light therapy to kill the P. acnes bacteria, which is responsible for acne vulgaris breakouts. The study looked at 32 men and women between the ages of 13 and 45 who had mild to moderate acne lesions on their face. After only one week of using the Tria device, the participants showed a significant reduction in acne lesions an inflammation. After eight weeks, all of the participants reported an improvement in the frequency and severity of their breakouts as compared to their baseline.

For optimal results, the Tria should be used in conjunction with the stronger, in-office blue light treatments.

12Jun

How Much Does Acne Scar Treatment Cost?

Posted in Acne Scars, Uncategorized by .

The cost of laser acne scar treatment varies by the laser used for the treatment. Pitted, or atrophic, acne scars are best treated with fractional resurfacing lasers. The most effective fractional resurfacing lasers are the Fractional CO2 and the Fraxel laser. Dr. Schweiger explains that, “Fractional resurfacing lasers poke microscopic holes in the skin’s surface; this process stimulates the production of healthy collagen. This fresh collagen fills in the the pitted scars to smooth out the appearance of the scars. Most patients see 50-70% improvement of acne scars after fractional laser resurfacing treatment.”

The Fractional CO2 Laser usually requires only one treatment to improve the appearance of acne scars. Dr. Schweiger developed a technique called the F.A.S.T. treatment for acne scars, that requires only very little downtime and has very impressive results for acne scars. The cost of the F.A.S.T. treatment for localized acne scarring is $3500.

The Fraxel laser requires a series of 4 treatments to improve most acne scarring. However, the downtime after Fraxel resurfacing treatments is much shorter than after a more aggressive Fractional CO2 Laser.

Click here to read more about acne scar treatment at the Clear Clinic in NYC.

11Jun

Don’t Throw in the Towel on Your Acne Regimen

Posted in Uncategorized by . | Leave a Comment

We’ve heard the frustrations from so many of our patients who feel as though their fight against acne will never end. Most of the time the frustrations are due in part to trying to take matters into their own hands and devise an acne regimen on their own. Just like you would hire a personal trainer to get in shape or a nutritionist to help you start a healthy eating plan, it’s essential to consult a dermatologist for guidance in an acne-fighting regimen. It’s truly amazing what a few months will do for your skin under the strict care of a doctor.

At Clear Clinic, we make sure each patient is treated individually and not just thrown a generic prescription. There are many different types of acne-fighting treatments and the specialists at Clear Clinic will choose the best ones tailor made to treat your specific skin type. We tell all of our patients to stick to their prescribed regimen for three months–that means really sticking to it–and then let us know how they’re feeling about their acne. We can safely say that our patients all see marked improvements. We think their stories are inspiring. Take a look at our before and after gallery to get inspired to continue your fight against acne.

11Jun

How to Treat Adult Acne

Posted in Adult Acne by Clear Clinic. | Leave a Comment

Adult acne seems to come up out of nowhere; after escaping years of teenager acne, most adults don’t anticipate breaking out in their 20’s and 30’s. Over-the-counter treatments, such as benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid, that seemed to help during the teenage years may no longer be enough to get rid of adult acne. Adults experiencing acne for the first time should make an appointment with a dermatologist to determine the best treatment for their adult acne.

Dr. Schweiger recommends that, “Adult patients use a combination of prescription medications and in-office treatments, such as Isolaz acne laser and Photodynamic Therapy. The Isolaz acne laser and Photodynamic Therapy help to clear acne quickly and with longterm results.” The Isolaz acne laser works by using a gentle vacuum to clean debris from the pores, while a laser kills the p. acnes bacteria inside the pore. Photodynamic Therapy uses blue light to activate a medication called Levulan, which decreases excess sebum production and reduces p. acnes bacteria.

Click here to read more about adult acne treatments.

8Jun

How Not To Pick at Your Acne

Posted in Uncategorized by Clear Clinic. | Leave a Comment

Sometimes the urge to pick at a zit is so overwhelming that you feel like your fingers have a mind of their own. When that first tinge of an underlying pimple starts to form underneath the skin, the mind begins to play tricks on you and all you can do is think about that zit. And how you’re going to get rid of it. There’s a name for people who are addicted to picking their skin, it’s called Acne Excoriee. Not all of us fall under the label of chronic skin pickers, we just want to get rid of our zits pronto. We even justify that a scab and a potential scar is better than having an untouched zit on our face for a few days.

Here are the tips we give our patients who are tempted to take the quick–and far worse for your skin–way out:

Keep post-in notes in your bathroom saying “Don’t Pick!”
When you feel the pimple coming on, wash your face and steam it.
Come into the office for a cortisone shot–this is especially for times when you have a big event within that week.
Leave the extractions to a professional and book an appointment for medical extractions.

8Jun

What to Expect During Photodynamic Therapy

Posted in Uncategorized by Clear Clinic. | Leave a Comment

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) is an in-office procedure used to treat active acne and prevent future acne breakouts. PDT is often performed in a series of treatments; it is sometimes used in a series of multiple PDT treatments, but more often it is combined with light therapy and the Isolaz laser for the best improvement of acne.

Here’s what to expect during your PDT treatment:

Upon arrival in the office, you will wash your face with a gentle cleanser.
Acetone will then be used to clean the skin and increase the absorption of the medication.
A medication called Levulan is applied to the face, or whichever area of the body is being treated.
You will sit for a predetermined amount of time, to allow the Levulan to absorb into the skin.
Blue light is then focused on the skin to activate the Levulan medication.
Prior to leaving the office, sunscreen will be applied to the treated area. For 24-48 hours after your Photodynamic Therapy treatment, your skin will remain extremely sun sensitive. Sun protection should be considered even when indoors, to avoid sunburn.

Click here to read more about PDT (Photodynamic Therapy) for acne.

7Jun

Does Milk Cause Acne Breakouts?

Posted in Acne and Diet, Adult Acne by Clear Clinic. | Leave a Comment

From an early age, we are taught to believe that consuming milk will make us big, strong and healthy. While milk is an essential nutrient for babies, many people start questioning its health benefits for weaned teens and adults. Just ask any follower of a vegan diet and they’ll give you a laundry list of reasons not to drink milk as an adult, including that it’s unnatural for a human to drink the breast milk of another animal.

So how does milk drinking relate to acne? A recent article in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology stated that there is an association between milk consumption and acne. The claim comes from a study performed at the Harvard School of Public Health of 47,000 women. The study states: “We found a positive association with acne for intake of total milk and skim milk. We hypothesize that the association with milk may be because of the presence of hormones and bioactive molecules in milk.”

It’s long been known that hormones are injected into the cows to make them produce more milk. And since hormonal activity is one of the reasons we breakout, it’s an easy parallel to draw. We know it’s not feasible for most people to go cold turkey on milk, so be sure to look for organic, hormone-free milk at the grocery store.

Page 31 of 42« First ‹ Previous 27 28 29 303132 33 34 35 Next ›Last »