Acne is a chronic inflammatory disease of the pilosebaceous follicles. The most often affected areas of acne include face, neck, upper trunk and back. Acne is estimated to effect 85% of the adolescent population, 8% of 25-44 year olds and 3% of 35-44 year olds.

There are three main causes for acne. One of which is disordered exfoliation, which is basically clogged pores. Increased Sebum production, excess oil, can cause acne. Third is an over growth of bacteria. In order to reduce and eliminate acne, at least 2 of the 3 causes need to be tackled. For best results all three should be managed simultaneously. Then for women there is also hormones which can play a role in acne as well.

When you come in for a consultation we go over all prior treatments and topicals and try to pin-point which of the above cause(s) are causing your acne. Then we can chose the appropiate treatments and/or plan of action from there. Sometimes Lasers are the best options, othertimes topicals, oral medication or just an at-home system are needed.

Laser Treatments at St. Louis Skin Solutions include:

1. The use the Aura laser to oxidize a by-product of the bacteria that causes acne, which becomes toxic to the bacteria, then in turn killing the bacteria. Prior to the laser treatment, we can also do a microdermabrasion or medical microdermabrasion to help the skin exfoliate, and allow the laser to penetrate deeper. In conjunction to the treatments Dr. Miller can prescribe oral and topical antibiotics to help keep inflammation down and topical retinoids to maintain a healthy rate of exfoliation.

2. Another exciting development in the field of acne is the use of a medication called Levulan. This is a topical medication that is absorbed by the cells lining the sebaceous glands, but not by normal skin. The laser is then used to activate the medicine, in a process called photodynamic therapy. The activated medicine destroys sebaceous glands, decreasing oil production and improving acne.

3. We can also resort to the Smooth Skin Laser peel to stun the oil glands, and help exfoliate the skin as well.