Allure Skincare - Treatments

SPECIALIZED ACNE TREATMENT

Adult acne affects 25% of all adult men and 50% of adult women at some time in their adult lives. People can develop acne or have an acne recurrence in their 30s, 40s and beyond. It can be difficult to cope with no matter your age, and can cause depression and social anxiety in an adult the same way it can in a teen!

-At Allure Skincare we believe that in order to treat acne effectively, you first have to understand it...

What Is Acne? Can we help?
Acne most commonly develops when skin cells don't shed properly - the cells stick together and plug up the pores. This blockage encourages an oil called sebum and a bacteria called propionibacterium (P. acne) to build up in the skin pores, leading to inflammation. The oil is produced by the sebaceous glands.

Where It Starts
An acne breakout starts in the skin's tiny holes, commonly called pores. It takes about two to three weeks before a blemish shows up on the skin's surface. Deep within each pore is a sebaceous gland that works to produce sebum, an oil that keeps skin soft and moist. As the skin renews itself, old skin cells die and are shed off. Under the best circumstances, this happens evenly and gradually, making way for fresh new skin. But some people shed skin unevenly and as a result, dead cells mix with sebum and clump together to form a sticky plug. This plug traps oil and bacteria inside the pore — the beginning of a blemish. During puberty, hormones accelerate oil-producing sebaceous glands into hyperdrive, putting teen skin at particular risk for acne.

What NOT to do
Don't over wash or use harsh scrubs. Acne is not caused by dirt.
Don't use alcohol-based products. Alcohol strips the top layer of the skin and many astringents contain alcohol which can cause dryness and irritation.
Beware of sweat. Working out heats up the body, and perspiration makes the skin an even more attractive environment for acne bacteria to grow.
Don't squeeze or pick. It's important to adopt a strict "hands off" policy when it comes to acne. Picking can lead to more inflammation and permanent scaring.
Don't let acne define you. Remember that who you are goes beyond the condition of your skin.

-At Allure Skincare, your mission to rid yourself from embarrassing acne is our goal, that's why we fight acne with a combination of treatments usually including ( Deep Cleansing Facial w/extractions - Chemical Peels* - **Microdermabrasion - ***IPL/Laser Therapy - ****Levulan PDT ). The combination of the above treatments are based upon the type and severity of acne and since acne varies from individual to individual, are chosen upon consultation and are fully customized to meet the individuals needs. A at home treatment regime may be recommended.

*Chemical Peels:
At Allure Skincare we offer the widest array of chemical peels enabling us to correctly treat almost any condition.
A chemical peel involves the application of an acid to the skin to achieve a controlled "burn" to the top layers of the skin. This helps us remove the "build-up" and get down to the problem with more ease, plus all medical acne fighting products used will penetrate better and deeper into the problem. For more about Chemical Peels, visit our "Chemical Peels" page.

**Microdermabrasion:
Microdermabrasion is a closed vacuum system delivering aluminum oxide crystals to the skin resulting in a controlled "sand-blasting". This process exfoliates the thickened epidermis, then vacuums away the crystals along with the debris; again helping in deeper product penetration, plus buffing away any scaring.

***IPL/Laser Therapy:
IPL Acne Therapy is an effective new light-based therapeutic therapy is now revolutionizing the treatment of acne. The IPL Acne Therapy destroys the most common bacteria that cause acne — without drugs, without pain and without down time. The IPL system has FDA clearance for the treatment of acne.
IPL, “Intense Pulse Light” is one of the safest acne treatments available…proven to be extremely effective on moderate inflammatory acne. Its technology uses light that is UV-safe and has no known side effects.

****Levulan PDT Treatment

Acne treatments using Levulan Kerastick Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) is the most recent advance in acne therapy. Photodynamic acne therapy involves the application of Levulan (5-aminolevulinic acid), a photosensitizing agent, which is then activated with blue light. This results in significant improvement in moderate to severe cystic acne.

Levulan acne treatment involves three mechanisms of action against acne. Levulan treatment inactivates the bacteria that trigger acne, exfoliates the skin to unclog pores, effectively shutting down the sebaceous glands in the skin. Sebaceous glands are the root cause in the formation of acne. Thanks to this effect, Levulan has a long lasting effect even on severe acne.

Levulan acne therapy can even work in patients who have not succeeded with accutane. While Accutane also targets the sebaceous gland, it has fairly toxic side effects. Levulan is a safe alternative to accutane treatment.