Acne is a condition that causes red spots and oily skin on your face, chest, and back. Although it can occur at any age, it is often linked to the hormonal changes people experience during puberty and therefore affects young adults more frequently than older people. At Shenandoah Women’s Healthcare in Harrisonburg, VA, we offer a wide variety of acne treatment that are customized to our patients’ needs.
Having red spots and blemishes on your face can undermine your confidence and make it hard to socialize as normal. What’s more, severe acne can cause long-lasting damage such as scars that are hard to remove later on. For these reasons, the condition shouldn’t be left untreated. Booking a meeting with your local skin experts could allow you to find a way to manage your condition and regain smooth, radiant skin within a few weeks or months.
How Long Do the Various Acne Treatment Take?
Improving Your Hygiene Routine
When you come to us about your acne problem, the first thing we will ask you is what your skincare routine is like. You will need to take us through all the different products you use and how you wash your face, back, and chest. Then, we can help you optimize the routine and figure out ways to better take care of yourself. For example, we can advise you to always clean yourself with fresh towels and to use a gentle but effective face wash.
Around one month after your first consultation, you will know whether these measures were enough to improve the situation. If not, we can help you access pharmaceutical-grade skincare products that can calm down your skin more effectively. You might need to try them out for another month before we can judge their success.
Prescription Medications
Sometimes, simply optimizing your skincare routine won’t be enough to resolve your acne problem. In such cases, we could try prescription medications, which can be applied either topically or orally. Antibiotics or retinoids can often produce the desired effects, and you should be able to tell the difference within a week or two.
Similarly, many women can use the oral contraceptive pill to help them achieve clearer skin. If this is something you’re willing to consider, speak to us about it, as we can help you find the best brand available.
Microneedling
Your body has amazing healing powers, but sometimes, you need some help to access them. Microneedling involves making tiny punctures in the affected area with a skin pen. The body will then perceive an injury and send healing agents to the site. But because the punctures are so small, these components will actually make the skin look better than before, thus smoothing and tightening your features.
You will most likely have to attend several microneedling sessions for best results, and your provider will help you decide how many appointments are needed. Because your body needs time to deploy the healing agents, it might take 4-6 weeks until you can see the best results. Over this time, your cells will slowly be replaced with new, healthy ones, and the appearance of your skin will improve.
Chemical Peels
The idea behind chemical peels is that the outer layer of your skin is often old and no longer optimal. Thus, we can remove it and allow the body to regrow new tissues. This causes a smoother and less infected look. Here at the spa, we offer a variety of different peels, and they affect your skin in different ways. The most gentle option is called the Illuminize peel, and it provides superficial exfoliation.
If you need a more comprehensive option, we can offer you the Vitalize or Rejuvenize peels, which go a bit deeper. Many people will start to see the first results after their initial peel, but to fully treat acne, you will need several appointments. The majority of patients can benefit from around six sessions, spread out over half a year.
Microdermabrasion
One of our most effective acne treatment is called microdermabrasion, and it is very similar to the chemical peel but involves a different method. Your practitioner will use a DiamondTome wand on you to remove the old, dead skin on your face’s surface. Your body will then be encouraged to form newer, healthier cells as a result.
Because we use one of the best microdermabrasion tools, the NewApeel® Aesthetic Exfoliation System, there is very little risk of contamination. You won’t be exposed to loose abrasives. For a full recovery from your acne, you might need to come to the clinic several times over a number of months. The exact length of treatment will be determined after we’ve had a look at your current condition.
Which Treatment Is Right for You?
If you’re suffering from severe acne, you might wonder which of these treatments can produce the best results for you. In fact, there isn’t one easy solution because every person has slightly different symptoms and needs. For this reason, we will always invite you for an initial consultation and come up with a treatment plan together. Your condition, preferences, and goals will be taken into consideration when deciding how to address your acne.
In many cases, a combination of methods works best because such an approach can promote a more complete transformation. We might start with one method and then evaluate whether it is providing you with the results you need. Later on, we can add a second or third type of treatment.
Minimally Invasive Methods
All our acne treatment are noninvasive or minimally invasive, which means that they don’t require general anesthesia or a hospital stay. As such, they are easy for you to incorporate into your everyday life. While topical ointments and oral medication can simply be taken at home, you will need to come to the clinic for microneedling, chemical peels, and microdermabrasion.
Your appointments will take around 20-40 minutes, and you can go back home straight afterward. In most cases, you should be able to resume your normal activities very soon, although it’s best to rest for the remainder of the day. Thus, you can study or work as normal while you’re being treated for acne, and the sessions at your local clinic won’t take too much time out of your busy schedule.
Long Term Solutions
Acne is sometimes very difficult to treat, and it can be extremely distressing because it is so visible. All our solutions are aimed to help you achieve great skin for the long term. That’s why we start by going through your skincare routine and making sure you’re doing everything you can to keep your face clean and healthy. Once your hygiene is optimized, the other treatments aim to resolve the issue for many months at a time.
If you have acne due to hormonal changes in puberty, the condition might start to resolve itself after a few years. Microneedling, chemical peels, and microdermabrasion can speed up this process, so you don’t have to suffer in the meantime. You will notice great results that last for a long time, and you can always come back for a top-up treatment if you start to notice your acne returning.
Additional Benefits
As you participate in treatment, you might discover additional benefits such as your skin tightening and appearing more radiant. Indeed, many of the methods we use can help you to minimize the negative effects of aging. By getting your acne treated, you are forming lifelong good habits of taking care of your skin and getting to know some of the most effective anti-aging treatments. This can serve you well in the long term and help you keep your skin fresh.
Achieve Smooth and Radiant Skin Now
People suffering from acne often find it very hard to function normally because the spots and oily skin affect the way they feel about themselves. What’s more, the condition can be painful in its severe form, and it may cause long-lasting scars. That’s why you should always seek out medical help from your local healthcare center, where there are many different acne treatment available.
Your skin will be evaluated, so we can find the best method of addressing the problem. Depending on the severity and symptoms you’re suffering from, we might suggest a variety of methods to help you achieve smooth skin. Thus, it could take several weeks or months for you to see the best results. Call or message us at Shenandoah Women’s Healthcare in Harrisonburg, VA to find out more and to book your consultation with our acne specialists.