RFA hates acne too!
If you haven’t already met me, I am Lucy Greene, a licensed Esthetician & Certified Acne Specialist with over 10 years of experience. I eat, breathe, sleep all things acne and it is my favorite thing to treat in the office and virtually online. I recently have joined forces with a group of amazing providers at Racquel Aesthetics to tackle acne one treatment at a time!
Acne is the most common skin condition in North America and can wreak havoc on self esteem everywhere. Why do so many people struggle with acne? Acne is a genetic condition of the pore that is flared up by many variables such as diet, sleep, stress, medication, & hormones. In today’s fast-paced world, unfortunately, most of us live a high-stress lifestyle. We are on the go, not eating the best, running on caffeine, and when you try to keep up with this pace our skin starts to show the negative consequences of this.
What is Acne?
It may seem like an obvious problem, but it actually is more complex than just a raised blemish. Acne by definition is Retention Hyperkeratosis. Retention hyperkeratosis occurs when skin cells of the follicle become cohesive and don’t shed normally on the surface of the skin. This abnormal shedding of the skin leads to the formation of a microcomedone under the skin 8 weeks before the acne lesion is visible on the skin surface. Once sebum & dead skin becomes trapped in the pore, bacteria can start to grow and then your body sends white blood cells to fight it, and then the result of that is a pustule.
Acne Contributors
- Poor Skin Care Habits
- Stress
- Birth Control Pills
- Pregnancy
- Hormones
- Cosmetics
- Heat & Humidity
- Diet
- Iodides
- Drugs
- Sun Exposure
- Picking
Home Care
Skincare is one component of treating acne. The goal is to get a gentle yet powerful exfoliating regimen to help prevent your pore from collecting dead skin and excess sebum. I always suggest keeping your cleanser on the gentle side so that your corrective serums/lotions can do the majority of the work. My favorite gentle cleanser for this is our RFA Gentle Foaming Cleanser. It cleanses amazingly and doesn’t leave the skin tight or dry. Next, your treatment product should check multiple boxes. If you have inflamed acne, I would suggest the RFA Mandelic 5% Pads. Mandelic is gentle and has powerful antibacterial properties and also brightens! If you are someone who struggles with non-inflamed acne which is pebble-like clogged comedones in the skin, you would be a great candidate for RFA Forever Young Retinol 50. Retinol exfoliates the pore really well. If you pair Retinol with a lot of hydration and you will avoid irritation. If you are unsure of what you need, you can get a complimentary skincare consultation through our website. We’d be happy to help you!
But wait, be patient.
Remember, what goes in must come out. All of the dead skin and sebum that was forming invisible microcomedones 30-90 days ago, needs to surface to be fully clear. This is why all of the treatments for acne create a “worse before better” scenario. You have to be patient and push through this phase to have a clear complexion. This doesn’t mean your products are not working, this means that they are creating an action in the skin to dispel the impaction of trapped congestion.
In-Office Treatments To Clear Faster
There are a few things that you can do to speed up the purging phase while on your topical acne regimen.
RFA Lux Peel – a series of this popular peel is awesome for acne. 3 is ideal! This is a blended TCA peel done in our office and this treatment will cause your skin to shed to reveal a healthy complexion. This will help shuffle old acne up to the surface quickly to heal and work on scarring.
Acne BBL – is a laser treatment that can be done every 10 days to kill p.acnes bacteria and heal acne quickly. This is great to do in conjunction with our lux peel.
Custom & Corrective Facial – this is a great option for anyone breaking out. This facial includes Blue LED, BioBrasion, Enzyme or Chemical Peel, Cryo Sticks, and Dermaplaning.
This rapid exfoliation will help speed up the purging phase and can be done every 3-4 weeks.
Once Clear
After achieving clear skin, you may have some post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, erythema, and atrophic scarring to treat. When treating acne scars, you should always combine a multitude of treatments for the best results. Below are some of my favorites treatments for acne scarring.
Microneedling – This collagen induction treatment creates tiny microchannels into the layers of skin forcing your body to heal this controlled injury, resulting in smoother skin. A series of 3-4 is ideal for acne scars.
Lumify Peel – This peel is a powerhouse fighter for all things corrective, especially acne scars. This peel comes with a skincare kit that has blended retinol to work on acne making it our most effective peel continuously. This peel does come with a little bit of visual downtime, including mild redness and peeling.
Vbeam – This gold standard laser eliminates broken capillaries and expanded blood vessels which are common after acne has healed. issues such as redness, rosacea, blotchiness, and post-inflammatory erythema from acne scars are resolved with little downtime.
Moxi – The MOXI laser by Sciton is the latest non-ablative laser that provides a gentler approach to laser resurfacing! Moxi comfortably delivers non-ablative fractionated energy to the skin to promote new cell growth and improve skin tone and texture without the recovery and downtime associated with more aggressive laser procedures.
Dermal Fillers – Injectable fillers are used to restore volume in the face. The fillers we use are made from hyaluronic acid and are reversible. The use of fillers can raise scar depressions that acne can cause.
If you or a family member are seeking help to treat your acne, I would love to evaluate your skin! You can do a virtual consultation with me anytime, through my website lucyhatesacne.com or feel free to message me on Instagram @lucyhatesacne If you want to see me in the office at Racquel Aesthetics, call or text to schedule an appointment.
636-742-1122
XO,
Lucy Greene
