Laser treatment for active acne or acne scars is an exciting new technology that reduces breakouts, redness, and leaves the skin looking smoother. Using a combination of infrared and pulsed light, this laser treatment effectively eliminates active acne in a quick, painless, non-invasive procedure. It’s safe and takes very little time to perform overall. At Boulder Plastic Surgery, we offer a laser treatment for active acne, and to better inform our patients on active acne and what to expect with this treatment, we’ve developed this helpful overview.
What is Active Acne?
For starters, let’s tackle the source of what causes active acne. Deep below the surface of the skin is a gland called the sebaceous gland. It secretes oil into skin pores, which then allows the oil to flow to the surface of the skin. Acne is an abnormal impairment of this process. Instead of exiting the pore, the oil forms a plug. More oil accumulates behind that plug, it hardens, and then becomes a cyst. Bacteria feed on this buildup, which then causes inflammation and redness, otherwise known as active acne.
How Does This Procedure Fight It?
Laser for active acne is a noninvasive treatment that utilizes pulsed infrared light energy to reduce the oil secretions that produce acne, while reducing redness and inflammation in the skin. Here’s how it works:
- By gently heating your skin’s upper layers, pulsed light energy helps eliminate the bacteria that live on the surface of your skin and causes acne redness.
- The infrared laser targets your skin from the inside out, which decreases the amount of oil secretions caused by the sebaceous gland.
- This laser treatment for active acne and acne scars also helps stimulate tissue repair to reduce acne scars caused by the acne process.
During this treatment, you will experience minimal discomfort at most. A warming sensation or a feeling of a rubber band snapping on your skin is common, but results will vary based on the level of treatment. Supplementary chemical therapies can be used in conjunction with this laser treatment. To produce the desired results, you will likely require 3 to 4 treatments over 2 to 4 week intervals. You will also need maintenance treatments.
What is the Recovery Process Like?
Since laser treatment for active acne is considered non-invasive, there will be very little downtime post-procedure. Depending upon what your doctor says, you should be able to resume normal daily activities as soon as possible. After your treatment, you may experience some redness for a few hours, but again, your post-treatment results will vary based upon the area treated and how many treatments you have received. There will be post-care instructions that you will need to follow very carefully to ensure that the laser treatment works. This will also help reduce your risk of inflammation and redness while speeding up your recovery.
Schedule a Consultation and Learn More
Boulder Plastic Surgery offers a laser treatment for active acne and acne scars, and if you would like to find out more about this treatment, you can schedule a consultation with us over the phone at 303-578-4193.