Acne Surgery: Q&A
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When is Acne Surgery the Best Solution to Treat Acne?
I have tried almost everything to get rid of my severe acne, but nothing seems to work in the long-term, so I am starting to think I need to consider a more drastic solution. When is surgery an appropriate and effective acne treatment?
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32 Doctor Answers |
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anon
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Effective acne treatment
One should work with an experienced board-certified dermatologist to review comprehensive approach to treat active acne, prevent acne scarring and to treat existing acne scarring. Acne is a multifactorial skin condition, e.g. genetic predisposition, hormonal trigger, stress, thus requiring a multi-pronged approach. There are topical and oral prescription medications available to minimize cystic acne lesions, suppress hormonal trigger, and achieve more even tone. Scar revision may be...
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Acne Surgery
For the most persistent and problematic acne you may require acne removal surgery. Acne removal surgery can be many different things. Acne laser surgery is able to address acne at its root and correct overactive sebaceous glands which are creating a breeding ground for acne on your skin. Acne scar removal surgery uses lasers to resurface the skin to help eliminate the affects of acne scarring. Acne removal surgery can also mean the surgical draining and removing of the most persistent...
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Acne Surgery Just One Part of Treating Acne
Acne surgery alone is not the best solution to treat acne, rather it is one option of many. Acne surgery isn't even appropriate for all types of acne. Acne typically necessitates medical treatments such as over-the-counter and presciption topical medicines and/or prescription oral medications. Acne surgery is typically considered "adjuvant" therapy and will be more effective if used in addition with a medical acne regimen. There are also office-based treatments such...
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I did this as a means to correct some shallow acne scars from the past. had done plenty of...
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Acne Surgery is just one piece of the puzzle
Acne is a condition where many different treatments can be used. Topical and oral antibiotics, retinoid creams, benzoyl peroxide, salicylic and glycolic acids, birth control pills, and laser treatments may be utilized in a treatment regimen. Accutane is usually reserved for more severe cystic acne that doesn't respond to the above treatments. Acne surgery is a good option as part of the regimen for open and closed blackheads,...
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Miami Beach Dermatologist
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Acne Surgery for Acne
Acne surgery may help to prevent the development of some acne lesions, but it should never be the sole or primary form of treatment for acne. Acne surgery basically opens and removes closed and open comedones, and therefore, may help to prevent the development of more inflammatory lesions, e.g. papules and pustules (basically "pimples"). Another treatment should be the primary form of treatment, whether that would be an oral antibiotic or oral retinoid or other product. Consult...
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Surgery as treatment for acne?? Not.
I agree with the other doctors here who expressed the belief that severe acne warrants medical therapy. Accutane is best for this but not everyone can take this drug.
The non medical treatments for severe acne that I use include laser light (Nlite) which helps with depressed but not ice pick scars. The PDT treatment is useful for some skin types.
Except for accutane, all of the medical treatments are going to be temporary...IE they work while you take them. Severe cystic acne...
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Acne is a chronic disease. Acne surgery is not an excision or scar treatment
Having severe acne is frustrating. It's important to understand that it is chronic disease. With everything other than Accutane, which sometimes cures it, we are just managing the acne. You really should consult with a board-certified dermatologist to discuss your options. As for acne surgery, it is not a drastic choice. Acne surgery is a procedure by which comedones (blackheads and whiteheads) are extracted or cysts are punctured and drained. It is means of getting rid of lesions fast....
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Surgical Excision of Acne Scars
Surgical excision of an acne scar is best for broad based or wide type acne scars (boxcar) or deep "ice pick" scars. An alternative treatment for these types of scars is liquid silicone or subcision combined with temporary fillers. Shallow acne scars or diffuse scarring of the cheeks is best treated with Fractional CO2 Laser resurfacing with the Total Fx laser. Deep depressions from scars can also be treated with microfat injections. You may need...
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Acne surgery to treat acne
Acne surgery is actually a procedure used to treat scarrinng produced by acne. It is not a procedure intended to cure acne. If your acne is not well controlled by an excellent medical regimen, then you might consider Acutane treatment.
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PDT/laser surgery for cystic acne
PDT/laser surgery can shrink the oil glands that induce inflammatory ace. This is similar to the actions of Acutane without the side effects of Acutane.
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Los Angeles Acne Surgery
Excellent question.
Its important to point out that the management of acute acne is done so with medication. I would consult with a board certified dermatologist who has a practice emphasis in acne treatment. There are various treatment options for this skin condition, and in the right hands, you should see favorable results.
Acne Surgery is used to manage chronic scarring as a sequelae of uncontrolled acute acne and cystic acne. You have several options in...
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Acne and scar treatment
First and foremost Acne needs to be controlled or treated. Microdrainage and extraction of the cysts are very important to reduce the acne and minimize scarring. Some scars respond well to just fillers, others may need subcision and filler, fractionated CO2 laser helps to improve some scars, finally dermabrasion can dramatically reduce some scars.
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Acne surgery - when to consider
First and foremost, its important to clear any active acne you may have. See a dermatologist, or two if need be, to get a treatment plan that works for you. If you have persistent acne that doesn't respond to prescription creams, then some blood work to assess your hormone levels should be considered. Then, addition of an oral antibiotic, oral contraceptive (in women), and/or isotretinoin should be considered. Once the acne is under good control, acne surgery can be considered to...
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Great option to avoid prescription medications
While acne surgery can work for anyone, I find it one of the best options for those looking to minimize the use of prescription medications. For patients who are pregnant or nursing or those who have medical problems such as liver disease, acne surgery removes the risks of using prescription medications to treat their acne. It's also great for flare ups before an important event or for those who aren't completely controlled on their current regimen, but wish to...
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Acne surgery is best for scars
The usual signs of acne are best treated with medication. If there are deep lumps, they may be treated with meticulous surgery. Surgical and laser treatments can improve scars from acne. There are different techniques your dermatologist knows about.
Mainz Dermatologic Surgeon
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Have you considered accutane?
I know the word "surgery" makes it sound like this is a final solution to your acne, but if you are still developing acne lesions it is worth considering accutane to get the "long term" solution you seek. Discuss this with your dermatologist, but I think doing surgery before getting control of the acne is putting the horse before the cart. Why spend money on surgery when new acne lesions can still arise and create the need for even more surgery...
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Austin Dermatologist
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Subcision and acne scars
Acne scars are often difficult to improve with laser or chemical peels. Before considering surgery, a less invasive but outstanding procedure known as subcision should be considered.
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Acne surgery is a great addition to most acne regimens
There are various topical medicines and pills that can be used to treat acne. These include topical retinoids (eg. Retin-A or Differin) as well as benzoyl peroxide and antibiotic combinations (eg. Duac, Benzaclin, and Acanya gel). However, some pimples need to be physically removed from the skin in a procedure known as "Acne Surgery."
Gentle pressure is placed on the pimples with an instrument known as a comedone extractor, with or without a tiny poke in the...
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Acne Surgery can help but other treatments can also be of benefit
Acne surgery typically means when a physician or assitant opens up an active flare of acne to express inflammatory fluid to prevent further infection and damage. This is used to when the acne has already reached the infective stage. The key is preventing this progression.
A couple ideas could help. You can take a food diary and find out what foods are causing the outbreak. The way to do this is to try to eliminate all of your foods for a week or so by just consuming protein non...
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Acne Surgery
Acne surgery is not true surgery in the sense of scalpels, stitches and general anesthesia. Nor does it refer to light therapies or any of the minimally invasive methods for improving acne scars. Instead it is the treatment of an active acne flare up (breakout), and remains, in my opinion, one of the only ways currently available to significantly and quickly improve active acne within a few days and occasionally even overnight.
Unfortunately, we currently have no cure for acne vulgaris...
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Acne treatment with Lasers
I am beginning to treat acne that would have been treated with antibiotics or Accutane with Isolaz. We are just in the process of setting up this device in our acne center but I am excited to have something new to offer my patients.
Although it is not covered by insurance and requires several visits, I am making it available to patients that dont want to take pills.
Hopefully, patients will want to chat about this and perhaps post some of their photos so that a community develops to monitor...
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PDT Blu U or Chemical Peels work to clear up stubborn acne
If you have tried many acne topical or pill treatments and need something more aggressive the Photodynamic therapy such a Blu U is very beneficial at $350/sessions for 4 sessions. Chemical peels are great to peel off the acne prone skin at $175-250 each for 3-6 peels. Many patients do both to get the best skin.
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Acne Surgery
The role of surgery in acne is in reducing ice pick scars. These scars can be cut out and stitched. Later sanding down the areas (called dermabrasion) can level the scars.
A better approach is to have injections under the skin like Sculptra and microdermabrasion or laser treatments to improve the skin quality.
Regards
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Acne Surgery can be helpful if combined with other treatments
Acne surgery for the treatment of acne typically refers to extracting open comedones (blackheads) and lancing closed comedones (whiteheads). It is often used in conjunction with other acne treatments. My patients are usually treated with a combination of options which may include topical antibiotics, oral antibiotics, benzoyl peroxide products and/or topical retinoids (Retin-A, etc). If these treatments fail to provide satisfying results, oral retinoids such as Accutane can be used.
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You are confused over acne surgery
Acne surgery is not surgery as it is generally conceptualized.
Acne surgery involves the use of a comedone extractor, sometimes augmented by the use of an #11 scalpel blade. These instruments are used to open up closed comedones and extract its contents, or to extract the contents of open comedones (blackheads). Some skilled physicians and aestheticians can perform the latter procedure with perfectly placed cardboards.
Acne surgery is beneficial if you have a comedonal type of acne. Some...
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Acne Surgery
We do not perform acne surgery but have seen many patients in our acne laser program that have consistently used esthetician based "extractions" to open acne lesions. What we have seen in most cases is that this has worsened their scarring. We would recommend sticking with more traditional therapies like antibiotics and Accutane first and if those do not help, then alternative methods like lasers and photodynamic therapy with ALA (aminolevulinic acid) are options.
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Controlling Acne
Many patients with acne love the results of Cutera's Laser Genesis, which is mainly known for improving sun-damaged skin. But the added bonus of the laser's heat kills the bacteria in breakouts and dries them up much quicker than healing on their own. Laser Genesis also reduces the redness from active acne and discolorations from previous breakouts, and shrinks pore size. This will not prevent new breakouts, but keep acne from looking so severe. This laser in combination with seeing our...
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Acne surgery best for clogged pores
Acne surgery refers to a method to remove clogged pores or blackheads. Usually the top of the blackhead is pierced with a small tipped lancet and then lateral pressure with gauze covered fingers or a small extraction tool is applied to extract the clogged material within the pore. Sometimes this is combined with steaming or chemical peel to help loosen the pores. This procedure is sometimes covered by insurance - particularly if you are younger than 25. It is not a cure for nodular acne but...
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Acne surgery
Unfortunately, acne surgery is not a great solution for "severe acne". Acne surgery basically refers to removal of one acne lesion at a time and does nothing for stopping new acne lesions. Oral medications remain the best alternative for severe acne.
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Acne surgery for treatment of acne
Acne surgery for the treatment of acne typically refers to extracting open comedones (blackheads) and lancing closed comedones (whiteheads). It is often used in conjunction with other acne treatments. If your acne is very active, you may need to have your regimen changed which can consist of topical antibiotics, oral antibiotics, benzoyl peroxide products and/or topical retinoids (Retin-A, etc). Often, when these treatments fail to provide satisfying results, oral retinoids are used for...
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Other Options for Acne Surgery
Acne "surgery" can mean a variety of things.
You say you have tried almost everything. I recognize how frustrating controlling acne can be, but you must understand that acne is Controllable instead of Curable.
Younger patients frequently will follow an acne program until they get results, then stop. With acne, you can't stop just because things seem to be going well. Maintaining clear skin takes a commitment.
A typical acne patient will first be assessed based on
severity
previous...
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Acne surgery is not really "surgery"
Acne surgery is not really "surgery". The term refers to a procedure where comedones (i.e. blackheads) are opened up and pushed out with an instrument called a comedone extractor. When an esthetician does this during a facial it is called "extractions". If you really have severe acne and want a long term solution, then you should consider Accutane.
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