In my
last blog, I talked about acne. What I want to emphasize is that acne is a skin disease. I grew up thinking it was sort of a curse, despite my mother stressing to me that it is a disease. I felt it was something I had to grow out of, except I never did. A few pimples, it’s true, are a teenage rite of passage. However, an onslaught of
cystic acne is not something every teenager deals with.
It doesn’t help that there are mixed messages in the media regarding acne. It is viewed as something mortifying to cover up and hide. However, in treating the disease, sometimes continually covering up the problem can just exasperate the condition. And the continual washing of the face can cause the skin to lose it’s
natural acid mantle, which has a specific pH and is like the skin’s protective coating.
That doesn’t mean though that nothing can be done to help the skin heal through the process. Sometimes the skin gets red spots after the accumulation of years of acne. These spots fade over time, but can be in the meantime, an eyesore for a young teen or adult.
Microdermabrasion is a procedure that helps slough off these old skin cells and promote rejuvenation all at once. When acne has been an issue, the government sometimes reimburses a portion of the microdermabrasion services because it is considered a medical procedure.
Glo Skin and MedSpa offers microdermabrasions for $100 each or a series of 3 for $250. It is also worth phoning ahead and asking if
Alberta Health will cover their services for acne scar treatment. Their hours of operation are Tuesday from 9 am to 6 pm; Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10 am - 8 pm; and Saturday from 9 am - 5pm. The clinic’s phone number is 780.481.9772 and they are located at 17026 - 95 Avenue Terra Losa Centre Shopping Center.
Microdermabrasions are a less invasive way to treat
superficial scars. However, if the acne has not been thoroughly treated, then note that new scars can reappear from new outbreaks. Also, it is not advisable to ever have a treatment performed when the face has any visible acne.
Also, dermatologists across the city of Edmonton often offer treatment for scarring. The bonus about going through a dermatologist is that the treatments have the bonus of being medically supervised.
If you are a little nervous about who to choose,
Rate MD’s website has list of the dermatologists in Edmonton according to those who actually go online and review their doctors. It’s always nice to hear about people’s positive experiences with dermatologists, and it can help lessen the scare factor of seeing someone regarding acne scar treatment. This is especially true if the treatment is more
invasive.
Only a dermatologist can truly advise an individual if they are ready to have skin treatments performed.
Acne scar surgeries are a last resort when the acne has not been treated in time and scarring has occurred. Sometimes what a person thinks is scarring is not actually a scar at all. This is good news, so people do not need to rush to the esthetician as soon as they see skin imperfections.
There will always be someone out there willing to sell you something. I’ve met a lot of smooth talking shysters in my day. They were adept at presenting an image I wanted to see, and then capitalizing on it. I was one especially prone to catch phrases so skin clinics entitled “
Smooth Angelic Skin” or something to that nature drew me in, and then the talk got me line and sinker until I was calling my Mom as an older teen asking her to pick me up from the esthetician’s after I got a facial and peel.
Don’t fall for those
marketing messages and feel inadequate because you and your dermatologist are having a difficult time treating your acne. There are solutions out there, but they take a while and you have to follow the doctors’ instructions carefully. But do so, and have faith, because they know what they are talking about.
And be patient in all the parts of the treatment process. I recommend microdermabrasion because it did help me. I had acne for 15 years, so I did have some red spots and warbles. But I also learned that not everything I thought was scarring actually was scarring.
My last blog recommends my
favorite dermatologists in Edmonton, so check that out if you are looking for personal recommendations from me. I’m happy to report that with doctors’ help, I know have radiant skin. So I know that if the medical community could do it for me, they can also help you or your loved ones that struggle with acne.
