Men and women both develop acne. Many believe that acne is only for teenagers, but it does not stop in many individuals until very late in their lives, leading to social distress and sometimes very deep and disfiguring  scars.

The treatment for acne is a stepwise treatment, starting with topical creams and lotions, then oral antibiotics, and finally if all measures fail, an oral medicine called Isotretinoin ( accutane). Not everyone needs or should go on Isotretinoin, as it has the potential for birth defects and serious side effects. Only your doctor can determine if it’s right for you.

Among the newer treatments that have changes this paradigm, are steroid injections to decrease inflammation and scarring, comedone extraction, chemical peels to stop development of acne, and now laser and IPL devices.

The new energy-based machines ( laser and IPL) have been a game changer, since their use has eliminated the need for Isotretinoin in many individuals.

If you have a serious acne problem, you will need to see your doctor to formulate a care plan for you.

If you end up with acne scarring, you have a few choices to get rid of scars or just soften them. Microdermabrasion is generally considered to be ineffective for acne scar treatments. The choices are dermaroller treatment, acne scar surgical subcision, TCA peels, other chemical peels, nonablative lasers, and finally ablative lasers. Ablative lasers use the laser energy to vaporize the top layer of the skin and start regeneration of newer healthy skin that replaces the scar tissue.

Please discuss your choices for both acne treatment and acne scars with your doctor to determine which one is best for you.