Therapeutic Acne Facial Treatments
Physicians' referrals welcome.

	Our estheticians have received advanced training specifically for acne treatments. They have been providing clinical acne treatments since 1985.
When you pass your fingers over the area of your breakouts do you feel little bumps?
	These bumps are called impactions or clogged pores. If left untreated, they become zits. Our clinical acne facial treatments remove these impactions, preventing blemishes and clearing the skin of teenagers and adults. Clinical Acne Facial............................................................................$65 Clinical Acne Facial.....(Teens 12-19 years)..........................................$55 Dr. R Acne Facial...............................................................................$70 Back Acne Treatment.........................................................................$60 Healing High Frequency Treatment - 5 minutes...(in between facials).......$15 No Frills Cleansing*.............................................................................$35 *This treatment is available exclusively as a maintenance tool between acne facials and must be scheduled by the esthetician.
What can I expect during Skinfluentials` Clinical Acne Facial?
	A thorough case history is taken. An in-depth skin analysis will be performed. You will be briefly educated about acne and how our treatment and products can help to clear your skin condition. The clinical acne facial is administered. At home products will be introduced. This is mandatory to achieve satisfactory results. You will be given written material regarding acne, your treatments, and home care.
What can our products do for your skin?
	They eliminate the dead skin build up and prevent the formation of blackheads. They promote healing and eliminate the red (infection). The eco system of the skin will be altered by eliminating the opportunity for acne bacteria to multiply. They can heal and conceal. Oil production can be controlled.
Simple Acne Lessons
What is Acne?
	It is a controllable disorder of the follicle caused by the buildup of dead skin cells and increased oil production that sticks together and clogs the pores of genetically inclined individuals. The acne bacteria feeds off this mixture leading to inflamed conditions. Acne is inherited. If one of your parents had acne, you have a 50% chance of also developing acne because acne is an inherited disease of the follicle.
What are the major factors in the formation of acne?
	Increased oil production: This is especially true during the teen years as the hormones stimulate the oil glands to produce more oil. The abnormality of the micro flora of the skin contributes to acne by allowing bacteria to be formed within the follicle. Dead skin build up and cornification resulting in clogging of the follicles: This creates the formation of comedones (blackheads) which are the seeds of the acne. An inflammatory process takes place, allowing the zits to happen. Rarely, some individuals may actually get the dead skin build up and experience the clogging without experiencing the inflammatory state.
What happens within the follicle that causes the acne?
	The skin is composed of many layers of skin cells that lose their moisture and migrate to the outer layer of the skin, where they are shed and replaced by new cells. These skin cells (keratinocytes) also line the inside of the follicle. Normally, the cells are sloughed off and there is no problem. In the follicles of predisposed individuals, these cells are retained in the follicle and begin to mature into impacted follicles. These can not be seen or felt. They are like little landmines below the skin waiting to mature into blackheads or whiteheads. A blackhead is composed of the same components as a whitehead (dead skin, oils, and bacteria). With a blackhead, the opening of the skin allows oxygen to get into the follicle causing an oxidation process that results in the dark color. Blackheads are more easily expressed during the acne facial treatment. Blemishes triggered by blackheads are more on the surface of the skin and result in less scarring than a closed comedone (whitehead). The blackheads will mature into pustules. Within the first 72 hours of the papule formation, the white blood cells clump together, forming pus that will migrate to the surface, bringing the impacted material with it. If this process happens quickly, there should be little, if any, scaring. Whiteheads will mature into inflamed papules. With a whitehead, the opening of the pore is closed. If air could get in, it would become a blackhead. It is an accumulation of dead skin and oils within the pore…about to erupt into an inflamed papule. The whitehead matures and gets bigger and bigger until it explodes deep inside the follicle, spilling its contents into the dermal tissue. The body’s immune system sends white blood cells (leukocytes) into the area to attack the impaction. The white blood cells try to dissolve the impaction and inflammation results. This is what causes the scaring. How deep the eruption is within the follicle will determine how much scarring will occur. If the impactions are removed before they progress to pustules, the blemishes will be omitted and acne scarring will be prevented.
What Can We Do For You?
	Our clinical acne treatment removes these impactions, preventing blemishes and clearing the skin of teenagers and adults. Our acne products assist you in healing and keeping your skin under control. It Takes Two Our clinical treatments work and our topical products work. They work best together. To achieve optimum clearance of your acne, regularly scheduled treatments and consistent daily use of products is required.
What You Can Do For Yourself
	Do NOT pick. Picking your skin can actually force the impaction deeper into the follicle causing more infection and scarring. Be consistent with your homecare. Make sure you understand proper use of your products. If you are not seeing the result you feel you should be, let us know. Speak with one of our three licensed estheticians or email us. Be consistent with your clinical acne treatments. Schedule your appointments in advance as suggested by your esthetician.
How often will I need to have acne treatments?
	Until the underlying cause of your acne is eliminated or you outgrow the disease, acne treatments and the correct use of products must continue on a regular basis to control your acne. Depending on the severity of your acne, our esthetician may recommend a series of treatments. Once your face has been cleared of impactions, monthly maintenance clinical acne treatments or our No Frills Cleansing is suggested to maintain optimum results. We invite you to try just one treatment to get an idea of the positive results you can expect.

Acne Questions & Answers

See our other Skin Care Treatments.