Skin Care
The ABCs of AcneEverything you need to know about the causes of and treatments for acne, your most mystifying skin issue |
Z Is for Zap If you want to go all "Star Wars" on your acne with in-office laser treatments, there are a handful of lasers that your derm might recommend to obliterate acne -- most likely, pulsed-dye, diode, fractional, infrared or KTP.
So how do they work? In the simplest terms, these lasers do one of three things: shrink your blood vessels to decrease redness; destroy sebaceous glands under the skin, causing it to produce less oil and, theoretically, fewer pimples; or resurface the skin to make scarred or uneven skin smoother and more even-toned.
Your Rx: If topical products or oral medications haven't helped your acne, tell your derm about the type of acne or scarring that you have, which will help guide her to picking the right zit-zapper for you. One drawback: Laser treatments aren't usually covered by health insurance.
So how do they work? In the simplest terms, these lasers do one of three things: shrink your blood vessels to decrease redness; destroy sebaceous glands under the skin, causing it to produce less oil and, theoretically, fewer pimples; or resurface the skin to make scarred or uneven skin smoother and more even-toned.
Your Rx: If topical products or oral medications haven't helped your acne, tell your derm about the type of acne or scarring that you have, which will help guide her to picking the right zit-zapper for you. One drawback: Laser treatments aren't usually covered by health insurance.