Acne

Get Help for the Most Common Skin Condition from Dr. Peterson Pierre in Thousand Oaks

While acne is typically seen as something teenagers struggle with, the condition is actually the most prevalent skin problem in the United States. It impacts women, men, and children alike, regardless of ethnicity. When it comes to treating acne, Thousand Oaks’ Dr. Peterson Pierre works with each patient as an individual to develop a personalized plan of action.

Dr. Pierre’s philosophy is that simply living with acne is not a good option. As common as it is—with just about every adolescent developing acne to some degree—the skin condition can negatively impact self-image and mood, even contributing to clinical depression. How can you possibly feel your best when you can’t hide breakouts? Dr. Pierre understands the emotional impact of acne and encourages his patients with the knowledge that there are several very effective treatment options to clear up their skin and restore self-esteem.

What Is Acne?

Human skin is covered with pores, each one a small opening that can become clogged with a mixture of dead skin cells, oil, and debris. Oil left to sit in a plugged-up pore becomes a feeding ground for a specific bacteria always present on our skin: P. Acnes.

As these bacteria multiply, they create small lesions that appear as dots known as comedones. These are more commonly referred to as whiteheads (if the pore is closed off to the air) or blackheads (if the pore is open and exposed to the air, which darkens the material inside).

If left to progress under ideal conditions, a pore can become inflamed, causing it to swell. This makes the skin above appear red and possibly feel sore. The resulting bumps are known as pimples, categorized as papules if they are raised but have no visible pale center or pustules if they are raised and have a yellowish or whitish circle in the middle.

A rupture in the pore can cause the material inside—including the bacteria and everything they feed on—to leak into the surrounding tissue. This can form a painful, fibrous nodule or a pus-filled cyst. Both of these severe forms of acne are so deep in the skin, they can cause scars to form.

What Triggers Acne Outbreaks?

Acne typically first appears in adolescence, when boys and girls alike experience a surge of hormones, which leads to changes in oil production and more. More oil means more material to mix with skin cells to form pore blockages, as well as more food for P. acnes bacteria.

A person’s hormone levels eventually even out, but they can fluctuate for all sorts of reasons later in life, too, including birth control, pregnancy, aging, and even stress.

Truly, a person may experience acne breakouts at any time of life.

Although diet is linked to skin health, some people can eat all types of foods without experiencing any acne-related problems, while others experience flare-ups after certain meals. It is always important to maintain a healthy diet that contains few sugary drinks or fried foods— but this is an especially good idea if you are dealing with acne. Avoiding chocolate may also help.

What Can Be Done About Acne?

One of the best ways to deal with acne is working to prevent breakouts as much as possible. Gently wash your face every day, using a cleanser that does not dry out the skin or strip it entirely of beneficial oils. This can be a bit of a balancing act. In general, aim to keep your skin free of anything that contributes to pore blockage: Wash away dirt that accumulates throughout the day, and be sure to remove all makeup before going to bed at night.

Despite your best efforts, however, it’s still possible for breakouts to happen. It may be a single zit on your nose, or it may be a swath of red bumps popping up across your forehead. These breakouts can resolve on their own, with natural body processes healing the inflammation. With that in mind, it is important to not pick at or squeeze pimples and bumps, as this can lead to infections that make the problem worse.

Unfortunately, in certain cases—especially where pores have ruptured and severe lesions have developed—the skin’s repair work may result in visible acne scars that can be wide and shallow (boxcar) or narrow and deep (icepick).

For anyone who doesn’t want to risk developing severe acne, Dr. Peterson Pierre recommends seeking over-the-counter treatment options when the first signs of a breakout occur. A gentle cleanser can also help.

Note that it is important to use drug store preparations sparingly, since overzealously applying these treatments can cause further irritation. If your skin has not cleared up after six to eight weeks of nonprescription treatment, it is time to call the Pierre Skin Care Institute.

Dr. Peterson Pierre has a number of acne-fighting weapons available to him. His approach to each individual treatment program is based on the patient’s unique circumstances. Depending on a range of factors—including the frequency of breakouts, the severity of breakouts, previous treatments tried, and more—Dr. Pierre may advise using topical creams, antibiotics, DiamondGlow^™ microdermabrasion, chemical peels, laser therapy, or other medical dermatology approaches. There are medications for women to help manage hormonal breakouts, and even a treatment that involves massaging gold particles into the skin to be absorbed by the oil glands, followed by a laser treatment to clear things up.

Regardless of the treatment combination, patients usually begin to see improvement very quickly, but should expect six to eight weeks before achieving optimal results.

Why Choose Pierre Skin Care Institute for Acne in Thousand Oaks?

As a board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Peterson Pierre draws on his experience and education to help each patient at his practice. He develops safe and effective solutions by examining and listening to an individual person, not guesswork based on charts. Especially when dealing with problems like acne, a personal relationship can be critically important.

Dr. Pierre’s specialty is also important in terms of diagnosing related problems. Rosacea, for example, is a chronic skin condition associated with frequent flushing and blushing, but it can also cause comedones and pustules to develop. It is important to get a proper diagnosis before beginning any significant treatment or when dealing with recurring skin issues.

Can Dr. Peterson Pierre Help With Acne Scarring?

There are many cosmetic treatments available at Pierre Skin Care Institute to help with scars that formed due to prior outbreaks. Options include laser skin resurfacing with LaseMD and other light devices, as well as laser skin therapy with Cutera Excel V. The energy from these treatments encourages collagen production in the skin, which can work to combat acne scars and make them less noticeable.