MEDICAL ACNE TREATMENTS
Medical Acne Treatments
Acne vulgaris [or plain acne as it is known] is the commonest skin disease in the world and my favourite condition to treat! It is a chronic inflammatory disease of the hair follicle unit resulting in spots, pustules and cysts all of which can lead to scarring and/or pigmentary changes. Thankfully many people grow out of it with time, but a significant proportion do not. I am one of the unlucky ones. I have suffered with acne myself since puberty and have used both my personal experiences as well as my medical knowledge to develop regimes which my patients find to be highly effective and well tolerated. Each patient is an individual and so I adapt my regimes according to patient preferences, age, and skin sensitivities. Most of the products I recommend are only available from specialist pharmacies and the combinations of both prescription and non-prescription products work together to produce exceptional results, even in patients who have failed multiple conventional treatments prior! The vast majority of my patients achieve clearance on my bespoke regimes within 8 weeks of treatment but for resistant acne and/or if it is indicated sooner, I also prescribe Isotretinoin (trade name Roaccutane) which is highly effective. For patients with severe acne who cannot have isotretinoin or do not wish to because of the side effect profile, there is Aviclear laser. I am confident that you will not find a more comprehensive offering of effective treatment options for acne anywhere else in the UK!
Acne Treatment Pathway
01
I see you for a consultation about your skin. I explore the extent and severity of your acne and what has worked/ not worked for you in the past. Factors affecting your options would include the severity of your acne, the sites affected, your age, your sex, what you have tried in the past as well as your current wishes and other goals in life eg weddings or desire to have kids. We discuss all the treatment options and depending on your choice, we can start some treatments on the day, or you can have a read around and think about it.
02
I have three broad categories for treatment and we will decide together which one best suits you but the categories are fluid and you can change your mind at any point in time as long as there is no medical reason why you can’t. The three categories are a) topical therapies (most of which you would not have been offered previously) with/ without short term oral antibiotics, b) oral isotretinoin and c) Aviclear laser treatment. Anti-androgen therapies can be added to any of these three options if you are female and if I consider that your type of acne would benefit from it. Remember that you are not restricted to your initial choice- it is fine to try one approach and then switch if it is not working for you. We are all different.
03
Please note that you will NOT be prescribed isotretinoin at your initial visit. This is for many reasons including the fact that informed consent must be achieved, relevant pre-treatment forms must be completed, blood tests must be done and (if applicable) contraceptive cover needs to be in place.