Expensive Acne Treatment: Is It a Sales Gimmick or Worth It?

Many people struggling with acne often wonder if they are being upsold, saying, "I went to the dermatology clinic for a simple extraction or prescription, but was recommended an acne treatment program costing hundreds to thousands of dollars." Is the acne treatment program recommended by dermatology clinics truly necessary? A dermatologist from Yonsei Star Dermatology Sinchon explains why.

Systematic acne treatment is not essential for everyone. For example,

• If you get pimples once or twice a year due to poor condition, or
• If women experience trouble once a month during a specific period,

temporary acne can be sufficiently managed with extraction care or inflammatory injections as needed.

Many people try to treat acne with medication prescriptions alone. Sebum suppressants like isotretinoin or tetracycline-based antibiotics can be very helpful in the following cases:

• Antibiotics: Show rapid effects on large inflammatory acne.
• Sebum regulators: Can be expected to show good effects when taken for 4-6 weeks or more if comedonal acne persistently causes trouble.

However, medication alone may not be considered a complete solution to acne concerns. It can be seen as merely putting out the immediate fire. Since the root cause is not addressed, acne may recur if medication is stopped.

For those who need to take medication for a long time or have suffered from persistent acne throughout their lives, fundamental and systematic acne treatment is recommended. If acne treatment is deemed necessary, choosing a systematic program tailored to your skin condition is important.

When choosing an acne treatment program, it is good to carefully check the following three conditions:

1. Treatment that resolves the root cause of acne and excels in symptom improvement

Acne can be broadly divided into comedonal acne and inflammatory acne.

• Comedonal acne: Primarily caused by excessive sebum secretion, and if left untreated, it can develop into inflammatory acne with inflammation and acne bacteria. Therefore, treatment that destroys sebaceous glands to reduce sebum secretion is necessary.
• Inflammatory acne: Primarily caused by acne bacteria, so treatment to suppress acne bacteria is important.

For treatment that can effectively target both sebaceous glands and acne bacteria, procedures like Gold PTT can be considered. This involves using ultrasound to penetrate heat-responsive gold nanoparticles deep into the pores, then irradiating with a laser to selectively destroy sebaceous glands and acne bacteria. At this time, it is known that using the Genesis technique together can help with pore reduction and skin regeneration. This is especially recommended for young women who are concerned about acne, pores, redness, and skin elasticity.

Also, if old keratin or waste products block the pore opening, preventing sebum from being discharged and causing acne, scaling to effectively remove keratin can be helpful.

2. Acne scar prevention and treatment

Acne causes persistent inflammation, destroying skin cells and potentially leaving red scars or depressed scars. Therefore, it is important to check if the treatment program includes processes to improve red scars and prevent depressed scars.

3. Treatment that can prevent acne recurrence

One of the most important aspects of acne treatment is preventing recurrence. To lower the recurrence rate, it is crucial to treat the root cause of acne and then maintain a healthy skin condition.

A healthy skin maintains proper hydration, allowing keratin that blocks pores to naturally shed, and sebum to be discharged smoothly, effectively preventing acne recurrence. Therefore, maintaining healthy skin by preventing trouble and inflammation through high-density ultrasound treatment that induces dermal moisturizing factors and collagen activity can help lower the recurrence rate.

We have now looked at the criteria for selecting an acne treatment program. We hope today's content helps you resolve your acne concerns.