Know Your Acne To Win: Finding The Treatment That Fits Your Skin

Acne is a complex skin condition that is difficult to resolve with a single treatment method. It is very important to choose an appropriate treatment method based on various factors such as the patient's age, skin condition, and acne symptoms.

Last time, we learned about the causes and symptoms of acne. Today, we will take a closer look at common acne treatment methods, treatment processes, and considerations during treatment.

Acne treatment can be broadly divided into medication therapy and non-pharmacological therapy (procedures).

Medication Therapy

• Topical medications: Applied directly to acne areas, these can be expected to reduce inflammation or open pores.
• Oral medications: Various types exist, including those that reduce sebum secretion or antibiotics that suppress acne bacteria, and are prescribed according to symptoms.

Non-Pharmacological Therapy (Procedures)

Methods that have been used for a long time include Scaling, which manages acne by applying specific medications, and Extraction Care, which extracts comedones, the cause of acne. Recently, new treatment methods such as the following have also been developed and applied:

• Photodynamic Therapy (PDT): This method involves applying medication to the skin and then exposing it to light of a specific wavelength to destroy the sebaceous glands and acne bacteria that cause acne.
• Gold PTT: This treatment involves injecting substances such as gold nanoparticles into the skin and then reacting them with a laser to destroy the sebaceous glands and acne-causing substances.

Acne can be classified into mild, moderate, and severe depending on its severity, and appropriate treatment methods are applied for each stage.

1. Mild Acne (Early Acne)

For early acne with mild inflammation, topical medication therapy is usually helpful. In addition, Scaling or Extraction Care, which opens pores and helps sebum discharge, can be effective. Extraction Care helps to open clogged pores, allowing sebum to be discharged effectively, which aids in the rapid improvement of acne.

2. Moderate Acne (Red Inflammatory Acne)

In the moderate stage, accompanied by red inflammatory acne, oral medications or stronger topical medications are used. Oral medications broadly include those that reduce sebum and antibiotics that kill acne bacteria. In this stage, antibiotic treatment to kill acne bacteria is often used, and laser treatment may be combined as an auxiliary treatment in addition to Scaling and Extraction Care. Especially in the early stages of acne when it is red, using lasers such as Vascular Laser can help calm inflammation and prevent scarring.

3. Severe Acne (Nodular Acne Spread Across the Face)

In the severe stage, where acne is spread across the entire face in nodular forms, intensive management is necessary as it can easily lead to scarring. Representative medications that can be used include Sebum Suppressants that reduce sebum, the cause of acne, and Anti-inflammatory Medications that calm inflammation. In addition, treatment methods such as Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) and Gold PTT, mentioned earlier, are also applied in the treatment of severe acne.

One thing to remember about acne treatment is that it's not about short, quick fixes, but rather taking a long-term approach to actively treat the causative acne bacteria and sebaceous glands, which can help reduce recurrence.

When treating acne, various aspects of the patient must be considered.

• Patient Factors:
  • Age: Adolescent acne and adult acne may require different approaches.
  • Gender: In women, acne can worsen with the menstrual cycle, so treatment plans should be tailored accordingly.
• Acne Type:
  • Acne can be divided into comedonal acne, inflammatory acne, and non-inflammatory acne.
  • Inflammatory acne requires treatment that quickly eliminates red marks and minimizes acne sequelae, while non-inflammatory acne is best treated by focusing on reducing sebum.
• Complex Symptoms:
  • Acne accompanied by scars: When acne and acne scars are present together, two treatments that help both acne scars and acne treatment should be combined.
  • Acne accompanied by red facial redness: Many cases are accompanied by red facial redness, in which case treatment to reduce redness is also necessary.
  • Acne and excessive sebum secretion: If there is excessive sebum secretion, it can clog pores and easily cause acne, so treatment to reduce sebum should also be combined to enhance treatment effectiveness.

Today, we looked at common treatment methods for various acne lesions and treatment methods for mild, moderate, and severe cases. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us via comments or KakaoTalk.