Acne & Acne Scar Treatment in Cheltenham

Cheltenham Skin & Facials can treat and relieve problems with acne, related scars and spotty skin. Our clinic is near the centre of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire.

What is Acne?

Acne or spotty skin is distressing for anyone, but often it is for teenage skin. We get breakouts, spots, and acne for various reasons, sometimes because they can be product-related. Sonia sees lots of skin that is greasy and spotty but also dry and flaky in places.

This can be typical of using the wrong products. The moisturisers used can be thick and oil-based, so they cannot permeate through the cell membrane, causing blockages. When combined with a shop-bought facial wash for oily skin, this can often strip the skin too much, leaving it in a state of flux, both dried out and over-oily.

Different types of acne include pustular acne, where the spot is a pimple with a pus tip, or large solid lumps which are painful when touched (cystic lesions); blackheads, which are open blocked pores; or whiteheads.

Often, a hormone imbalance causes acne.

Treatments available for acne and spotty breakout skins

• We have a range of specific chemical skin peels to help significantly reduce and clear skin.
• We combine many peels with LED blue light or BLUE and RED LED light therapies.
• A specialised range of medical-grade products that are clinically proven to help with acne and congested skin, whilst allowing skin to still breathe and be hydrated.
• IPL can help clear acne and may be another suitable treatment option. Book a consultation and patch test first.
• Tixel is the new gold standard treatment for skin resurfacing and helps in the reduction of acne scarring.

Acne scars treatments

Acne and acne scarring can cause huge distress to the sufferer, affecting self-esteem and confidence. A survey by the British Skin Foundation reported 40% of people with acne had reported bullying because of their skin condition.

Acne can be difficult to treat, but there are some excellent treatments that work; some more serious, complex cases may need the advice of a dermatologist. At our Cheltenham skin clinic, we will always do a thorough consultation to assess what is best.

Why do we get acne scarring?

Acne scars are more likely to come if you pick and squeeze spots; they are often difficult to treat; however, there are some good options. Acne scarring manifests as spots from deep nodules and cysts that are inflamed.

Collagen can be deposited in the skin in such a way as to cause an uneven or lumpy skin surface, and it can damage skin cells, which causes melanin to form, which then goes darker. Blood vessels can also become permanently dilated because of the skin trying to heal; inflammation and redness can occur.

Types of scars

Elevated scars – these are hypertrophic or keloid scars that have an excess of fibrous skin, often found in some darker skin types. These are 3 major categories:

• Ice pick scars are narrow and pitted, hence the name.
• Boxcar scars. These are wide depressions with sharp edges and can look a bit like small craters.
• Rolling scars: these look undulated and sloping and softer.

Many sufferers can have mixtures of all three types.

Treating acne scars

There are many options for treating acne scars, from medical interventions like steroid injections to surgical treatments like subcision. This is where a needle is inserted to break up the tethering of the skin.

Microdermabrasion and chemical peels can, over time, or with a course of treatment, really help with superficial scars. Laser therapies can also help. The most effective method is Tixel, an ablative form of resurfacing. It is not a laser but is similar. It offers significantly better healing and is the most advanced treatment available for acne scars.

The most successful outcome is to treat the acne with peels and light therapy, plus a regime of excellent home care with specialised products. Once the active acne is much improved and calmer, we then address the scarring.

Tixel for scars

For scarring, a course of treatments is usually required.

Tixel offers the most advanced skin resurfacing on the market to treat acne scars. It works by using tiny pyramids of heat at 400 degrees that touch the skin for literally microseconds, creating tiny injuries or micro-channels. Tixel creates a fast wound-healing response. It helps to break up the fibrous tissue, creating new collagen formation, and then forms new, smoother skin.

Treatment options at our Cheltenham clinic

However, even the best products used alone are often not enough for treating acne and breakouts and getting clear skin. The correct products will help hugely, but it is best to treat the causes by unblocking the pores, treating the bacteria and reducing the excess sebum production.

That is done most effectively with the treatments of skin peels, glycollic acid home use, and also blue LED light therapy, which kills the bacteria. Combination therapy!

One of my go-to fixes for spotty, greasy skin is the Cerepharma Salicylic peel, which really clarifies the spots by deep cleansing and unblocking the pores.

As far as treatments go, sebaceous glands become blocked with excess sebum, bacteria form in the pores, get trapped, and more spots appear, so it becomes a vicious circle. So a great treatment that is always amazing at clearing breakouts is the salicylic acid skin peel, as it is very effective at deep cleaning by dissolving the plugged pores and exfoliating away the dead skin cells. The acid is anti-inflammatory and helps regulate further breakouts. I see even better results with combination treatments.