Acne Skin Care

  1. Choice of Cleanser. For oily skin, as in acne, a foaming cleanser twice per day is needed. Dr. Katsaros recommends either Skin MedicaFoaming Cleanser.

    These products are not petrolatum based, but have low concentration salicylic acid which dissolve plugs in the pores. Salicylic acid is also effective in killing the bacteria that cause acne. Over-the-counter (OTC) cleansers are inadequate for oily skin because they are either petrolatum-based or are based on soap products-both of which promote plugging of pores and acne formation.

  2. Benzamycin antibiotic ointement as spot treatment to pimples, twice per day is appliedafter he cleanser opens up the pores. The benzamycin may be applied before or after the toner. Sometimes retin A is substituted at night instead of the benzamycin cream.
     
  3. Toners are used to restore the pH to normal. They are used after cleansers, which tend to reduce the skin pH that occurs after the cleansing process. Toner is highly not as critical for normal cleansers, but very important after acne cleansing.Toners that Dr. Katsaros recommends:
    • Skin Medica Rejuevenative toner for normal/oily skin.
    • Obagi toner for normal/oily skin.

  4. Tissue Nutrients System (TNS) provide growth factors for acne damaged and depleted skin. Growth factors that are needed by the dermal matrix to be healthy. The growth factors are actually taken from human fibroblast cultures. After 3 months of treatment with TNS, fine wrinkles are reduced because the thickness of the collagen matrix (that supports the skin) becomes thicker and tighter.Recommended products:
    • TNS Essential Serum is excellent for acne damaged skin.
    • TNS Recovery Complex is for dry/sensitive skin. For acne patients, this occurs after laser pixel treatments.

    Not all growth factor systems are created equal. OTC products sometimes are labeled as having nutrients or growth factors-but the growth factor concentration used in OTC products is less than 10%, which is useless. Prescription grade TNS systems have growth factors in concentrations of 40-50%.

  5. Facial Moisturizers need to be tailored to the patient. Over-the counter preperations are inadequate for oily skin. For Oily skin: Skin Medica Ultrasheer moisurizer twice per day are best for oily or acne proned skin.

    Acne patients who get laser pixel treatment will get very dry skin for a short period of time and would need Very Dry Skin: Requires tissue growth factors, ceramide. May add estradiol or anti-oxidants later.

  6. Sun Screens. Not all sunscreens are created equal. The SP rating is the least important factor in sun protection. A sun screen with high SP rating that easily dissolves in water (or sweat) will not protect the skin very long-regardless of SP rating. A sun screen that is part of a heavy cream, will stay on, but may plug the pores and cause acne. For acne patients Dr. Katsaros likes:
    • Skin Medica and Obagi SP30 sun screens

  7. For low level acne eruptions, Dr. Katsaros adds an antibiotic that is active against the bacterium that causes acne (proprionobacterium acne):
    • Biaxin 250 mg PO BID

  8. For a major eruption, it is important to prevent permanent scarring, so to the above regimen Dr.Katsaros adds:
    • Prednisone 20 mg orally twice per day for one week
    • Laser Pixel Resurfacing. The earlier pixel resurfacing is started, the better the results

    Medical science removes the hit and miss experience of retail cosmetics, to provide predictable results in expert hands. Cosmeceuticals, with or without medical grade lasers, are the treatment of choice for optimal acne skin care.