Acne Dark How to get rid of dark spots left by acne?
They're just dark spots, not acne scars that sink in or stick out. They are soooo annoying and won't go away. :/ How do I get rid of them?
Afthermath Acne "dark spots" or "Acne scars" whatever you prefer to call them are extremely difficult to remove. The method we Dermatologists follow is by using bleach creams that balance out your skin tone.
Example: Generic "Lustra-AF" hydroquinone USP 4% is a bleach cream we doctors use to balance skin tones and this is a prescription med.
Hydroquinone used to be available for over-the-counter, but since 2006 the FDA banned this. So yeah, it's unfortunate this is one of the top bleach cream that was available but then got taken off the shelves. The problem w/ bleach cream is that once when you apply it, you must stay away from the sun otherwise you'll damage your skin. That's one of the main reason they took it off the shelves because people need doctor's consultant.
Thanks and best regards
~Dr. Shikawa
The Differences in Skin Structure o In black patients, the stratum corneum is compact and has multiple layers. o The stratum corneum of Hispanics and Asians is similar to that of whites. o Sebaceous glands tend to be larger and more active in black patients. o The follicular epithelium of the pilosebaceous gland is thicker in black patients. o Blacks tend to have more multinucleated giant cells in their skin, and they are more reactive in the acne state. o Lesions in black skin that appear to be non-inflammatory clinically often have evidence of inflammation when biopsied. o This underlying inflammation is responsible for the development of hyperpigmented macules that sometimes occur in patients with dark skin. o Black patients with acne tend to have an abundance of inflammatory cells, even if their only clinical sign of disease is open, "noninflammatory" comedones. o Scant or no research has been done on inflammation in Asian or Hispanic acne skin. Targeting Acne Pathogenesis o Hyperkeratinization defects within the follicle can be treated with topical retinoids, regardless of ethnic skin type. o Darker skin types tend to be irritated easily by the early formulations of topical tretinoin and are better served by the newer, less irritating topical retinoids. o White patients and light-skinned patients, such as those of Chinese or Japanese heritage, will benefit from adapalene (Differin®), which is a naphthoic acid in a creamy gel. o Dr Halder's first choice of combination therapy for ethnic skin is a topical retinoid plus a topical antibiotic. He will sometime use benzoyl peroxide plus a topical antibiotic for mild acne, if the patient is light-skinned. Severity of Acne o Whites are most susceptible to nodulocystic and fulminant acne. o Hispanic patients have a frequency of nodulocystic acne that is higher than that in blacks or Asians, but not as high as that in white patients. o Corticosteroid injections of no more than 5 mg/mL can be used to resolve inflamed papular or pustular lesions or cysts in dark skin. o Oral isotretinoin (Accutane) should be reserved for patients who have nodulocystic acne or those whose acne has not responded to other therapy after a prolonged period of time. o Acne surgery may cause postinflammatory hyperpigmentation in dark skin. When it is necessary, however, a topical retinoid should be used for 6 weeks before the procedure to loosen follicular plugging. Postinflammatory Hyperpigmentation o Dark-skinned patients are often more concerned about postinflammatory hyperpigmentation than they are about acute inflammatory lesions. o Distress over postinflammatory hyperpigmentation can lead to depression and social withdrawal, particularly in adolescents. o The inflammatory response in acne causes degeneration of the melanocytes in the basal cell layer of people with dark skin. The melanin from those melanocytes condenses, resulting in hyperpigmentation. Pseudofolliculitis barbae o Pseudofolliculitis barbae affects approximately 45% to 80% of black men. o It can also affect men of other ethnicities, including white men and those of Mediterranean descent. o Pseudofolliculitis barbae arises from 1 of 2 mechanisms: (1) extrafollicular penetration, which is a foreign-body reaction to a hair that coils back into the follicle; and (2) transfollicular penetration, in which the hair is trapped under the epidermis because the skin was stretched during shaving. o Lesions caused by transfollicular penetration resemble papulopustules. o Pseudofolliculitis barbae can be treated with topical retinoids at night combined with topical steroids during the daytime. o A combination of benzoyl peroxide with a topical antibiotic may be useful in some cases. Future Research o More basic science studies need to be done to delineate the differences between ethnic skin types. o We do not yet know if sebum composition varies across ethnicities. o We need to know more about immunoreactivity, response to allergens, and response to cosmetics.
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This entry was posted by admin on March 10, 2009 at 10:38 am, and is filed under How to Get Rid of Blackheads. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0.
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is waiting for MizJenkins: As a general rule, though, I’ve found that the following items are generally (not always) good at drugstore prices: mascara (Maybelline and L’Oreal make great mascaras), nail polish (Sally Hansen, Rimmel, and Revlon are excellent), eyeliner pencil (Prestige is particularly good).
is waiting for MizJenkins: As a general rule, though, I’ve found that the following items are generally (not always) good at drugstore prices: mascara (Maybelline and L’Oreal make great mascaras), nail polish (Sally Hansen, Rimmel, and Revlon are excellent), eyeliner pencil (Prestige is particularly good).