Before / After treatment for nodularcystic acne

Before Photodynamic Therapy for Burton Grade VI (Nodular cystic acne), the most aggressive treatment for the most severe type of acne. Please note all photos unless otherwise stated are photographs of genuine patients of Dr Wong, the photographs are not altered or manipulated in any way. It is important to understand that the photos represent one persons experience and there is no guarantee that any other patient will experience similar results.

 

WHAT IS ACNE?

Acne occurs when the glands on the hair follicle of our face, back or chest become blocked which can lead to inflamed papules which have not come to the surface or inflamed pustules which have. If left untreated, the inflamed pustules can spread to the surrounding tissue leading to painful nodules or cyst which are very likely to leave permanent scarring.

 

WHO GETS ACNE?

Acne can occur at any age, but we most commonly see a peak occurrence of acne in the early 20s and again in the 50s age range.

 

ACNE MYTHS

FOOD and ACNE: There is no proven relationship between food we consume and developing acne.

DIRTY FACE and ACNE: You will not develop less acne if you wash your face more frequently. Quite frankly, it is not known why we develop acne in the first place, but we are aware of alot of contributing factors which we will discuss later.

SUN and ACNE: Because alot of the medication can induced light sensitivity, in general it is best to avoid the sun.

SEX and ACNE: This is definitely a myth. Although testosterone promotes the formation of acne, increase sex or masturbation does not increase your testosterone levels, so there is no basis for this myth.

 

ACNE TREATMENTS AT SAPPHIRE APPEARANCE MEDICINE CLINIC:

All patients require a consultation with Dr Garsing Wong, to go through your history (it is good to bring to the consultation all the different things you have tried for your acne), examine the lesions and then recommend the optimum treatment depending on the severity of your acne, the acceptable downtime you are willing to endure, and your budget. Please note that a normal medical consultation fee is applicable.

Most patients have already tried over the counter remedies and may have already consulted their own family doctor or skin specialist. Sapphire Clinic can offer ALL patients a solution to control their acne, however the biggest restraining factor is the cost of various treatments.

 

If you have not tried the traditional over the counter remedies, or medications that your doctor or dermatologist has prescribed, then Dr Garsing Wong will often recommend that you do. This is then combined with various other modalities such is using microdermabrasion with acetyl salicylic acid dermal infusion, a painless method to cleanse the skin mechanically and to suck out and dissolve some of the comedomal plugs.

 

Using the Light Emitting Diodes (LED) Blue Light on a regular basis offers a natural, non pharmaceutical method to destroy the P. acne bacteria and then healing the tissue with LED Red Light.

 

For the very severe nodular cystic Burton Grade VI acne, you may consider the extremely novel off-label use of Metvix® (Methyl aminolevulinate 160mg/g) Photodynamic Therapy which is activated using the 630nM LED Aktilite lamp. Nothing to date can work faster than this method to give smooth skin within 24 hours. However there is a considerable downtime associated with this procedure as the area will have alot of serious ooze for two weeks, so this is not suitable for all patients.

 

For minor acne or for maintenance after PDT, the off-label use of Intradermal Botox® combined with standard acne medical treatment is also an option. Dr Garsing Wong is a pioneer in this field of using intradermal Botox® in off label treatments.

 

Contact us today to have a thorough consultation with Dr Wong to discuss your Acne requirements at Sapphire Clinic - Auckland Cosmetic Medicine Clinic, 26 College Hill, Freemans Bay, Auckland. Please click this link to make an online booking with Dr Garsing Wong. Please note a normal consultation fee is charged for consultations.

 

BOTOX® is a Prescription Medicine containing 100 units of botulinum toxin type A for injection. It is used for the treatment of frown lines. It should be administered only by trained medical professionals. Talk to your specialist about the benefits/risks of this procedure in appearance medicine.

 

Cautions: People with defective neuro-muscular transmission disorders, infection at site of injection, glaucoma, pregnancy and lactation.
Possible side effects include headaches, pain, burning or redness at injection site, local muscle weakness including drooping eyelids, lack of feeling and nausea. If you have any side effects or concerns speak to your doctor.
You will need to pay for this medicine. Normal doctors visits apply. Note: The treatment lasts about four months and after this time further courses of treatment may be necessary. Speak to your doctor about your own situation.

BOTOX® is a registered trademark of Allergan Inc.

All our procedures are office base, requiring no time off work, with a compliment of pain free methods to give you the best results.

Speak to us about how we can help to maintain and care for your skin to keep you healthier and look more youthful

 

Updated 15 May 2013