11 Sep The Two Skin Complaints Dermatologists are Treating the Most Right Now
There are thousands of skin conditions (really!), but right now dermatologists are seeing an increase in concerns over two common conditions: acne and rosacea. Refined MD is your local skin care expert in San Jose available to help you with all of your skin care concerns. A lot of people think of acne as a cosmetic complaint, but it’s actually a genuine and sometimes serious medical, dermatological condition. Severe acne, such as cystic acne, is painful, embarrassing, and can leave permanent scars that can only be addressed with laser skin resurfacing or chemical peels.
It’s important to remember that acne is a medical condition first, but may be helped with aesthetic services. If you’re struggling with acne, it’s critical to only work with a dermatological clinic that also offers aesthetic services so you have a double whammy approach to your treatment. Since acne is a medical condition, some approaches to treating it may be covered by your insurance. But why exactly is acne and rosacea seeming to pop up more often right now?
Fight Acne in a Pandemic
If you guessed COVID is partially behind the acne outbreaks, you’re right. “Maskne” has been a struggle for folks since the pandemic began and it’s just getting worse in the heat of summer. Any regular covering of your face is likely to bring on or worsen acne outbreaks. After all, a mask is forcing oil and sweat to sit on the skin’s surface and clog the pores. This is worse in summer months when you’re sweating more than usual.
There’s also the issue of many people returning to wearing makeup after months of makeup-free working from home. Adding makeup to the mix just makes breakouts worse since the mask is now trapping makeup and oil and sweat. Avoiding wearing makeup below the eyes can help lessen the odds of an acne breakout.
Treating Acne
Acne treatment usually requires a one-two punch starting with addressing the medical side. There are a number of topical and oral treatments available from your dermatologist, and it usually requires a little trial and error to find the perfect solution. More conservative measures (that are still only available from your dermatologist and not over the counter) are tried first before progressing to more aggressive forms of acne treatment.
Once the active breakouts are soothed and future breakouts are prevented, it’s time to bring in the aesthetic treatments. This can vary based on your skin and the severity of acne hyperpigmentation and scarring. Laser skin rejuvenation, chemical peels, and microneedling are a few treatment options that work wonders at erasing the signs of previous acne.
What about Rosacea?
Nobody knows exactly what causes rosacea. What we do know is that there’s often a hereditary component and everyone has different triggers that bring on a rosacea flareup. Redness and visible blood vessels are the tell-tale signs of rosacea, and just because it’s not dangerous doesn’t mean it’s not embarrassing (though some rosacea patients are thankful for the mask requirement that hides the flareups!).
Understanding your triggers is the first step in preventing rosacea flareups. Common triggers include heat, alcohol, spicy food, and stress. In other words, a lot of these triggers are pretty unavoidable these days! Your dermatologist will work with you to help pinpoint your triggers so you can take steps to minimize them.
Keeping Rosacea Under Control
There’s no cure for rosacea, but there are certainly treatments to reduce the flareups beyond avoiding triggers (because sometimes you just need a quarantine drink!). Different treatments work better for different clients, but some of the best approaches to rosacea include chemical peels, facials, and intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy.
How your skin (and rosacea) respond to treatments can also change throughout your life and the seasons. A skilled aesthetician works with you to determine the best approaches taking into account your skin response and the time of year. A combination treatment is usually the best approach so that the rosacea is being tackled and soothed from various angles. Changing your at-home skin care regimen to a strictly medical-grade product lineup is also a good idea. That’s why we offer an online shop where you have exclusive access to the best products.
No matter what your skin care concerns are, keep in mind that it’s usually a dual medical and aesthetic issue. Call Refined MD today at (408) 688-2082 to learn more about acne, rosacea, and much more.