Answering Your Skincare Questions

As your local dermatologist, our team at Valley View Dermatology understands that many patients have a lot of questions when it comes to skin care.

What products can best help to treat persistent acne? How can I eliminate unwanted lines and marks? What’s the best method for minimizing pores? What do to about wrinkles?

These are just a few of the questions we commonly hear from patients who want the tools to look and feel their best.

So that you have the information needed to get the younger, healthier-looking skin you desire, here are a few answers to some commonly asked skincare questions.

What Can I do to Effectively Treat Acne?

After decades of research and testing, the dermatology industry has finally determined the best course of treatment for eliminating unwanted breakouts.

It begins with the use of acids-based skincare, then continues with retinol and derivatives. The treatment process will then continue until initial results are determined. If necessary, retinol and antibiotics may be added as needed.

However, while this current course of treatment has proven incredibly effective, a new concept of how to treat acne has started to develop based directly on research into the skin’s natural microbiome. Based on what researchers have uncovered, a new machine-based therapy is being developed that has also shown incredible promise in the treatment of acne. Photodynamic and laser therapy, combined with light therapy, has been shown to provide results quicker and easier than most methods currently being used today.

How Can I Minimize Pores?

While clogged pores can often become a source of frustration, don’t forget that do play a healthy, natural, and important role in our skin’s structure, so we still need them to properly function.

An excess of sebum, stress, and other environmental pollutants can all contribute to the expansion and deformation of pores.

When pores become clogged, it creates a buildup of oil and dead skin cells in the follicle. After a while, bacteria make their way into the blockage, where they continue to grow, contributing to the development of inflammation.

Oily skin carries a persistent shine and may have large, dilated pores. The first step to treat acne then is a regular exfoliation using either dermabrasion, enzyme peels, or salicylic, lactic, or glycolic acid-based peels, the choice of which is based on the patient’s skin type.

The next step requires controlling the sebum production by using products that contain either retinol or salicylic acid.

The final step is pore reduction using astringent compounds that have the ability to reduce pores, like Agaric acid.

How Can I Eliminate Stretch Marks?

Stretch marks occur when the body grows quickly, such as during pregnancy, growth spurts, or weight gain.

When the skin becomes quickly stretched, fractures occur in the collagen deep within the connective tissue of the dermis. This results in the development of the long, thin, ripple marks most of us know all too well.

Occasionally referred to as stria, stretch marks can appear red at first, before changing into a less noticeable color.

While the underlying issue that causes collagen to fracture cannot be repaired with the use of a cream, using topical products when stretch marks are still red will help to speed up the color change so the marks become less noticeable.

If you experience residual stretch marks that do not improve over time, with redness continuing to remain, you should consider a treatment like IPL (intense pulse light) that will help to promote collagen and reduce redness.

How Do I Eliminate Wrinkles?

Fine lines develop naturally as a part of growing older, but if your skin is prematurely wrinkling, negatively impacting your self-confidence, you can take steps to less the effects.

Patients looking to eliminate wrinkles will have a number of options – injectable, laser, or creams – but it will depend on your budget, pain tolerance, and patience to determine which is right for you.

Your Local Dermatologist Can Help

Our skin is an incredibly complex organism that requires a lot of work to properly maintain. If you have questions about how to solve a persistent skincare problem, make sure to ask your local dermatologist during your next appointment with our team at Valley View Dermatology.