Acne patients have treatment options

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - 21-year-old Izzy has tried various treatments for her acne. But it always seemed to come back. That’s why she’s trying intense pulse light; otherwise known as a laser to get her skin condition under control.

“It’s kind of like a pins and needs sensation. It’s not really painful,” she says of the treatment itself. “Considered going on Accutane. It wasn’t an option for me. And I’m willing to try anything to clear it up. And so far, I’ve seen good results,” she says.

Izzy shows us pictures of her skin before her first treatment. There’s breakout on her cheeks. The same area after her first treatment shows very little red, the inflammation on her skin is greatly reduced.

Acne is multi-factorial there is no one cause. Nor is there one treatment for it.

“When you have treatment resistance you know you want to look at other options that can give you the results you are looking for,” says Ashley Vazeen DNP who uses the laser often on her patients with stubborn acne.

Another option for acne patients is blue light.

Here patients use a topical on their skin and then expose the acne prone area to blue light for 15-to-30 minutes. The light’s wavelength kills bacteria responsible for breakouts. Multiple sessions may be needed to help clear up the problem.

“Some of the insurance companies are starting to pick it up because it actually seems to be more cost effective for them,” says Dermatologist Dr. Cindy Lamerson with the Nevada Center for Dermatology. “They don’t need laboratory monitoring it costs less as a whole treatment,” she says.

Insurances however will not pick up the laser treatment for acne.

Keep in mind neither of these treatments is used alone--typically they are in combination with topicals or medication.

Acne patients need to know it’s not a hopeless condition.

“I feel like we are giving them options to feel good, to want to go out. to be happy,” says Vazeen.

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