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Acne Treatment

Acne

Most of us experience acne to some extent during our lives. For many people it is a short-term annoyance, but others develop more long-term and more severe acne.

Acne occurs when one of the skin's natural oils - sebum - is unable to leave the skin because the hair follicle is blocked. This may result in a blackhead, or a whitehead, and can lead to the growth of bacteria below the surface of the skin. Inflammation can occur, and the rupture of an inflamed area can lead to scarring.

Medication can help to reduce acne, but Ellipse Super Light treatment in combination with prescription medication has been clinically proven to accelerate the healing process for acne.

How does Ellipse Super Light treatment work on acne?

Ellipse Super Light treatment works by directing well-controlled pulses of light into the upper skin layer. The light is absorbed by the body's own natural chemical - haemoglobin - in the blood vessels that feed the sebaceous glands.

The haemoglobin converts the light energy into heat, which damages the walls of the vessels supplying blood to the glands. This technique has the name "Selective Photothermolysis". The visible light produced by the Ellipse Super Light systems is carefully controlled to produce the correct pulse length and right amount of energy to reduce the acne without damaging the surrounding tissue.

How Acne develops

A normal hair and sebaceous gland (1) can become partially blocked (2). Bacteria called P. acnes live on the sebum and produce fatty acids. The body responds by blocking the gland's exit to the skin (3). Sometimes the mixture of hair protein, oil and fatty acids damages the walls of the follicle and causes inflammation (4).

Ellipse Super Light treatment works by reducing the blood supply to the sebaceous gland, which slows down production of the body oil sebum (5).

Results after three months of combination treatment

Question and Answers

What is the cause of acne?

There are many myths about the cause of acne. Some people think that the incidence of acne is higher if you eat foods like chocolate or French fries. Others think that the presence of acne is due to poor hygiene. Neither is true.

Acne is caused by the body's increased production of the hormone androgen (produced by both men and women), which stimulates the sebaceous glands to produce more oil. The increased production of oil causes the pores to become blocked, so that the oil cannot come up to the skin surface. The acne itself is an infection caused by skin bacteria that feed on and break down this oil.

As the bacteria multiply, waste products and sebacic acid are created, and the sebaceous glands become inflamed - causing what is known as a blackhead, a whitehead or a pimple. Acne can be inherited, and it can worsen if:

• You work in a humid environment with oil or other chemicals
• You are stressed - either emotionally or physically
• You scratch or squeeze the infected area
• You are a woman going through your monthly period
• You are on certain types of medication

How does the Ellipse Super Light treatment work?

The Ellipse Super Light flash-lamp emits light that is carefully filtered before it reaches the skin; this ensures that only light of the correct "type"(technically described as "wavelengths") is allowed to reach the skin - the non-useful wavelengths are removed by filters. The light that is allowed through is absorbed by haemoglobin, which is the red pigment in blood.

The heat from the flash-lamp heats up the haemoglobin in the fine blood vessels near the skin surface. This causes a minor injury to the sebaceous glands which slows down the over-production of oil that leads to acne.

Can I be treated?

If you have permanent acne you will benefit from a treatment. The best results are achieved on inflammatory acne - best known as those red, aching, raised pimples. It is important your skin is relatively pale at the time of the treatment; otherwise too much light will be absorbed by your darker complexion.

How long does an Ellipse Super Light treatment session take?

As the glass prism of the Ellipse Super Light hand piece that is applied to the skin measures 1 x 5 cm, a large area can be targeted in one flash. It takes approximately 60 flashes to treat the full face. Including consultation and preparation, you should count on 20 minutes in the clinic.

How long does a hair removal treatment session take?

The glass prism of the Ellipse Super Light applicator which guides the light to the skin is 1 cm by 5 cm so a large number of hairs are targeted in one flash of light. A facial treatment takes around 10 minutes whereas a back or both legs take 1 – 1/2 hours.

Does it hurt?

Tolerance of pain is very individual from person to person. No anaesthetics are required, and many patients describe the discomfort as a warming sensation similar to the feeling one has after a day on the beach. The lighter the skin colour, the less pain.

Do I need to take special precautions before and after treatment?

The visible light used is completely safe and contains no UV-light. The Ellipse Super Light acne treatment is a combination therapy. In the clinic you will be given homecare advice.

Generally no post-treatment care is necessary, but people with sensitive skin may benefit from applying an ice pack to the face immediately after treatment or applying an ointment prescribed by the doctor.

What can I expect?

You may notice some general redness on the face following the treatment. If you have sun-damaged skin, some of the pigmented spots may turn darker and eventually disappear.

Because the bacteria are difficult to eradicate completely, you will probably be asked to continue with the homecare recommendations. If you should suffer some future acne outbreaks, the treatment with Ellipse Super Light can be repeated.

A typical course of therapy includes four treatments, three weeks apart.

How can I be sure Ellipse Super Light is safe and effective?

Clinical trials documenting Ellipse Super Light's safety and effectiveness are carried out by leading doctors prior to the release of the product. The results of these tests are then published in respected, refereed medical journals. You are welcome to view these scientific papers by clicking on the link Article list. The settings used for your treatment will be based on the settings recommended by the clinicians who carried out the clinical trials.

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