Acne is the most common skin condition in the United States. While we tend to think of it as affecting hormonal teenagers, acne can affect people of any age, and cases of adult acne are on the rise. Not only can acne be painful and embarrassing with active breakouts, but the scars left behind can also serve as unwelcome reminders.
Genetics, skin type, environmental factors, and bacteria can all contribute to how prone you are to acne breakouts. At Phases Skin Care and Laser Center we offer customized acne treatments in Indianapolis to help our patients overcome this common skin concern, no matter the specific cause.
What acne treatments are available?
We offer a suite of options for combatting active acne, healing the skin, and diminishing the appearance of acne scars. Through customized medical-grade facials and laser skin treatments, we can build a treatment plan tailored to your skin’s unique needs.
Treatments for active acne
When treating active acne it’s important to address the cause of acne, not just the symptoms. If the causes are left unaddressed, your skin will continue to break out.
What causes acne?
Genetic predisposition, hormonal changes, diet, certain medications, and stress can all contribute to breakouts. While acne isn’t directly caused by dirty skin or using makeup, keeping your skin clean can help.
Acne is caused by your pores getting clogged by debris and oil. It shows up as blackheads, whiteheads, or pimples. Severe or cystic acne can be large and painful, sometimes forming under the surface of your skin, making it hard to treat with at-home remedies.
Active breakouts can be painful, but these treatments can help soothe the skin while treating current and preventing future breakouts.
HydraFacial
HydraFacials are a go-to treatment for acne for a lot of patients. This medical-grade facial provides deep cleansing to kill bacteria and hydration to help heal skin and reduce inflammation. The 3 step process clears pores through extractions while also gently exfoliating away the oil and dead skin cells that get trapped and cause breakouts.
HydraFacials are gentle enough that you can get them once a month. Most patients start to see improvements in their acne with just a few treatments.
DiamondGlow
Similar to HydraFacial, the DiamondGlow facial provides deep exfoliation and hydration. It’s a great treatment for active acne and preventing future breakouts. The DiamondGlow facial promotes your body’s production of collagen, which can help prevent acne scars from forming, as well.
DiamondGlow is a touch more aggressive than a HydraFacial, but patients can still get them every few weeks depending on their treatment plan and skin concerns.
Forever Clear BBL
Our acne light therapy treatment, ForeverClear, uses 3 types of wavelengths to address multiple aspects of an acne breakout. Blue light eliminates bacteria, yellow light addresses redness, and infrared light stimulates the body’s natural healing process to prevent and treat scars.
Treatments for acne scars
Severe acne can lead to lasting scars on the skin, these treatments help refresh the skin and diminish the appearance of scars.
You’ll notice that many of these treatments focus on boosting your skin’s collagen production.
How does boosting collagen help acne scars?
Scars are caused by the way your body produces collagen in a particular area. A deep, or severe enough wound, can cause your body to stress and lay down collagen fibers in a completely different pattern than it would normally.
By removing the damaged tissue and boosting collagen production, your body can heal in a more controlled way, resulting in smoother skin!
Laser Genesis
Laser Genesis is a great, non-invasive way to stimulate collagen production and diminish the appearance of scars. This laser can also soothe redness associated with lingering inflammation from acne and rosacea.
The treatment gently heats the middle layers of the skin to heal and improve the skin’s texture in the long term. With no downtime and no need for anesthetic, Laser Genesis is a comfortable and effective way to achieve smoother, healthier skin.
CoolPeel CO2 Laser
We love using the CoolPeel CO2 laser for acne scars that start below the surface of your skin. It provides deep exfoliation to reveal smoother skin. This exfoliation jumpstarts your body’s natural healing process to produce more collagen leading to healthier, scar-free skin in the long term.
The CoolPeel is slightly more aggressive than the Laser Genesis, making it the better choice for more severe acne scarring.
Chemical Peel
Chemical peels are a go-to exfoliation treatment for a reason. They’re customizable and can treat everything from acne to uneven skin tone.
A chemical peel can remove damaged skin to improve the appearance of scars as well as speed up your body’s natural exfoliation to get rid of dead skin cells and excess oil.
Microneedling RF
Microneedling RF uses controlled injury and radiofrequency (RF) energy in order to boost collagen production for smoother skin. The needles break up the scar tissue, and the RF energy helps your body produce the collagen it needs to build healthy tissue in the area.
We like to say that microneedling RF is an investment in your skin’s long-term care because the results continue improving over time.
Support your acne treatments with medical-grade skincare!
One of the best things you can do to treat your acne and support your professional acne treatments is to invest in a medical-grade, at-home skincare routine. Our professional aestheticians can help you build a customized routine to help treat your acne and heal your skin.
Booking a skincare consultation is the best way to get a customized routine based on your skin’s unique profile. However, for a basic acne-focused skincare routine, we typically recommend these products:
Cleanser: Skinprint Clarifying Cleanser
The cleanser is the foundation of any skincare routine, it keeps your skin free of debris and oil that clogs pores and leads to breakouts.
This clarifying cleanser from Skinprint provides deeper exfoliation with an alpha hydroxy formula (glycolic acid) that goes the extra step to addressing acne-causing bacteria.
Serum: Alastin Retinol .25 and Skinprint Spot On (where needed)
Retinol helps increase cell turnover, which helps speed healing and prevent scars from forming.
Alastin Retinol is effective at smoothing skin texture and tone.
Skinprint Spot On is a combination of benzoyl peroxide and glycolic acid that kills acne-causing bacteria, we recommend using it as a spot treatment.
Moisturizer: Skinmedica Ultra Sheer Moisturizer
For oily, acne-prone skin, you want a moisturizer that keeps your skin hydrated but doesn’t add to your skin’s oil production or irritate your acne further. This Skinmedica Ultra Sheer Moisturizer is lightweight and contains antioxidants that help soothe your skin.
SPF: Skinmedica Essential Defense
Wearing daily sunscreen is one of the best things you can do to protect your skin. A lightweight sunscreen won’t clog your pores and will prevent sunburns, which can worsen acne. Skinmedica’s Essential Defense is lightweight, oil and fragrance-free.
The process for acne treatments in Indianapolis
Every treatment plan at Phases Skin Care and Laser Center is tailored to the unique needs of the patients. We start with an in-depth consultation and curate your treatment based on your skin’s unique profile.
Consultation
During a skin consultation, your specialist will ask about your medical history, your concerns, and your goals. We’ll also assess your skin. We often recommend our patients add a Skinprint Skin Analysis to their consultation. A Skinprint analysis provides a real-time look at your skin’s unique biometrics and allows us to further tailor your treatments based on underlying issues.
Treatment
Using all of the information gathered in your consultation, we’ll develop a treatment plan that might include medical facials, laser treatments, and at-home skincare products to help you address your acne.
Results
Results will vary from person to person and will depend on the severity of the acne and the treatments included in your unique plan. Your results are also greatly influenced by lifestyle, stress levels, hormones, diet, and the use of effective skincare products.
As your skin changes and responds (or doesn’t) to certain treatments, we can continue to adjust your treatment plan to continue providing optimal results.
Treating acne takes time because it is a very persistent skin condition, but with dedicated care and attention, we can effectively reduce acne and heal your skin.
Book your consultation to get started with acne treatments in Indianapolis at Phases Skin Care and Laser Center.
You don’t have to suffer from acne anymore, schedule a skincare consultation and take the first step on your journey to clear skin.
At Phases Skin Care and Laser Center, we work with you to develop a treatment plan completely tailored to your skin’s specific needs. If you’re not seeing success with at-home treatments, it’s time to level up your skincare game with the help of a professional opinion.
Not ready for an in-person visit? Interested in exploring our other aesthetic treatments? You can use our virtual consultation tool to explore all of our offerings.
