SAN ANTONIO – Acne is usually thought of as a teenage problem. But adult onset acne can be just as severe and leave deep divots in the skin.
Christina Davis developed acne as an adult, and was left with deep scarring.
"It was cystic acne. It was very deep acne and because of that, I had a lot of scarring," Davis said.
She tried everything from dermabrasion to Retin-A, but nothing helped her acne scars.
She said she then heard about the Pro-Fractional laser treatment at the Dr. Lopez Laser Surgery Center at the Skin Rejuvenation Clinique.
"I was a little apprehensive because it's a laser, but I decided to give it a try," Davis said.
Esthetician and licensed laser therapist Tina Zillman said it works because it corrects the problem from the inside out.
"It actually drills down to the dermas, which is where the blood supply is, and it stimulates healing. That stimulates collagen and when you stimulate collagen, it puffs that skin back up," Zillman said.
The laser is very powerful, and there is downtime after the treatment -- usually about four days. Patients will have pin-pricks of bleeding, and swelling, but it isn't painful because a topical anesthetic is used before the procedure.
"After the first treatment, we've had clients that are extremely happy and noticed about 50 percent improvement and then we do a couple of more follow-ups with them," Zillman said.
Zillman warns that the laser can cause permanent damage if not done correctly.
"If it is done incorrectly, you can have bad scarring, discoloration, hyper-pigmentation, tracking, and brown areas left on the skin that will be there forever," Zillman said.
She said before having the procedure done, make sure the operator is fully accredited and licensed by the dtate. Their certificate should be displayed in plain view.
Davis has had two treatments, and seen a remarkable improvement to her acne scars.
"I'm extremely happy. My only regret is I didn't do it mush sooner," she said.
The cost is $500 for a full facial treatment and most people will need at least two.
For more information visit www.skinrejuvenation.com.
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