Conditions

Acne.

Professional Acne treatment in Cambridge. We actively treat both active acne and acne scarring.

A bit about Acne

Acne, medically known as Acne Vulgaris, is a common skin disease that involves the oil glands at the base of the hair follicles. Acne is not dangerous but it is often a distressing condition for sufferers and can leave scars.

It commonly occurs during puberty when the sebaceous (oil) glands come to life – the glands are stimulated by male hormones produced by the adrenal glands of both males and females.

Human skin has pores (tiny holes) which connect to oil glands located under the skin. The glands are connected to the pores via follicles – small canals. These glands produce sebum, an oily liquid. The sebum carries dead skin cells through the follicles to the surface of the skin.

Spots form when these follicles get blocked, the Androgen hormone is increased in puberty resulting in an accumulation of oil under the skin as well as pressure building up along the hair follicle. The bacteria P Acnes, which is present in our skin, multiplies rapidly due to the increased pressure and increased activity of cell turnover, resulting in spots and pimples. It is the increased pressure in the follicle pushing up to the surface which can result in acne scarring.

What causes Acne?

Topical products for spot prone skin

We can provide an extensive range of clinical grade topical products for home use. As part of the treatment we will provide you with a plan to define which products to use and when. 

Hydrofacial

A wet vacuum cleanse of the skin. It treats in stages using active clinical grade products to cleanse, exfoliate, kill bacteria, hydrate and protect your skin.

DermaDeep

LED light therapy is also routinely used with blue light mopping up the remnants of bacteria followed by red light to accelerate the healing process.

Full Face Skin Analysis

At Cosmex we use only the most advanced CE approved skin imaging technology to scan both the surface and interior of your skin. Through a combination of different types of light and artificial intelligence we are able to examine the skin layers not visible to the naked eye.

Spectra 1550 Fractional Resurfacing Laser

The Spectra 1550 is the very latest fractional scanning laser that operates at 1550nm to primarily target the water in your skin.  Its primary purposes are to resurface tired or damaged skin including skin that is acne scarred.

Endymed™ 3DEEP®RF

TIGHTEN’s radiofrequency head gently heats your dermis to the optimum level to produce new collagen. The new collagen improves the underlying structure of your skin – resulting in a tightening and lifting effect.

Our approach to more severe or persistent acne

Many young people experience mild to moderate acne during their teens which can be controlled by the treatments above. In cases where the acne is more severe and/or persistent we also recommend the addition of Acneclear1550 non ablative fractional laser treatment. (see below)

Acneclear 1550 Fractional Laser Treatment for Active Acne and Scarring

Non ablative fractional laser treatment is an effective treatment for acne scarring and it has also recently been clinically proven in trials to greatly reduce the presence of active acne, ( i.e. spots, pustules and black/whiteheads) by 70% – 75% . Crucially this reduction lasted for the entire 2 year trial follow up.

This result is achieved by reducing the amount of sebum produced in the treated area which in turn reduces the risk of blockages and the build up of bacteria within the blockage.

There are very few side effects and these are generally limited to a slight swelling and redness of the treated area that lasts from a few hours to a day or two.

A course of treatment would normally be four treatments 4 weeks apart and we would recommend a hydrofacial + LED course of treatment in the first 4 weeks in order to rapidly bring the condition under control.

The overall treatment time for the face is typically 30-40 minutes with much of this due to the numbing process which helps ensure patient comfort.

Typically on a scale of 1 to 10 were 1 is nothing and  5 is uncomfortable but not painful, patients typically report 2-3 when treating the face after numbing and when using skin cooling.  For other areas such as the back numbing is generally not required.

Yes as the primary target is the water in the skin and not melanin.  However, darker skin can more easily hyperpigment and we would both test patch for this and be more cautious in the treatment of darker skin types.

The primary side effects are slight swelling and redness of the treated area.  The redness can last between a few hours and up to 1 day.

The treatment can also bring a flush of acne to the surface in the first few days which is an excellent sign the treatment is working well.

A hydrofacial plus LED treatment will bring this under control.

We recommend combining with hydofacial + LED treatments for the 1st month which will keep the skin quiet during this period.  Following the second treatment we would expect you to see a good reduction.

There have been several studies with 2 year follow ups and during that time the results have remained constant.  The indications are that the results will last a long time but more time is needed to be able to confirm this.

Accutane is certainly effective but can have some significant and even serious side effects.  Including but not limited to very dry skin, depression and a risk of birth defects.

Acneclear 1550 has been approved as safe for use on all skin types by the FDA and is a protocol based upon technology that has been in use in the EU and UK for at least the past 6 years.  It is a treatment we understand well and have used for that time to treat acne scarring.   The ability to treat both active acne and acne scarring in the same course of treatment is another major benefit of the Acneclear 1550.

What our customers say about us.

Excellent service, no waiting time, received appropriate information before procedure. I had theDermafiller and Botox, Lou is very skilled and kind.

 

Elena

February 2022

Both practitioners were incredibly informative, gave me all the details of my treatment plan, and made me feel so at ease with my procedure.They are all very well qualified, and the building was beautifully clean. Will definitely be returning. Highly recommend!

 

Ellie

March 2022

Excellent treatment, atmosphere and the staff were extremely helpful and friendly. I’d strongly recommend a visit. Ps I’m very happy for you to use my testimonial publicly but without my name if that’s possible

 

J.

December 2021

Frequently Asked Questions.

If there’s something we’ve missed, please contact us.

The hair follicles and glands on the face, neck, shoulders and chest exhibit excessive sebum production and dead cells are shed more slowly.  The P acne bacteria that is ever present on the skin then proliferates leading blocking of these pores.   This is characterised by black/white heads (comodones) and spots (pustules) often surrounded by inflammation.

Acne is a common condition which is usually hereditary and may be caused by hormonal changes. It often has a big impact on self esteem.

However, it is a condition that can be treated

It is often genetic and can vary in terms of age although more common in adolescence, it can develop for the first time in a person’s twenties or thirties.

We have a wide range of effective treatments that we can use depending upon your specific needs including:

HydroMedi to gently clear the congestion and remove the surface layers of skin.  At the same time the solution used has an anti bacterial action.

We would follow this with LED treatment to mop up any remaining bacteria.

We also have FDA approved laser treatments to help reduce the flow of sebum which reduces any excess.

We follow a medical treatment model and are able to prescribe and administer certain medicines to reduce excess sebum production

Finally we have a range of peels and topically applied home use products to help keep the the condition in check.

Once we have the active acne under control then we can deal with any scarring that has resulted.

Our recommended treatment is 1550nm non ablative laser.  This will greatly reduce of even eliminate the scarring in typically 4-5 treatments.

Other alternatives include:

  • Peels
  • Medical needling with or without radio frequency

 

Older patients may also benefit from a course of SkinTyte Hi-Fu treatment to tighten any skin laxity.  Tightening the skin will help to reduce the appearance of the scarring in addition to improving the patient’s profile.

A full consultation and assessment appointment will include a Skin Analysis.  The skin analyser enables us to see what is occurring inside your skin and advise you on the most appropriate treatment plan.

Clinic Information.

Get in Touch

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Lou Sommereux

Clinic Director