New Acne Treatment Can Replace Topicals and Internal Meds
Contributed by the Starling Aesthetics team
If you or someone you know has ever struggled with acne and maintaining clear skin, you know how emotionally challenging it can be and the impact on confidence that bad skin can have. Until recently, treatments mostly involved intense topical medications or internal medications. Topicals often irritate the skin, make sun exposure more dangerous, cause severe over-drying, and must be used for a long time with precise consistency to be effective. Internal medications have countless side effects, and the medicinal option for the most severe acne requires monthly blood tests and an oath from female patients not to get pregnant while on it due to the severe birth defects it causes. These are not great options for anyone.
But now, there is an FDA-cleared energy device that treats acne without ANY internal medications. It is called AviClear and can be used to treat mild to severe acne on all skin types. AviClear uses the power of laser light to selectively target and suppress the sebaceous glands, treating acne directly at the source without the need for prescription medication.
To better understand how AviClear works and why it is unique, it is important to understand how acne develops. Acne forms when sebum, the oily substance in our skin, combines with dead skin cells and clogs pores. Sebum is produced by the sebaceous gland and historically, shrinking down sebaceous glands was only done through internal medications with serious side effects. AviClear uses lasers to shrink the sebaceous glands, reducing the production of sebum thus decreasing the opportunity for that oily substance to clog pores and cause acne.
It is only natural to wonder what this feels like. Does it hurt? The AviClear device is equipped with a special tip which cools the skin as the treatment is applied. Known as AviCool, the specially engineered tip maintains and regulates the temperature of the patient’s skin allowing for a more comfortable treatment. Some have described feeling a slight “snapping” sensation while the laser is doing the work, but patients generally claim that it is very tolerable thanks to the cooling tip of the device.
To get the full effects of AviClear, a patient would undergo three 30-minute sessions over the course of 4 to 6 weeks. The results are long-lasting, and the entire treatment is chemical free.
In studies, 90% of patients responded to treatment with 87% achieving at least 50% clearance of acne. 76% remained satisfied with the results 6-months after their final treatment.
As with most things in life, to get the best of something you generally need to be willing to invest a bit of money. The price tag for all three sessions is $3,000. While that amount may seem high, the cost of topicals and internal medications can be very expensive and come with significantly more side effects and risks.
Starling Aesthetics is excited and proud to be an early provider of the AviClear treatment in New England. Our staff has been trained and is certified on the device and would be happy to help you decide if AviClear is the right treatment for you. Contact Starling Aesthetics at 860-510-7350.