Beauty Talk In The Kingdom 1: Skin Care

Since I have been receiving many inquiries about beauty care or treatments over the phone and emails lately, I would like to share my experiences with you guys about the skin treatments I have gone through in order to improve my appearance.

Skin care is a lifetime commitment. Achieving a beautiful skin doesn't happen overnight. It takes a lot of dedication and commitment in order to improve the appearance and maintain a good skin.

 Pimple Treatment

 Acne has been my biggest problem since I was in high school (gosh, I remember being bullied because of how my skin looks like those days). I have an oily skin which why breakouts was common. It became severe in my first year in the kingdom. I have tried almost all kinds of cream, facial wash and toner I could find in pharmacies and recommendations from friends but my skin problem remain unresolved. It became depressing that  affected my social life.. I remember crying while rubbing a dab of exfoliating solution on my face. I have visited many dermatological clinics in the kingdom. I've been prescribed with different creams and soaps by one doctor to another and tried antibiotics but nothing worked until my consultation in Dr. Layla Onaizi Polychinic in Rakah.I was advised then to take Roaccutane for 6 months. I had a liver check before I started with the medication. I was happy with the result and never had any acne breakout ever since.

Personal Note : Consultation fee for first visit, Liver check (around SAR 500 at that time and Roacutane)

Acne Scars Removal

I was happy with the result of the treatment of my acne however the next problem came. The Acne Scars. 

It is important to identify the type of scar you have so you know what to expect from the treatment you are going to undergo to.

The Different Types of Acne Scars:

Rolling scars – relatively broad depressions in the skin that have rounded, sloping edges.  The combination of several of these types of scars in a region of skin gives it a rolling appearance, hence the name.

Boxcar scars – also relatively broad depressions, but have steep, defined edges.

Icepick scars – as the name implies, are deep and narrow scars.  In many cases, they resemble a large, empty pore in the skin.  In general, all the depression scars rest on top of a patch of fibrous, collagen rich scar tissue.  This fibrous tissue anchors the base (bottom) of the scar to the sub-cutaneous tissue, maintaining the depression and preventing the regrowth of healthy tissue.

Credit: http://thescienceofacne.com/the-types-of-acne-scars/

The Different Types of Acne Scars Treatment:

Treatments depend on how severe the scars are. In some cases, a doctor or dermatologist may suggest a chemical peel or microdermabrasion to help improve the appearance of scarred areas. These milder treatments can be done right in the office.

If you have serious scarring from previous bouts with acne, there are several things you can do:

• Laser resurfacing. This procedure can be done in the doctor's or dermatologist's office. The laser removes the damaged top layer of skin and tightens the middle layer, leaving skin smoother. It can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour. The doctor will try to lessen any pain by first numbing the skin with local anesthesia. It usually takes between 3 and 10 days for the skin to heal completely.
• Dermabrasion. This treatment uses a rotating wire brush or spinning diamond instrument to wear down the surface of the skin. As the skin heals, a new, smoother layer replaces the abraded skin. It may take a bit longer for skin to heal using dermabrasion — usually between 10 days and 3 weeks.
• Fractional laser therapy. This type of treatment works at a deeper level than laser resurfacing or dermabrasion, Because fractional laser therapy doesn't wound the top layer of tissue, healing time is shorter. Someone who has had this type of treatment may just look a bit sunburned for a couple of days.

For "rolling" scars, doctors sometimes inject material under the scar to raise it to the level of normal skin. Finally, in some cases, a doctor may recommend surgery to remove deeply indented scars.

One thing you shouldn't do to deal with acne scars is load up your face with masks or fancy lotions — these won't help and may irritate your skin further, making the scars red and even more noticeable.

If you have a red or brownish mark on your face that you got from a bad zit, it should eventually fade. However, it may take 12 months or longer. Talk to your doctor if you're upset about acne marks; he or she may have advice on what you can do.

Credit: http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/skin_stuff/acne_scars.html#

Personal Note: I have both the rolling and  Ice-pick types of scars on my face which needs more than weekly exfoliation and the use of over-the-counter peeling cream so I decided to go through a laser treatment. My first-hand experience was at Al Dossary Hospital in Al Thuqbah, Saudi Arabia which I paid around SAR 500.00 only at that time. Recovery period is around 1 week. After A month, I revisited Layla Onaizi Polyclinic to try on their laser which costs around SAR 2,500 before and advised to have the treatment go together with the PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) after the recovery which costs SAR 1,500.

Platelet Rich Plasma

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is an exciting new method using your own blood to correct pitted acne scars on the skin. You may have heard about this acne scar treatmenttechnique, which is also known as the “Vampire Facial,” as it has gained popularity amongst celebrities and beauty insiders. The method of injecting your own blood into the face is new and is showing exciting results for patients looking to correct acne scars and rejuvenate their skin.

How PRP for Acne Scars Works

At Schweiger Dermatology, we use the gold standard SELPHYL system to spin the blood and separate the Platelet-Rich Fibrin Matrix (PRFM), which contains a plethora of beneficial growth factors that will help heal the skin and promote collagen and elastin regeneration. Blood is drawn from the patient’s arm and then put into the SELPHYL centrifuge, which removes white and red blood cells, leaving in only the PRFM. The centrifugation system converts your blood into “Liquid Gold,” a gel-like substance that contains only PRFM. Liquid Gold is called as such because it contains only pure platelets, which contains active growth factors. This platelet-rich blood is then injected into sites on the face with acne scars. The concentrated platelets release a host of beneficial growth factors that help to promote healing and stimulate regrowth of collagen and elastin.

Benefits

The platelets found in our blood do a host of beneficial things, such as stimulate the regrowth of collagen and elastin, the building blocks of young and healthy skin. When your own blood is injected back into your skin, the body naturally begins a healing process that helps rid of acne scars. We often recommend PRP as an add-on therapy to laser acne scar removal treatments, to deliver the best results possible to our acne scar patients. At Schweiger Dermatology, we strongly believe that combination therapy is the most effective approach to acne scar treatment.

Credit: http://www.schweigerderm.com/prp/

I hope this post helps. Thank you guys!

Beso!