What Causes Acne And Can Microneedling Help Get Rid Of It?

Before we delve into what causes acne and whether microneedling can help, here are a couple of interesting facts and figures about this skin condition.

Acne is the most common skin condition in the United States, affecting around 50 million people each year?  While that may be of little consolation if you suffer from acne, it’s good to know you’re not alone. 

While most people associate acne just with teenagers, people of any age can have the condition. What may surprise you is that almost 20% of newborn babies are affected by acne which usually clears up with six months to one year. 

What is acne?

Acne is an inflammatory skin disorder involving the sebaceous (oil) glands connected to hair follicles. In healthy skin, these glands produce sebum that exits through pores. Keratinocytes, a type of skin cell, line the follicles and typically shed to the skin's surface. In acne, hair, sebum, and keratinocytes clump together, blocking the pore. This blockage prevents shedding and sebum from reaching the surface, leading to bacterial growth and inflammation. When the follicle wall breaks, it releases bacteria, skin cells, and sebum into surrounding skin, forming lesions (comedones) or pimples which include:

• Blackheads: These spots have a small black opening at the top. The black color is not caused by dirt but from oxidation when the oil is exposed to air. 
• Whiteheads: These pimples are sealed over and have a small white pus-filled top.
• Papules: These are sore, small, pink bumps.
• Pustules: These are pimples with pus on the top and a red base, indicating inflammatory acne.
• Nodules: These are hard, large, painful pimples that form deep in the skin.
• Cysts: These are deep, pus-filled, painful pimples that often leave scars.

These symptoms are typically more prevalent on the face but acne can also appear on the neck, shoulders, chest and back.

Now you’ve got a better understanding of acne, let’s discuss its causes

What causes acne?

It’s believed that one or more of the following contribute to the cause of acne:

• Higher than normal production of oil in the pores
• Bacterial growth within the pores
• Accumulation of dead skin cells in the pores

If you’re a teen you have a higher risk of developing acne (more than 85% of teens get acne) and if your mom or dad had acne, there’s every chance you will too.

Other factors that don’t cause acne but can make it worse include:

• Picking or squeezing your pimples 
• Stress
• Pressure from tight clothes, backpacks and sports helmets
• Scrubbing your skin too hard
• Pollution and high humidity
• Certain foods 

So now you know a little more about acne and its causes, let’s talk about treatment. 

There are several types of over-the-counter treatments for acne including:

• Cleansers or face washes
• Ointments
• Creams
• Oral tablets

However, more severe acne may require prescription treatments from your doctor. These include: 

• Retinoids
• Antibiotics
• Anti-Androgen medication such as a contraceptive pill

It’s important to realize that treating acne takes time and can’t be rushed. It can take 2 to 3 months before you see any noticeable improvement and if you don’t notice any improvement within that time keep taking the medication as advised before going back to your doctor. 

Non-surgical procedures 

Non-invasive esthetic treatments are becoming increasingly popular among Americans, some of which can help improve the appearance of acne and acne scarring. One treatment that frequently gets mentioned for treating acne is microneedling, but does it work?

Microneedling needling for acne 

Skinpen Microneedling involves running a hand held device or ‘pen’ containing multiple thin needles over the affected area to produce tiny pin pricks which the body views as ‘injuries’. Following this action, the body rushes to heal the area which eventually results in  plumper, smoother skin. 

This doesn’t happen overnight as the body has to grow a new layer of skin. Consequently, over several weeks fine lines start to reduce and the skin texture improves. 

The process isn’t painful, but it’s not that comfortable either. While microneedling is good for acne scarring and will gradually soften their appearance, causing them to fade, it should never be used on active lesions or breakouts. Why? The needles penetrating the skin will encounter bacteria beneath its surface, spreading the disease and possibly causing worse flare-ups than before.

A better way to treat acne is with topical products to help clear it before microneedling, such as benzoyl peroxide, BHAs such as salicylic acid, tretinoin or professional skin treatments like a hydrafacial,  laser rejuvenation or laser resurfacing, depending on the severity of the acne.

Why is a hydrafacial good for acne?

A hydrafacial effectively clears congested skin and improves the penetration of topical serums. It can assist with current acne breakouts by using antioxidants, essential oils, and peptides to eliminate acne-causing bacteria and reduce inflammation. Additionally, hydrafacials help with acne scarring by removing excess pigment and debris. While hydrafacials alone can't prevent future breakouts, they can minimize the severity of acne and scarring. Combined with other treatments like laser therapy, some patients can significantly reduce acne.

Laser treatment for active acne

Laser therapy targets the bacteria that produces  the pimples associated with acne. The laser light penetrates the outer layers of skin without causing damage, killing the wall of bacteria. Without this active bacterial wall, the body’s healing mechanisms can fight against the acne reactions.

Laser treatment for acne scarring

Even after acne clears, people often have red pigmentation and pitting from old scars. These conditions respond well to cosmetic laser treatments, which warm the collagen and elastin in the skin's middle layer. This process tricks the body into thinking there is damage that needs repair. As a result, the body gradually flushes out the damaged tissue and red pigmentation while forming new collagen and elastin to fill in the acne scars.

Hopefully this article has been useful and not only explained what causes acne but given you some handy treatment recommendations.

We’re here to help

Here at Gilded Leaf our highly trained providers can analyse your skin and recommend the best treatments for your acne or any other conditions you may have. Why not call at 314 899 5033 to schedule a consultation or consider joining our Membership for discounts on all services.