Skin diseases, such as acne, are often considered irrelevant, and even trivial in comparison with the diseases of other organs. Since it does not endanger general health, it is often considered a cosmetic problem, and not enough attention is given to it. Even though it is neglected, it is extremely important to estimate not just the clinical picture of the disease, but also the psychological side of the problem, because it has been clear for a long time that acne has a big psycho-social effect on the patient.
Acne and blackheads most commonly occur on the face, neck, shoulders, and back. The occurrence of acne is mostly related to a hormonal disbalance, i.e., an excessive secretion of androgynous (male) hormones. Many women experience acne exclusively during PMS due to hormonal changes in the body. Blackheads (open comedones) occur when the exfoliating channel of a sebaceous gland gets clogged due to it working excessively.
There are open and closed comedones. Open comedones look like small, usually flat pimples with a black top that occurs due to air exposure. Most commonly they occur on the nose and the chin, but they can also be found on the entire face. Closed comedones are similar but they do not have a black top. Sometimes propionibacterium acnes bacteria develop on the comedones and painful, inflammatory processes occur - acne (acne papules, acne pustules…).
Scarring occurs only because of untreated inflammatory processes. Therefore, it is necessary to regularly mechanically squeeze out blackheads to enable the regular operation of sebaceous glands and prevent the formation of acne and scars. When squeezing them out, it is important to remove the blackheads entirely, or inflammation might occur. Therefore, it is necessary to go to an expert beautician who will perform a facial and give advice about proper skin care.
The facial starts with skin preparation, i.e., the removal of impurities from the face with cleansing milk. After that, a lotion is used to disinfect and tone the skin, and a peel is performed if necessary. After that, water steam is used to soften the skin of the face and open the pores for the blackheads and acne to be removed as painlessly as possible.
During the facial, the beautician uses sterile gauze or cotton pads, a sterile needle, and a cosmetic magnifier that enables a precise and thorough removal of blackheads and acne by strongly illuminating and magnifying the skin. Each acne or blackhead is squeezed out separately, so facials are sometimes more than one hour long. Therefore, if a client has a lot of acne and blackheads, they will have to make multiple appointments.
After the facial, the face is disinfected with a lotion (it has both an antiseptic and an astringent effect - it tightens the pores) and high frequency. This is a device that helps the skin heal fast, reduces redness, and disinfects. At the end of the treatment, a soothing cream is applied to the face.
Beauticians recommend home care products and teach the client how to properly use them. If there are no inflammatory processes, the face calms down in a few hours. In case there is some inflammation, the redness persists for a day or two. Genetic predisposition, diet, irregular home care, stress, hormonal disorders, certain medications, Helicobacter pylori, polycystic ovaries, different diseases, and inflammatory processes in the body affect the increased sebaceous gland function, which makes the need for facials different from one person to another because the increased sebaceous gland function is not anymore just the problem of adolescent age.
Two kinds of medical facials are available at Milojević Polyclinic: medical facial Basic and medical facial Prestige.
