Acne, though part of growing up, can be very dangerous when not treated well. For most people, acne comes and eventually
goes, there is thus seemingly no need to treat it. The
reality though is that acne when treated improperly or
worse, simply allowed to “run its course”, does permanent,
long term damage to skin that will be extremely difficult
and expensive to repair. To ensure that acne does not cause
expensive long term damage, it should be treated, and
treated properly, not just at any clinic, but at an acne
authority, like Skin Trends.
Not all acne scars are deep scars though. On the nose and
chin, acne scars are raised lesions called hypertrophic
scars or baby keloids. This is why in those areas where
pimples appear and eventually vanish the area of the skin
remains raised after a long time even if it isn’t red and
painful anymore.
No hopeless cases only unfinished treatments
The great thing about acne is that it is absolutely
controllable. Acne is in fact a disease; it is an umbrella
medical term that includes blackheads, whiteheads, papules,
pustules and cysts. The only reason many seem unresponsive
to acne treatments is that they don’t comply with their
dermatologist prescribed regimens. Acne is a slow responding
disease that requires weeks or even months of religious
treatment. Those seeming “hopeless cases” are just people
who began treatment but who didn’t see it through for one
reason or another.
No substitute for expertise
The right age to treat acne varies from person to person;
some individuals suffer from acne even in their pre-teens.
Dr. Joy Gonzales-Mongcal, owner and head dermatologist of
Skin Trends, one of the country’s premiere acne treatment
clinics says that the ideal time to treat acne is when the
first blackhead or whitehead appears.
Because of the nature of acne, there is no automated
treatment modality, and as yet no machine can take the place
of an expertly done manual pricking for blackheads or
whiteheads. At Skin Trends Dr. Mongcal personally trains her
staff. After rigorous training, applicants have to pass 3
sets of tests: oral, written and practical. After they have
passed this battery of tests, the last hurdle is actual
pricking with Dr. Mongcal as the patient. Dr. Mongcal has
acne prone skin that requires occasional pricking. She uses
her “flaw” to her advantage and is her own “guinea pig”.
Before a trainee is allowed to handle paying patients, each
one needs to prick Dr. Mongcal’s blackheads and whiteheads
and when necessary, even her milia.
Redefining the customer experience
As a result of Dr. Mongcal’s stringent standards, an
expertly done pricking at SkinTrends is significantly less
painful than at an ordinary clinic. Pricking at the
whitehead or blackhead stage also prevents acne scars. If
even the reduced pain of a SkinTrends treatment is too much
for a patient, SkinTrends offers a treatment with topical
anesthesia option for a premium.
SkinTrends recognizes that it is bad patient experiences
that result in aborted acne treatments, that’s why
SkinTrends devotes thought and resources into improving the
patient experience in every way possible. Apart from being
the only dermatological clinic that invests in long and
expert training for all its attendants, unlike other clinics
that treat patients in crowded wards, SkinTrends clinics
feature roomy private cubicles.
Aside from being highly customer centric, the SkinTrends
approach is both thorough and meticulous. Dr. Mongcal
stresses: “At Skintrends, we treat acne in a holistic
manner. First we have to rule out any gynecological causes
of acne in female patients. We send these patients to a
Gynecologist for a work up. If there are findings that point
to a hormonal cause, these underlying causes are corrected.
Patients are also advised of lifestyle changes with regards
to their diet and sleeping patterns.”
Ultimately, acne itself is not the real issue, the real
problem is the long term scarring it causes, as this will be
extremely difficult and costly to repair in the future. A
full cycle of treatment early will mean the long term
preservation of young, glowing, beautiful skin. SkinTrends
has clinics in Fairview, Quezon Avenue, Eastwood, Cubao,
Festival Mall in Alabang, and two in Sta. Rosa Laguna.
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