Clear in 6 Weeks!!!

Let 916SKIN in Chico, California help you get clear skin! 530.680.2027

I just had a client move through the acne program in six weeks! He started out with moderate grade three acne. By week two he had digressed to moderate grade four acne with large clusters of cysts on both cheeks. By week six... he was clear. From here on out, he will continue with his home care protocol to stay clear and even out his skin tone. Today is a great day!!!

Acne Treatment in Northern California

916SKIN - Acne, Skin & Wellness Studio is a leading acne center in Chico, California.
530.680.2027

Clients come from Sacramento, Red Bluff, Redding, Truckee, and Tahoe and smaller towns within the area for their bimonthly treatments. Those who live too far away, or don't have the means to get hear, still have the option of going through the acne program - long distance. We are able to provide this service for those who can commit to bi weekly phone consultations. After your initial consultation, your home care system is mailed to you along with additional products over the coarse of your treatment, and as you need them. Instructions for long distance acne treatment will be given to you during your initial consultation, and several options will be presented.

If you do not have an acne clinic in your area, or a skin care professional that specializes in acne, please call us. We are here to help everyone we can.

The Magic School Bus of Non-Inflamed Acne

916SKIN - Acne, Skin & Wellness Studio is an acne clinic in Chico, California.
530.680.2027

Pretend you're travelling across the oil-slicked surface of someone's skin and magically into the belly of a pore (follicle) - it's a long canal lined with dead skin cells, an oil gland beneath you, and a hair that extends out of the follicle like a bean stalk. But, this is no ordinary follicle, this is an impaction, a non-inflamed comedo (pl: comedones) that is rapidly undergoing retention hyperkeratosis. The cells lining the follicle wall are storming down like giant snow flakes so fast they stick together and you're surrounded by a massive glob of dead cells, bacteria, and sebum (oil). Just when you think you will be buried alive by this giant snow ball, you see pac-man like creatures (enzymes) gobbling up the dead skin cells. And, although the snow keeps rapidly falling, the storm is kept at bay by these hungry, protein obsessed, guardians. Although there is a tiny opening at the top of the follicle, it is too small for you to escape, and you are trapped with the impaction inside the follicle.

This is what is known as a "closed comedo" or "whitehead." This is how an impaction develops, and it can take up to 3 months for a comedo to form. Although there is sebum acting as the glue holding this glob of skin cells together, oil continues to glide up the hair, through a small opening, and onto the surface of the skin. Inside the follicle, the oil doesn't become hard like so many of us believe. It appears to be hardened oil when it is expelled, but really, it's just a glob of dead skin cells, a little sebum, and bacteria... a snow ball.

Where were we? Oh yeah, trapped inside the follicle... as the cells continue to storm down and the pac-man-like-creatures (protein digesting enzymes/proteases) get full, the opening at the top of the follicle starts to expand letting in oxygen. The glob of dead skin cells becomes oxidized, and like an apple turns brown when it's exposed to air, so does the impaction. The follicle that you are trapped in is now called an "open comedo" or a "blackhead" and your escape is getting closer. As you and the impaction move towards the opening, little flecks of melanin (pigment) begin to accumulate along side you contributing to the dark color of the blackhead. This is often misconstrued as flecks of dirt from the days activities. Luckily for you, this person decided to get an acne treatment. As the skin care specialist applies pressure at the base of the follicle, you and the impaction, come gliding to the surface, and you high tail it out of there in your magic school bus!

Inflamed versus Non-inflamed Acne

916SKIN - Acne, Skin & Wellness Studio is an Acne Clinic in Northern California treating inflamed and non-inflamed acne. 530.680.2027

Just as animals, plants, and fungi are organized into different groups so that we can understand them better, so is acne. At the topical level, there are four grades of acne, but to simplify things they have been organized into two general types: inflamed and non-inflamed. Sometime people have a combination of the two types of acne.

Inflamed acne may show any of the following characteristics: redness/blotchiness, hot to the touch; pimples, pustules, whiteheads, or blackheads and possibility of cysts or nodules; excessive oil; skin is sensitive and reactive to products.

Non-inflamed acne may show any of the following characteristics: dull, sluggish appearance; blackheads/bumps, some pimples or pustules; excessive oil; skin is generally not sensitive or reactive to products.

Acne can be controlled with the right acne treatments and combination of products specifically chosen for your type of acne and skin. It requires routine communication to closely monitor your progress, and to make any necessary changes in your home care regimen along the way. Typically, patients can have clear skin in 12 to 16 weeks.

Will A Toner Help My Acne?

Toners for oily skin in Chico, California. 530.680.2027

You just washed your face an hour ago, and you're already sporting the 9am shine! Sometimes we get so desperate to degrease our skin we reach for the strongest stuff we can think of - thinking this ought to do the trick! After doucing your skin with harsh toners, witch hazel, and maybe even alcohol, your breakouts get even worse. Well, not only do these "strippers" degrease your skin, they disrupt the acid mantel, which is partly composed of lipids (oil) that act to protect your skin from foreign invaders and dehydration. When you take this extreme measure, which often many do, your skin begins over compensating by producing even more oil and potentially leads to bigger breakouts.

While toners are important piece of most acne skin care systems, all to often, the over the counter products contain harsh chemicals that are too drying for your skin. A good toner is one that is noncomedogenic, will remove excess oil without stripping, and lowers the pH of your skin to enhance product penetration. This means that the correctives (hydroxy acids, anti-inflamatories, anti-bacterials, bleaching agents, etc.) you apply after your toner will penetrate deeper into your skin and work more effectively.

Some toners contain hydroxy acids, which can be an added benefit...IF...it's suited for your skin type and acne type. A strong glycolic toner could be disastrous for someone with inflamed acne. Likewise, a salicylic toner may remove too much oil for someone who has dry skin. On a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being "holy crap this burns - take it off!!!") your toner should range from a 1 to a 2. Anything higher than that is most likely too irritating to use on a daily basis.

Transferring Negative Vibes

Another perception on depression and teenage acne in Chico, California. 530.680.2027

There are different types of stress, and your body doesn't know the difference. So, whether it's emotional, physical, chemical - stress is stress. Those who are prone to acne, will likely break out when they are stressed. Depression is a type of emotional stress.

I often think, that many times it is the parents who are more worried about their kid's acne than the kid them self. You are a parent, it's your job to worry! Just remember, chances are that no matter how much you think you are hiding those "worry vibes" your kid is picking up on it - loud & clear. It is easy for acne sufferers to slip into depression, so one of the best things you can do as a friend, as a Mom, as a boyfriend is to stay positive. And remember, there is a difference between "positive" and "annoyingly positive." Someone who is positive, can still be empathetic, but at the same you need to mentally wrap them in a halo of white light and send them "good juju vibes" - every single day. If they sense you are worried or overly concerned, you may be giving them more reason to feel bad. So, continue in your loving way as parents do, and think positive thoughts!

Why Zinc Monomethionine?

Get Zinc for acne in Chico, California at 916SKIN - Acne, Skin & Wellness Studio.

Because acne is not due to a zinc deficiency, zinc alone will not relieve your acne. However, it has been shown to improve grade 3 and 4 acne. Zinc monomethionine (Opti-Zinc) is a highly absorbable form of zinc, and can improve inflamed acne. It may take up to 3 months to see results.

THE ACNE SPECIALISTS: 530.680.2027