With teen-agers facing increasing pressure to look like Britney Spears or one of the Backstreet Boys, a case of acne can be devastating.
Especially if that acne never goes away or leaves scars.
Brandi Semrad, 16, knows. She remembers a time when she didn't want anyone to see her.
The high school junior would cover her face with makeup each day but still hang her head low so no one could see the imperfections in her skin.
"Everyone else's face was so pretty," she said. "I wanted to hide from all of them."
For three years she waged a daily battle with her skin.
"I tried just about everything that was out there on the market, but they all just made things even worse," she said.
Then about a year ago, Brandi heard from a friend about a natural treatment that combined deep hydration with a facial splint. The treatment helped clear her complexion and boosted her confidence.
"What so many people don't understand is that if someone suffers from acne at a very young age, that person carries the emotional side effects of that throughout life," says Joy Deal, president of IFS International and creator of the facial splint.
Most over-the-counter acne medications and astringents can dry skin, sometimes causing rather than preventing more breakouts, according to Deal.
"It's really a vicious cycle," she said.
In Deal's splint treatment, a facial mold of the patient is made and then sculpted into a mask. An aesthetician then steams the skin, exfoliates it with sea salts and soothes it with a natural substance such as aloe vera.
This leaves the pores unclogged but the skin hydrated.
Following this treatment, the new mask is placed on the patient's face. Then, the aesthetician moves a wand with a low-level electrical current running through it across the mask's surface. As the current surges deep into the tissue, it speeds the healing process.
Aside from treating acne, the mask has also been found to help patients heal faster after facial surgery.
Craig Wooten, an oral and facial surgeon, says his patients who have undergone facelifts, laser resurfacing or chemical peels have used the mask with positive results.
He says the facial splint presses and immobilizes the skin and tissue to reduce the chance of irregular bleeding and to ensure that the skin will grow back after surgery.
"It provides the missing link in healing," Wooten says.
Brandi started with once-a-week treatments and slept each night with the mask on. Now she goes to the aesthetician once a month.
"I've got this boost of confidence now," Brandi said. "I can still see some imperfections left from where the acne scarred, but it's nothing like it was before. It actually made a difference."
In addition to specialized treatments like the splint, teens with acne can choose to use nonprescription or prescription products or other dermatological treatments.
Nonprescription products include cleansers, benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid, which are available at most drugstores.
Prescription products must be ordered by a dermatologist. These include antibiotics, used on the skin or taken orally; vitamin A derivatives, called "retinoids"; and anti-inflammatory medications. A dermatologist will determine which one is right for an individual case of acne.
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