If you suffer from acne, you are far from alone. While most people think that acne is an ailment that strikes mostly teenagers, the truth is there are over 20 million people suffering from acne, adults and teens alike. The good news for many is that there are a lot of treatment options on the market to stop acne, or at least stop the painful and embarrassing parts of it, from lotions to laser acne treatments.

There are many ways to fight your acne. On the most basic level, you could just go to your corner pharmacy and buy an over the counter treatment. Or you could see a doctor and get a prescription. Both options are certainly viable, depending on the severity of your case. But have you considered acne clinics and laser acne treatments?

So how do laser acne treatments work? Essentially, they work on the glands in your face that produce oil. And, if you've been fighting acne long, you know oil can cause acne.

This is what a person undergoing laser acne treatments can expect:

At the beginning of the appointment, the doctor or nurse will put an anesthetic on your face. They'll do this to keep pain and irritation to a minimum, both of which can occur during laser acne treatments. As you can imagine, acne can get irritated quickly.

Once the area for the laser acne treatments is numb, the laser will be brought in to do its job. The way it works is that the laser will apply heat to the glands in the face that are responsible for producing the oil that is causing the acne outbreaks. When the laser heats those glands, it causes them to lessen their production of oil. The less oil they make, the less severe of an acne outbreak you will have.

Another bonus of laser acne treatments is that heat and bacteria don't mix. The laser acne treatments have detrimental effects on the bacteria in the skin that are causing the acne outbreaks.

You may associate acne laser treatments with other cosmetic surgeries that require time away from work to heal. But the good news is you might be able to go right back to work after treatment. Little down time!

However, there are some side effects from laser acne treatments. You could get skin irritation, or minor swelling. It could be similar to lying in the sun for too long without protection.

You would think that a procedure that works would have immediate lines from those who suffer from acne, but that is not the case yet. The reason is that the majority of insurance programs are not willing to cover laser acne treatments.

It is important to note that it takes more than one trip to acne clinics to see major results from laser acne treatments. While most people who go in see some results after the first treatment, recommendations advise at least three to four sessions over three to four months to see real, lasting results.