Erase Acne Scars

Unfortunately the unpleasant manifestation of acne lesions or pimples isn’t the only problem with the disease. Usually acne also gives you the problem of permanent scars to deal with.

You might find symptoms of scarring but sometimes these are just bumps or macules. You can also have redness in your skin for up to a year. These are non permanent symptoms.

Real acne scars permanently change the skin tissue and this is caused by the healing process creating fibrous tissue. While the white blood cells kill bacteria they can produce changes in underlying skin cells around the area of the acne.

“Ice-pick” scars are tiny pinholes that form on the surface of the skin. Skin will look like it has been punctured with an ice-pick, thus the name. They’re usually very deep that the cannot be treated with simple dermabrasion or even laser resurfacing.

Boxcar scars are similar, however they are more flat on the bottom, unlike ice-pick scars which become narrower at the bottom. Since they are shallower they can usually be treated with resurfacing techniques.

Keloid scars, due to the excess production of collagen, are firm and grow beyond the site of the injury. They usually become a shiny pink or red scar.

Prevention is the best option, of course. But when that’s not possible, here are some of the more standard treatments:

Dermabrasion can be used to treat numerous skin conditions, and this includes moderate acne scars. How this works is that a doctor uses high speed brush to remove layers of skin. This is after a local anesthetic is applied. The skin then naturally repairs itself, minus the scars in many cases. Scars are usually entirely removed, or at least they become significantly less obvious.

Microdermabrasion is a technique similar to dermabrasion. The difference is instead of a brush, aluminum oxide crystals are moved rapidly through a type of vacuum hose. The effect of this is that they carry away skin cells while being collected. It’s less invasive or traumatic to the skin, but the results may, therefore, be less.

Laser treatment can be effective for some patients. When the procedure is properly performed, laser treatment can change the contour and size of scars. CO2 lasers are often used to remove some tissue. Usually a single treatment is enough, but skin redness can occur for several weeks.

Surgery

A technique called ‘punching’ is used to remove some ice-pick scars. What happened is that the scar is excised down to subcutaneous fat and the resulting hole repaired. This can be done with sutures or a small skin graft.

Subcisions may be performed. These involve actually lifting the scar tissue away from unscarred skin. Results are mixed, but the technique can be effective.

Drugs

Mechanical techniques don’t work well with Keloids, since altering the skin usually just produces more keloids. Sometimes a topical retinoid is applied. Sometimes steroid-type drugs are injected around the scar.

Given the numerous options available, and the variations on the effects to different individuals, it’s important to consult a dermatologist for proper diagnosis. That’s the best way to find out about all the available alternatives, and their potential risks and benefits.