Acne Scars and Possible Treatments

As if acne isn’t frustrating enough, permanent remnants of the condition can be equally, if not more aggravating than the acne itself. Unfortunately, many people with acne also suffer from scarring.

In order to properly address a problem, it is critical that you understand exactly what the problem is. Dark spots on the skin, or hyper-pigmentation, are often mistaken for acne scarring, but it is a discoloration of the skin. Acne scars do come in several forms, however, this is not one of them.

Scars refer to depressing in the skin, or pitting. One form of acne scarring is known as “Icepick”, which is typically small, can be deep or shallow, and looks as if the tip of an ice pick has pressed the skin’s surface.

“Box” scars can have a large or smaller diameter and tend to resemble chicken pox scars. These acne scars are not as deep as the Icepick scars.

Another kind of acne scar is the “Rolling” scar, which can be shallow or deep, and has the appearance of a smooth indentation on the skin.

The last kind of acne scar, and also the most difficult to treat, is the “Hypertrophic” scar.  Hypertrophic scars are also known as keloids, where the injury heals backward, leaving a buildup of scar tissue on the outside of the skin.

Fortunately, there are various solutions available for acne scarring:

• Methods such as Subcision, Scar Excision, and Punch Elevation are all surgical procedures that physically remove the scars with different methods.
• TCA CROSS is a chemical peel process for acne scar removal, but it requires some downtime and can take months to see the results.
• Fillers, such as silicone are also used to give the skin a smooth appearance with temporary injections.
• Laser skin resurfacing is another method that offers several options to improve acne scars that either tighten, penetrate or “sand” the skin.
• Micro needling is one of the latest technologies used for building up collagen in the skin and to reduce the appearance of scarring. Results from continues treatments show significant improvements on the evening out the skin.

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