Acne Scarring

It is understandable that acne scarring can be psychologically distressing and embarrassing to an individual. If left untreated, it may well impact a person self-esteem and social interaction with other people. Unfortunately, most acne scars never really entirely disappear altogether. They normally improve in appearance with time but do not get eliminated completely. You can always rely on make-up to hide the scars after treatment. There are different types of acne scarring, some are called the ice pick scars that are pitted scars, some are called atrophic scars which are flat and thin in appearance and others are known as keloid or hypertrophic scars which are scars that are lumpy or bumpy in appearance. Depending on the type of acne scars that you suffer from, different treatment options will have different effects on those scars.

For pitted scars, you will get the most benefit from treatment methods such as dermabrasion, laser resurfacing which is using the power of laser lights to reduce scarred tissues, punch grafting for deeper scars, subcision in which the fibrous band under the scar is divided to allow the skin to snap back to its original position and finally bigger scars can be excised which is to removal by cutting out the scars altogether, For atrophic scars, as they are flatter and thinner in appearance, you will benefit from dermabrasion or soft tissue augmentation methods such as collagen injection, gelatin or fat implants. Collagen is used as our body does not recognise it as a foreign substance hence reducing the risks of rejection. Over time the collagen does get absorbed into our body system and you may need to revisit your dermatologist to have the doses topped up. There is an element of ongoing maintenance with this treatment option as the results are not permanent.

Acne Scarring

For lumpy or hypertrophic scarring, ask your dermatologist for some potent topical steroids for starters. This will take several week before any visible result can be achieved. If this is not effective, other procedures include intra-lesional steroid injections, silicone gel dressings, surgical revision and cryotherapy. The downside to any keloid scars is that they are particularly prone to recurrence, even if it was after a seemingly successful procedure. Typically it will reappear close to the original scar location. Cryotherapy is a treatment procedure that freezes the surface of the skin lesions. This process is conducted using liquid nitrogen, carbon dioxide snow, dimethyl ether or propane. These are applied directly onto the skin lesion. Cryotherapy does sting and can cause pain during and shortly after treatment. Immediate swelling or redness to the skin may occur after treatment. This can be reduced by the application of a topical steroid and orally taking aspirin can help reduce any inflammation and stinging pain.