Acne Scar Skin Care – Acne Scar Treatment and Skin Care

Posts Tagged ‘Scarring’

Acne laser surgery is one of the many acne scar treatment procedures that is widely available mostly through private skin clinics. For patients who suffer from skin pocked with scars caused by acne, severe skin inflammation or irritation, laser surgery can help reduce the appearance of these unsightly scars. Acne scars, especially those that are widespread, deep and big in size can cause undue stress on a person, often resulting in very low self-esteem and confidence especially among social groups. Basically in this surgery, the doctor, skin technician or dermatologist resurface the area of the skin that is covered in acne scars and indentations by using lasers.

Lasers are set to varying degree of intensity depending on the depth of the scars. The idea is once the scar is lasered, new natural collagen bands form in the top layers of our skin, hence filling in those spots where indentations are found. This will then enhance and smooth out the skin appearance. Your skin will become more toned and looked a lot smoother. Do not worry as acne laser surgery is merely an outpatient procedure which can be performed relatively quickly although you may require more than one treatment sessions to fully benefit from its effects. It is not an invasive procedure as the laser only deals with the skin surfaces.

Unless you are pregnant, most patients should be able to undergo laser treatment. The dermatologist will begin by targeting the laser on a test patch first and if your skin does not develop any averse reaction then you are allowed to return on a later date to begin the actual treatment itself.

A full course of treatment normally means more than one treatment session, so expect to revisit the clinic several times before you complete the course. It is not uncommon to have to wait for at least four weeks between each treatment session to allow the skin sufficient time to heal. Also this will allow the doctor to monitor your progress and to adjust the intensity of the laser if necessary to achieve the desired results. Do bear in mind that acne laser surgery is not the miracle solution to scar treatment. Although you can expect your skin to appear tighter and smoother, it may not necessarily erase all of the scar marks.

Healing time ranges from several weeks to over a year depending on the extensity of the treated skin areas and how severe those scars are. You should expect some level of bruising and redness after each scar treatment and normally the doctor will prescribed some cooling gel such as concentrated aloe vera cream to apply to the skin and to aid the healing process.

Technorati Tags: Acne, Laser, Scarring, Surgery

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.

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.

Technorati Tags: Acne, Scarring, Skincare, treatment

Due to the lack of technology in the past, acne scar treatment has not been very successful nor effective. Now, thanks to research and development, the cosmetic industry has revolutionise the way scars are treated resulting in smoother skin appearance. Having said that, no acne scar treatment can ever guarantee the perfect outcome and therefore you should be realistic about treatment. It is crucial not to expect the acne scars to completely disappear overnight after treatment. Scars heal at different rates, some patients may achieve more satisfactory results than others and some scars take a lot longer to heal.

Even though many acne scar treatment options are readily accessible to the general public, do not get caught up in glossy brochures and smart looking skin clinics, do your homework. Research the treatment facilities, make sure the doctors or dermatologists are board certified and hold the necessary qualifications to perform the different procedures. As these treatments are not cheap, take your time to find the best dermatologist, do not be afraid to ask them questions such as after treatment care and post treatment support. If something goes wrong, will they be willing to reverse the procedure or take remedial action for free. There are now many types of acne scar treatments that target different types of scars. Laser is the most common treatment option.

Typically there are two forms of laser treatments, ablative lasers which remove the outer skin layers and non-ablative lasers which create changes in the dermis without resurfacing the skin. Non-ablative lasers can be done quite quickly and are non-invasive hence requiring very little downtime. Controlled lasers burn off skin tissue to a certain pre-determined depth to smooth out the skin surface where the scar tissues are located. It normally takes about two week for the skin to heal but do expect the skin to remain red and patchy for a while longer. The redness should fade over the course of several weeks, some might even extend to several months. Milder form of scars will benefit the most from non-ablative lasers that encourage and stimulate new collagen growth. Always remember to ask your dermatologist to lay out all the risks, advantages and disadvantages of the various prescribed treatment methods.

Other techniques include punch elevation, punch grafting and punch excision. These are suitable for depressed scars. Subcutaneous incision or subcision is often used to treat rolling scars under general anaesthetics. Dermabrasion, micro-dermabrasion and dermal fillers are also popular treatment options to remove or minimise scars.

Technorati Tags: Acne, Scarring, Scars, treatment