Some Factual Information on Scars

In a prior blog titled “Types of Acne Scars”, information on the types of Acne and what type of Acne scars can form and why, may be referred to. In continuation with that blog, in this blog information on how acne scars can be treated, will be presented.

Before we get down to the actual treatments, let us first get familiar with certain facts about scars and what the implication of such scars are.

• Skin tissue when seriously injured has the ability to produce more collagen to repair the damaged skin. The new skin forms the scar
• An inevitable outcome when the layer or layers of skin are injured and there are changes to the physical construction of the normal skin
• Either physical injury or a disease process can cause the occurrence of scars
• If the injury has not been properly treated then the symptoms cause thick, unpleasant scars to form
• Keloid type of scars, that are very thick, itchy and enlarged, are prone to occur in certain populations with a genetic predisposition
• Scarring also happens on parts of the skin where there is plenty of skin tension or movement. These type of scars are also unsightly
• Where there have been surgical incisions, surgeons utilize techniques in order to contain the scarring to a bare minimum

All is Not Lost

With the quantum leaps of progress in Medical Science and Technology, truly all is not lost and neither have you to resign yourself to living with the scars occurring due to an affliction of acne. There are several treatments and options available and they are:

• Soft Tissue fillers
• Chemical peels
• Dermabrasion
• Microdermabrasion
• Laser, Light source and Radiofrequency Treatments
• Skin surgery

Also Read: Benefits of Laser Skin Resurfacing treatment for Acne Scars

Soft Tissue Fillers

This procedure helps make the scars less noticeable. The fillers comprise of either fat or collagen which are injected into the damaged skin to fill it out and to stretch it. A temporary respite that requires frequent visits, periodically.

Chemical Peels

This procedure employs the use of high strengths of acid which peels away the top layer of the damaged skin and curtails the deeper lying scars. Sometimes some peels can even penetrate deeper into the skin.

Dermabrasion

Dermabrasion is commonly used to remove severe acne scars. As the word suggests the damaged skin is scraped to remove the top layer of the scarred skin using a rapidly rotating wire brush to resurface the skin. A side effect of Dermabrasion particularly in dark skinned people is a possible change in pigmentation.

Microdermabrasion

A gentler technique than Dermabrasion, wherein crystals are sprayed on to the damaged or scarred surface of the skin, through a handheld device whereby these crystals help gently abrade or polish the skin and resurfaces it. In this procedure only the surface skin cells are removed when a vacuum tube removes the crystal and skin cells. However, it is not very effective on removing scars. 

Laser, Light Source and Radiofrequency Treatments

Acne scars appear to be very subtle when laser, light source and radiofrequency treatments are used. In this procedure, the pulsed sources emanating from these devices razes the epidermis and heats up the underlying skin layer to help formation of new skin.

Skin Surgery

Is of two types – Subcision and Punch Excision

In the first procedure, the skin area where the acne scars are present will be cut out and as it heals better looking skin will form on par with the rest of your skin. In Punch Excision, the scars are sewn together using stitches or sutures.