Acne Scar and the Various Acne Scar Treatments
As acne heals, the skin around the hair follicle gets hyper pigmented and turns red. This red area slowly darkness initially and then over about 6 months time fades and gets same as the skin color. These types of scars are usually formed during minor acne outbreaks. These scars are preferably treated with Retinol or some hydroxyl acid to aid in fast healing of the skin.
Unlike the minor out break scars, scars due to nodular or cystic acne are very deep and more discolored. In this case what should be the best plan of action? The treatment in this case very much depends upon a number of factors. These are the severity of the outbreak, type of skin, condition of skin and finally the dermatologists finding and suggestions.
Chemical peels:
Chemical peels are used when the scars are mostly on the topmost layer and do not go very deep into the skin. This method involves application of chemicals on the skin to injure the acne scar. This helps in the development and regeneration of new skin. This process may need to be repeated a number of times to reap favorable results. There should also be adequate space between the sessions so that skin has sufficient time to heal and grow back.
Dermabrasion and laser Resurfacing:
Light or shallow ice pick scars due to acne responds well to dermabrasion or laser resurfacing. Dermabrasion is a procedure in which skin in sanded or removed with an abrasive instrument. This method is used when there is no acne or acne infection on the face. There are two types of dermabrasion, deep and superficial. Deep method removes the epidermis and reaches the dermis. This method also takes much longer to heal, as the skin has to generate a whole new top layer.
Laser resurfacing is another kind of acne treatment used for bigger scars. In laser resurfacing, a high beam of light with CO2 is used to burn off the top layer of skin. This layer is usually the layer which is most affected by the scars. Removing the top layer makes the body grow a new top layer, which is free from scars. This method though effective requires extreme care during the regeneration of top layer to avoid infection.
Surgical Method:
Some scars are embedded deep into the skin. It is not possible to remove them via the above-mentioned methods. These scars are the deep ice pick, boxcar or rolling acne scars. There are many surgical treatments to treat these kinds of scars. A few them are discussed here in brief. Punch excision method uses a punch tool to take out the skin from within a deep scar and stitch it up to make the surface of the skin at a same level. Another treatment called subcutaneous incision is used to break fibrous tissue which cause rolling scars. This treatment after it is completed and the skin healed helps a vast improvement in the rippled skin.
Every acne scar treatment has its own positive and negative aspects. The right treatment can only he suggested by a dermatologist after the assessment of your acne scar and skin type.
