Acne Scars Can Damage Your Self Image

There are several types of scarring that result from acne. The most common acne scars are ice pick scars. The scars are deep and narrow and form pits within the skin. These have a crater-like appearance and have given rise to a number of taunts by thoughtless people. Anyone who has had acne is familiar with the “crater face” or “pizza face” taunts.

Young people can be very cruel making fun of someone with a different appearance. In years past, acne scars were very difficult to improve because they are depressed and bound down to the lower layers of the skin.

Different Kinds Of Acne Scars

Rolling scars have a wave-like appearance. Boxcar scars are angular and well defined. These often occur on the cheeks and temples. Hypertrophic scars are raised and usually confined to the borders of the original wound. Keloids are also raised scars but they result from an overgrowth of tissue and are often much larger than the original wound.

There have been many improvements in the treatment of acne scars and these days their appearance can be greatly improved. Chemical peels dissolve the top layer of tissue cells and spur the growth of new tissue. Retin A, alpha hydroxy acids and glycolic acids also remove the skins top layers improving the texture of the skin.

These methods offer minimal improvement of acne scars and may be used in conjunction with other acne treatments. Punch excisions are done using a punch biopsy tool. These are often used on ice pick scars. The entire scar and surrounding tissue is removed and sutured or filled in with a skin graft.

Acne Scars: Using More Effective Methods

Deeper boxcar scars may be improved with this technique, but the scar tissue is elevated and reattached instead of using grafts. Raised scars may improve with the injection of steroids. Dermal fillers can be injected into depressed scars, but they need to be repeated as they do not last very long.

The laser has made improving acne scars much more effective. The use of lasers to heat and remove the scars often results in dramatic improvement in the appearance of the skin. Fractional Resurfacing uses a laser at a wavelength that is readily absorbed by water.

It creates vertical holes in the tissue and new scar free tissue fills in. You can get a 50-60% improvement in 4-6 weeks. The lasers can be used with other techniques such as microdermabrasion and dermal fillers with great success. Consult an experienced dermatologist and see what can be done to improve your acne scars.