Top Acne Scar Treatments
Posted on Tue, Jul 19, 2011
By Marné CarMichael Walsh
Problem skin that results in acne scarring doesn’t just affect the skin. It affects a person’s self-confidence and social interactions. We will review many of the treatments available that can minimize the damage caused by acne.
Acne scarring is a permanent reminder of our days of pimples, cysts, and blackheads. It can be as mild as large pores that lost their elasticity and never shrank back to normal size or as severe as “ice pick” or “boxcar” scars caused by large cystic acne eruptions. Some people have thick, raised, itchy or painful scars called keloids as a result of acne. Acne scarring can be found on the face, back, shoulders or chest.
Types of acne scarring
Ice pick scars are scars that appear to pierced by an ice pick. They commonly are 1-3 mm across at the surface and extend deep into a point within the skin.
Boxcar scars are characterized by a “punched out” appearance in various polygonal shapes with a flat base.
Superficial pit scars are actually enlarged pores whose muscular walls were overstretched and damaged from excess oil and acne inflammation.
Rolling scars are smooth depressions in the skin. They are often found grouped together on the cheeks and chin area and are difficult to tell where one begins and one ends.
Other types of acne scarring
Hypertrophic scars are thick, three-dimensional scars that protrude above the level of the skin. They can occur anywhere on the body but the chest, shoulders, and back are the areas at highest risk. Sometimes, with time, these scars may flatten.
Keloid scars are a more severe type of hypertrophic scaring and are primarily caused by an overgrowth of fibroblasts which continue to grow outside the original area of trauma. Some people have symptoms such as pain, stinging, tenderness or itching on the keloid scar.
Treatments that minimize acne scars
It is important that your acne is under good control before undergoing treatment to correct the scarring as we don’t want to irritate active acne and cause further scarring.
Conservative treatments
These are quick, easy scar treatments that offer minimal downtime. They are great for milder forms of acne scarring and include microdermabrasion, chemical peels, and tretinoin topical prescriptions. They work best and last longer when done consecutively over a period of 5-6 months with maintenance treatments thereafter.
- Microdermabrasion: Fine microbeads smooth the skin by removing dead skin cells and stimulating collagen. Microdermabrasion is usually done in a series of 5-6 in a row, one month apart, for best results.
- Chemical Peels: Strong chemical peels such as trichloroacetic acid, glycolic and combination peels such as Jessner’s peels have a delayed exfoliative effect and stimulate collagen in the skin giving a smoother appearance.
- Tretinoin (Retin-A): Tretinoin is a prescription product that stimulates collagen and exfoliates the dead layers of the skin resulting in a tighter, smoother appearance.
Deeper treatments
In part 2 of this blog post we will discuss various types of deeper treatments that are available to you. These skin treatments offer the advantage of collagen remodeling which provides more permanent results. They include lasers such as Fraxel and Active/Deep FX as well as certain injectables such as corticosteroids and fillers.
In general, laser resurfacing produces the best, long lasting results for widespread acne scars. Only your physician specialist can determine which treatment or combination of treatments would work best for you.
Fraxel Skin Resurfacing for treatment of acne scars.
