There are a number of acne scar treatments available through dermatologic surgery. The type of treatment should
consider a number of factors such as: your type of skin, how you feel about scars, the cost, are you willing to "live
with your scars" and wait for them to fade over time or do acne scars psychologically or emotionally affect your life
and what you want the treatment to accomplish. When considering dermatologic surgery remember that there is a
possibility that some types of scar treatments may result in more scarring if you are very susceptible to scar formation.
The objective of scar treatment is to give the skin a more acceptable physical appearance. Total restoration of the
skin, to the way it looked before you had acne, is often not possible, but scar treatment does usually improve the
appearance of your skin.
Before committing to any acne scar treatment, you should discuss the above questioning factors with your dermatologist,
and any other questions you feel are important. You need to tell the dermatologist how you feel about your scars
as well as the dermatologist needs to conduct a full examination and determine whether treatment can, or should,
be undertaken.
The scar treatments that are currently available include:
Collagen injection. Collagen, a normal substance of the body, is injected under the skin to "stretch" and "fill out"
certain types of superficial and deep soft scars. Collagen treatment usually does not work as well for ice-pick scars
and keloids.
Autologous fat transfer. Fat is taken from another site on your own body and prepared for injection into your skin. The
fat is injected beneath the surface of the skin to elevate depressed scars. This method of autologous (from your own body)
fat transfer is usually used to correct deep contour defects caused by scarring from acne. Because the
fat is reabsorbed into the skin over a period of 6 to 18 months, the procedure usually must be repeated.
Dermabrasion. This is thought to be the most effective treatment for acne scars. Under local anesthetic, a high-speed
brush or fraise used to remove surface skin and alter the contour of scars. Superficial scars may be removed altogether,
and deeper scars may be reduced in depth. Dermabrasion does not work for all kinds of scars; for example, it may make
ice-pick scars more noticeable if the scars are wider under the skin than at the surface. In darker-skinned people,
dermabrasion may cause changes in pigmentation that require additional treatment.
Microdermabrasion. This new technique is a surface form of dermabrasion. Rather than a high-speed brush, microdermabrasion
uses aluminum oxide crystals passing through a vacuum tube to remove surface skin. Only the very surface cells of the
skin are removed, so no additional wound is created.
Laser Treatment. Lasers of various wavelength and intensity may be used to recontour scar tissue and reduce the redness
of skin around healed acne lesions. In some cases, a single treatment is all that will be necessary to achieve permanent
results. Because the skin absorbs powerful bursts of energy from the laser, there may be post-treatment redness for
several months.
Keloids Treatment. Surgery is seldom used to treat keloids. A person whose skin has a tendency to
form keloids from acne may also form keloids from skin surgery. Keloids can be treated by
injecting steroid drugs into the skin around the keloid. Topical retinoic acid may also be applied directly on the keloid.
In some cases the best treatment for keloids is no treatment at all.
In short, acne scars are caused by the body’s inflammatory response to acne lesions. The best way to prevent scars
is to treat acne early, and as long as necessary. |
