Acne Scar Effects and Resulting Acne Scar Treatment

Once acne begins to heal, in minor cases, it in noticed that the area where the acne once was has a color, which is red. With the continuation of the healing process this coloration gradually darkens initially and within the next six months lightens slowly and vanishes to have an unmarked and clear skin. These scars are minor acne scars and using products such as Retinol or any other hydroxyl acid will help in fast healing of the area.

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 happen to be the most viable and effective treatment for minor acne outbreak cases. In this treatment method, chemicals are applied on the skin. These chemicals injure the skin around the dried acne temporarily and help in the growth and regeneration of new skin. This procedure needs to be repeated a number of times to obtain favorable results. The successive treatments sessions need to be spaced such that the skin has gets sufficient time to heal itself.

Dermabrasion and Laser Resurfacing:

Dermabrasion and laser Resurfacing are very effective treatments for acne scars that are light or shallow. In dermabrasion, the skin layers are removed which helps in the development of a new skin layer free of blemishes. The scar marks are thus removed with the old skin and the new skin will grow blemish less. Dermabrasion is most effective when there is no acne as well as no other skin infection. There are various types of dermabrasion, superficial and deep dermabrasions are important among them. Deep dermabrasion removes the epidermis layer from the skin and reaches the dermis layer. This type of dermabrasion requires a longer healing time because the skin has to now generate a whole new protective epidermis layer.

A high beam of light with CO2 is used to burn off the top most layer (epidermis) of the skin in laser resurfacing. This layer has most of the scars, so removing this layer removes the majority of scars when a new top layer is formed. Laser resurfacing is a very effective method but the person undergoing this treatment needs care during recovery, as the risk of infection is very high.

Surgical Method:

The deep scars left by acne are deep ice pick, box scar or rolling acne scar. There are various surgical methods for treatment for such kinds of scars. A punch tool is used to extract the skin inside a deep scar and sew it. This creates a level surface on the skin. This method is called punch excision. Often bands of fibrous tissues are formed under the skin due to deep acne scarring. It is important to break this band. This is done by minute subcutaneous incisions. After healing, this treatment has great effect in reducing or completely doing away with the rippled skin caused by the deep acne scars.

Every acne scar treatment has its own positive and negative point. Consult your doctor and dermatologist for the right advice. Beside the above-mentioned measures, there are many other treatments that are known to effectively help the problem of acne. Each case is unique in its own way. The treatment depends upon the type of scar you have.