How to Treat Acne Scars
Acne is a common condition which influences most people at some point in their lives. It is affects about 80% of people in their teens and twenties, and up to 5% of older adults. Acne scar can be deep or sketchy, but the result is a socially debilitating disorder. Normally the lesions are most common on the face, but they may also develop on the neck, chest, back,shoulders, scalp, and upper arms and legs.
There are several kinds of acne scarring: ice pick scarring, atrophic scarring, and hypertrophic scarring. Ice pick scars are deep pitted scars with steep ends. Atrophic scars are pitted but have smooth borders and are not as deep. Hypertrophic scar, more common on the back and chest, are thick cumbrous scars that sit above the surface of the skin.
Angular scars which generally develops on the temple and cheeks, and can be either superficial or deep, these are uniform to chickenpox scars. The redness or hyperpigmentation is seen as the skin goes through its healing and remodeling technique, that takes up to 6-12 months. The perfect way to prevent post-inflammatory changes caused by acne is to prevent acne lesions from occurring.
Most effective treatments of acne scars are surgical. Laser resurfacing has been used for the treatment of acne scarring. All lasers use a high-energy beam of light that focusses specific structures in the skin. Subcision is used for atrophic scarring. Local anesthesia is used and a needle is then injected under the scar and smoothly moved under the skin to release the scar tissue.
Chemical peels, also known as chemical resurfacing , are chemical treatments to produce an improved complexion of the face, including acne scars. Skin grafting can be required to close the defect of the unroofed sinus tracts. Microdermabrasion method 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.
Unsecured exposure to the sun causes more skin damage. Wearing a good sunscreen is essential. Using tretinoin (Retin-A, Renova, Avita) rapids up the skin’s remodeling process and helps heal post-inflammatory changes. Topical retinoic acid may be applied straight on the keloid. In some cases the best treatment for keloids in a highly susceptible person is no treatment at all.
Filed under: Skin Disorders