Today, there is no need to worry about permanent scars as treatment options for all kinds of acne scarring are available.
What Is Acne Scarring?
Acne scarring is primarily caused by inflammation that damages collagen. This tenderness leads to permanent textural changes in the skin known as acne scarring. People also refer to color changes and pigmentation caused to their skin as acne scarring.
Kinds Of Acne Scars
The different kinds of acne scars are:
• Ice pick scarring: These are deep pitted scars that have steep edges.
• Atrophic scarring: These pitted scars have smooth borders and are not very deep.
• Hypertrophic scarring: These scars are commonly found on the back and the chest of the patient. They are in the form of thick lumpy scars that seem to sit on the surface of the skin.
• Color changes in the skin due to acne: These are of three kinds: post inflammatory erythema (this color change comes in the form of pink and purple patches at the site of acne lesions), post inflammatory hyper pigmentation (these color changes come in the form of brown/black discoloration at the site of the acne lesion), and post inflammatory hypo pigmentation (these color changes appear as white marks at the site of a healed acne lesion).
Treatment of Acne Scars
• Dermabrasion: This procedure involves the mechanical resurfacing of the skin with the use of abrasive tools. Here the outer layers of the skin are removed so that the fresh skin from underneath is exposed. The physician either uses motorized dermabrasion or manual dermabrasion for treating acne scars.
• Laser Resurfacing: Here high-energy beams of light are used to target specific structures on the skin. These light beams destroy the epidermis and the superficial dermis (outer layer of the skin). The procedure is similar to dermabrasion but is more effective as it requires lesser recovery time.
• Subcision: This extremely effective procedure is primarily used for atrophic scarring. The method involves inserting a needle under the scar to release it from its scar tissue.
• Grafting and punch excision: This treatment is highly effective for deep ice-pick scars and is the only treatment available for complete removal of such scars. A small round device called punch is used to cut out the scar. The edges of these scars are then sewn together with a suture. Larger scars are treated with skin grafting.
• Fillers: The effect of this procedure is temporary and the lesions have to be re-injected at regular intervals for long term results. The fillers improve the look of the scar by flattening it and adding volume to the skin.
• Chemical peels: Also known as chemical resurfacing, these treatments are known to achieve an improved appearance of the affected skin. These peels promote the growth of new skin.
Other than the abovementioned treatment procedures for acne scarring you can also use some over-the-counter creams that contain hydroquinone. Used under medical supervision, these creams are known to be quite effective.