Acne scar Guide

Nearly every one of us--80% of the population in fact--must deal with acne at some point in our lives. This offers little comfort to those of us who are dealing with the acne aftermath: acne scars. 

  - Get tips from medical experts about acne scars

What are Acne Scars?

Acne scars are permanent marks that can both disfigure our facial skin as well affect our emotional well being and self-esteem. Getting rid of acne scars is therefore a high priority.

After acne has healed, it can leave a red mark on your skin. This is actually not a scar, but rather a post-inflammatory change. The redness is seen as skin goes through its healing process, which takes approximately 6-12 months. Assuming no additional acne lesions develop in that area, the skin can heal normally. Any color change or skin defect still present after 1 year is considered to be a permanent defect or scar.

There are two types of acne scars, those that resemble shallow craters, caused by loss of tissue and those that are raised (referred to as keloids) that are the result of overproduction of collagen.

What Causes Acne Scars?

Acne scars are the body's response to a skin lesion. Acne lesions form when the oil glands in the skin become blocked, causing inflammation. Sometimes bacteria that is normally present on the skin infects these skin lesions resulting in infection. Hormones especially during puberty often cause acne flare-ups; however, there may be other factors as well including stress and diet.

How can Acne Scars be Prevented?

Not everyone ends up with acne scars, but for those who do, the only way to prevent or lessen the amount of scarring resulting from severe acne lesions is to treat the acne early and for as long as the acne is present. Preventing or reducing the amount of inflammation that occurs reduces the chances of scarring.

Additionally, if you're picking your skin, you need to stop. This behavior also gives rise to acne scars. 

4 Popular Acne Scar Treatments

There right acne scar treatment for you greatly depends on your type of acne scarring, whether it's shallow or deep (or a mix of the two, uggh!). Since acne scars are present in various sizes and shapes it is often necessary to use several methods to treat acne scars.

1. Laser therapy for acne scars

Fraxel laser is a highly targeted laser that is a minimally invasive or non-ablative. The Fraxel laser directs heat to a small section of your acne damaged skin. The heat stimulates your cells to thicken the underlying collagen resulting in acne scar improvement. This "fractional" technique narrows the damage to surrounding skin tissue, which allows you to recover faster than other laser resurfacing procedures. A competitor to Fraxel is ActiveFX which makes the claim that it requires fewer laser treatment sessions than Fraxel. Another laser that your dermatologist may deploy for acne scar treatment is the Smoothbeam Laser. The Smoothbeam uses the pulsed dye laser method as well as a cooling device to minimize discomfort during the acne scar treatment. This technique is most often used for shallow acne scarring particularly on the face and back.

2. Repigmentation

Acne scars are often a different color than the rest of your skin because of diminished pigmentation. ReLume is a type of Intense Pulsed Light that offers a solution for this problem by stimulating your body to selectively re-pigment acne damaged regions of your skin.

3. Skin resurfacing

Chemical peels, microdermabrasion, and dermabrasion (all forms of skin resurfacing are effective in softening acne scars and improving their appearance by smoothing rough skin textures and encouraging healthy skin cell turnover. Some day spas have exfoliation techniques and facial scrubs that also remove your acne damaged layers of skin. These techniques are generally more appropriate for acne blemishes rather than acne scars. Your local day spa may also offer new techniques that do not have significant clinical tests to prove whether they work, but nonetheless may give you the skin renewal you seek. For instance, Bio Skin Jetting, also referred to as Bio Skin Smoothing, is a new device offered by select spas or aestheticians. It uses electrical currents meant to stimulate your skin to produce collagen which, in turn, reduces the appearance of scars.

4. Facial fillers

Facial fillers such as Restylane, fat injections, Captique, Cymetra, and collagen injections are not only used for wrinkles but to fill in acne scars on the face and give your skin a smoother look. These injections are temporary, and typically require touch-ups every 3-to-6 months by your dermatologist.

Acne Scars--Maintenance

Other than the aftercare requirements for a professional acne scar treatment, your best bet is to make sure you protect your skin from further damage that's caused by sun exposure. Tanning away an acne scar is a bad idea; so instead, opt for broad-brimmed hats and a good sunscreen.

If you're undergoing Retin-A for treating acne or taking certain types of antibiotics such as tetracycline to prevent acne, you should take extra precaution to avoid the sun. These drugs can make you photo-sensitive, or in other words, your skin becomes very susceptible to UV sun rays.

Other treatments like chemical peels, laser therapy, microdermabrasion, and dermabrasion may make the skin more sensitive to sun damage as well, so it's best to use sun screens and avoid prolonged exposure to the sun.

Choosing a Doctor for Acne Scar Treatments

Look for a dermatologist or plastic surgeon who has experience in the treatment of acne and in getting rid of acne scars. Administering chemical peels, microdermabrasion, or laser therapy for removal of acne scars requires specialized training and expertise. This training reduces the likelihood of you experiencing potential complications such as discolorations, burning or additional scarring that might arise from improper use.

Ask for recommendations from your primary doctor, and friends and acquaintances, who have had acne scars successfully treated. View before and after pictures and make sure you have a thorough understanding of what's involved, including side effects of any medications or procedures.