Acne Scar Treatment

“Acne Vulgaris” or what you know commonly as Acne is a skin condition that occurs when your hair follicles become plugged with oil and dead skin cells. It causes whiteheads, blackheads or pimples. Acne is most common among teenagers, though it affects people of all ages.

 

Dealing with whiteheads, blackheads and pimples can be an embarrassing, frustrating process.  Most of the time, acne comes and goes without any long-term effects. However, some forms of acne can leave behind persistent, obvious scars that can affect both your appearance and your self-confidence.

​

Acne scars are usually the result of inflamed blemishes caused by skin pores engorged with excess oil, dead skin cells and bacteria. The pore swells, causing a break in the follicle wall. Shallow lesions are usually minor and heal quickly. But if there is a deep break in the wall of the pore, infected material can spill out into surrounding tissue, creating deeper lesions. The skin attempts to repair these lesions by forming new collagen fibers. These repairs usually aren't as smooth and flawless as the original skin.

​

Why treat acne scarring?

​

Physical, emotional and social reasons for treating acne scars include:

• Improved appearance

• Enhanced self-esteem

• Promotion of better skin health
   

There are two main types of acne scars:
 

Hypertrophic or keloid scarring:
These scars are caused when the body produces too much collagen as acne wounds heal, resulting in a mass of raised tissue on the skin's surface.

​

Atrophic or depressed scarring:
These scars develop when there is a loss of tissue. There are two common types of atrophic scarring. "Icepick" scars are usually small, yet obvious holes in the skin. "Boxcar" scars are depressed areas, usually round or oval in shape with steeply angled sides, similar to chickenpox scars.