When a person experiences severe acne that affects the skin's dermal layer, this can cause damage to the skin. As a result, scar tissue forms and a person can be left with numerous acne scars. While acne scars are not painful or medically harmful, they can be a cosmetic concern. Once a person has acne under control, treatments to remove acne scars can be undertaken. Treatments range from mildly irritating to invasive, and often depend upon the type and size of the scar.
Injection Therapies
When acne scars are raised above the skin, they can be very hard to the touch. A physician may recommend injections as a means to soften the scar and reduce its appearance. This is particularly true for those who suffer from keloid scars, which involve the uncontrolled growth of scar tissue.
Marterials that can be injected into a scar include corticosteroids or collagen. Both promote healthy cell growth while helping to soften and flatten the scar, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.
Topical Medications
Several topical creams have been proven to reduce or nearly eliminate the appearance of acne scars, according to DERMADoctor. Examples include Mederma, which is a scar treatment gel that uses the active ingredient onion extract to slow scar tissue formation, soften the scar and encourage new cell growth. Mederma is particularly advantageous for the treatment of newer scars.
Older scars may benefit from applications of Vitamin A, which is found in retinol, Retin-A and other topical applications. By stimulating new skin cell growth while sloughing off dead skin cells, topical Vitamin A may help depressed acne scars to look more even with the surrounding skin.
Dermabrasion and Microdermabrasion
These specialized methods of abrading skin both show promise in removing acne scars. Microdermabrasion is the less invasive of the two treatments, and involves the application of a rotating wand to the face to slough off dead or dry skin cells. According to DERMADoctor, microdermabrasion is effective in treating "ice pick" scarring, which resembles thin, depressed scar areas.
Dermabrasion is more invasive and requires a longer recovery period than microdermabrasion. Instead of the sandpaper-like wand used in microdermabrasion, dermabrasion involves the use of a wand that actually cuts away damaged tissue. This may be indicated for deeper scars.
Laser Resurfacing
One of the newer applications for acne scar treatment, laser resurfacing utilizes a laser that penetrates the skin's layers to tighten the skin underneath. According to SkincarePhysicians.com, this method is useful in reshaping large and/or complex scars, as the physician can carefully position the laser for the desired effect.
Laser treatments range from ablative--removing skin layers--to non-ablative, which tightens the skin but does not injure the outer skin, or epidermis.
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