A number dermatological treatments and procedures can minimize scars, though it isn't possible to completely remove them, as the New York Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH) points out. Discuss your options with a dermatologist. The appropriate solutions for removing scars depends on a variety of individual factors, including patient age, health, medical history and preferences, as well as the type, location and characteristics of the scar.
Filler Injections
Injections of soft tissue fillers like human or bovine collagen, hyaluronic acid, PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate) or your own fat may remedy depressed scars like those from acne.
Such injections are often a temporary solution, explains the Skin Care Physicians site of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), typically lasting from three to six months. However, injections of your own fat, taken via liposuction, can last over a year, and PMMA is permanent.
Corticosteroid Injections
Corticosteroid injections can shrink and soften scars, and are often used for hypertrophic or keloid scars, according to the AAD. Generally, a total of four injections are administered once every two to six weeks, says Skin Care Physicians. Then a determination is made whether other solutions should be sought.
These injections are frequently used together with other procedures as one part of a larger removal strategy.
Chemical Peels
Chemical peels are most often used for depressed scars and for small, superficial raised scars. A chemical agent removes the top layer of skin, allowing new skin to grow back in place of the scar, explains the NYPH.
Usually the regeneration process takes one to four days. While temporary redness is expected, chemical peels help restore even skin tone to affected areas, says the AAD.
Dermabrasion
Dermabrasion is essentially sanding off top layers of skin, allowing new skin to grow back where the scar was. It is best for depressed and small, superficial scars, according to the AAD. Sometimes several sessions are used for slightly deeper scars.
Recuperation can be painful and usually takes about a week, explains Skin Care Physicians, which is one reason it has largely been replaced with laser therapy.
Laser Therapy
Evolving laser technology has made laser therapies a leading skin resurfacing treatment for all types of scars and other cosmetic problems. Non-ablative lasers provide scar treatment that leaves no visible signs and little to no required down time afterward, according to Skin Care Physicians.
Non-ablative lasers don't burn the skin like ablative lasers, which are still in use. Instead, they stimulate collagen production to heal skin from within, explains the Consumer Guide to Plastic Surgery.
Surgery
For depressed scars, surgical techniques like punch grafts, punch excisions or punch elevations can remove scarred skin and replace it or raise the underlying skin. Raised scars can be excised.
Skin Care Physicians says that follow-up treatments like pressure application, steroid injections or radiation therapy are usually needed to prevent recurrence of the scars, especially when removing keloids.
Other Solutions
Cryotherapy is another tool for scar removal. Scar tissue is frozen, causing it to blister and fall off, explains the NYPH. Pressure bandages, used over the course of several months, can flatten raised scars, according to the AAD. It adds that gels or creams made with silicone are successful for reducing certain scars when used regularly.
References
- New York Presbyterian Hospital: Scars
- Skin Care Physicians: Depressed Acne Scars: Effective Treatment Available
- Skin Care Physicians: Raised Acne Scars: Treatment Can Ease Pain, Diminish Scars
- American Academy of Dermatology: What Is a Scar?
- Consumer Guide to Plastic Surgery: Laser Scar Removal -- Is it Right for You?
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