Moderate to severe acne in people who have suffered for a prolonged period of time may cause acne scarring. Once an effective treatment plan is found for the acne itself, the scarring left behind often becomes a new source of anxiety. Many treatments are available for different types of acne scarring that may improve the look of skin and reduce the appearance of scarring and skin discoloration.
Types of Scars
According to Acne Guide, acne scars come in four basic types. Ice pick scars are the most common scars caused by acne and are narrow and deep in appearance. Box car scars most often appear on the temples and cheeks and may resemble chickenpox scars. Rolling scars give the skin an uneven and wavy appearance. Hypertrophic scars are raised scars. Each type of scar may require different treatment.
Surgical Procedures
Acne scars may be treated with simple outpatient surgical procedures to reduce their appearance. A punch excision is one type of surgical procedure where an instrument similar to a tiny cookie cutter is used to remove a scar completely. Following this, punch elevation may be used to bring the underlying tissue even with the skin surrounding the punch excision so that it will heal evenly and give the skin a smoother appearance. According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), a punch graft may be performed after a punch excision, which involves using skin taken from a donor site elsewhere on the body and filling in the wound created by the punch excision. Instead of removing the scar, a subcutaneous incision can be performed. This involves using a tiny needle to separate underlying scar tissue from the skin, which then smooths out the visible skin.
Laser Resurfacing
Laser skin resurfacing is another procedure used to reduce the appearance of acne scars. During laser resurfacing, an ablative laser removes the outer layer of skin while stimulating new skin growth in the layers underneath. Following the procedure, the skin may be raw and painful, and downtime should be expected until new skin has covered the treated area. According to the Mayo Clinic, this a week or two. The skin may gradually continue to improve in appearance and smoothness for up to 12 months following the procedure. According to AAD, patients with shallow box car scars and ice pick scars tend to have the best results.
Fillers
Fillers are sometimes used for depressed acne scars, and they require little to no downtime. Collagen, or another type of filler, is injected into the area of the depressed scar to plump it up and raise it to the level of the rest of the skin. Fillers are most often temporary and treatment will need to be repeated. According to AAD, most fillers last about three to six months.
Raised Scar Treatments
Injections of corticosteroids may be used to flatten thick, raised scars. A series of injections is generally given with patients receiving an injection every two to six weeks. If the raised scars don't respond after four injections, other treatment options are explored. Raised scars may also be treated with surgery to remove the scar. Cryotherapy may also be used to freeze raised scars, causing them to eventually fall off.
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