When the occurrence of acne causes damage in the form of an acne scar, you may view this scar as embarrassing or annoying. A variety of treatments exist to treat acne scars that range from mild treatments that heal within hours to more invasive treatments, such as dermabrasion or laser therapy that take weeks or months to complete. The type of treatment may depend upon the severity and location of the scar.
Microdermabrasion
Microdermabrasion is a treatment performed at a physician's office or spa. This treatment uses a specialized wand that is applied to the skin to gently exfoliate the outer layer of skin. A microdermabrasion treatment can be performed in a 30- to 45-minute procedure. The side effects include mild redness and irritation. This treatment is indicated more for mild acne scars, according to DERMADoctor.com.
Dermabrasion
Dermabrasion is a more invasive means of exfoliation than microdermabrasion. This procedure requires an anesthetizing solution applied to the skin to reduce pain associated with the procedure. During dermabrasion, a dermatologist applies a sharp, rotating blade to remove more layers of tissue from the face than microdermabrasion. This helps to remove outer damage to the skin and improve the skin's appearance by reducing acne scar visibility.
Chemical Peel
A chemical peel involves the application of chemicals of varying strengths to the face in order to remove outer layers of the skin to reduce acne scars' appearance. A variety of chemicals can be used in a chemical peel, including lactic or glycolic acid. For those with more major forms of acne scarring, a deep chemical peel may be indicated. A deep peel is one that penetrates past the outer layers of skin to cause exfoliation and cell turnover. Deep peels can require up to a month to recover from. Conversely, a milder peel can be performed that penetrates the outer layers, thus exfoliating the skin. Mild peels take only a few hours to recover from and have side effects including irritation and a mild burning sensation.
Laser Resurfacing
Laser resurfacing is a more invasive means of acne scar treatment. The skin is first numbed with an anesthetic cream, then the laser is applied. The laser causes exfoliation on the top layer and then penetrates to the skin's middle layer, which then tightens the skin. This multi-action effect helps to make the skin appear more smooth, which reduces the appearance of any raised acne scars. This method may take anywhere from 3 to 10 days to fully heal, according to DERMADoctor.com.
Fillers
Dermal fillers are indicated for scars that are lower than the skin's surface and may be circular in shape, according to AcneTalks.com. Fillers are injected into and fill the scar to raise the scar more to the overall skin surface level. Substances used in fillers include Restylane, Cosmoderm, Cymetra, Fasciian, Artecoll and bovine collagen, according to DERMADoctor.com.
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