What are the various types of acne scars?
Acne scars are mainly categorized into atrophic and hypertrophic scars.
Atrophic Scars
They are the most common type of scars. There are 3 types of atrophic scars:
- Boxcar Scars: These are wide, box-shaped scars with sharp edges. They are most commonly formed on the lower cheeks and jaw as the skin is relatively thick in these areas.
- Ice-pick Scars: These are wide from the top and narrow from the bottom. These are V-shaped scars and affect the skin deeply. It requires aggressive treatment.
- Rolling Scars: These have round & sloppy edges. It gives a wavy appearance to the skin.
Hypertrophic Scars
They are commonly formed at the chest, back & shoulders. People who have dark skin tones are more likely to get these types of scars.
Why do we get acne scars?
There is a common myth that touching acne leads to scarring. However, the healing of acne could get delayed on touching it. The main reason for scarring is when the acne is left untreated for a long time. The severity of the scar depends on the severity of acne caused.
When the acne is not treated it penetrates the skin deeply resulting in damage to the skin and the tissue beneath it. When the acne gets cleared, the body tries to repair the damage caused.
During this process, the body produces collagen. The formation of scars depends on the amount of collagen produced during this process.
How to prevent acne scars?
The longer an acne persists, the deeper the scar gets. Hence treating the acne early and making the lesions heal faster prevents deeper scarring. Many people who treat acne religiously do not even require treatment for acne scars.
Oral treatments reduce the inflammation and induce healthy collagen formation, resulting in less fibrosis and scarring.
Keeping the skin hydrated and consuming vitamin C also improves the quality of collagen. Keeping the skin protected by sun reduces collagen damage and improves cosmetic appearance of scars.
What is the right time to seek treatment for acne scars?
The best time to seek treatment for acne scars is when they are immature. Immature acne scars are red in color and have an ample amount of blood supply to heal well. The more mature or white scar becomes, the harder it is to treat.
What are the Laser treatments available for acne scars?
The two most effective ways of treating acne scars is by:
- Ablative resurfacing
- Non-ablative resurfacing
Ablative resurfacing removes the outermost layer of the skin. It can treat deep scars.
Non-ablative resurfacing heats the cells in dermal layers to help them produce new collagen.
How does microneedling help with acne scars?
Microneedling delivers active molecules to the dermis layer of the skin to form new collagen resulting in the healing of the scar.
The procedure of microneedling involves a sterile single use digital tip which has 12 very fine needles that pierce the skin at a rate of 2000 pricks per second. This induces the body’s healing system to get activated at the site of treatment done.
The cells that enter the treated area lay down new collagen and therefore improve the scar quality.
Also microneedling deposits the active ingredients to the dermis layer of the skin where it stays and improves the skin texture slowly, lasting upto an year or longer.
Do chemical peels help improve acne scars?
Mid-deep dermal peels or Chemical reconstruction of skin scars (CROSS) is a technique that helps improve the appearance of acne scars. Regular peels every 15-21 days improve the collagen production and visibility of scars.
What are other treatment options for acne scars?
The treatment of the acne scars need to be planned according to the age, lifestyle, type of acne & its severity.
For someone with an indoor lifestyle, ample time but budget limits, laser resurfacing, TCA CROSS, chemical peels are good options.
For a person with indoor lifestyle but not much time at hand for downtime and doesn’t have a deadline for results, microneedling, non ablative laser resurfacing, PRP, GFC therapy works great. For a person who is on a deadline and wants the results quick, dermal fillers & threads are the options.
If you are looking for the acne scar treatment in Ludhiana, then visit the Glo Medispa Skin Clinic.
They have all the advanced technologies to treat acne scars.
What if I have an event in 2 weeks and want to get acne scars treated?
Dermal fillers, biore modeling agents, and skin boosters can quickly decrease the appearance of acne scars.
What is plasma therapy and how does it help with acne scars?
Injecting platelet rich plasma into dermis stimulates various growth factors in the skin. These growth factors improve the blood supply to the skin. The collagen synthesis also increases by these growth factors. The benefit of plasma is that it can be combined with any treatment for acne scars and has no downtime.
What is fibroblast therapy and how does it help with acne scars?
Fibroblast therapy is done using a plasma pen. The air between the tip of a pen and the skin gets charged with plasma energy.
This plasma energy stimulates fibroblast proliferation in the dermis layer of the skin. These fibroblasts lay down new collagen which matures over 3-6 months. Fibroblast therapy helps to tighten the skin and reduce acne scars.
What is the difference between acne scars and open pores?
People confuse ice pick acne scars with open pores.
Open pores are the dilated oil gland openings over nose, cheeks, forehead, whereas ice pick scars are the pitted scars left by acne lesions. Both can be treated by laser resurfacing, carbon facial, and microneedling.
Can acne scars improve with facials?
It is next to impossible to improve acne scars with facials.
Facials rarely make a difference in appearance of scars as they do not involve laser devices.
The serums or creams used in facials only penetrate upper layers of epidermis and can be beneficial for only providing hydration to the skin. These do not induce collagen in the dermis.
What is the aftercare for acne scar treatments?
For the results to stay long, aftercare of the scars and the skin is really important. Some of the tips are mentioned below:
- Always stay protected from the sun
- Use sunscreen even when staying indoor
- Stay in cool environment
- Keep the skin hydrated
- Don’t forget to moisturize
- Apply retinol regularly
- Avoid touching the face too much
- Avoid sugars & high calorie foods
- Take diet rich in proteins and antioxidants
To know about acne scar treatment cost in Ludhiana, or any other queries, feel free to reach us.