Do you have acne scars on your face or other visible parts of your body leftover from when you were a teenager or pregnant? If your scars make you feel uncomfortable, self-conscious in social situations, and you are ready to do something about them, help is available!
Acne Risk Factors
You can get scars from chronic acne for a variety of reasons:
- Puberty, pregnancy, and some medications, which unleash acne promoting hormones
- Your family history can lead to acne, resulting in scarring
- Chronic stress can make acne worse
- Increased acne because of oils on the skin
Removing scars isn’t just about making you feel more attractive. If they get nicked from regular shaving, they can be made worse. Fortunately, our doctor offers ways to lessen the impact of acne scars and other dermal issues. There might still be some scar residue in some cases, but not enough to be as visible as they are now.
Reducing facial scarring can be performed once our doctor examines them to assess their severity (and noticeability) and evaluate your skin characteristics. The doctor will also take into account the products you usually use on your skin and which medications you are taking. Each of these can play a role in determining the treatment you can receive.
Common Acne Scar Treatments
- Dermabrasion (using a high-speed brush to buff the affected areas)
- Micro-dermabrasion (using tiny crystals to remove the raised scars)
- Chemical peels (remove discoloration for a more even skin surface)
- Injecting collagen into the skin (this fills it out and leaves the scarred skin smoother and more even)
- Excision (cut out the scars and stitch up the hole for more even skin)
If the scar is minimal, a chemical peel combined with a prescription-strength skin cream afterward can do the trick beautifully. This combination is most successful when the acne area being treated is fairly light. Raised or bigger scars often do better with laser treatment. This option is popular with people whose scarring involves raised or textured scars. Laser technology continues to evolve and is highly successful with minimal invasion. Patients with deeper skin defects may need to come in for several laser treatments to reduce unsightly scarring.
Post Treatment Measures
After receiving scar treatment, you will want to take good care of your skin afterward, and our team will give you instructions on how to do that. You will want to avoid harsh sunlight and use a high SPF sunblock when you are outside in the daytime. If you are a smoker, your overall skin health can suffer, so if you want to give your skin the best possible care, avoid tobacco products. Fortunately, there are tobacco cessation programs that can help you give up tobacco and give you long-term dermal benefits.
We welcome you to give our team a call if you have any concerns about your acne scars and want to seek treatment so you can look (and feel) your best!