scar treatment

We all know not to pick at pimples, which can cause breakouts to spread and worsen scarring. But most scars are a consequence of natural tissue repair as your body responds to the injury of acne lesions. Procedures for clearing scars include cosmetic treatments for mild, surface-level damage and surgery for deep, severe scarring. Consult a dermatologist to discuss your skin type, scar damage, financial circumstances and your susceptibility to further scarring.

Shallow Scars
1. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, dermabrasion is often the most effective treatment for acne scars (see References). Under local anesthetic, a high-speed brush exfoliates surface skin, removing superficial scars and reducing the depth of deeper pockets. Each treatment costs approximately $1,500, depending on insurance coverage, and scar removal might require several treatments. Dermabrasion is not recommended for all types of acne scars, in particular the small, chickenpox-like “ice pick” scars often found on the cheek.

In microdermabrasion, a gentler version of dermabrasion that doesn’t require anesthetics, aluminum oxide crystals pass through a vacuum tube to remove surface cells without further wounding the skin. Nonmedical and often performed at spas and clinics, microdermabrasion might not change the surface skin as dramatically as dermabrasion.

Laser treatment, a more expensive procedure than dermabrasion, reshapes scar tissue and diminishes redness around healed acne lesions. Best for shallow scars, laser procedures can show permanent results in a single treatment.

Saline injections and chemical peels are two relatively inexpensive treatments for shallow scars. To generate new collagen, which smoothes and fills out surface scars, four or five saline injections that cost about $100 each are recommended. A chemical peel, a 15-minute procedure designed for mild scars, uses different acids to remove the top layer of skin, revealing a smoother surface. Several treatments may be necessary.
Deeper Scars
2. Several dermatological surgery procedures target more severe acne scars. “Punch” excision techniques remove ice-pick scars by punching a hole into the skin, which may be repaired with a small skin graft. Subcision elevates depressed scars by lifting the scar from deeper, undamaged tissue, creating a blood clot to help form connective tissue that levels the surface. Often combined with laser or dermabrasion resurfacing, subcision itself may require several treatments.

Fat transfer from your own body helps repair scarring from nodulocystic acne — a severe type that includes deep, purplish bumps and pus-filled lesions. Fat injections elevate depressed scars, as with subcision, leveling the surface layer. Because skin reabsorbs the fat in six to 18 months, the procedure must be repeated.
Keloids
3. Keloid scars are caused by excess tissue growth. The body responds to injury by producing more collagen, a cell substance that can build up into fibrous masses. As skin surgery can actually form keloids in predisposed patients, steroid injection and topical retinoic acid are used as alternatives.

source: ehow.com

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