ACNE SCARS TREATMENT - 11 BEST OPTIONS

ACNE SCARS TREATMENT – 11 BEST OPTIONS

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by Sandia Skin + Face
Albuquerque, NM

ACNE SCARS TREATMENT – 11 BEST OPTIONS

INTRODUCTION

This article will answer the ACNE SCARS TREATMENT – 11 BEST OPTIONS you will want answers to before deciding on the pros and cons of using the ACNE SCARS TREATMENT – 11 BEST OPTIONS and why your trusted provider should be Sandia Skin + Face.

Knowledge brings confidence to our decision-making, especially regarding outward-facing topics such as our appearance. We want you to be confident when using any Sandia Skin + Face Service or product. Please keep reading to build your knowledge base and make an informed decision on your next steps.

There are several types of acne:

  • Blackheads: These appear as black dots on the surface of the skin. Blackheads are also called open comedones because the head of the pore is open and the rest of the pore is clogged.
  • Whiteheads: These are also called closed comedones, and occur when your pores get clogged from oil, bacteria, and excess sebum production.
  • Papules: These are small red bumps that appear on the skin, because of clogged pores, mixed with bacteria, such as P. acnes. Papules are free of pus as the bacteria has escaped through the open pore.
  • Pustules: These are pores that are inflamed and infected because bacteria are increasing in the blocked pores. The contents of these pustules contain pus, which is infectious.
  • Nodules and Cysts: These are flesh-colored bumps that are below the surface of the skin and contain deep infections, which are laden with bacteria, and are very painful.

The root of your acne scarring can come from several places. Some skin experts believe there is an important link between your genetics and the development of acne scars. If you have sensitive skin or your skin is prone to scarring, then your chances are higher that you have a genetic component that makes it easier for you to develop acne scars. Also, some types of acne scars, such as hyperpigmentation, are more common for certain skin tones.

As to the formation of acne scars, the main cause is usually inflammation of the skin. When bacteria-causing acne starts, the skin surrounding an oil gland found in the hair follicle becomes inflamed. It can even break the wall of the skin pore. When the skin pore wall breaks, your body’s immune system will try to heal the skin, even when the pore breaks and is inflamed. This attempt at healing will eventually cause the new tissue to heal incorrectly and leave you with acne scarring.

Acne scars come in a variety of shapes and sizes. You may even have multiple types of acne scars on your skin. The best way to get rid of acne scarring fast is to determine the type of acne scar being treated. The most common scars include:

  • Atrophic Scars: These scars appear as small indentations in the skin.
  • Icepick Scars: Small scars that look like pinpricks. A type of atrophic acne scar is an icepick scar. They are very narrow and have deep acne scars that require advanced treatments. Icepick scars open narrow depressions in the skin and may be as small as the head of a pin, but as deep as the entire dermis, making them especially challenging to treat without professional help.
  • Boxcar Scars: Larger indentations with clear edges. A boxcar scar is an atrophic scar or a scar that creates a depression on the skin’s surface. Boxcar scars are typically wide, shallow, and squarish in appearance. They may have a deep or shallow depression. Boxcar scars form on the cheeks, jawline, and chin because of widespread acne.
  • Rolling Scars: These have unclear edges and give the skin a rolling or undulating appearance. They occur when the skin does not make enough fibroblasts in the healing process. Fibroblasts are cells that play a crucial role in wound healing and collagen production. Rolling acne scars are another type of atrophic scar that creates sloping, soft depressions on the skin that appear as a wavy texture. Commonly found on the cheeks, this type of acne scar occurs through repeated break-outs. More subtle than a boxcar scar, rolling scars can be equally challenging to treat.
  • Hypertrophic Scars: These occur when the skin makes too many fibroblasts as the acne spot heals, causing a raised scar. Both keloid and hypertrophic scars are types of raised textural scars that leave a bump on the skin’s surface. This raised scar tissue is usually the same size as the acne or slightly bigger than the original acne. Keloid scars result from skin tissue growing over inflammation. We consider them permanent. Keloid scars are also the most challenging type of acne scar to treat.
  • Keloid Scars: These are like hypertrophic scars but are thicker than the original acne spot. There is often hyperpigmentation, making keloid scars darker than the surrounding skin. They are often red or brown. They may also cause itching or pain.
  • PIH Scars: PIH, or post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, is one of the most common types of acne scars. While other acne scars have a certain texture, PIH is a flat type of scar that only affects the pigment of the skin cells. Typically, this hyperpigmentation remains after the inflammation of the acne scar has faded away and may appear as a red, pink, or brown patch of skin. Occasionally, PIH goes away by itself through natural skin shedding, although this process may take several weeks. Other times, because the acne is terrible, PIH can linger for months.

For different acne scars, there are different treatment options:

  • Dermabrasion: Dermabrasion is a process by which a coarse material is used to scrape away a certain portion of the skin down to the dermis. We use this procedure for several skin pigmentation issues, including scarring. We primarily recommended this acne scar treatment for those with fair skin and severe scarring that has fully healed, as dermabrasion can cause discoloration in those with darker skin tones.
  • Chemical Peeling: Chemicals like phenol, glycolic acid, and salicylic acid are effective treatments for acne scarring. A professional dermatologist will place a peel containing one of these chemicals over the skin and allow it to take effect. Acidic substances remove the top layer of skin (or even deeper, depending on the acid), allowing the new layer of skin cells to grow and replace the old, scarred cells. Chemical peels can be highly effective at reducing the appearance of acne scars, but they also come with risks, such as skin pigmentation changes and, ironically, scarring. It’s important to talk with your dermatologist and understand your skin type before choosing to undergo a chemical peel treatment.
  • Microneedling and Dermarolling): Microneedling and Dermarolling involve the use of a rolling device attached to several small needles that carefully run across the skin, penetrating the underlying scar tissue. The process behind microneedling (aka dermarolling) is the same as that of laser therapy. The tiny pinpricks from the needling tool stimulate that portion of the skin to produce more collagen, lightening up or removing the scar. Microneedling won’t result in complete acne scar removal, though multiple treatments can improve results.
  • Laser Therapy: Laser treatment for acne scars works by targeting the affected area with a beam of light at a specific energy level. Laser energy stimulates the tissue, essentially triggering its repair. After multiple procedures, the scar’s pigment will appear more and more like the surrounding skin. At its best, laser therapy can completely remove acne scars. At the very least, this treatment option can reduce their appearance.
  • Radio Frequency (RF) + Microneedling: RF Microneedling takes dermarolling and adds an energy component, namely radio frequencies. Like light waves, sound waves can also stimulate a physical response. When RF combines with microneedling, the skin is even more activated to rebuild. This acne scar treatment method has proven effective at softening up acne scar pigmentation.
  • Dermal Fillers: Dermal fillers (aka soft-tissue fillers) are injections of proteins, collagen, and/or acids that cosmetically fill out or plump up a targeted area of skin. Some dermal filler options include Juvederm, Bellafill, and Restylane. We directly inject the chosen filler into the scar tissue which has immediate but temporary effects. While dermal fillers for acne scars can be highly effective, they don’t last forever. Patients may require repeat injections annually (or more frequently) to keep their acne scars from showing back up.
  • Steroid injection: Injecting steroids into some types of raised scars can improve the appearance of your skin.
  • Other Energy-based Procedures: Pulsed light sources and radiofrequency devices help make scars less noticeable without damaging the outer layer of skin. Results are subtle, and you might need repeat treatments.
  • Botox: Sometimes the skin around acne scars puckers. Injecting Botox relaxes the surrounding skin, which may improve the appearance of an acne scar. Results are temporary, so you need repeat treatments to maintain the effect.
  • Smooth Threads (PDO): Smooth Threads are a skin booster treatment. Smooth Threads are absorbable surgical polydioxanone (PDO) threads that can be used virtually anywhere on the face or body. Smooth Threads tighten and smooth the skin, helping to minimize fine lines and wrinkles while building collagen and related structural proteins in your skin. Combining Smooth Threads therapy with Botox is very popular.
  • Surgery (Subcision): Using a minor procedure referred to as punch excision, your doctor cuts out individual acne scars and repairs the wound with stitches or a skin graft. With a technique called subcision, your doctor inserts needles under the skin to loosen fibers below a scar.
  • Home Skin Care: The use of sunscreen can help limit the contrast between unscarred skin and a scar. Some other medicated creams, such as those containing azelaic acid or hydroxyl acids, might help too.

WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP? [ACNE SCARS TREATMENT]

Before any procedure at Sandia Skin + Face, our Master Injector and Nurse Practitioner, Tonya C. Tuggle, provides a full consultation where you can express all your aesthetic concerns, and she can learn about your expectations. Tonya will then discuss potential treatment options for you, including non-invasive alternatives.

If getting an ACNE SCARS TREATMENT is your goal, Nurse Practitioner Tonya C. Tuggle will meet with you and, together, determine your plan.

The Final Decision is 100% Yours!

If you have questions, you can call our Sandia Skin + Face office at +1.505.291.9600 or DM us on any of our social media accounts (@sandiaskinface). You can also fill out our easy online booking tool to schedule a consultation! Let us know if you found your questions answered in this article.

CONCLUSION: CHOOSE THE BEST ACNE SCARS TREATMENT

You should now be on a firm footing with our ACNE SCARS TREATMENT – 11 BEST OPTIONS article and be ready to make your appointment!

If we’ve missed questions in our ACNE SCARS TREATMENT – 11 BEST OPTIONS article, you need answers to make your appointment decision, you can tap this link to call us (+1.505.291.9600), or you can ask us a question on our Google Business Profile listing via this link: https://bit.ly/34EFbVP.

At Sandia Skin + Face in Albuquerque, NM, we look forward to being your Trusted Medical Spa Services provider. Let us know how we can earn your trust!

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Registered Nurse Practitioner Tonya Tuggle is Albuquerque’s choice for those who want to keep their youthful appearance and healthy glow. Tonya is passionate about educating patients on preventative skin care and providing non-surgical maintenance for graceful aging. We can’t wait to meet you!

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Tonya C. Tuggle, FNP-C

Tonya C Tuggle specializes in non-surgical facial cosmetic procedures and is a Nurse Practitioner and Master Level Injector.

Tonya C. Tuggle
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Eric Tuggle, DDS

Dr. Eric Tuggle is a specialist in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and is Board Certified in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

Eric Tuggle