27/07/2021
PIMPLE SCARS CAN BE EFFECTIVELY TREATED.
ACNE SCAR REMOVAL
One of the most common questions confronted in dermatology offices amongst patients with acne is how to get rid of acne scarring. This is such an important question because, as acne has its own problems, occasionally the resulting acne scarring can be as cosmetically disturbing as the original acne. Many advances have been made to alleviate the appearance of acne scarring, but no over-the-counter remedies are currently available. The following discussion and suggestions must be carefully reviewed with your experienced dermatologist.
The first step in the treatment of acne scarring is treating the underlying acne. Without an effective acne control regimen, treating acne scarring will be futile as more scars will occur despite treatments.
Acne scarring can be divided into two primary groups: rolling acne scars and ice-pick scars. Rolling scars are best described as hills and valley that are truly accentuated with tangential lighting. Ice-pick scarring is the sharp, deep pitting holes made as if an ice-pick was poked into the skin. The treatment of these two different types of scarring differs in both the methods used and the rate of success.
For rolling scars, there are surgical, ablative, and non-ablative methods for acne scar removal. Surgical methods include subcision treatment where a needle/blade is placed underneath the scar and moved side to side to loosen up the underlying scarred tissue. Another treatment option is using a filler such as Restylane®. Non-ablative therapies include using an infrared laser to heat up and remodel the tissue underlying the scar. Ablative therapies include dermabrasion (manual sanding of the skin) or ablative lasers, such CO2 lasers, to remove the top lasers of the skin and essentially even out the “hill-tops and valleys” of the rolling scars. Newer laser treatments include the use of fractional resurfacing laser technology (Fraxel, Starlux). These lasers appear to combine excellent efficacy with minimal downtime. It is available in Sri Lanka.
For ice-pick scarring, surgical methods include punch excision, where a cookie-cutter circular instrument is used to remove the scar under anesthesia and a stitch may or may not be placed to help with healing. Another new technique involves using 90% Trichloroacetic Acid applied with a toothpick. This serves to damage the skin within the scar and promote scar remodeling. The other acne scar treatment methods mentioned above also apply: use of the filler substances, dermabrasion, and laser resurfacing.
