Did You Know?
Every hour, 40,000 cells shed off your skin, but these dead cells might plug a pore sometimes.
These pores can become irritated, resulting in various types of acne.
Well, acne heals but it can leave scars behind.
That is what brings you here.
To know about acne scars.
TABLE OF CONTENT
So, you must be wondering,
Are Acne Scars Common?
YES. Quite common, actually.
Acne affects over 80% of individuals between the ages of 11 and 30, acne scarring affects one out of every five of them.
Teenagers are the ones that suffer the most.
Acne will affect nearly all of them. Almost 90%.
It’s a scary amount of percentage and that is why you need to be aware of it.
So, without any further wait, let’s explore how acne leads to acne scars.
How does Acne Cause Acne Scars?
What is the largest organ of our bodies?
Of course, the skin.
- The skin has three main layers:
- Epidermis, the outermost layer
- Dermis, the middle layer
- Hypodermis, the innermost layer.
These layers protect you from different elements, bacteria, and UV rays, and produce Vitamin D under the sunlight.
Scars are formed when your body trying to repair the acne, in the process of creating collagen, the ‘repair tissue’.
However, raised acne scars develop if it produces too much collagen.
Other types of scarring are caused by tissue loss, which results in dents or pits in the skin.
Let’s take a peek into the types.
Types of Acne Scars
Acne scars can be divided into two types:
1. Atrophic Scars, caused by the loss of tissue
- Ice Pick Scars
Narrow, deep scars that go all the way to the dermis, making the skin look like it is poked by an ice pick.These scars form when an infection from a cyst or other deep inflammatory lesion rises to the surface.
A long, column-like scar results after the destruction of skin tissue.
- Boxcar Scars
Boxcar scars are depressions that are round or oval in shape and have steep vertical sides.They are wider than ice pick scars and give the skin an irregular, scarred appearance.
They form with the loss of tissue when collagen is destroyed by acne.
The skin over this area is left unsupported, resulting in a crater-like shape.
Depending on how much tissue is removed, boxcar scars can range from mild to severe.
- Rolling Scars
Rolling Scars or these wave-like depressions appear across generally normal-looking skin in this type of scarring.These scars aren’t as finely defined as boxcar scars. The skin itself seems rough and uneven.
Fibrous bands of tissue form between the skin and the subcutaneous tissue below, resulting in Rolling Scars.
These bands strain on the epidermis, tying it to the skin’s underlying layers.
The rolling look of the skin is caused by this inward pushing of the epidermis.
2. Hypertrophic and Keloid Scars
Hypertrophic Scars are elevated and firm scars that develop above the surface of the skin.
They are more likely to appear after a serious wound or trauma.
Mostly found on the torso, particularly in men, but they can also appear elsewhere on the body.
Hypertrophic scars are caused by the over-production of collagen.
Keloids are raised scars that differ from Hypertrophic Scars as they are even more severe.
They grow much larger than the wound.
They have the ability to send out elevated, lateral shoots that can spread much further than the wound itself and develop long even after the wound has healed.
When the skin doesn’t know, if the wound has healed, it continues to produce collagen, and Keloids are developed.
How are Acne Scars Diagnosed?
A dermatologist’s ocular examination is sufficient to make a diagnosis.
They can also assess the severity of your acne scarring.
Acne scarring can be classified into four categories: macular, mild, moderate, and severe, according to one assessment technique.
A proper assessment is crucial and results in a proper treatment.
That brings us to the question, how are acne scars treated?
Treatments for Acne Scars
The intensity of acne scars can range from mild to severe.
Some people believe that their scars have an impact on their daily lives, others believe the scars aren’t as awful as they appear.
Which one are you?
A few simple questions will help you figure that out:
- Do you wish often to get rid of your acne scars?
- Are you less social because of your acne scars?
- Do you feel conscious before attending events or dates?
- Do scars limit your potential?
If the answer to any of these questions was “yes”, you might need an acne scar treatment.
Treatment for Atrophic Scars
- Chemical Peels: Special Chemicals like salicylic or glycolic acid are used to peel off the top layer of your skin.
The new skin that emerges is smoother and less scarred.
- Dermabrasion: Dermabrasion is a skin-resurfacing process that removes the top layer of skin with a fast rotating instrument, similar to how a sander removes the top layers of a plank of wood.
The skin that regenerates is typically smoother.
- Laser Resurfacing: A laser is used to heat scarred collagen beneath the skin. The body’s wound-healing response is used to generate new, healthy collagen.
This promotes the formation of new skin to replace the old.
There are two types of laser resurfacing: Ablative and Non-Ablative. Opulence Dermatology & Aesthetics will help you determine which one is the best for you.
- Dermal Fillers: This treatment involves injecting a chemical such as calcium hydroxylapatite or hyaluronic acid under a depressed scar that raises the skin upward and enhances the appearance.
- Punch Excision: The dermatologist utilizes this technique to cut into the skin, remove the acne scar, and heal the wound with stitches.
This can be a far more effective and time-saving method of treating these more problematic scar forms. It is used to flatten a scar.
Laser resurfacing can then be used to improve the appearance of these flat linear scars.
- Punch Grafting: Punch grafting involves the doctor punching a hole in the skin, removing the scar, and replacing it with a plug of fresh skin.
Skin plugs that have been put into the treatment area are normally withdrawn from behind the ear lobe.
To heal, the plugs are glued in place for roughly a week. It creates a smoother scar which can be resurfaced with a skin resurfacing technique.
- Microneedling: Small needles are used to purposely damage your skin in order to stimulate collagen formation and smooth scars.
Microneedling can be done without or with the use of heat also known as Microneedling Radiofrequency.
Microneedling radiofrequency has demonstrated to aid with acne scars textural improvement and can even prevent new acne from occurring.
- Subcision: A needle is used to tear apart fibrous bands which draw scar tissue down into the lower areas of your skin in this procedure.
This procedure not only helps to raise a depressed scar but also causes collagen to be released at the needle insertion site.
The skin is freed so that it can naturally resurface and lay flat.
- TCA CROSS: TCA CROSS refers to the Trichloroacetic Acid Chemical reconstitution of Skin Scars.
It involves applying trichloroacetic acid to a scar to encourage the formation of additional collagen, which helps to elevate the scar.
Treatment for Hypertrophic and Keloid Scars
- Laser Resurfacing
In newly created scars, laser therapy is more effective than in older scars.Burning and flattening raised scars is how the lasers work.
They also lighten scars by targeting the red and pink pigments.
There are two types of laser resurfacing: Ablative and Non-Ablative.
- Corticosteroid Treatment
Injections of corticosteroids are often used as a first-line treatment for these scars.Every six weeks, injecting a steroid may help the scar flatten and soften.
However, because the steroids may impair normal tissue around the scar, there is a limit to how many times this can be done.
- Surgery
Surgical removal of the scar or rerouting of the scar’s tension lines is sometimes required.When all the other treatment options have failed, surgery is usually considered.
This is due to the fact that surgery might leave scars. Surgery can be used in conjunction with other treatments to improve outcomes.
A Word from Opulence Dermatology & Aesthetics…
Acne and Acne Scars are pretty common and it is your choice to live with them or not.
Dealing with acne scars can be quite difficult in everyday life.
And if you are willing to get them treated, you have many treatment options to explore at Opulence Dermatology & Aesthetics.
We aim to empower you to reclaim control of your looks and your physical and mental health.
Let us work together to uncover your confidence back, book a consultation today.
