Acne scars cause tons of confidence issues at any age, teens and adults alike.
Improving the appearance of scars can dramatically increase self-esteem and reduce social anxiety. In this post we will talk about the types of scars and what you can do to improve the appearance of your face:
What are the levels of acne scarring?
Ideally, scarring should be prevented by successfully treating and controlling acne until hormonal regulation is achieved. However, some people are more prone to scarring, especially those with darker skin tones. Among the levels of scarring are:
Low-level scarring: Superficial and only affects the epidermal layer. These scars are often simply highlighted by redness or slight pigmentation (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation) and are not technically scars. They will usually heal with:
- topical skin care,
- Low level chemical peels,
- IPL,
- LED therapy y
- Lasers designed to treat redness and pigmentation.
Macular scarring (mild): It can be successfully treated with skin puncture, fractional laser, radiofrequency (RF) therapy, and dermal fillers combined with daily topical skin care.
Moderate scarring: Can be dealt with ablative CO2 lasers, fractional laser and dermal fillers combined with topical skin care.
Severe scarring: It can be treated with deep peels to create a controlled acid burn, fat transfers, or with dermal fillers.
How are acne scars classified?
There are several types of scars defined largely by their shape and depth:
- Scars in ice pick: These scars are less than 2mm wide with defined borders usually due to acne. They are conical or cylindrical in shape and appear as large, empty pores. These scars are difficult to camouflage.
- Scars of box: These scars may appear as rolling scars but have clearly defined margins with a box-shaped vertical profile on cross section. Box scars can be shallow or deep and can resemble chicken pox scars.
- Scars rolling: They are usually more than 5mm wide and have rounded, sloping edges that give the skin a wavy texture.
There is also a category of severely raised scars called keloid or hypertrophic scars. This is often the result of injury or surgery rather than acne and is treated with local steroid and/or vascular laser therapy. These scars result from the overproduction of collagen in an abnormal response to healing.
What are the treatments available in Canary Islands to treat acne scars?
Needle therapies:
Skin puncture creates a controlled lesion in the deeper dermis. Only a fraction of the skin is injured, but a significant healing response is triggered to produce collagen and improve texture. All skin types can be treated, there is little downtime and side effects are minimal. 8 to 10 treatments are recommended, every fifteen days/month with optimal results achieved after twelve months when the new collagen has matured. This treatment will reduce superficial depressions and is recommended for all types of scars. At CanaryDoctor we have aesthetic doctors specialized in this technique. Request your appointment and request more information.
IPL laser:
This is a non-invasive treatment and leaves the surface of the skin intact. Fine directed lasers cause heat injury channels in the epidermis and dermis, resulting in collagen remodeling. Ice pick scars are successfully treated with approximately five treatments every four weeks.
CO2 fractional laser:
There is significant downtime with this treatment as the entire skin surface is injured and resurfaced. The CO2 laser causes total tissue vaporization and can improve acne scars by up to 80% due to collagen re-stimulation and reduction of surface blemishes.
Photobiodynamic Therapy:
This therapy is indicated to treat acne scars with active lesions as it promotes the generation of singlet oxygen species and the destruction of propionibacterium acnes, the bacteria responsible for the appearance of acne, especially in adolescents.
Dermal fillers:
Indicated as a treatment for deep lesions as it fills in and improves the texture of the skin. When dermal filler is injected, it plumps up the skin to help even out acne scars as well as fine lines, folds, and wrinkles. Dermal filler injections are a quick outpatient procedure that requires little downtime.
Solar protection:
UV light is a scar's worst enemy, as it basically reverses scarring. Also, if the skin is healing both during healing and after scar treatment, it is more susceptible to sun damage and exposure increases the chance of developing skin cancer. It is imperative to protect the skin, preferably with high-end sun protection and makeup with zinc oxide.
During the healing phase, avoid retinoids and strong acids as they can cause more inflammation. Of course, sun protection is vital at all stages of scar treatment.
