After months or even years of hiding your skin, the development of acne scars is nothing less than insult added to injury. Even after all of their blackheads, whiteheads, and cystic bumps have fully cleared, many people deal with dark spots, dimpled or puckered skin, and deep, pitted areas. In your quest to obtain a smooth, healthy, and ultimately beautiful complexion, it’s important to find a scar removal treatment that works. Unfortunately, with different types and levels of scarring to address, it isn’t always possible to find a single solution that will help you reach your goals.
Luckily, there are a number of non-invasive and minimally invasive scar treatments that can be seamlessly paired together when needed. Some acne scars are little more than minor skin discoloration. These typically occur when blemishes have been popped or picked, or when the skin has been washed too aggressively. In many instances, blemishes like these will gradually fade on their own over time. To expedite their healing, you can use chemical peels, microdermabrasion, or micro-needling. Procedures like these trigger natural skin repair by creating minor amounts of controlled damage at the skin’s surface layers. They also remove dead, damaged skin cells, and clear out pore blockages.
Whether by puncturing, dissolving, or abrading, these procedures remove or disturb the topmost skin at a sufficient depth for inciting increases in blood flow, cell renewal, and new collagen production. Thus, superficial acne scars that weren’t healing at a rapid rate before treatment will quickly begin to fade. Non-invasive or minimally invasive procedures like these work best for mild to moderate acne scars.
Addressing Severe Acne Scars
The severity of acne scarring is often measured by the depth at which the skin is affected. Skin that has pitted areas has been severely damaged by neglected blackheads, blocked pores, aggressive popping, and other developments and activities. There are two basic ways to address damage that exists many layers deep.
The first is by inciting controlled damage in a more aggressive fashion. For instance, rather than receiving a micro-dermabrasion procedure, you might undergo dermabrasion or derma-blading. Micro-dermabrasion uses micro-fine crystals to gently abrade away the skin’s upper layers. Dermabrasion, derma-blading, and aggressive chemical peels remove skin many layers deep. This allows healing to start at a far greater depth so that the final results are smooth, even in texture, and absolutely free of dark, discolored areas. The second strategy for addressing scars that affect the skin at a significant depth is through repeat treatments.
Although micro-dermabrasion might not be aggressive enough to clear up a person’s acne scars with a single treatment, it may provide impressive results after two or more procedures have been performed. One of the main concerns when addressing this type of scarring is whether or not major breakouts will return. As such, when performing consultations, estheticians an dermatologists choose treatments based upon the unique needs of the individual. Micro-needling tends to be the most effective option in minimally invasive procedures for both dark blemishes and pitted acne scars.
Often referred to as collagen induction therapy, micro-needling penetrates the skin at a sufficient depth for triggering marked increases in collagenesis. As new collagen stores are produced, shallow areas are filled in and the texture of the treated skin improves along with its tone. Best of all, by clearing pore blockages, microneedling also increases the efficacy of topical skin products and greatly reduces the likelihood of future breakouts. Laser acne scar treatments offer the greatest amount of flexibility in many instances. These procedures can be used to address scarring at varying skin depths by altering exposure times. Thus, like micro-needling, it works well for both superficial discoloration and severe, pitted scarring.
Finally, severe acne scars can also be minimized through the use of injectable dermal fillers. When pitted areas are excessively wide or deep, hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers can instantly fill them in and smooth them out. Although basic HA fillers only provide short-term results, fillers with cross-linked HA tend to be much longer lasting. Whether used as standalone treatments to acne scars or paired with other procedures, each of these treatments can also work well on the back and decolletage when needed. In reality, there’s no single treatment for acne scars that’s guaranteed to work well for everyone and for all scar types.
However, there is a best acne scar treatment for you. When you schedule a consultation appointment, you’ll undergo a comprehensive skin assessment to determine which procedure or procedures will help you reach your cosmetic goals with the least amount of downtime. This might one or more micro-needling procedures on their own, an aggressive chemical peel, or laser scar treatment paired with an injectable filler. To get started, give us a call today at 205-352-9141.
