- Acne is the main cause of scarring regardless of gender, age, and skin type of people.
- Approximately 90% of the worldwide population suffers from acne in their teenage years and gets scars on their face, nose, forehead, chest, and back.
- Acne scars are permanent changes in the skin texture after an acne breakout subsides.
- Acne scars are visible signs on the skin in the form of marks, scars, and pits.
- A dermatologist can treat acne scars depending on the type of acne scar. The acne scar treatment takes 3 to 24 months.
- Mild acne scars get treated in a few sessions. While deep and old scars may need many sessions to show significant improvement.
What Are Acne Scars And Why Do They Form?
Acne scars are the outcome of acne blemish inflammation. As the acne pore swells, a breakdown occurs in the pore wall. Certain acne blemishes are small and leave light scars which disappear quickly. Sometimes, the impurities inside the blemishes spill into the surrounding tissues and cause deep scars.
Your skin gets acne when excessive sebum, bacteria, and dead cells clog the pores and cause inflammation. Mild acne may leave pimple marks or post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation on your skin. But, deeper lesions damage collagen, which ruins the texture of your skin and leaves permanent acne scars.
As pimples affect many teenagers, acne scar is a common skin concern, which needs medical attention. Manage pimples to diminish acne scars. Find out the causes, types, and treatments for acne scars.
What Causes Acne Scars?
Scars occur as your body tries to heal the acne. The response of your body to acne determines the type of scar on your skin you will have. The acne healing process involves collagen building. The raised scars develop if there is excess collagen. The loss of tissue causes scarring, which creates indentations or pits in the skin.
Acne severity or grade can cause scars depending on your skin’s healing response. Here are the common things that cause acne scars:
- Severe breakouts containing nodules and cysts
- Delayed treatment for an inflammatory acne
- Picked, squeezed, or popped the acne
- Previous generation acne and acne scars
If you have any of the issues above, you will likely get acne scars. Clinic Next Face helps you to learn the type of your acne scar and suggest the right specialized treatment.
Pathophysiology Of Acne Scars:
Acne vulgaris is an inflammatory process centered on the pilosebaceous units of the face, back, upper arms, and chest. The presumed pathophysiology includes fertilization changes in the pilosebaceous unit which forms comedones, produces more sebum, increases Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), and perifollicular inflammation.
The preliminary inflammation in acne stays throughout the acne lesions’ life cycle stages, including microcomedones, closed comedones, inflammatory lesions and Post Inflammatory Erythema (PIE), Post Inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), and scarring. 4 PIE is usually persistent in fair-skinned people. PIH is common in dark-skinned people. Both sequelae reflect totally visible and big inflammation that may be partly associated with a slow downgrade of a non-viable P.acnes inside the follicle.
Common Signs & Symptoms:
Here are the common signs and symptoms of acne scars that you can see on your face:
- Dark spots
- Deep pits
- Raised lesions
Diagnosis Of Acne Scars:
Our dermatologist conducts a visual examination to diagnose acne scars. We can also determine the severity of your acne scarring. The assessment system has four grades – macular, mild, moderate, and severe.
Grade 1, macular, is a red and flat scar. Grade 2, mild, is a scar that you can easily cover with makeup or facial hair. Grade 3, moderate, is common at a social distance, which you can’t easily cover with makeup. Grade 4, severe, is a prominent scar that is visible at a social distance of more than 50 cm (1.64 feet), which facial hair or makeup will fully cover up.
As untreated acne gets severe, it damages collagen permanently and leaves visible scars. The dermatologist at Clinic Next Face can identify the grade of your acne scars and suggest the right treatment plan.
Prevention and Management Of Acne Scars
If you have acne-prone skin, you should follow the tips below to prevent and manage acne scars:
Opt for medical treatment if you have frequent acne breakouts
Don’t squeeze or pop pimples
Avoid picking at scabs
Don’t experiment with home remedies as that may increase skin inflammation
When these tips don’t work and you still have acne scars, you should consult our dermatologist soon.
The effectiveness of self-care methodologies on acne scars are unproven until now. So, it’s better to ignore self-care as it triggers acne, deepens scars, and causes side effects.
Professional Treatment Options For Acne Scars:
At Clinic Next Face, dermatologists specialize in customizing medico-aesthetic solutions to reduce all types and grades of acne scars. Here are the treatment procedures that you may opt for as a standalone or combination treatment depending on your skin and scar type, condition severity, and affected area:
- Pixel Laser Skin Resurfacing: Our dermatologists implement advanced USFDA-approved laser technology to increase the production of collagen in scarred tissue.
- Micro-needling Radiofrequency: Micro-Needling Radiofrequency is an advanced acne scar treatment that also tightens your skin. This treatment involves the application of Radiofrequency technology to vanish acne scars and enhance skin texture. Our skin experts can suggest this advanced treatment to remove your acne scars. We can also combine it with other methods to deliver the desired results.
- Chemical Peels: We exfoliate the damaged layers of your skin to minimize the ice-pick scars.
- Subcision: Our dermatologist performs this minimally invasive treatment to lighten the acne scars.
- Intralesional Injections: Our professional medical team may use specialised injections to reduce the size of raised acne scars visibly.
- Laser Toning: Laser toning involves the application of advanced laser technology to remove red, pigmented, and red acne scars. It also helps in fading post-acne skin discoloration.
Pre & Post-Care Guidelines Related To Acne Scar Treatments:
Prevent the formation of new scars before opting for an acne scar treatment by not picking acne spots and developing poor skincare habits. Apply sunscreen every day before stepping outside in day time and avoid exposing your skin too much to the sun.
Avoid applying sunscreen and makeup to your skin after acne treatment. Don’t pick scabs if they form after treatment as it will delay the acne healing process and intensify the risk of scar formation and risks.
Clinic Next Face follows a holistic approach and offers the required pre and post-care guidance so you get the best results after our acne treatment. We aim to redefine the skincare quality and deliver advanced dermatology solutions.
- Can Advanced Treatment Heal Acne Scars?
Yes, advanced acne scar treatment heals acne scars by reducing their depth and improving the overall skin texture.
- Do Acne Scars Go Away Naturally?
No, acne scars don’t go away naturally and need procedural treatments by medical experts.
- Does Vitamin A Help To Treat Acne Scars?
Yes, topical applicants containing Vitamin A and procedural treatments can treat acne scars.
- Are acne scars permanent?
All grades of acne may cause some form of permanent scars.
- Can advanced treatments remove acne scars completely?
All types of acne may cause permanent scars.