Janet McGrath, a 34-year-old graphics designer in Las Vegas, underwent treatment for clinical depression for six months before she began to accept the reality that her face would probably bear ugly acne scars for life. Happily, another realization soon followed: with the right kind of acne scar treatment, she could reclaim large parts of her face. “In the past year, my face has gone from looking like the surface of the moon to a dirt track,” is the way Janet describes it. What she probably means is that the ugly pockmarks have given way to skin that is a little rough and uneven.
Scars outside and within
The problem of acne scarring is a widespread one that often proves no less thorny than the actual acne outbreak. While plenty of acne patients are relieved that their acne outbreaks appear to be under control, they cannot come to terms with the fact that the unsightly scars remain as a reminder of their suffering. Typically, the milder forms of acne do not cause scarring, as most of us know. At worst, the scarring may be temporary. However, those who suffer from graver forms of acne such as cystic acne are likely to be left with unsightly scars that also have a deep-rooted mental effect.
Types of acne scars
According to dermatologist Dr Andrew Waite, many of his patients come to him for treatment of “post-inflammatory pigmentation”, which is the condition that follows the healing of an acne lesion. He adds that acne scars may be divided into two categories – keloids, which cause an overgrowth of irregular-shaped tissue at the site of a healed lesion and which may be hereditary in nature; and ice-pick scars, which are commoner than keloids, are linear or circular in shape, and are the result of loss of tissue from the injured spot. Soft tissue scars and depressed fibrotic scars are variations of ice-pick scars.
Treatment of acne scars
As with all things acne, the Acne Treatment for scars is not a straightforward affair. Depending on the intensity of the scars, your dermatologist may prescribe anything from topical lotions to LASER therapy, or even that painful process known as dermabrasion. Skin grafts and filling agents like collagen are also used on occasion. Skin grafts from behind the ears – using a technique known as punch grafting – are particularly helpful for stubborn ice-pick scars.
Very severe scars may require dermabrasion, a procedure in which the stratum corneum is removed by abrasion. As Dr Waite says, the procedure is painful and usually requires a general anesthetic. Post-operation, the skin is red and raw and takes several months to heal. And dermabrasion is not too successful when it comes to sunken scars; it works better when the scar is raised above the surrounding skin.
Those who opt for LASER therapy for acne scarring will experience a rawness of the skin similar to that caused by dermabrasion. This is because LASER therapy involves the use of carbon dioxide to carefully remove skin layer by layer. Yet another process is peeling, which once again involves the removal of the epidermal layer, and is ideal for superficial scars.
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