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Acne Scars and Treatment - Which Type of Treatment is Most Suitable for You

By Mike Jennings

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Published: 29Jul2007
Word count: 732
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So you have got rid of the acne, but what do you do about the scars?

With acne affecting about 25 percent of adults – and roughly 80 percent of people in their teens and 20's – the desire for an effective acne scar treatment is widespread. Many people recover from acne without any permanent effects, but others are left with disfiguring acne scars. There are a variety of acne products and medicines that can improve mild scarring, but sever acne scars must be treated by a dermatologist, using a combination of surgical procedures and skin abrasion therapy.

Acne occurs when pores in the skin become plugged with oil, bacteria and dead skin cells. Bacteria grows inside the plugged follicle, creating red, pus-filled red bumps. Hormonal changes during the teen years (exacerbated by stress in both teens and adults) cause increased oil production that contributes to the problem. Most serious scarring is caused by the more severe forms of acne, with large pustules that are more likely to leave permanent scars, even with regular acne treatment. The best way to deal with adult acne is to begin using acne products as soon as the acne appears, this preventing more acne and more scarring.

After an acne lesion has healed, it may leave a red mark on the skin. This, however, isn't a scar – it's a post-inflammatory change in the skin's pigment as it goes through its healing process, and will slowly fade over approximately 6 to 12 months. If a good acne treatment program is followed and no more acne develops in that area, the skin can heal normally. Only if a change remains after a year is it considered a scar.

The best way to prevent scarring and pigmentary changes from adult acne is to is to prevent acne from occurring in the first place. If you have serious scarring from adult acne, however, you have a acne scar treatment options. The most state-of-the-art method for treating acne scars is laser resurfacing, which can be done by your dermatologist. The laser removes the damaged top layer of skin, leaving skin smoother. Treatments can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour, and the patient is given a local anesthetic to lessen pain. It usually takes between three and 10 days after a treatment for the skin to heal completely.

The more traditional acne scar treatment treating acne scarring is dermabrasion, which uses an abrasive disc to wear down the surface of the skin, much like when you sand down a piece of wood. As the skin heals, a new, smoother layer replaces the abraded skin. It takes between 10 days and three weeks for skin to heal between treatments. Both of these types of treatments will take multiple trips to the dermatologist, and will cause the skin to turn red several months. Acne cannot be active – meaning you can't have any pustules or blackheads – when these treatments are done. Depending on the severity of your scars, your dermatologist may also suggest a mild chemical peel or microdermabrasion as an acne scar treatment, both of which are done in the doctor's office.

In some cases, a doctor may recommend surgery for deep acne scars, or collagen injections that displace the damaged tissue. It works well on the scars that are not too deep, but the treatment has to be repeated periodically. In the most severe cases of acne scars, your doctor may recommend plastic surgery. Plastic surgery as an acne scar treatment is an expensive option, and it has the added problem that, should you have problems with acne in the future, you have less layers of skin and new scars could be even worse.

Whether you choose dermabrasion or a chemical peel, they all work by removing the top layer of skin. So right after treatment, the skin is sensitive and unprotected. This can be an issue if you need to go outside a lot. Dust and strong winds can damage newly abraded skin as well. After acne scar treatment, you should only use acne products specially formulated for sensitive skin. There are many effective acne scar treatments and there is no reason to leave your scars untreated. Do your research, make an appointment with your dermatologist and be sure, that there is a treatment that can remove your acne scars or make them much less noticeable.

Find out more about the Best Acne Treatments or even about Adult Acne for those of you who, like Michael Jennings, have been unfortunate to suffer from it.

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