Long after acne clears up, you could still be plagued with lingering acne scars. Depending on your acne treatment and the type of acne you once had, your skin may be marked with different types of scarring. Whatever type of scars you have, though, there is an acne scar treatment that will remedy or even eliminate the long-lasting marks of acne. But with so many treatments available, it can be difficult to choose the best procedure for you.
The three main types of acne scars include depressed pits, known as ice pick scars; depressed or shallow indentations with sharp angles, otherwise called boxcar scars or wide; and shallow indentations that extend across your face called rolling scars. Let’s look at the different acne scar treatments most appropriate for the distinct types of scars.
Best for Shallow Boxcar Scars: Skin Resurfacing
For scars that are not too deep, skin resurfacing can bring unseen skin layers to the surface. Resurfacing procedures remove the top and even middle skin layers – the layers on which many acne scars reside – and reveal smoother, more even skin. Some examples of resurfacing procedures include chemical peels, dermabrasion and microdermabrasion. The kind of microdermabrasion performed at dermatologists’ offices greatly differs from the over-the-counter kits sold at drugstores.
Best for Depressed Scarring: Acne Scar Surgery
The goal of this surgery is to bring the acne scar closer to the surface of your skin or to break up the scar tissue in your skin. But never fear—the procedure is minimally invasive! This procedure, in which patients stay awake but the area is numbed, is best for depressed scars that make noticeable impressions in patients’ skin. At Georgia Dermatology Partners, our physicians are reconstructive surgeons skilled at restoring the skin’s appearance.
Best for Deep Ice Pick or Boxcar Scarring: Skin Tightening Therapy
Skin tightening therapy involves a high-intensity laser penetrating into the skin to grow and tighten the skin’s natural collagen. As the skin grows tighter, the appearance of depressed acne scarring can be minimized and sometimes even eliminated entirely over the course of several months.
Best for Depressed Scars: Skin Fillers
Certain types of acne scars are left deep in the skin. To plump up these depressed scars, dermatologists use skin fillers, including collagen or fat, to fill in the spaces made by these scars. Some of these fillers are permanent, while others last six months to a year. Georgia Dermatology Partners offers several skin-filling procedures, including Bellafill, Juvéderm and Restylane, to treat acne scarring.
Some treatments, such as micronneedling–collagen induction therapy–and Fraxel Re:Store® and Fraxel Repair laser systems, which offer deeply penetrating non-ablative (no damage done to outer layer of skin) fractional resurfacing, can be effective on a variety of scar types.
No matter what kind of acne scarring you’re experiencing on your face or body, there is a dermatological solution that can repair the damage, regardless of how long it has been there. Contact the experts at Georgia Dermatology Partners today for pricing, treatment details, or to book an appointment.
