Acne Scarring

Acne scarring results when acne is poorly controlled, inflammation is prolonged and/or there is unnecessary trauma such as picking. It is therefore important to follow the protocols for controlling and treating acne. Some treatments for scarring require complete eradication of active acne first. Some Acne treatments reduce the skin’s ability to heal for up to 2 years, therefore, it is important that you tell your doctor or nurse if you have been taking or if you are still taking any Acne medication. Some treatments are also contraindicated during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Before Treatment		10 months after 2nd Treatment with the Fraxel Laser

Mild acne scarring often settles with continued use of products for acne-prone skin. These include AHA/BHA products and topical retinoid. Treatments for acne-prone skin will also improve mild acne scarring. A series of micro-dermabrasions, light peels, omnilux and IPL for photorejuvenation, and home skin needling can be applied individually or in combination. Pigmented lesions will also improve with these treatments.

Red acne scars indicate prolonged inflammation during the healing process and do settle with time. Nightly application of calamine lotion and a small daily dose of aspirin will speed the recovery. Moderate acne scarring requires deeper peels, such as TCA peels, and/or a series of clinical skin needling or polaris laser. Polaris laser will tighten acne-damaged skin that has become lax due to the destruction of elastin, while TCA peels and skin needling will improve pigmented lesions.

Severe acne scarring requires more aggressive treatments. Dermerase (performed as an out-patient procedure) and dermabrasion (performed under general anaesthetic in a hospital) have been used for many years. Both mechanically abrade and resurface the skin, and require some down-time to recover. More recently, laser resurfacing has become popular. Both carbon dioxide and erbium resurfacing lasers burn the top layers of skin to smooth it out and to tighten it. Significant down-time is also required.

Individual acne scars may be plumped up by injecting a dermal filler.  Ice-pick scars will not improve with fillers.  These and other individual scars can be individually excised and repaired with a stitch or two, or excised with a punch biopsy and the small defect then mended with a small full thickness graft.  Excision is usually a single one-off treatment. Individual scars also improve by needling them with a micro-current.

The revolutionary new development in resurfacing is the Fraxel laser. While a series of treatments is usually required, there is minimal down-time. It also assists in the reduction of pigment in scars. Individual acne scars may be plumped up by injecting a dermal filler. Ice-pick scars will not improve with fillers. These and other individual scars can be individually excised and repaired with a stitch or two, or excised with a punch biopsy and the small defect then mended with a small full thickness graft. Excision is usually a single one-off treatment. Individual scars also improve by needling them with a micro-current.

A combination of treatments may be required and can be individually designed for your own personal needs.