What is Acne?

Acne is a common skin problem that usually appears when the pores are clogged with dead skin, oil secretion, and bacteria. Acne disappears on its own if you do not pinch or disturb unless there is a severe outbreak in a large area of the skin. In these cases, the skin is inflamed and the tissue may be damage and irregular healing tend to leave scars. Acne scar treatment can help with the skin’s healing process and improve the appearance in these cases.

Types of Acne Scars

There are three main types of acne scars:

Hypertrophic or keloid scars, showing up as raised areas in the skin
Atrophic scars, looking like small holes or depressed areas in the skin
Post-inflammatory pigmentation, which look like darkened spots and appear after the acne outbreak

Treatments for Post-inflammatory pigmentation, Hypertrophic & Keloid Scars

When addressing both post-inflammatory pigmentation, hypertrophic and keloid scars, the following treatments are recommended.

Corticosteroids: They are administered as injections and considered the first-line acne scar removal tool for patients with hypertrophic or keloid scars. Injections are done every 6 weeks until the scar starts softening and flattening. There is a limit as to how many times we can use corticosteroids in the skin before weakening the normal tissue.
Laser therapy: It is very effective as an acne scar removal therapy, especially in newly formed scars. Laser treatment for acne flattens elevated areas of the skin and lighten pink or reddish areas of the skin.

Treatments For Atrophic Scars

Atrophic acne scars treatment is slightly different. They are small depressions in the skin that create an uneven surface. They are generally categorised into three subtypes:

Ice Pick Scars: They are very small and look like deep punctures, similar to holes you would do in a big ice cube with a pick.
Boxcar Scars: This type of atrophic scar is a bit larger but has angled edges. They look like small craters instead of holes.
Rolling Scars: It is an atrophic scar with a sloping edge. Instead of looking like craters, they take the form of a rolling hill or valley.

The following treatment options are recommended to address atrophic scar concerns.

TCA Cross Treatment Atrophic acne scars

TCA CROSS is recommended for ice pick scars and deep enlarged pores.

This acne scar removal treatment uses TCA (Trichloroacetic acid) in a high concentration. This acid denatures the proteins located at the deep layers of the skin. This denaturation stimulates protein synthesis, especially collagen synthesis, and in turn improves the appearance of enlarged pores.

Visible improvements usually take 3 or 4 sessions

Laser Resurfacing (CO2)

Laser resurfacing stimulates the natural repair process of the body to synthesize new collagen fibres and resurface the deepened areas of the skin. This laser treatment for acne works by reflecting light beams on the affected area. This heats the dermis underneath and triggers a remodelling process that helps to plump depressed areas and tighten the surrounding area so the scar appears less obvious. Downtime is expected after this type of treatment, which is variable depending on your circumstances.

Dermal Fillers

As the term implies, dermal fillers are meant to plump up or fill depressed or atrophic scars. These fillers are directly injected into the scarred area to create a smooth surface and restore the natural volume and plumpness of the skin. It is useful when scars leave a deep pit on the skin, and typically used when laser treatment for acne does not work as expected to solve the problem.

Subcision

The main goal of subcision acne scar treatment is breaking down tethered down scars within the deeper layers of the skin. It is a surgical technique also known as subcutaneous incisionless surgery. Subcision acne scar treatment can be performed in the doctor’s office.

The scars are not located in the subcutaneous tissue but the dermis layer instead. A special needle will be introduced to the skin to reach deep scars and break down the tissue that keeps anchoring the skin to the deepest layers. During the healing phase, subcision treatment also stimulated the synthesis of collagen fibres and the natural repair of the skin.

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Acne & Scars