What causes acne scars ?
The physical and emotional effects of acne can last long after an episode disappears. A breakout is annoying enough, but the dark acne marks and scars it leaves behind are often worse. While there isn’t a magic wand that can get rid of them overnight, there is treatments that help to get rid of them.
What’s the difference between acne marks versus acne scars?
In order to treat acne marks and scars, it’s helpful to learn how to distinguish between the two. Patients often mistake dark spots for acne scars but they’re actually very different. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation are red or brown marks that usually go away when you gently stretch out the skin. These marks can take 3-6 months to go away on their own, and you can expedite the process with a diligent treatment of topical creams, vitamin C serums, sunscreen, and brighteners. True acne scars, however, are permanent indentations from collagen damage and can come in many shapes and forms. laser treatments and temporary dermal fillers have been the typical treatment but the results are often lack luster. Some scars are thick, raised hypertrophic scars that stick out above the skin; others are keloid, which are scars with over-produced skin tissue. Then, there are atrophic scars that appear as depressions in the skin and they’re the most challenging to treat.
The three main categories of atrophic scars are:
Ice pick scars: Deeper than they are wide, with jagged edges. Sometimes they resemble a large, scooped out pore.
Boxcar scars: Broad, rectangular depressions with steep, defined edges.
Rolling scars: Broad depressions that have rounded, sloping edges, hence the name.
What causes acne marks and acne scars?
The dark spots that remain on skin called post-inflammatory pigmentary alteration are caused by inflammation during the skin’s healing process. When your skin is opened up, like when you pop a pimple, and then closes back together, you can get abnormal pigmentation, texture, and tone that looks different from the rest of your skin. Sometimes broken blood vessels that remain after an acne lesion fades can result in a mark that appears more red or purple than brown. These are commonly seen in people who are more fair/light skinned. Since it’s so difficult to know what causes one person to scar more than another, the best way to avoid it is to treat acne with a great skin care routine — and that means you need to resist picking, poking, or touching a pimple.
But sometimes a particularly aggressive blemish is truly on a mission to leave its permanent mark. Acne scars occur when normal tissue in the skin is destroyed and replaced with fibrous tissue. You can think of an acne lesion as a wound. When the damage caused by acne is severe, the body can respond by creating too much tissue or too little tissue. The production of too much tissue forms a keloid or a hypertrophic scar, and too little tissue leads to that depression in the skin, or atrophic scar. The deeper and more inflamed the acne lesion, or the more that it is picked or squeezed, the more likely it is to scar.
Some acne marks and scars are completely within your control while others are pre-determined. People with deeper skin tones may develop darker marks or hyperpigmentation, while people with lighter skin tones may notice redness. Aside from genetics, there are several lifestyle habits that can make dark marks and scars worse. Sun exposure can supercharge melanocytes, or pigment-producing cells, causing marks and scars to darken. And, of course, picking or squeezing pimples creates further inflammation and can ultimately lead to more damage.
Acne Scar Removal
The main key to removing acne scars patience. A few weeks after you break out, new blood vessels move into the injured area to give nourishment to the skin, which is why most early scars look pink. Months later, collagen starts to form, filling in the injured section of skin. Because cystic acne destroys skin and fat, it can take up to a year for the scars to show up.
Traditional acne scar removal treatments include creams, Lasers and derma fillers. There are a wide variety of products available on the market for acne scar removal. However, these methods fail to produce satisfactory results for many individuals, particularly those with old, well-developed acne scars. In these cases, more involved skin care treatments may be the most effective option.
Our Best Acne Scar treatments that work
At Pelle Dolce we offer a variety of non-surgical alternatives for treating acne scars. Popular and effective options include chemical peels, microdermabrasion, and blue light therapy. These are good options for patients who want to avoid surgery, and they are generally less expensive than laser acne scar removal. Like all non-surgical acne scar treatments, these options are most effective on newer scars.
Microneedling
Dermaroller Therapy, also known as medical skin needling or micro-needling, is a new minimally invasive skin rejuvenation treatment designed to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles as well as scar tissue on the face and body. The treatment uses tiny needles or micro-needles on a medical-grade roller that is moved over the skin to create tiny, evenly-spaced puncture wounds on the skin. This process stimulates the body’s natural collagen production by generating a wound healing response.
The roller used is much like a fine tattooing needle, so should cause minimal trauma when creating the microscopic punctures in the skin. However, topical local anesthetic can be used to minimize discomfort. By damaging the skin you encourage the body to produce new collagen and elastin, which helps it thicken and ‘plump up’. The procedure can be performed on the face and body. Micro-Needling creates small channels into the deep layers of the skin which break up the old collagen strands, and stimulate the creation of new ones. When used in conjunction with our acne scar cream the benefits and results are dramatically increased.
PRP – with Microneedling
The best recommended solution to cellulite is PRP – Platelet Rich Plasma therapy. PRP is an advanced treatment technology that utilizes ingredients present in an individual’s white blood cells in order to regenerate their skin and revitalize collagen, leading to healthy, younger looking smooth skin. When PRP is injected into the skin, its high platelet concentration functions as a matrix that stimulates the growth of new collagen, revitalizes skin tissue and hence leads to a naturally smooth and firm skin. As a result, PRP treatment gets rid of teh cellulite dimples and creates a smoother skin feel and tone.
We have found that PRP has the best results when it is applied topically all over the skin and then pushed into the dermal layer of the skin with the use of a dermaroller or a dermapen and Because this PRP is made from the patient’s own blood, there is no risk for rejection, infection, or an allergic reaction. PRP can be repeated, and better results are seen with a total of 2-3 treatments given 3-4 months apart. Patients can expect to see better results as they receive more treatments. With time, the results of PRP get better and better.
Chemical Peels
Chemical peels are most commonly used on the face to treat wrinkles and age spots, but they can be used on other areas of the body for acne scar removal. In the chemical peel procedure, a chemical solution is applied to the skin using a sponge, cotton pad, cotton swab, or brush. The types and strengths of the chemicals in the solution vary according to the individual patient’s needs. The chemicals essentially peel off the top layers of damaged, dead skin and activate new skin cell production. Patients might feel a stinging or burning sensation during treatment. The recovery period depends on the patient’s skin type and the strength of the chemicals administered, and multiple treatments may be necessary to achieving optimal results. It’s important to bear in mind that a chemical peel will not remove acne scars completely; however, they usually fade as a result of treatment, and patients emerge with smoother, healthier, more youthful looking skin.
Microdermabrasion
Both microdermabrasion and chemical peels improve the appearance of acne scars through the removal of the skin’s top layers. Chemical peels achieve this goal by using chemicals to “burn” the top layer away while microdermabrasion uses a fine crystal spray to “blast” the outermost layers of skin. Dead skin cells are removed and new, healthy skin cells take their place. The new cells produce more collagen and elastin, two vital components of smooth, young looking skin. Microdermabrasion is a painless procedure that takes no more than an hour to complete and involves little recovery time. An additional five to twelve treatments are needed to reap the maximum benefits of the procedure. Keep in mind that, although microdermabrasion can improve the appearance of acne scars, it is not an effective means of complete acne scar removal.
Photorejuvenation Therapy
Although more widely used for acne treatment, blue light therapy is sometimes used to improve the appearance of acne scars. Blue light therapy entails the application a photosensitive gel to the skin, which is then exposed to bursts of light energy. While complete acne scar removal is unrealistic, patients may notice some improvement, especially in the appearance of newer acne scars.
Pelle Dolce Acne Scar Cream
We formulated our acne scar cream to be used specifically with these treatments in mind. Our patented blend of essential oils, antioxidants and extracts are designed to help remodel scar tissue that is associated with acne scars. When you add Our formula in combination of any of these acne scars treatments the results are amazing.
Prevention
When it comes to scarring, preventing any future scarring is the best first course of action. First, aggressively treat acne, thus preventing further scarring. There are two ideal options when it comes to treating acne. The Acne.org Regimen should clear up most cases of acne. In very severe cases, doctors will often prescribe Accutane (isotretinoin) to their patients. Also, it is vitally important that you do not pick at your skin. Many dermatologists contend that scars are really more from picking than from the acne itself. This is not to say that the occasional popping of a zit will lead to scarring. Occasional popping can often be performed quickly and safely. It is the picking afterward that often leads to the worst scarring. Try to leave your skin relatively untouched.
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COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT ACNE SCARS
Here are the most common questions we receive about acne scars.
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