ZENMED Cosmetics

Acne sufferers face more than one concern. There is of course the constant nuisance of the acne itself. There is also the anxiety caused by the acne scars and lesions which will render the skin an aesthetic disaster. The reason for this is that most people believe that acne is a temporary situation whereas you are stuck with acne scars for the rest of your life.

Undoubtedly there are numerous acne scar treatments in the market today which work quite well. But the downside is there are some types of acne whose scars cannot be eliminated because they run too deep. Therefore you must ensure that no scars form in the first place because you wouldn’t want to take on the emotional and financial burden of dealing with permanent scars.

I will pass on my information on the various kinds of acne scars, what treatments actually work and how to ensure that the scars do not form by first attending to the root cause of acne which is an imbalance in your internal systems

An introduction to the types, causes and diagnosis of acne scars

Over the years, research has shown that generally acne causes scars only if they are of the severe kind like nodules and cysts which form deep within our skin. Other causes for scars could be an infection, extra skin tissue formation and most importantly if you damage the skin while trying to burst or pull out the acne forcibly.

It has been seen that, no matter what type of acne they have contracted, some people are more prone to get scarred than others. And occasions arise where the body itself makes a mess of its wound healing process: whether in the process of formation of new capillaries or by improper collagen deposit or in its response to the swelling or anabolic and catabolic phases; errors in any of these healing equations could lead to scarring.

Whatever may be the causes, to avert the possibility of permanent scarring, start treating your acne scars as soon as you can.

In essence, acne scars are of two types. Scars which have formed due to an increase in skin tissue formation and those which have formed because of a loss of skin tissue.

Formation of scars because of skin tissue increase

Keloids scars are normally caused by excess skin tissue which is believed to affect dark skinned people more than others. During the healing process, when cells produce an excess of collagen, smooth, firm and irregular shaped keloids are formed.

Scars which form because of the loss of skin tissues:

Acne Spots are basically visible as either brown or red patches of the skin which tend to fade away with time or by using topical scar treatments. After an acne breakout, the subsequent discoloration due to inflammation also fades away in the normal course but can be successfully hastened with the use of MSM.

Ice-pick lesions: as the name suggests, these acne scars look like ice which has been riddled with an ice pick. Most commonly they appear on the cheeks and the scars can sometimes be deep and sometimes superficial. These scars are more difficult to get rid of than acne spots.

Depressed fibrotic scarring: deep nodules leave behind this type of acne scars. They are white and rigid and are characterized by sharp margins and steep sides.

Atrophic scar macules: scars of this variety are generally soft, small and white and are distensible. Other types of scars include rolling acne scars which come about because the surface of the skin gets stuck to the subcutaneous layer. Also, there are boxcar scars which are characterized by vertical edges and round indentations.

Treatment of Acne Scars

Mostly, acne scars fade away slowly, as do Post inflammatory pigmentations but there are some which resist removal. The only way to smoothen them away is through topical treatment or surgical cosmetic intervention.

Different scars require to be tackled differently. And there are even scars which require to be treated using a combination of more than one elimination method. A large number of treatments exist for smoothening over scars and these include: pulsed laser technology, dermabrasion, chemical peels, laser resurfacing, punch techniques, collagen injections and creams.

Collagen injection involves injecting collagen or fat under the skin. This treatment is generally administered in the case of soft scars, whether deep or shallow. However, the effects of collagen are not long lasting and injections have to be repeated every 6 months. Also, it should be noted that collagen has some adverse side effects and allergic reactions could also develop.

Microdermabrasion is a scar treatment in which tiny particles are passed through a vacuum tool. The intention is to scrape the external top layer of the skin. The method stimulates and enhances the growth of new cells but is only effective in cases of mild scarring.

Laser resurfacing is more effective for treating newer scars rather than older scars by evening out the surface of the skin thereby making the scars less visible. Since the laser levels out and resurfaces the skin, side effects like increased inflammation, infections and an increase in acne scars have been known to happen.

Punch grafting means slicing open the acne scar right up to the fat layer and stitching it up by means of a small skin graft.

Post hyper pigmentation acne scar marks have been successfully treated with MSM and Alpha lipoic acid acne ointments. Dermabrasion or laser resurfacing can effectively cure ice pick scars while collagen injections are used to treat thin or flat acne scars but not ice pick scars. Steroid injections, crytotherapy and silicone gel dressing are normally used to treat keloid acne scars. If the keloid scar is not very thick or red, a combination of pulsed laser treatment and carbon dioxide laser cures them.

Prevention of Scars after Acne

In the final analysis of course, the cheapest and best way of getting out of the nuisance factor of dealing with acne scars is to rid yourself of the acne condition. And the only sure and permanent way of curing your acne is by putting in place methods which would redress the internal cause of your acne. Conventional medications, topical or over the counter acne treatments or steroids really don’t help. When you are able to correct the deep rooted internal factors that really are the cause of your acne formation, you will automatically be free of any acne scarring and also free of the never ending expenses that you incur in taking treatment for its removal.

We already know that acne and its resultant scarring are not a skin problem but are caused by internal imbalances. Once that is fixed there will be no acne and consequently no acne scarring.

If you succeed in nipping the acne forming process from its roots then you will not have any acne scars to deal with either. In this way you will be permanently free from acne and acne scars and enjoy a flawless complexion forever.