SolveYourProblem
Article Series: Acne & Pimples
Please Get Rid Of My Acne!
there's a cute face underneath...
(
10 pages )
How
Can I Get Rid Of Old Acne Scars?
To find the best way to get rid of acne scars,
it is important to understand that there are different types
of acne scars and they require different treatment.
First there are what are known as early acne scars. These
are not scars in the true sense but an inflammation that remains
for a time after a pimple is gone. This is a red mark and possibly
a slight swelling in a place where you had a pimple.
Because of the swelling, some people think that part of the
pimple is still there in the form of a cyst, but this is not
the case. There is no need to go on treating the area with
anti acne creams. It is just inflammation which will pass naturally,
although it can take anything from one week to 12 months depending
on how the skin reacts at that site.
Using topical retinoids such as Retin-A can speed up the skin's
remodeling and healing. This can be a useful treatment for
early acne scars. Antioxidant creams may also help this process.
12 months is the maximum time that the skin would take to
heal. So if acne scars remain after one year, then these are
true scars and may require surgical treatment. This usually
takes the form of skin resurfacing, which is recommended to
get rid of acne scars for many people.
Skin resurfacing can take several forms.
1. Collagen injections
These injections smooth the skin by plumping up the area right
under the scar. This treatment is often used for boxcar type
scars, the round or oval scars that have clear edges and are
usually less than 0.5 mm deep. Collagen treatment is also used
to smooth out wrinkles in older people.
2. Laser resurfacing
Here the scar tissue is burned away with a carefully targeted
laser so that healthy skin can form in its place.
3. Dermabrasion
This treatment removes the scar tissue with a fast spinning
wire brush.
4. Chemabrasion
This treatment uses a chemical peel to remove the top layers
of skin. This is most useful for superficial scars.
All of the last three options will cause the skin to look
red for a while until the new, healthy skin forms in place
of the scar. Ask your dermatologist about the effects of each
treatment.
There are a few acne scars that cannot be treated with skin
resurfacing. Most of these are what are called icepick acne
scars. These are narrow, sharp scars, usually less than 2 mm
wide, that can go deep. They make the skin look like it has
been punctured with a small icepick. These scars are often
too deep for skin resurfacing or dermabrasion to be effective,
so sometimes there is no treatment. The scar must be left to
perhaps heal in time, or in some cases it can be hidden.
However, an icepick acne scar that never heals is unusual.
Most acne scars heal by themselves and if they do not, surgical
procedures are usually effective. Some patience is required
but in the end it is almost always possible to get rid of acne
scars. #
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SolveYourProblem.com
: 2010
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