Treating Acne Scars – Can Acne Scars Be Removed?
Scars are indications that the body has repaired itself in one way or another, either due to injury or infection. Once these events occur, white blood cells from the body accumulate at the site to fight further infection and repair the damage that has taken place.
Once that process is complete, scars often form. This process can be compared to a seam being sewn into a piece of torn fabric. The skin (or seam) will never be quite as smooth as it was before the damage.
There are different types of acne scars and different degrees of each type. Some people may develop worse scars than others, depending on their individual tendencies.
Types of acne scars
There are two different types of scars caused by acne. The first type, depressed scarring, is caused by tissue loss and the second type, keloids, is caused by tissue formation.
1) Depressed Scarring
This type of scar is caused by the dermis being attacked by toxins escaping the skin. Once a cyst ruptures, it expels pus, oil, bacteria, and other poisons into the surrounding areas.
White blood cells rush to the site of infection to repair the skin and, in the process, valuable collagen is lost, causing skin recesses or depressions. The skin above the injury will then develop scars most commonly called ice pick scars. Other scar types are soft, mascular, and fibrotic.
2) Keloids
This type of scarring results from fibroblasts being triggered by the body during the repair process. Once collagen starts decreasing, the fibroblasts produce excessive collagen, resulting in tissues called keloids. They usually form on the male body and are sometimes called hypertrophic scars.
Treating the scars of acne
Consult your dermatologist about the best treatment for your individual scars. Be prepared to discuss your feelings about the scarring, the cost of treatment, and what you want the end result of the treatment to be. The physician will need to consult with you regarding the severity and location of the scars, as well as what type of treatments are available.
Commonly requested scar treatments include laser, collagen, and dermabrasion. Skin surgery and/or grafting are also considerations if the scars run deep. Keloids are sometimes left alone if the physician feels that treatment will cause other keloids to form.
In this event, keloids can sometimes be effectively remedied by using steroid injections.
