Laser Treatment

A detailed discussion and full of Acne Scars starts with causes of scarring, prevention of scarring, types of scars, and treatments for scars.

Before talking about scars, a word about spots that look like May, but the scars are not scars in the sense that a permanent change has occurred. Even if they are not true scars and disappear in time, they are visible and can cause embarrassment.

Macules or "pseudo-scars" are flat, red or reddish spots that are in the final stages of acne lesions most inflamed. After a flattened Inflammatory Acne lesions, are a blemish in May to "mark the spot" for a maximum of 6 months. When the macule eventually disappears, no trace of it remain? Unlike a scar.

Post-inflammatory pigmentation is discoloration of the skin at the site of a healing or healing of Inflammatory Acne Lesions. It occurs more frequently in people with dark skin, but is sometimes seen in people with white skin. Early treatment by a dermatologist in May minimize the development of post-inflammatory pigmentation. Some post-inflammatory pigmentation in May last up to 18 months, especially excessive exposure to sunlight. Chemical Peeling May hasten the demise of post-inflammatory pigmentation.

Causes Of Acne scars
In simple terms, scars form at the site of tissue injury. They are the visible evidence of injury and tissue repair. In the case of acne, the injury is caused by the body? S inflammatory response to sebum, bacteria and dead cells in the plugged sebaceous follicle. Two types of true scars exist, as discussed later: (1) disadvantaged areas such as ice pick scars, and (2) raised thickened tissue such as keloids.

When tissue suffers an injury, the body rushes its repair kit to the injury site. Among the elements of the repair kit are white blood cells and a series of inflammatory molecules that have the task of repairing tissue and fighting infection. However, when their work is done, they may leave a site a bit messy repair in the form of fibrous scar tissue or eroded tissue.

White blood cells and inflammatory molecules may remain on the site of an active acne lesion for days or weeks. In people who are susceptible to scarring, the result may be an Acne Scar. The onset and incidence of scarring is still not well understood, however. There is considerable variation in scarring between one person and another, indicating that some individuals are more prone to scarring than others. Often leads to scarring of nodulocystic severe inflammatory acne that occurs deep in the skin. But, the scarring may also result from more superficial inflamed lesions. Nodulocystic acne is most likely to cause scarring.

The life story of scars is not well understood. Some people bear their acne scars for a lifetime with little change in the scars, but in others the skin undergoes some degree of remodeling and acne scars diminish in size.

People also have different feelings about acne scars. The scars of more or less the same size that may be psychologically distressing to one person may be accepted by another person as "not too bad." The person who is distressed by scars is more likely to seek treatment for moderate or d annul the scars.

Preventing Acne scars
As explained in the previous section on Causes of Acne Scars, the occurrence of scarring is different in different people. It is difficult to predict who will scar, the size or deep scars will be, and how long scars will persist. It is also difficult to predict how successfully scars can be prevented by effective acne treatment.

However, the only sure way to prevent or limit the scope to treat acne scars early in its course, and as long as necessary. More than inflammation may be prevented or moderated, the more likely it is that scars can be avoided. (Click on the Treatment Of Acne more information about the treatment of Mild Acne, moderate and severe). Anyone with acne has a known tendency to scar should be under the care of a dermatologist.

Types Of Acne scars
There are two main types of acne scars, defined by tissue response to inflammation: (1) scars caused by increased tissue formation, and (2) scars caused by tissue loss.

The scars caused by increased formation of tissue
The scars caused by increased tissue formation are called keloids or hypertrophic scars. The word hypertrophy means "enlargement" or "outbreak." Both hypertrophic and keloid scars are associated with excessive amounts of the cell substance collagen. Overproduction of collagen is a response of skin cells to injury. The collagen becomes piled up in fibrous masses, resulting in a characteristic strong, smooth, usually irregularly-shaped scar.

The hypertrophic scars or keloids typically is 1 to 2 millimeters in diameter, but some may be 1 centimeter or more. Keloid scars tend to "run in families? Who is the abnormal growth of scar tissue is more likely to occur in susceptible individuals, who are often people with parents who have similar types of scars.

Hypertrophic and keloid scars persist for years, but may diminish in size over time.

The scars caused by tissue loss
Acne scars associated with tissue loss? Like scars resulting from chickenpox? Are more frequent than hypertrophic scars and keloids. Scars associated with loss of tissue are:

Ice-pick scars usually occur on the cheek. They are generally small, with a slightly jagged edge and steep sides? Because of injuries from an ice pick. Ice-pick scars may be shallow or deep, and may be hard or soft to the touch. Soft scars can be improved by stretching the skin, hard ice-pick scars can not be extended.

Depressed fibrotic scars are usually quite large, with sharp edges and steep slopes. The base of these scars is firm to touch. Ice-pick scars May evolve into fibrous scars hollow over time.

Soft scars, superficial or deep are soft to the touch. They have gently sloping rolled edges that merge with normal skin. They are generally small and circular or linear form.

Atrophic macules are usually fairly weak when they occur on the face, but may be an inch or more on the body. They are soft, often slightly wrinkled base, and may be bluish in appearance due to blood vessels located just beneath the scar. Over time, these scars change from bluish to ivory white in color in the skin of white people, and becomes much less clear.

Follicular macular atrophy is more likely to occur on the chest or back of a person with acne. They are small, white, soft lesions, often barely raised above the surface of the skin? Just as white dots that didn? T to develop fully. This condition is sometimes also called "perifollicular elastolysis." Lesions May persist for months or years.

Treatments For Acne Scars
A number of treatments available for acne scars through dermatologic surgery. The type of treatment selected should be one that suits you best depending on your skin type, cost, what you want treatment to accomplish, and the possibility that certain types of treatment may cause more scarring if you are very susceptible to scarring.

The decision to seek dermatologic surgical Treatment For Acne Scars also depends on:

* The way you feel about scars. Do not acne scars psychologically or emotionally affect your life? Are you ready to "live with your scars" and wait until they fade with time? These are personal decisions you can make.

* The severity of your scars. Are disfiguring scars significantly even after an objective assessment?

* A dermatologist? S expert opinion as to whether scar treatment is justified in your particular case, and what scar treatment will be most effective for you.

Before embarking on the treatment of acne scars, you should have a frank discussion with your dermatologist about these issues and any others that you feel is important. You need to tell the dermatologist how you feel about your scars. The dermatologist must conduct a comprehensive review and determine whether treatment can or should be undertaken.

The objective of scar treatment is to give the skin a more acceptable physical appearance. Total restoration of the skin, the way it looked before the acne is often not possible, but scar treatment does usually improve the appearance of your skin.

The scar treatments currently available include:

Collagen injection. Collagen, a normal body substance is injected under the skin to "stretch" and "fill in" certain types of superficial scars and deep soft. Treatment, the collagen does not usually both the ice-pick scars and keloids. Collagen derived from cows or other non-human sources can not be used in people with autoimmune diseases. Human collagen or fascia is helpful for people with allergies to cow those derived from collagen. Cosmetic benefit from collagen injection usually lasts 3 to 6 months. Collagen injections to maintain the cosmetic benefit are done at additional cost.

Autologous fat transfer. Fat is taken from another site on your own body and prepared for injection into the skin. The fat is injected below the surface of the skin to elevate depressed scars. This method of autologous (from your own body) fat transfer is usually used to correct deep contour defects caused by scarring from acne nodulocystic. Because the fat is reabsorbed into the skin over a period of 6 to 18 months, the procedure usually must be repeated. More lasting results may be achieved with multiple fat transfer procedures.

Dermabrasion. This is considered the most effective treatment for acne scars. Under local anesthesia, a brush or high-speed cutter used to remove surface skin and alter the contour of scars. May remove superficial scars altogether, and deeper scars may be reduced in depth. Dermabrasion does not work for all kinds of scars, for example, is making ice-pick scars in May even more noticeable if the scars are wider under the skin in that area. In darker skinned people, dermabrasion May cause changes in pigmentation that require additional treatment.

Microdermabrasion. This new technique is a surface form of dermabrasion. Rather than a high speed brush, microdermabrasion uses crystals of aluminum oxide through a vacuum tube to remove surface skin. Only cells at the surface of the skin are removed, so no additional wound is created. Multiple procedures are often required but scars may not be significantly improved.

Laser treatment.

Lasers of various wavelength and intensity may be used to remodel the scar tissue and reduce redness of skin around healed acne lesions. The type of laser used is determined by the results that the laser treatment aims to accomplish. Tissue may actually be suppressed by more powerful instruments such as laser carbon dioxide. In some cases, a single treatment is all that is necessary to achieve permanent results. Because the skin absorbs powerful shots of the laser energy, it may be post-redness for several months.

Skin Surgery. Some ice-pick scars may be removed by "punch" excision of each individual scar. In this procedure each scar is excised until the layer of subcutaneous fat, the resulting hole in the skin may be repaired with sutures or with a small skin graft. Subcision is a technique in which a surgical probe is used to lift the scar tissue away from the unhealed skin, thus elevating a depressed scar.

The skin graft may be necessary under certain conditions? For example, sometimes dermabrasion unroofs massive and extensive tunnels (also called sinus tracts) caused by an inflammatory reaction to sebum and bacteria in sebaceous follicles. The skin graft may be necessary to fill the defect unroofed sinus tract.

Treatment of keloids. Surgical removal is seldom if ever used to treat keloids. A person whose skin has a tendency to form keloids damage caused by acne may also form keloids in response to surgery of the skin. Sometimes keloids are treated by injecting steroids into the skin around the keloid. Topical retinoic acid may be applied directly on the keloids. In some cases, the best treatment for keloids in a highly sensitive person is no treatment at all.

In summary, acne scars are caused by the body? S inflammatory response to acne lesions. The best way to prevent acne scars is to treat early, and as long as necessary. If scars form, a number of effective treatments are available. Treatment of dermatological surgery should be discussed with a dermatologist.

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