Best Acne Scar Removal Treatments

Suffering from acne is something that most people face at some point in their lives. If you are lucky, you go through the oily-faced teenage years with the occasional pimples to deal with. But for many, acne can be severe enough (cystic acne) to leave permanent scars that stay with you the rest of your life. We've all seen people will heavily pock-marked skin - not a pretty sight. So while your first goal should be to treat existing acne to reduce the potential for scarring, you may still be seeking treatment for removing acne scars you already have. How can acne scars be removed? There are a number of treatments available for getting rid of acne scars - things like laser resurfacing, dermabrasion, chemical peels, etc. In this guide, we will take a look at these and other treatment options, find out how much they cost, how effective they are, and more.

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How can I get rid of acne scars?

With modern dermatological medicine, there is no need to suffer from severe acne nodules and cysts that can permanently damage your skin. However, if you had severe acne in the past and have permanent scarring on your skin, the good news is that there are a variety of methods to help reduce or remove those acne scars. Acne scar treatment is handled by skin doctor specialists called dermatologists. You'll have to have a consultation with your dermatologist before any procedures are done. Make sure you get to see before and after acne scar photos so you have a realistic idea about what is possible and what your final results should look like. All good doctors have binders or collections of digital photos of past patients -- if they are not offered, ask for them. Your doctor will cover what the treatment options are, and what your best bets are. Some of the possible procedures are listed below.

Acne Scar Removal and Treatment - Chemical Peels, Laser Resurfacing

Let's start with chemical peels. Chemical peels involve the application of chemicals to the skin which causes the outer layer of skin to blister and "peel" off within a few days, leaving a fresh layer of new skin underneath. Its a pretty quick procedure, about 15-20 minutes usually, leaving you with sometimes red, flaky, dry skin for a few days. Chemical peels can be effective for smaller depressed scars, but multiple treatments are often required, at a cost of up to $600-$750 per treatment. Next up is dermabrasion. Dermabrasion "abrades" or rubs the top layer of skin off with a rotating brush head. This can help with sun damaged skin or with minor scarring. Since it only removes the very top layer of skin, like sand paper would, it is not very effective against deeper, heavier acne scarring. The process can take 30 minutes or more to complete, and some local anesthesia is normally required. The result is rather raw looking skin that will scab over and then heel within 2 weeks or so. It can be expensive too, costing $1000-$1600 per treatment, and multiple treatments are often required. Next is laser resurfacing, which involves using a YAG or CO2 laser to remove skin layers and improve scarred areas. The different lasers can be used to penetrate different depths inside the skid to treat scars of varying depth, either removing outer layers of skin or tightening inner layers. Laser treatment can be expensive as well, costing $2500 or more per procedure. The newest option in lasers is the Fraxel laser resurfacing, which penetrates deeper below the level of the skin to induce collagen production and healthier looking surface skin. So these are the main procedures for treating surface level and mild acne scarring.

Acne Scar Removal - Subcision, Punch Techniques, Augmentation

There are also additional acne scar treatments for deeper, pitted scars. Unlike these simpler surface-level treatments, these other options involve piercing the sking and doing some cutting or injecting. The first is subcision, which is often used for ice-pick scars. Subcision means "cutting under" and involves undermining the scar tissue and releasing it from its attachment point. Normally several treatments are needed, but the scar tissue is essentially cut loose from its underlying layer, allowing it to "float" up towards the normal surface level of the skin surrounding it. A small needle-like blade is inserted around the edge of the pitted scar and then maneuvered to slice the tissue holding the scar. Many times laser resurfacing is done after to get the best final effect, and it can often be up to a month for redness to go away. Subcision is also commonly combined with soft-tissue augmentation, which involves injecting collagen or fat tissue below the surface of scars to push them up and level them out. Collagen tends to be a short-lived solution, required ongoing injections to maintain. The final method is punch techniques, which is best for ice-pick and boxcar acne scars. Punch acne treatments involved excising or cutting out the pitted scar and then either replacing it with another small skin graft or simply stitching the skin around it back into place. We've heard and read many complaints from patients of punch treatment complaining their scars were worse afterwards, but it probably depends on the doctor, skin type, and degree and difficulty of the scars in the first place. We've also heard many rave reviews of how it has changed peoples lives. Again, as with any medical procedure, you will want to consult thoroughly with your doctor beforehand and go over a lot of before and after file photos so you know what to expect. For most acne patients, they will find that a combination of treatments is required for their particular case. In the end, be prepared for thousands of dollars in expenses if your goal is smoother, clearer looking skin.

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