Acne is bad enough, but one of the worst things is the scarring that often occurs as a result of moderate to severe acne. This scaring, which is permanent unless treated, can impact a person’s confidence and self-esteem for years. Advances in the plastic surgery field have made effective acne scar treatment possible. Depending upon the severity of the scarring, treatment options include several types of chemical peels, various laser treatments and localized filling of the scar depressions.
Patients with mild to moderate acne scars often respond well to chemical peels or Laser Genesis treatment. The number and type of chemical peels depends on the depth and extent of the scarring, but in most cases, a series of moderate to intense peels, is required to smooth out the scarring. Laser Genesis treatment is also an effective treatment that is none-invasive and requires no downtime. It works by generating heat on the dermal layer of the skin, which encourages the formation of collagen, that smoothes out the scarring. In most cases, 6 treatments with the laser will be required to see the maximum results.
Moderate to severe acne scarring usually responds best to the Cutera Pearl Fusion laser treatment, which is a semi-ablative and intense laser treatment that works on the dermal layer of the skin. Often optimal results a achieved in a single treatment, but due to the intensity of the treatment, patients need between 10-14 days to completely heal.
The last option is for the surgeon to inject a filler agent into the scar in order to “fill” the scar. However, this is usually done on specific deep scars, where the chemical or laser treatments did not eliminate all of the scarring.
Posted on behalf of Benjamin Stong, MD, Kalos Facial Plastic Surgery, LLC