Laser Treatment For Acne Scars

Skin resurfacing has gained in popularity over the course of last several years, and has helped intervals seeking aesthetic enhancement in regards to the removal of the signs of aging like sun spots, or wrinkles or to assist in the removal of blackheads, acne scars, or other skin blemishes. Dermabrasion has always been an alternative to laser skin treatments, but the use of abrasive wire brushes or a rough wheel has received some less than favorable reviews and has proved to be more damaging to the skin than laser treatments.

The two most popular laser skin treatment devices are either the erbium YAG laser or the Carbon dioxide laser. The results of these two types of laser are very similar but most agree that the YAG laser seems to be less abrasive to the skin and tends to leave less long-term redness or swelling to the skin. The flip side to this is that the YAG is also considered to be less effective and more expensive treatments may be required to reach a desired result.

Everybody has unique and with some skin types, laser acne scar removal runs a small risk of loss of permanent pigmentation for darker skinned individuals, and the opposite reaction to those with lighter skin types.

Laser acne scar removal is gaining wide popularity, due to the fact that it's virtually painless, requires only a numbing cream as anesthesia, and requires zero down-time of time off work. Pricing varies form practice to practice so it's important that you do your due diligence and make sure you do your research before you make an educated decision.

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.