Can Acne Scars Be Removed?
What is Acne?
In order to answer the question, “Can acne scars be removed?” you need to have an understanding of what acne is. It is the red or brown pimples that appear on the face and other parts of the body caused by infection on the sebaceous gland. After the swelling goes away, the marks left on the skin are the acne scar. Acne is categorized into mild, moderate and severe and the severity of the scaring depends on the type of acne you have suffered.
Can Acne Scars be removed?
Not all cases of acne scars call for medical attention since some scars disappear on their own. Red or brown acne can be removed through noninvasive medical procedures, however textured acne is often difficult to remove and in this case, doctors mainly focus on improving the condition. Home remedies and skin resurfacing techniques are used in removing acne scars. The latter include, Laser resurfacing, dermabrasion and fractional laser therapy.
1. Laser Resurfacing
This simple skin resurfacing procedure is done at the doctor’s office. The method works by eliminating the damaged layer of the skin which is the top layer and at the same time tightening the middle layer, this in turn leads to a smoother skin. The procedure is done under local anesthesia and lasts an hour at most. Since it cures scars left behind after mild or moderate scars, recovery is quick usually within three to ten days.
2. Dermabrasion
This procedure is a little more intense compared to laser resurfacing. Though it works on a similar principle, the damage inflicted on the skin is greater and takes a period of between ten days and three weeks to heal. Here, a spinning diamond instrument or rotating brush is used on the affected surface to wear down the skin. Naturally, a new, scar free layer forms to replace the damaged skin. This method is also effective for surface level scars.
3. Fractional Laser Therapy
This is a more thorough procedure used in healing scars occurring at a deeper skin lever. In this case, healing takes a very short time since the top layer of the skin is not exposed to any damage. Unlike the first two procedures, this takes a few days to heal and patients who have undergone the procedure have the sunburn effect on their skin before recovery. Despite the effectiveness of this procedure, some doctors prefer to treat deep scars by flushing them to the top layer of the skin and applying one of the first two procedures. This is common in the treatment of rolling scars which from a deep depression in the skin.
It is important to remember that treatment of acne scars should begin after acne has disappeared from the skin. Although facial creams and facial masks are effective skin rejuvenating and resurfacing procedures, they are not the recommended acne removal methods since they may worsen the condition of your already delicate skin. So the answer to the question, “Can acne scars be removed?” is neither a yes nor a no since the success of the treatment depends on the extent of the damage. However, the positive side is that these treatments will always improve the condition of the skin by lessening the appearance of the scar.