acne scarring
The last day of acne awareness month, brings me full circle to treating acne scarring. Long after the resolution of acne, scarring can persist and sometimes cause just as much distress to patients as their acne did in the first place. Here I discuss some treatment options for scarring
If caught early most patients can avoid major scarring in relationship to their acne. However, there are other factors at play in developing scarring after acne. Skin type, genetics, secondary infection and various skin treatments can all influence the ability to scar.
Here’s some facts about acne scarring
There are many types of scars – icepick scars (tiny indentations that look like an icepick has chipped away at the skin), rolling scars, box scars, atrophic scars, keloid scars, erythematous (red) scars), tethered scars
A scar is actually a very complex process of healing involving collagen, elastin, blood vessels and epidermal remodelling-
Treatment early while all of this remodelling is going on gives the best long term outcomes-
There is no one size fits all treatment plan
Our doctors and nurses use a combination of chemical peels, microneedling (with radiofrequency), broadband light therapy, vascular laser, and fractional ablative laser. We also perform subcision for tethered scars and steroid injections for cysts and hypertrophic scars. In years gone, treatment of acne scarring was delayed 6 – 12 months after finishing treatment. We now know that scarring can be treated while on therapy or even immediately after and the sooner the better as this is when the skin is remodelling and has the greatest chance of repair.
Our practice nurses and dermal therapists offers Acne Scar Consultations to discuss your scarring and formulate a treatment plan in conjunction with Dr Davidson
Starting down a treatment pathway for acne scarring can be time consuming and it might not be in your budget at present. An easy and affordable way to start improving the texture of your skin, Is to commence an at home rolling program . For home rolling I recommend using a roller of maximum depth 0.3mm, always sterilising your device before use
Roll twice per week and follow with a Retinoid (Vitamin A) + Vitamin C