Posted on March 8th, 2012 by The Melrose Aesthetic Centre
The Melrose Aesthetic Centre can treat most skin conditions such as acne, acne scarring, lines/wrinkles and pigmentation with our state-of-the-art Sciton Laser.
Acne is commonly found among teenagers going through puberty or pregnant women. Some adults also have cases of acne and many people are left with acne scarring once the acne has cleared.
When the hair follicles under the skin clog up, acne appears on the surface of the skin. Acne can be visible as whiteheads, blackheads, pimples or acne vulgaris. The severity of acne scarring will depend on the severity of the acne and also on whether the person picked at the acne a lot.
Types of acne scarring include:
Boxcar scars
Ice pick scars
Rolling scars
Hypertrophic/keloid scars
Not only is acne sometimes very painful, but the scars are sometimes worse than the actual condition. The acne may come and go, but some people believe they are stuck with acne scarring for the rest of their lives. Laser therapy is a very effective away of removing these scars.
There are many other ways to improve the appearance of your skin and remove these scars. Chemical peels are a great method to minimise the effect of acne scarring and other options include facials, creams, gels and serums.
While it is a good idea to try different treatments and methods to get rid of these scars, it should be noted that some of the cheaper over the counter options can do more harm than good and could possibly end up worsening the appearance of your acne scarring.
The option you find will best suit your skin type, should also suit your lifestyle. While it is normal to be shy about your acne scarring and the effect the treatment will have on your face, you should know that most of these painful effects are only temporary.
If you are considering options to have your acne scarring treated or removed, then contact us for honest and reliable advice to best suit your skin type.
Acne is a common human skin disease, characterised by areas of skin with scaly red skin, blackheads, whiteheads, pimples and possibly acne scarring once the acne has cleared. Acne scarring is the result of inflammation, within the dermis brought on by acne. The scarring is created by the wound trying to heal itself resulting in too much collagen in one spot.
Acne scars can take two forms: scars with a gradual dip or depression (sometimes called ‘rolling’ scars) or scars that are deep and narrow. A person’s acne needs to be under control before acne scarring can be treated.
Different types of acne scarring:
Ice pick scars – deep pits, that are the most common and a classic sign of acne scarring
Box car scars – angular scars that usually occur on the temple and cheeks, and can be either superficial or deep, these are similar to chicken pox scars
Rolling scars – scars that give the skin a wave-like appearance
Hypertrophic scars – thickened or keloid scars
Treatments for acne scarring:
Laser resurfacing – this procedure can be done in the doctor’s or dermatologist’s office. The laser removes the damaged top layer of skin and tightens the middle layer, leaving skin smoother.
Dermabrasion – this treatment uses a rotating wire brush or spinning diamond instrument to wear down the surface of the skin. As the skin heals, a new smoother layer replaces the abraded skin.
Fractional laser therapy – this type of treatment works at a deeper level than other acne scarring removal treatments like laser resurfacing or dermabrasion. Because fractional laser therapy doesn’t wound the top layer of the tissue, healing time is shorter.
Picking at scabs should be avoided at all costs. Scabs form to protect the healing process that is going on underneath them. Pulling a scab off before it is ready interferes with the healing and remodelling process, prolonging the time that post-inflammatory changes will be visible, therefore increasing the visibility of acne scarring.
If you want to know more about acne scarring – causes and treatments, the best advice can be found at www.age-less.co.za under the treatments section. A short overview of acne scarring – causes and treatments however, shows that such are caused by inflammation of acne lesions. There are mainly two categories of acne scars. The one category entails scars caused by increase in tissue and the other a decrease in skin tissue at the place of scarring. There are a variety of scars in the above two categories. Treatment options range from topical applications to laser treatments and skin peel solutions as well as soft tissue fillers.