Using an Acne Scar Treatment

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Using an Acne Scar Treatment - Some Tips

Friday, July 24th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed

Though acne usually disappears by the early twenties, acne scars have been know to remain for a lifetime and can be very disfiguring. Nevertheless there are techniques to heal scarring, so what is the best acne scar treatment for you? There are an assortment of cures offered, but most of them are not cheap so you ought to thoroughly consider them before you decide on the right one for you.

Microdermabrasion is right for minor acne scars that are raised above the skin surface. This basically exfoliates the skin and gets rid of damaged or dead skin that is on the surface. It isn’t appropriate for deep-seated scars or scars that are below the surface of the skin. In this technique a device is used to scatter very small crystals on the the skin in a pressurized stream. The crystals used are usually aluminium oxide but others, for instance magnesium oxide, zinc oxide or sodium chloride, can be used as an alternative. This takes away the top layer of the skin and is very useful to completely clean out the pores. In addition it eliminates dead skin cells. It is a low risk procedure and does not require any recuperation period.

Laser Skin Rejuvenation is a moderate method that does not remove the skin’s top layer as other laser treatments do but uses light which penetrate below the surface layer of the skin. This increases the growth of collagen which then helps to fill up the scars over the following months. There is no recovery period as there is no damage to the skin and it takes only around twenty minutes to complete. There may be a little reddening of the skin which is temporary and can be simply covered by the use of makeup. Laser skin rejuvenation techniques are usually carried out over approximately a month with about three to four treatments.

Fractional Laser Skin Resurfacing is offered in two different forms called ablative and non-ablative. Healing from non-ablative laser treatment is much quicker and is mostly used only on less severe scarring. The laser causes damage to the skin around the scars which brings about the growth of additional collagen in these areas which helps to heal the scar. This procedure is often regarded as one of the best acne scar treatments, however it is one of the most high-priced.

Acne Scar Thermage Treatment is a newer method which uses radio frequency waves and is generally used for fine lines and wrinkles on the skin. This technique stimulates collagen growth and for that reason doesn’t deal with scars in the same way as fractional laser skin resurfacing. It is pain free and is not invasive and takes around an hour.

Dermal Filling is by and large temporary and employs injections of collagen which fill in the scars. After a few months the filling material used is absorbed by the body. The collagen is derived from either natural or animal sources, hence if you’re using animal-based collagen treatment you must be tested for an allergic reaction first. Newer dermal fillers, for instance Restylane®, use synthetic materials which don’t have the risk of an allergic reaction and generally last much longer than the other collagen treatments. If you are looking for a low-priced, although temporary method, this may perhaps be the best acne scar treatment for you.

Chemical Peels aren’t as common as they were once as acne scar treatments such as laser skin resurfacing are being used more frequently as an alternative. However they are reasonably effective for mild to moderate acne scarring as they essentially burn off the surface layer of the skin which then causes new healthy and unscarred skin to grow. The most popular kind of chemical peel incorporates glycolic acid which is an organic acid that is found in fruit and plants. The procedure only takes around 15 minutes and is almost pain free although there may possibly be some stinging. After effects can include flaking and redness of the skin which may perhaps last from a a day or two to as much as a week depending on the type and severity of the chemical peel procedure. A course of a minimum of two treatments is required to observe any obvious improvement in acne scarring.

Final thoughts

So what is the best acne scar treatment? This will really depend on the degree of scarring you may have and, of course, on your budget. Several of the more useful acne scar treatments are pricey and involve recurring visits to be effective. Consider how deep your scarring is and set up a discussion with a dermatologist to discuss the laser treatment for scars that will suit you best.