Many people suffer from acne during their teenage and early adult years. For many people it is just a phase, yet, for others it is something they will always show signs of through facial acne scars. These unsightly clues to the acne of your past can negatively affect your skin and other aspects of your life, and therefore should be taken care of. It is good to know the causes, prevention, types, and options for treatment that are available to better the condition of facial acne scars.
Causes of Facial Acne Scars
Scars develop where harm is done to the skin tissue. Specifically in the case of acne the harm is done due to the body’s response to built up bacteria, sebum, and dead skin cells that get blocked in the skin’s pores. The body’s response sends a multitude of cells, including white blood cells and inflammatory molecules to repair the tissue and fight infection. Unfortunately is it impossible for the body to do a flawless repair job and with every case of skin damage there is a risk of scarring.
White blood cells and inflammatory molecules might remain near the acne lesion for days or even weeks in which the result may be an acne scar. There are considerable differences in healing and scarring among different individuals. However, it is almost certain that the deeper damage the acne cysts does, the more likely it is that a facial acne scar will appear.
Prevention of Facial Acne Scars
The only one sure way to prevent facial acne marks is to treat facial acne in its early stages. It is important to prevent inflammation and tissue damage in order to stop the development of scarring. We know that facial scars are most likely to develop as a result of deep tissue damage most often done by deep cystic acne, therefore it is this type of acne that needs to be treated effectively.
Types of Facial Acne Scars
The types of scars resulting from raised tissue formation are called keloids or hypertrophic scars. These are the result of excessive amount of collagen at the sites of the acne lesion. This excess collagen creates a firm, smooth, often irregular shaped scar.
Scars due to the loss of tissue are called atrophic acne scars and include:
* Ice pick scars that are usually found on the cheeks where the skin is soft and thick. They are small and narrow with steep, deep reaching sides like a wound you could imagine from an ice pick.
* Depressed fibrotic scars which are often quite large with sharp edges and steep sides. These scars are often firm.
* Soft scars which can be superficial or deep. These are softer and have smoother edges that merge with surrounding skin. They tend to be small and can differ in form.
* Atrophic macules which appear on the body as well, but tend to be small on the face. They are softer scars that have a somewhat wrinkled base. They can sometimes be bluish in color because of underlying blood vessels. After some time the blue tends to fade to white and the scars become less noticeable.
* Follicular macular atrophy which tends to be seen more in body acne scars. They are small, soft and white and sometimes raise a bit above the skin’s surface.
Treatment Options for Facial Acne Scars
Facial acne scare treatment depends on the type, severity and condition of the scars. The option you choose also should be based on your type of skin, the cost, you desired outcomes, and the risks that some of these treatments present. Some treatment options currently available for facial acne scar removal include collagen injection, dermabrasion or microdermabrasion, laser treatment, skin grafting, punch excision, or scraping techniques. With many of these more aggressive techniques, there are high costs and risks involved including the possibility the some types of treatment may result in more scarring. It is important to discuss your options with a trusted dermatologist in order to choose an acne scars treatment that you feel comfortable with.
Fortunately new discoveries and development have been made in natural skin care providing us with more organic options in the treatment of facial acne scars. Biocutis products contain amazing biological ingredients that are known to be effective in facial acne scar removal. Make sure you know your options within natural acne scarring medicine before you decide to take the riskier approach of a surgical procedure. With Biocutis it is possible to restore your beautiful complexion through truly natural means.
- Grace Empson