“Out of the frying pan and into the fire”. That’s often what it can feel like after an acne outbreak. Having navigated our way to successfully handling an acne outbreak, we now have to deal with the dermatological fallout. This manifests as acne scars.
Today, we will be focusing solely on acne scars and how you can treat them. We will begin by looking at the different types of acne scars, their characteristics and development, and the options you have to go about to remove these embellishments from your face.
Anyone who has dealt with acne outbreaks will understand the persistent annoyance of acne scars. These scars often linger after an acne outbreak has been handled. Naturally, one’s acne scars reflects the skin condition and severity of each individual’s acne outbreaks. The more inflamed and severe one’s acne, the worse the scarring will be.
Apart from being imperfections on and below your skin, acne scars are rarely uniform. There are four main types of acne scars: Ice-pick scars, box scars, rolled scars or hypertrophic scars.
Ice pick scars are small, deep and narrow scars that create miniscule pits in your skin. It can look like your skin has been punctured or poked at by small ice picks. These scars are often the product of cystic and nodular acne that originate deep in your pores, well below the skin’s outermost layers.
One of the best treatments for deep ice pick scars is Infini RF Treatment, using micro needles to deliver precise radiofrequency (RF) energy to your deeper layers of skin, up to 3.5mm below the surface. This energy stimulates your natural healing system and collagen production, leading to an overall rejuvenation of your facial skin and removing acne scars and marks.
Boxed or box car scarring has its own distinct shape and look. Wide and often in square or rectangular shapes, boxcar scars have sharp angular walls, giving the impression of a pitted skin. Boxed acne happens when an inflamed acne <a title=”Having Breakouts? How to Tell if Your Acne is Hormonal” href=”https://cliffordclinic.com/having-breakouts-how-to-tell-if-your-acne-is-hormonal/”>breakout</a> destroys collagen below the skin, causing the skin to fall due to the lack of support.
Rolled or rolling scars are a series of undulating, wave-like depressions in one’s skin. It can leave your skin looking very bumpy. Rolled acne is caused by excess strips of tissue developing below the skin, causing the skin to attach to these bands or strips, creating an undulating appearance.
The Edge Fractional CO2 laser is an extremely popular choice for acne treatment in Singapore. It uses extremely fine laser beams to target acne-scarred areas, stimulating collagen production to fill out acne scars. The fine laser beams minimise initial redness and scabs patients face, significantly reducing downtime after treatment. It also stands at a reasonable price point, making it an extremely popular treatment.
Finally, the last type of acne scarring is hypertrophic or Keloid scars. Contrary to the other types of acne scars already discussed, these are protrusions on your skin, often small, raised mounds of excess tissue. These scars typically happen due to an overproduction of collagen during an acne outbreak.
Now that we’ve established the common types of acne scars, you will probably be wondering how exactly you can treat it and regain a complexion as smooth as a baby’s bottom.
One of the most common treatment methods for box car, ice pick and rolling scars is stimulating collagen growth in and around acne scars. This is usually carried out by laser treatments. Microscopic laser beams are concentrated around scarred areas, breaking the skin’s outer layer and provoking a surge in collagen production at affected areas. Collagen can fill out pitted scars and restore a smooth, even complexion.
For hypertrophic or keloid scars, the mound of tissue can be removed by steroids, later treatment, or even cryotherapy. Massages, oils or even surgery can be used to shrink or flatten the scar.
There are plenty of options for <a title=”Acne Treatment Singapore, Best Acne Treatment Singapore” href=”https://cliffordclinic.com/acne-treatment-singapore/”>acne treatment in Singapore</a>. Crucially, minimise the initial scarring by ensuring you don’t inflame your acne and worsen the resulting scarring. Keeping your hands and fingers away from your face during a breakout will be a huge help.