What are Acne Scars?
Acne affects us from adolescence onwards. Most cases of pubescent acne outbreaks are mild, self-limiting and do not leave scars. However, a proportion of individuals with moderate to serve acne may be left with permanent acne scars that can be associated with significant psychological distress. These emotional issues include anxiety, poor self-esteem, social phobia, and may at times appear far worse than the actual degree of acne scarring.
Like any form of scarring, acne scars represent a therapeutic challenge. The acne scars themselves are varied, ranging from shallow, deep, sharp-edged (boxcar), slope-edged (rolling), ice-pick (small and deep), atrophic (indented) and hypertrophic (raised) in appearance.
Types of Acne Scars
How can Acne Scars be treated?
Consequently, there are a variety of treatment methods for acne scars:
- Non-ablative lasers (e.g. Sellas)
- Ablative lasers (e.g. profractional & fractional Co2)
- Fractional lasers (e.g. Fractional Radiofrequency (RF) therapy)
- Fillers (e.g. hyaluronic acid)
- Special procedures for acne scarring e.g. subcision, punch excision/ punch elevation of boxcar acne scars, TCA ablation of ice-pick acne scars
What to expect?
All acne scar patients require a thorough pre-treatment assessment to reach a fully informed treatment plan. The patient has to be off systemic isotretinoin for at least six months prior to traditional laser resurfacing.
For fractional resurfacing for acne scars, the interval is reduced to about 1-3 months depending on the intensity. It is also crucial to manage patient expectations and to outline the approximate number of acne scar treatment sessions that may be necessary to reach the proposed end-point. Some patients believe acne scars can be easily treated and it is possible to regain their pre acne complexion. Patients need to understand that acne scar repair does not reverse acne scars, however it does improve their appearance by making them less noticeable.
For more information on acne scar repair treatments please read the articles below.
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- Before
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- After
Download the “Fractional Co2 Laser” article
Download the “Contour Resurfacing” article
Download the “Fractional Radiofrequency (RF) therapy” article
Download the “Fillers Type A” article
Download the “Vascular Lasers” article
Download the “Q-Switch” article
Download the “Pico Q-Switch” article
Download the “Acne Scars” article
Medicare rebates apply.
Your initial consultation consists of a full assessment of your condition, the proposed treatment schedule and the details of all costs and rebates.
