Acne isn’t just a problem for teenagers. Even if you don’t break out as an adult, you might have lingering acne scars. Those scars can make you feel self-conscious about your appearance and can be worse than the actual acne. While you always knew your pimples would clear up, it’s unclear if your scars will ever go away. The good news is that there is a non-surgical way to treat acne scars and help them fade from view.
Understanding Acne
Contrary to popular belief, acne isn’t a problem that only teens have to deal with. Although teens are the most likely to get acne, older peole and younger people can get pimples and blemishes too. Acne forms when the hair follicles are clogged by oil, dirt and skin cells. It can develop on any area of the skin, but is most common on the face, back and chest, the three areas with the greatest number of oil glands.
Acne takes several forms, including black heads, whiteheads and red pimples. A whitehead is simply a clogged pore or follicle that’s bulging while a blackhead is a flat clogged pore. A pimple is a whitehead that has become irritated or infected.
A number of factors can make a person more likely to develop acne, including hormone levels, dietary choices and the medications a person takes. Some people might be more likely to develop acne due to their family history. Some factors commonly thought to cause acne, such as eating fatty or greasy foods, wearing certain types of makeup and not washing your face regularly actually have little effect on whether or not you’ll develop acne.
Types of Acne Scars
Not all types of acne leave scars behind and the type of acne scars you have might differ depending on how your body responds to the pimples. Usually, your run-of-the-mill blackheads and whiteheads don’t leave serious scarring behind. If anything, they’ll leave a dark or red mark on the skin. Those marks usually fade away on their own after a few months.
Pimples or even more types of acne, such as cysts and nodules, often leave more visible and long-lasting scarring. These scars can be depressed, leaving pock marks or dents in the skin. Alternatively, the scars can be raised, leaving long marks or bumps on the skin.
Whether you end up with depressed or raised scars depends on how your body responds to the pimples. If your body doesn’t make enough collagen to help the skin heal from a pimple, you will most likely end up with a pitted or depressed scar. If your body produces excess collagen as a result of healing, the scar is likely to be raised, thanks to the additional tissue produced.
Some factors can make scarring worse. Not treating acne right away can make it more likely to cause scarring. Picking at your pimples or trying to pop them can also make your skin more likely to scar.
Fraxel to Treat Acne Scars
There are several ways to treat acne scars, including surgery and more invasive treatments like dermabrasion. Fraxel is a non-ablative, non-invasive treatment option that can help reduce appearance of scars. The treatment stimulates the production of collagen in the lower layer of skin, while leaving the upper, outer layer intact.
During treatment with Fraxel, the device sends a concentrated burst of energy deep into the skin. The energy creates a small injury, which the body rushes to heal by producing more collagen. In addition to healing the small injury, the extra collage production helps treat exisiting issues on the skin, including depressed acne scars.
Fraxel can also help treat some types of raised acne scars by helping the skin exfoliate the scar tissue, leaaving healthy skin in its place.
Why Choose Fraxel
Fraxel has several benefits over other scar treatment options. First things first, it is non-invasive and relatively comfortable. Your surgeon will most likely apply a numbing cream before treatment to further improve your comfort. After treatment, you may want to allow about a week for your face or other treated area to fully recover. Although Fraxel doesn’t damage or destroy the outer layer of skin, it’s common for people to have some swelling or pinkness in the treated area and for them to have some flaking as the old skin and scars peel away.
Another benefit of choosing Fraxel over other treatments for acne scarring is that Fraxel can have an all over positive effect on the look of your skin. The laser treatment can help improve texture, fine lines and dark spots, as well as scars.
Results from Fraxel
Although everyone’s results will be slightly different, it can take some time before you see final results after Fraxel. Many people need a series of treatments, usually between three and six, to get the optimal results. After the last treatment, it can take up to six months before you see the full results of the laser therapy.
Preventing Additional Scarring
Once you’ve invested in reducing the appearance of your acne scars, you will most likely want to do what you can to keep additional breakouts and scars from occurring. One option is to consult your surgeon to learn more about what you can do to prevent or reduce breakouts. If your acne doesn’t respond to over-the-counter treatments, it might be that you’ll need a stronger product or medication to really help keep your skin from breaking out.
Taking good care of your skin, by washing it with gentle products, and by avoiding the urge to pick at pimples and blemishes, will also help you reduce the risk for acne scarring in the future.
Dr. Paul Vitenas and the staff at Mirror Mirror Beauty Boutique in Houston, Texas can help you get the clear, healthy looking skin you’ve always wanted. Call 281-810-9083 today to schedule a consultation and learn more about how Fraxel treatment can help you.
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