Healing acne scars with laser treatment.
If you have acne now or have suffered from this common skin care condition then the chances are you could have acne scarring. Treating acne will reduce the likelihood of the appearance of acne scarring. The first thing to do is to get advice from your doctor or a skin care specialist. Acne can be successfully treated and controlled with the right treatment routine.
Acne is most common in teenagers and young adults. About 80% of people aged 11 to 30 are affected by acne. Acne is common in girls from the ages of 14 to 17, and in boys from the ages of 16 to 19. Of the over 25’s about 5% of women and 1% of men have acne. Acne can cause psychological distress, resulting in intense feelings of anxiety and stress, which can sometimes make people with the condition become socially withdrawn. This combination of factors can lead to people with acne getting depressed. Having visible acne really affects peoples self esteem.
Some self-help techniques to follow:-
- Frequent washing can irritate the skin and make symptoms worse, wash skin twice a day only.
- Keep hair of your face and wash regularly,
- Refrain from squeezing blackheads and spots, this can make them worse and can cause permanent scarring.
- Keep makeup to a minimum and use water based products that are non-comedogenic (which means less likely to block pores).
- Always remove makeup before bedtime.
- If dry skin is a problem, use a fragrance free water based emollient .
- Regular exercise cannot cure your acne but it can improve your mood and self-esteem. Shower as soon as possible after exercising to remove sweat from your skin which can irritate the acne.
There are 6 main types of spots caused by acne:-
- Blackheads – small black or yellowish bumps that develop on the skin and can be easily squeezed out.
- Whiteheads – are similar in appearance to blackheads, but may be firmer and not so easy to squeeze.
- Papules – small red bumps that may feel tender or sore.
- Pustules – similar to papules, but have a white tip in the centre, caused by a build-up of pus.
- Nodules – large hard lumps that build up beneath the surface of the skin and can be painful and carry a risk of causing scarring.
- Cysts – the most severe type of spot caused by acne, they are large pus filled lumps that look similar to boils and also carry a risk of scarring.
Acne scarring can sometimes develop as a complication of acne. Any type of acne spot can lead to scarring, but is more common when the type of spots like nodules and cysts burst. This tends to damage the skin nearby.
Scarring can also occur if you pick or squeeze spots, so it is vitally important not to do this.
The three main types of acne scars are:
- ice pick scars – small, deep holes in the surface of your skin that look like the skin has been punctured with a sharp object.
- rolling scars – caused by bands of scar tissue that form under the skin, giving the surface of the skin a rolling and uneven appearance.
- boxcar scars – round or oval depressions, or craters, in the skin.
It is important to have realistic expectations about what cosmetic treatment can achieve. While treatment can certainly improve the appearance of your scars, it can’t get rid of them completely.
- Laser treatment can be used to treat mild to moderate acne scarring. At Beauty Haven we use the Ellipse Laser skin rejuvenation treatment which targets scar tissue and helps even out skin complexion. It can also treat active acne as it has an anti-bacterial effect on the skin.
After treatment for acne scarring, most people notice a 50-75% improvement in their appearance.
We are only a phone call or email away. Please get in touch if you are affected by scarring and would like some further advice.