What are acne scars?

Acne scars are formed due to inflammation of the skin and subcutaneous tissue due to pustular and nodular acne. This occurs in most people affected with acne vulgaris. Acne scars are predominantly a result of an abnormal healing response and can be either depressed or raised. There are several types of acne scars:

Depressed or pitted scars come in three types:

Rolling scars: Rolling scars are caused by prolonged inflammatory acne and are characterised by broad depressions with rounded and sloping edges.
Boxcar scars Boxcar scars are clearly defined, have steep edges and are also characterised by broad depressions on the skin.
Icepick scars Icepick scars are deep and narrow, looking like empty pores on the skin.
Raised acne scars Raised acne scars are also hypertrophic and keloid scars where excessive and firm scar tissue has formed at the site of the scar.

Treatments:

Chemical peels

-We use either yellow peel, mandelic peel, glycolic peel, SA peel or TCA peel in the treatment of acne and scars. TCA cross is a very effective technique to treat ice pick acne scars. These peels work very well in acne spots and superficial acne scars. We use some of our own peels prepared by Dr. Shail & Dr. Ruchi, which are very useful as there are years of experience & research behind these.

MNRF

-Micro needling radio frequency is a revolutionary treatment in treating acne scar, post traumatic scars, fine lines and wrinkles, stretch marks and pigmentation. This treatment delivers radiofrequency energy through sterile gold plated needles in the dermis. The micro needles of MNRF create micro punctures without damaging the epidermis and promote neo-vascularization, connective tissue re-modelling & collagen formation in the dermal layer. Micro needling RF for acne scar removal is just a 20 minutes procedure with a down time of 1- 2 days. It is one of the most reliable methods for acne scar removal in the category of collagen induction treatments.

Fractional laser

-A relatively new technology, the ScarLite laser treatment is especially used by Satya Skin Hair Clinic to treat acne scars. The correction process has to be carried out for at least 3 to 4 sessions to notice a marked difference in acne scars. This is one of the most advanced CO2 fractional laser systems in the world, which delivers a controlled fractional injury to the skin, which in turn initiates strong collagen stimulation.

Erbium glass laser

-This laser is a very precise and effective method to treat acne scarring. The major advantage with this laser is that the social downtime is minimized, which is very less as compared to CO2 laser. But the efficacy of this treatment is little less than CO2 laser.

Dermabrasion

- This is a slightly older technique, where the scarred skin is abraded using motorized rotating probes. This technique is useful in treating deep scars. But these days, dermabrasion is not that popular because of the risk of post inflammatory hyperpigmentation and long social downtime. These side effects are more common in dark skinned patients.

Dermaroller

- This is another very effective collagen induction treatment to treat acne scars. Dermaroller comes with different needle sizes ranging from 0.5 mm to 3.0 mm. We prefer to use 1.5 or 2 mm needle dermaroller for acne scars It is a very effective way of inducing collagen synthesis in the skin. You would notice significant changes from the very 1st session itself. At Satya, we have devised a unique way to combine dermaroller with Satya’s own peels which are safe to use with dermaroller & enhance the results of derma roller alone.

PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma)

– This treatment is also known as vampire facelift. Acne scar sites are injected with platelet rich plasma centrifuged and treated from blood extracted from the patient. . This is one of the most effective treatments to treat acne scars. Platelet rich plasma is rich in growth factors and has great healing potential. This is a unique method as it can be combined with other methods like subcision & punch float or excision. It helps in reducing the healing time and improves the efficacy also.

Surgical techniques (Subcision, Punch float or Punch excision)

– Satya Skin Hair Clinic uses a unique and patented method to combat prolonged acne scars. A subcision is conducted where a fine needle is inserted into the deep layers of the skin breaking the collagen. A subcision is an incisionless subcutaneous surgery, which can be performed very simply under topical anaesthesia. An 18 to 20 gauge needle or a 1.5 inch 18 gauge Nokor needle breaks the fibrous collagen strands. A subsequent dermaroller administration alongside the subcision process allows penetration into the epidermis stimulating collagen formation and hence reduction in acne scar. Usually there is some swelling and sometimes you can have bruise after the procedure. You see immediate improvement in the scar once the initial swelling subsides, but fibrosis again sets in and once swelling is completely gone, the scars become apparent again, but much less prominent than the pre treatment state. Then gradually collagen synthesis sets in and you get a significant reduction in the scars. Scar revision and scar excision techniques are also used to treat scars. The technique of acne scar removal, used at Satya Skin Hair Clinic is distinctively aimed at increasing patient comfort and and giving them the maximum output.

Soft tissue(Dermal) fillers

- Injecting collagen, fat or hyaluronic acid under the skin and into indented scars can fill out or stretch the skin. This makes the scars less noticeable. Results are temporary, so you would need to repeat the injections periodically.

Botox injections

- Botox injections are useful in puckered acne scars. Sometimes the skin around acne scars puckers. Botulinum toxin (Botox) can relax the area & thus helps in reducing the prominence of scars. These injections also bring a lot of glow in the skin.

Thread lift

- Thread lift is a very effective treatment to give a non surgical facelift. It is very useful in patients who have sagging of skin especially people above 30 years of age. This not only makes them look young but also reduces the visibility of scars by the pulling effect.