Those who had an episode of acne outbreak will understand how frustrating it is to see those red angry acne on your face.
For acne that goes away and doesn’t leave acne scars, oh my god, that’s perfect. But often times, acne will leave acne scars on one’s face.
Long time acne sufferers will understand what I’m trying to say, when acne leaves scars, and you feel totally helpless. It affects one’s self esteem and it brings confidences to an all time low.
So this begs the question, what are acne scars and what are the different types of acne scar treatment options in Singapore?
What are Acne Scars?
Acne is caused when your skin’s pores get engorged with excess oil, dead skin cells and bacteria, which result in the pores swelling causing it to break the follicle walls.
Acne causes inflammation of the skin, and this often results in the skin being wounded. However as the acne wounds heal, an abundance of collagen can be left behind, forming acne scars that make the skin appear uneven.
What are the Different Types of Acne Scars
First let’s us explore the most common and different types of acne scars.
Ice Pick Scars
These are deeper than they are wide, with jagged edges. They look like deep pits and are of varying sizes. They are the most common form of acne scars.
Boxcar Scars
They are broad, rectangular depressions on your skin with steep, defined edges and are quite similar to chickenpox scars. They normally appear on your face but can occur on other parts as well. They can be shallow or deep.
Rolling Scars
They are named like this because they are broad depression with rounded and sloping edges, which make them appear in a wave-like shape.
Hypertrophic Scars
These scars are caused when the body produces too much collagen as acne wounds heal. Because of the excess collagen inside them, they end up having a raised surface – resulting in to mass of raised tissues on the skin’s surface. Simply put, scarred tissue is raised above healthy tissue.
Acne Scar Treatment
The first step of acne scar treatment would be acne scar removal, which is to prevent new acne from forming.
You will not be able to treat the acne scars when you constantly have new acne forming on your skin. If you do so, this will only cause your acne to worsen.
Once you have stopped new acne, you will be able to customise treatment based on your skin.
Here are the different types and costs of acne scar treatments in Singapore that you can consider:
Fractional CO2 Laser
Fractional laser treatment is a non-invasive treatment that uses a device to deliver a laser beam divided into thousands of microscopic treatment zones that target a fraction of the skin at a time.
Fractional laser uses light energy to create thousands of microscopic channels in the skin which are surrounded by areas of healthy and untreated skin.
The treated areas stimulate production of new collagen, plumping up the skin and smoothing out the acne scars.
Dermabrasion
Dermabrasion is an intensive skin resurfacing treatment, and is most often used to improve the look of facial skin left scarred by accidents or previous surgery, or to smooth out fine facial wrinkles, such as those around the mouth.
Dermabrasion produces changes by carefully controlling the depth of skin damage, from the top to deeper layers of the epidermis, and extend into the reticular dermis.
This produces a wound that heals in a manner that is cosmetically superior to what was there originally, which will be a good treatment for acne scars.
Subcision
Subcision is a safe and effective acne scar treatment. It is a minor surgical procedure and is performed using a special hypodermic needle inserted through a puncture in the skin surface.
The sharp edge of the needle is used to break fibrotic strands that are tethering the scar to the underlying tissue.
The release of the fibrotic strands and new collagen deposition caused by wound healing leads to cosmetic improvement of the acne scar.
Subcision is usually be combined with other treatments such as Fractional Laser for maximum effect.
Chemical Peel
Chemical peel is a treatment in which a chemical solution is applied to the skin, which makes it “blister” and eventually peel off.
This treatment essentially removes old skin so new skin can grow in it’s place.
The new skin is usually smoother and less wrinkled than the old skin, which helps for acne scar treatment.
Depending on the strength of the peel, from mild to deep peel, this treatment will be able to penetrate different layers of the skin, and for people with deep acne scars, it will be able to reach the root.
Dermal Fillers
Dermal fillers can also be a good acne scar treatment whereby it will help reduce the appearance of the acne scars. Fillers can show results by filling up the depressed scars.
However, do note that fillers are only temporary as the body breaks down the key ingredient of fillers – hyaluronic acid – over time, which, depending on the fillers, can last anywhere from 6 months to 2 years.
Fillers are an effective acne scar treatment in Singapore especially for rolling scars, and also less defined boxcar scars.
The cost for fillers for acne scars range from $500 – $1400 per treatment, depending on how many syringes are used.
Infini Fractional Radiofrequency
Infini Fractional Radiofrequency is a minimally invasive treatment to reduce the appearance acne scars.
A handheld device with microneedles is pressed against the skin, sending radiofrequency energy to multiple layers below the surface.
The combination of microneedling and RF energy stimulates the body’s natural collagen and healing processes, which helps heal the scars caused by acne.
Q Switch Laser
Q Switch Laser is a beam of energy at a specific wavelength (1064nm) which is applied to the skin and is absorbed by coloured pigments.
Acne inflammation causes the skin to produce pigments, which are the cause of acne scars. This laser will effectively target the coloured pigments. Here is a case study of the Q Switch Laser.
Acne Scar Lightening Creams
There are many creams in the market today that will be bring discolouration as a result of acne down.
For cases of acne scarring that is just hyperpigmentation or erythema (brown or red spots) rather than an actual change in the texture of the skin, creams will be an effective acne scar treatment.
Once you have recovered, you can keep up the appearance of your skin with facial rejuvenation.
So this concludes the article for the different options for acne scar treatment.
Ultimately the most effective type of treatment will depend on the type of acne scar that you have, and also your skin type.
It is best to consult with a Doctor who will also be able to advise you on the type and also the cost of acne scar treatment.
If you are looking for a Doctor for acne scar treatment in Singapore, you can start your search here.
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