What Is Acne Scar Removal?

[surjerydoc]

Acne Scar Removal is the treatment or surgical procedure to help fade or remove or improve various degrees of acne scarring with lasers, chemicals, topical medications, manual abrasion or excision. Some procedures may involve filling the depressions with various fillers and products such as:

* topical medications
* autologous (your own) fat
* bovine (cow) collagen
* porcine (pig) collagen
* cultured human collagen
* hyaluronic acid
* synthetics such as polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) products such as Artefill (Artecoll)
* Sculptra (NewFill; a poly-lactic acid catalyst)

Some treatments are followed up at home with topical medications and chemicals, others which are strictly in-office procedures with a good amount of post-operative healing (downtime) involved.

Acne lesions may leave lasting remnants which are often the bane of many a person's existence. Some problems may include the most common, hyperpigmentation or post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH). This type of hyperpigmentation is when the acne lesion results in a darkened area of skin which may be red, brown, tan or black, depending upon your skin tone. The most common being a reddish color in persons of European decent and a darker brown in persons from ethnic heritages. Actually, this is normal and will eventually subside on its own but may take a considerable amount of time in many patients especially if your skin's natural turnover rate is very slow. The process can be sped up with the use of manual exfoliation, melanin production-inhibiting medications such as hydroquinone, or chemical exfoliants such as tretinoin (the active ingredient in Retin A), Vitamin C can help lighten, and Copper Peptides can increase wound healing and promote healthier looking skin.

Hypopigmentation, which may be lightened areas of skin which seem to have lost their pigment. Others may be raised, irregular scars, or medium to deep pock marks. Others may seem pitted or dented in. Each type of lesion or skin irregularity will determine the course of treatment you will need.

Persons with active acne may consider starting a treatment course to treat their acne before embarking on a scar removal procedure. Removing acne scars may possibly thin the skin in some areas so removing scars only to have more surface needing additional removal at a later date may set you back further than you'd like.

[beth]

Do you have to get rid of your active acne before the procedure? Can the procedure eliminate active acne too?