One of the goals of acne treatment is reducing the risk of scarring. Acne can cause multiple types of scars, depending on the type of breakouts you have. Your dermatologist will develop an acne treatment plan for you that involves both controlling breakouts and treating any scarring that does occur. Here is a closer look at the different types of acne scar sufferers may develop.
Ice Pick Scars
Ice pick scars are thin, deep scars that often appear with cystic acne. They mimic the appearance of skin puncture or a deep pore and occur as the skin infection associated with a cystic blemish causes damage to the surface of the skin. The long, column-shaped scars can be treated by your dermatologist by punch excisions or punch grafting.
Boxcar Scars
When most people envision acne scarring, they are picturing boxcar scars. These scars are deep like ice pick scars, but instead of being thin and long, they are round or oval. They have deep depressions and raised sides, causing the skin to look pitted and pock marked. Boxcar scars are created when collagen is destroyed during a breakout, leaving a depression in the skin where the tissue was damaged. Along with punch excisions, cosmetic dermatology treatments such as fillers and laser skin resurfacing can treat boxcar scars.
Rolling Scars
As the name suggests, rolling scars have the appearance of waves or rolling hills. They occur as the result of fibrous bands below the skin’s surface that tug on the top layer of skin, pilling it down. Rolling scars require a surgical procedure called subcision, in which the bands are cut, allowing depressed skin to rise back up.
Hypertrophic Scars
Hypertrophic scars are raised mounds of tissue that grow in response to an overproduction of collagen. These kinds of acne scars occur more often on the body than the face and are more common in men. Topical steroid treatments and cryotherapy can reduce their appearance.
Get effective acne treatment in Arlington Heights from the team at Arlington Dermatology. We offer a range of treatment options in order to provide personalized treatments for every patient. Schedule an appointment with a dermatologist by calling [company-phone id=1].
