Removing Acne Scars, from Ice Pick Scars to Keloids
By Sarah Matthews | Published on April 29, 2009 | 19 Comments
Deep, pitted acne scars, particularly those on the face, can make even the most confident among us suffer a self-esteem crisis from time to time. Scarring of any kind can greatly impact an individual, and while acne scars can look “rugged” on some men – think Harrison Ford, Robert Redford and Clint Eastwood – most women usually hate them.
While it may sound cliched, learning to live with yourself is perhaps the easiest, as well as safest and cheapest, way to deal with physical imperfections of any kind.
Acne usually begins with the onset of puberty, when we produce more sebum, the oily secretion made by our sebaceous glands, than our bodies can cope with gracefully. Prescription acne medications can often nip those pimples in the bud, but for some of us there is no escaping them – as well as the subsequent scarring.
Luckily, there are myriad treatments available on the market today that can either completely remove scars, or reduce their appearance significantly. Many dermatological procedures to reduce the appearance of acne scars can be carried out either by your dermatologist or at a med spa. Just make sure the person scraping, lasering or digging holes in your face is someone you trust!
Dermatological Acne Scar Removal Procedures
- Laser Therapy. Works by making keloid scars, where this an overgrowth of tissue, and hypertrophic scars, which look similar to keloids but are smaller, less visible. Also works well on atrophic scarring, or tiny pockets in the skin which can be a direct result of acne. The magic of the lasers is that they remove a scar’s outer skin layer, revealing a bottom layer that eventually heals and by doing so minimizes the visibility of the scar itself. The type of laser used will depend on the type of scarring you have. You may suffer redness for several months, but the upside is that in some cases, one treatment is all you need for permanent results.
- * Steroid Injections. Sometimes these are used in conjunction with lasers, jabbed directly into keloid scars, to make them flat and less visible. It is difficult, however, to raise depressions, or pockets, except by regenerating the skin. Steroid injections are usually the only way to treat keloid scarring that occurs from acne scars, as surgical removal of them is seldom instrumented.
- Dermabrasion. Thought to be the best method for acne scar removal, and is a more severe form of Microderm (see below). Instead of abrasive particles being used, your practitioner will use a brush (or fraise) to remove the skin. Superficial scars may disappear completely, deeper ones will be make less noticeable. Does not work for all types of scars, and people with darker skin might require additional treatment to sort out resultant pigmentation problems.
- Microdermabrasion. A technique in which the top, superficial layer of the skin is removed, both to stimulate the production of collagen (and encourage healing) and reveal softer, smoother skin underneath. Often called a “lunchtime peel” because Microderm can be carried out so quickly – in your lunch hour – the procedure works well in areas where acne scarring is not very deep. It can also be done in conjunction with chemical peels, as it will make the chemicals seep in easier.
- Collagen Injections. Injections of bovine-sourced or human collagen plump out the scars, making them instantly less noticeable. Advantage: works well. Disadvantage: may only last for three months; bovine collagen is not good for people with comprised immune systems; does not work on all types of scarring, such as ice pick scars, which leave a tiny hole which looks as if it has been made by an ice pick or other similar instrument.
- Chemical Peels. A variety of chemical peels are on offer that both plump up the skin to reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and scars, and also smooth and exfoliate to make skin look better – and reduce future occurrence of acne breakouts. Depending on the nature of your skin you can opt for a light, medium-strength or stronger peel. Just make sure you choose one that doesn’t exacerbate your skin even further!
- Surgery. Some types of scars, such as ice pick scars, can be removed by “punching” them down during surgery, then suturing the skin back together. Or try Z-Plasty, aka zigzagplasty, where a scar is repositioned to blend in better with your face – along the natural creases of the cheek, or elsewhere.
- Medical Tattooing. As scar tissue that is light-colored has no pigment, tattoos can infuse color to make them blend in better with the rest of your skin. Can also help scars to “relax” and re-pigment naturally. Finally, if you have only one tattoo in a not very noticeable area, ask your doctor if you can tattoo it with a pattern or design…
- Fat Transfer. Fat is taken from other parts of your body and injected into a scar to plump it out. Remember, the fat will eventually be absorbed into the body, so you will need to repeat this time and time again to keep up the look.
- Lotions and potions. Some people find that certain types of acne scarring reduction creams work wonders; others find they have no effect whatsoever. A lot will depend on the type of scar you have, as well as the severity of your scarring. It’s all a matter of trial-and-error…
Even the best surgeons cannot completely remodel a face so that it looks completely different – not unless you were willing to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars having countless operations. While surgery can help get rid of the worst acne scars, you will probably still have some pitting left if your face – or your neck or back – was deeply affected by acne as a teenager.
While it may sound cliched, learning to live with yourself is perhaps the easiest, as well as safest and cheapest, way to deal with physical imperfections of any kind. If that doesn’t work for you, remember that one of the Harley Davidson mantras is “chicks love scars”. Hopefully, you can also learn to love them – or at least love yourself with them!
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your health care provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate medical professional.
*Disclaimer: The information on this website is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
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"Steroid injections are usually the only way to treat keloid scarring that occurs from acne scars, as surgical removal of them is seldom instrumented."
What makes keloid scarring from acne more difficult to treat with anything other than seroid injections?
Keloid scars are difficult to treat with surgery because if you are prone to keloid scarring, you will form a scar around the area where you had surgery, or attempt at surgical scar removal. In some cases, that could be a lot worse than the original scarring. Sometimes, people who have a tendency to form keloids are best served with no treatment whatsoever. Thanks for reading! Sarah
Keloid is a hypertrophic scar that causes a tissue overgrowth at the site of a healing wound. There is no perfect cure to Keloids, some home remedies can help like, Applying vinegar in the initial stages can help, Vitamin E is good, Consuming vitamin A, E and C, zinc supplements, fish oil, primrose oil will help. Avoid aspartame, gluten based foods, alcohol, white bread or flour, sour foods, coffee, sugar, peanut butter, dairy based products, garlic and vegetable oils.
Although acne tends to cause us stress to a certain extent, most people don’t realize that stress may cause acne as well. There are certain types of acne, which really get a lot worse whenever a person is under an extreme amount of stress. Even a slight change in circumstances that causes a person to be anxious may cause this acne to show up. There are also several other skin conditions, such as rosacea, which tend to get better and worse depending on our stress levels. That is why it is important for you to learn how to control your stress if you’re going to learn how to control your acne.
I am a 15 year old high school student, I have had acne since the 6th grade when I was 12. It used to not be that bad, and it would come and go. Then I started getting it on my back pretty bad in 7th and 8th grade. Thats when I went to a dermatologist. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to help me so I just gave up. Then a miracle happend and getting a lot of sun and using an over the counter acne medication it almost entirely went away the summer going into my 9th grade year.
The first step to curing acne is knowing what type of acne you have. This information gives you precious insight to what may have actually triggered the acne outset. Once you know your acne trigger, you are one step closer to removing the acne activator and living acne free.
Most acne medications only mask the symptoms of acne and does nothing to stop the real cause of acne. This is why people buy acne products month after month (year after year). And every time they stop using the product acne would come back again and again.
My son had a really bad case of cystic acne, hereditary. He was finally treated with accutane for 8 months and is now left with pitted scarring. He wants his skin to be as free of scarring and smooth as possible. His new Dr is recommending Smooth Beam, saying it could reduce scarring, maybe give appearance of smoother skin, but doesn’t guarantee anything nor the time frame involved. He doesn’t want to wait more months, he has been seeing 43 different dermatologists for years now. What treatment option would be best for him? He wants the best results ASAP. Any help would be appreciated, his self-esteem is very low.
I’m going to be getting silicone implants can anyone recommend a surgeon in the scottsdale area?
I used to have bad body acne so I made a blog, hope it can help you a bit.
What gel has worked great for you to clear your acne overnight?
There are a lot of new acne scar treatments available nowadays, wish you find one that works for you.
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I never had acne as a teenager, one deep one a month along with my period and they went away by themselves w/no scarring. Anyway about the age of 23 I started to develop cystic acne but only on my right cheek in a small area. It stayed that way for a couple years, I now have a scar in that area. I noticed the more stressed out I became, as I got older, being in school, on my own, etc. The worse it got and only on the right side of my face, when I was making plans to get married the whole right side of my face became covered in larger bumps, hard bumps. after the wedding it calmed down almost completely. At that time my left side started to breakout here and there. Long story short I’m now 28 and have had several YAG laser treatments, I mean the painful kind, i guess it burnt out the oils and bacteria that caused my acne, I only breakout w/small ones now. I do have a few pitted but not bad, small scars on my left cheek in one lil area, w/ more like rolling scars in my right side with large pores. I went to see a plastic surgeon and he recommended 6 laser genesis sessions w/ skin planing. I’ve heard great results and obviously my can be fixed with this or he would have recommended something mote expensive and intense. I start Tuesday 8/10/10, so excited. Hope this helps someone!
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