Answering All Your Questions About Acne Scarring
Acne is a common skin disorder that almost everyone gets in their teens. Nevertheless, adults can still get acne. Acne is often mild or moderate, but it can also have more severe forms that lead to scarring.
Even though acne is generally cosmetic and doesn’t cause health complications, it can significantly hurt your confidence and self-esteem. Dealing with acne can be a painful experience, but it’s even more challenging to deal with the scarring it tends to leave behind.
The first step toward approaching and treating every problem is to understand it. Keep reading to learn more about the causes of acne scars, the different types, and their appearance.
How Does Acne Cause Scars?
Acne is almost always related to hormonal changes. That often happens in puberty when our body starts producing excessive amounts of androgens. The same thing can occur with adult women whether it be hormonal changes from pregnancy, menopause or the case of some medical conditions, such as polycystic ovary syndrome.
Generally, acne scars result from inflammation. The skin responds to it by mobilizing collagen fibers in an attempt to heal the acne blemishes. Some acne scars are small and disappear with time, while others can be deeper and more visible.
The good thing is that not everyone who has acne will get scars. Nevertheless, many cosmetic procedures can help you get rid of them or significantly reduce them.
What Are the Types of Acne Scars?
Experts distinguish two main types of acne scars based on their mechanisms, visual characteristics, location, and treatment options. Atrophic scars, for example, are flat depressions of the skin that are often the result of cystic acne. They occur when the skin cannot regenerate properly, and the healing process happens in the deeper skin layers.
There are three distinct types of atrophic scars: ice pick, boxcar, and rolling scars.
The other main types of acne scars are hypertrophic scars and keloids. They result from the build-up of scar tissue following an abnormal healing response.
Acne scar treatment often differs according to the type of scars. Some can heal with simple facial procedures, while others require a more aggressive approach.
What Do Acne Scars Look Like?
Ice pick scars are some of the most common atrophic scars. They consist of narrow indentations that often occur on the cheeks.
Boxcar scars are broader box-like depressions with sharper edges. You can find them on the lower cheeks and jaw. Conversely, rolling scars give an uneven appearance to the skin and look like indents with varying depth.
Hypertrophic scars and keloids are more common on the jaw, back, chest, and shoulders. They look like raised lumps of tissue that can occur after any wound or injury.
What Causes Acne Scarring?
Acne scarring results from the skin’s attempt to heal acne blemishes. Whether you get scarring or not depends on the severity of the acne and your unique bodily response. The healing process consists of mobilizing skin growth factors and producing collagen.
Hypertrophic scars and keloids occur when there is too much collagen, while atrophic scars appear when there is a loss of skin tissue. The former leads to raised scars, while the latter looks like indentations with varying depth and overall appearance.
Book an Appointment Today
If you want to know how to get rid of acne scars, you should reach out to a professional cosmetic clinic.
Our team at Waterloo Medical Cosmetics can provide
you with specialized acne scar treatments, as well as a wide array of other cosmetic procedures.
Text us at (226)-887-1208 or book an appointment online!