Do Acne Scars Go Away?

Before adopting a treatment to eliminate acne scars, it is wise to differentiate them. We speak of scars when the mark remains visible 1 year after the lesion has healed. There are scars that are not really scars, knowing that they are pigmented (brown) or erythematous (red) spots.

Depending on the severity of the acne, acne scars are marks that can mark your skin for life and can be more or less numerous and more or less deep. It all depends on the extent to which the skin layers have been affected. We distinguish two types of acne scars:

• Atrophic scars, which have a hollowed-out appearance in the skin and vary in size and depth. They can be presented in three different shapes: "ice pick" or "V" shaped, which are narrow and deep, "U" shaped or "crater" shaped, which are rather wide, shallow, with clear or rounded edges, and "quadrangular" shaped, which are wide and deep. This type of scarring occurs when a wound does not heal properly and insufficient connective tissue is formed;

• Hypertrophic scars that are slightly blistered, presenting a kind of outgrowth of skin tissue. This is due to the formation of a second layer that has covered the scar tissue during the healing phase of the acne pimple (excess collagen).

So, do acne scars go away with the right treatment? If the acne is severe, there is no effective solution to fade or even erase the scars apart from surgery and cosmetic medicine. However, before considering any treatment for acne scars, it is important to make sure that the inflammatory crisis is over and that the treatments with isotretinoin or vitamin A have been stopped for at least 6 months to a year. In other words, this is when there has been no recurrence for at least a year. Otherwise, it could cause an inflammatory reaction and thus a new acne outbreak.

To reduce the scars left by an acne outbreak, here are the different remedies that exist:

• Cosmetic treatments based on fruit acids (AHA, BHA and PHA) in low concentrations (up to 20%) can be used to reduce the appearance of hypertrophic scars. However, several applications on a regular basis will be necessary to obtain visible results. In this sense, you can use the exfoliating serum containing 10% glycolic acid or the gentle peeling serum based on lactic acid, which is more suitable for sensitive skin. The anti-marks serum specifically targets acne scars and is applied locally. It contains gluconolactone from the PHA category and Centella asiatica extract, an active ingredient known to help remodel the relief of marked skin.

• Microdermabrasion is a relatively gentle method of treating hypertrophic and atrophic scars, the principle of which is slightly similar to that of a peel. It consists of mechanically removing the upper layers of the epidermis with small crystals. To obtain effective results, this technique must be repeated regularly.

• The dermatological peel is a procedure used for certain atrophic and hypertrophic scars. A substance, used in high concentration, contained in the peel (phenol, trichloroacetic acid), will be applied to the face and will irritate the external layers of the skin. The chemical peel will thus cause the controlled destruction of part or all of the epidermis, with or without the dermis, resulting in the desquamation of superficial lesions, followed by the regeneration of new epidermal and dermal tissues, giving way to a smoother skin with less visible scars.

• Laser treatment for acne scars has proven to be particularly effective in treating hypertrophic type of scar. It aims to injure the skin in a targeted manner by projecting the laser successively on the area to be treated in order to stimulate cellular regeneration. There is a wide range of laser treatments: Fraxel laser, CO2 laser, etc... This technique aims to even out the skin by correcting small hollows or elevations caused by acne. However, it is highly likely that laser treatment for acne scars will require several sessions to achieve fading scars and lasting results.

• Hyaluronic acid injections are applied to shallow atrophic scars. The principle consists of injecting hyaluronic acid in a localized manner to fill the hollows caused by acne scars. However, this type of treatment must be repeated every year because hyaluronic acid is a resorbable product, and therefore leads to short-term results.

• Radiofrequency consists of emitting electromagnetic waves in order to stimulate fibroblasts to produce collagen, thus restoring volume which will fade the scars. This treatment is performed in 3 to 4 sessions spaced one month apart.

• Local corticosteroid injections are particularly effective on hypertrophic scars. When cortisone is injected, the scar tissue degrades and becomes flatter. This procedure leads to long-term results.

• Pressotherapy is a method of applying continuous mechanical pressure to the hypertrophic scar to allow for tissue retraction.

• Microneedling is a technique that creates micro-perforations in the face using a device equipped with a large number of fine needles no longer than 0.5 mm (dermaroller). This procedure will cause micro-lesions in the skin, stimulating the production of collagen, hyaluronic acid and elastin.

• Skin ablation concerns hypertrophic scars and aims to remove the excess fibrous tissue at the scar. However, this method is effective in the short term, as it does not eliminate the appearance of phenomena.