Acne Scars
What is acne scarring?
Occasionally, following long periods of active acne, skin can be left with bumps and dips where the acne has been. Scarring can affect the face, neck, chest, back and shoulders.
When the infected material inside an acne lesions leaks out to the surrounding tissue, which begins to form new collagen in an attempt to repair the damage, and it is these repairs that end up creating the uneven skin surface we term acne scarring.
Are there medical implications of acne scarring?
Acne scars do not present any increased medical concern. However, from a cosmetic perspective, they can be very troubling. For this reason, most dermatologists understand that treatment is important.
Treating acne scarring
There are many different types of acne scars, each type requiring a specific approach to treatment. Sometimes a number of different treatment modalities are required to achieve the best result in a particular patient and can include lasers, excision, subcision, grafting and fillers (to reduce the appearance of indentations).