Acne Scars
Acne scars are usually the result of inflamed spots caused by pores of the skin with excess oil, dead skin cells and bacteria. The pore swells, causing a rupture in the wall of the follicle. Superficial injuries are usually minor and heal quickly. But if there is a deep break in the pore wall, the infected material can spill into the surrounding tissue, creating deeper lesions. The skin tries to repair these lesions by forming new collagen fibers. These repairs are generally not as smooth and perfect as the original skin.
Types Of Acne Scars
Hypertrophic or keloid scarring:
These scars occur when the body produces too much collagen as the acne wounds heal, which results in a mass of tissue elevated on the surface of the skin.
Atrophic or depressed healing:
These scars develop when there is a loss of tissue. There are two common types of atrophic scarring. The scars of “Icepick” are usually small, but with obvious holes in the skin. “Wagon” scars are depressed areas, usually round or oval in shape with angular sides, similar to varicella scars.
Treatment With A Chemical Peel
An exfoliation with TCA is a non-toxic chemical exfoliation that contains trichloroacetic acid and is used to treat sun damage, irregular texture, acne scars and fine lines.
Exfoliation works by drying the top layer of the skin and encouraging it to peel over a period of several days, revealing a new, undamaged skin that eliminates acne scars. Exfoliation with TCA has dozens of factors that can be modified, such as concentration, distribution and penetration level, all of which allows your provider to customize the treatment to better meet your specific skin care needs.
How Do Chemical Peels Work?
Chemical peels can resurface the skin by introducing a controlled wound in the treated area, thus eliminating the upper layers of the skin and sun damage, impurities and redness.
The healing process promotes the growth of new and healthy skin cells that eventually reach the surface of the skin and give patients a radiant glow and an acne-free scar.