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Laser treatment for acne scars is a very useful way of diminishing or getting rid of any scars you were unlucky enough to get through having acne. There are other treatments for scarring including dermabrasion, chemical peels, subcision, punch techniques and augmentation. Laser treatment is suitable if your scars are relatively shallow rather than 'ice pick' type scars.
There are various kinds of scars which you might have if you have had acne. Ice pick scars usually occur on the cheeks and they have steep sides and a jagged edge. They cannot be stretched by pulling the skin and might be shallow or deep. Depressed fibrotic scars are quite big. Ice pick scars might turn into these. You might have soft scars which can be deep or shallow. Atrophic macules can occur anywhere on the body where you have had acne. They are usually small on the face but can be bigger on the body. On your chest or back you might have follicular macular atrophy which are soft, small white lesions which look like undeveloped whiteheads.
95% of acne sufferers will have scars. Minor scars might be a mere annoyance but major scarring can lead to embarrassment, depression and emotional suffering.
Laser treatment is one option to treat scarring. There are two categories of laser used in this process. There are non-ablative and resurfacing (ablative) lasers. An ablative laser will burn away scar tissue and stimulate the dermal collagen to tighten. This reduces scar visibility. Ultrapulsed carbon dioxide lasers and erbium YAG lasers are those most often used during laser resurfacing.
When treating scars with laser treatment, unprotected tissue is exposed and the skin is injured. Wound care is very important to prevent infection and the skin might be reddened for up to 12 months after the treatment.
A non-ablative laser works differently. It will trigger changes within the dermis without affecting the epidermis. The newest FDA approved laser for this is Smoothbeam, which targets the sebaceous gland and heats it which has the effect of reducing sebum and the visibility of acne scarring.
Another type of laser is the yellow pulse dye laser. This is good for treating keliodal scars. It flattens them and controls itchiness and redness.
Laser treatments last between 5 and 20 minutes and should not be too uncomfortable. It usually takes just a few treatments before results are noticed.
Laser treatment can cause skin discoloration in people with darker skin tones and is not guaranteed to work. It can also be expensive, costing anything from $100 to $6000 depending on the extent of your scarring, which part of the body it is on and how many treatments are required.
If you have scars and they are causing you depression or embarrassment, it might be worth looking into laser treatment for acne scars because it could make a great difference to your life and outlook.
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