What Causes Acne Scars?

Naturally, acne causes acne scars. But why does acne cause such distinctive scarring?

First of all, acne results from a clogged hair follicle. What is the reason for this clogging? When natural oils of the skin are metabolized by bacteria, the resulting oil irritates the skin and plugs these hair follicles. When plugged, debris and other elements begin to amass, which in turn, cause the acne lesion seen in the epidermis.

The body's natural infection response is activated. White blood cells are sent to the blocked hair follicle for the healing process. The infection is taken care of, however, a small wound is also caused below the surface of the skin where the debris have collected. During the repair of this deep skin wound, scar tissue is produced. As any deep tissue scar, these types of acne scars are tricky to resolve.

What are Rolling Acne Scars?

There are several types of acne scars. Besides keloid scars and hypertrophic scars (which are raised), acne scars are depressed, resulting in a loss of tissue. The most common atrophic scars are ice pick scars but also include boxcar scars and rolling scars.

Wide and generally shallow, rolling scars are appropriately named for their wave-like look. Areas of the skin are pulled in by bands that tether the tissue to lower layers in the skin.

How Do I Treat Rolling Scars?

As research develops, so do the number of options of treatments for rolling scars. The best option for you might be dermabrasion or laser resurfacing, subcision or injections. Take in mind that scars are permanent, but one or a combination of treatments can help to reduce the appearance of scars in the epidermis.

Dermabrasion is one type of skin resurfacing procedure that strips away a couple of layers of the skin. By doing so, dermabrasion increases the turnover rate of skin cells and gets rid of those that might exaggerate scars, this however is not the most effective procedure for deep scars.

Again effective with superficial scars, laser skin resurfacing cannot fully treat deep rolling scars or ice pick scars. Lasers are used to strip away the superficial skin layer and also damage that of the dermis. The healing that occurs afterwards is due to the migration of epidermal cells from adjacent, healthy skin. Because of this migration, deep or wide scars are not good candidates for this type of treatment.

A very promising rolling scars treatment is subcision, or subcutaneous incision. It works to lift the skin by targeting the root problem (the skin bonded to lower skin tissue). Under local anesthetic, the fibrous bands that cause the rolling appearance are cut.

Get a consultation with your dermatologist on how to get rid of rolling scars based on your skin type; he or she might recommend combining acne scar removal procedures. These procedures are often most effective when in conjuction with others. If still left with a depression despite performing a subcutaneous subcision, a series of collagen or other filler injections might be recommended.