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Acne Scar Treatment

If you have acne scars, it is likely that you have already tried treatments that do not work on those scars – skin care, ineffective toning lasers, chemical peels, and more. Don’t waste any more time and money on these treatments that have no impact on these scars at all!

What are Acne Scars?

Acne scars are permanent skin textural changes that occur on the skin as a result of moderate to severe acne. They appear generally as indentations on the skin but can come in different forms. Strictly speaking, skin discoloration due to acne, like redness or darkening of skin, is not acne scarring. Instead, it is known as post-inflammatory erythema or hyperpigmentation/hypopigmentation.

How do acne scars form?

Acne scar formation is almost always due to severe acne. Severe inflammation in the deeper layers of the skin lead to structural changes in the skin, and skin indentation. Ironically, squeezing and manipulating nodular or cystic acne can lead to more severe scarring.
Common areas with acne scars are the cheeks and the temples, where severe acne usually appears.

Types of Acne Scars

Acne scars can appear in 4 ways:

  • Boxcar scar – broad, usually rectangular skin depression with steep edges
  • Rolling scar – broad, shallow skin depression with sloping edges
  • Ice pick scar – deep, narrow skin depression with steep edges
  • Hypertrophic scar – raised, bumpy scar

Most people may have 2 to 3 different types of scars when they visit us for consultation and treatment.

How do we treat acne scars in Singapore?

Most people have a combination of scars after suffering from severe acne. Therefore, treatment has to be tailored to an individual’s skin condition after consulting a doctor.

There is no one-size-fits-all package treatment as advertised by many places out there. This broad strokes treatment approach simply does not work for everyone and you may end up wasting your money and time doing treatments that are not even suitable for your scars to begin with.

Most people with acne scars will require a combination of treatments to achieve results. Acne scars can be treated with the following:

  • Laser – such as CO2 and PICO fractional.
  • Injection – dermal fillers, rejuran S, rejuran healer, radiesse.
  • Subcision
  • Radiofrequency treatment

Laser treatments for acne scars

As a general piece of advice, do not do mild laser toning for your acne scars because they do not work.

Instead, using a CO2 fractional laser is very effective in treating acne scars. It still remains as a widely accepted standard in treating severe acne scars. Recovery time is about 1 week.

Additionally, the Pico laser is a relatively newer technology that can be used to treat acne scars and acne marks with less downtime of about 3 to 5 days. Pico laser causes less damage to the surrounding skin. Therefore, it is a safer, more precise laser treatment option for acne scars.

Long pulse lasers such as Gentlemax Pro laser are useful in treating acne marks (post inflammatory redness or hyperpigmentation).

It is important to note that generally speaking, laser treatments for acne scars will 100% cause a significant downtime. The cost of laser treatment for acne scars in Singapore ranges from $300 – $600 per session.

Injection treatments for acne scars

Injection treatment is often done in combination with other treatments such as subcision and lasers.

Dermal fillers (juvederm, restylane etc), Rejuran S and sometimes collagen filler (Radiesse) can all be used to treat acne scars. These materials are being injected directly into and under the scars to elevate the skin, stimulate collagen and help with skin remodeling and healing.

These injection treatments are particularly useful for shallow rolling and atrophic scars.

The cost of injection treatments for acne scars in Singapore is about $600 – $1000 per syringe.

Subcision

Some acne scars remain resistant to laser treatments because of the presence of scar tissue under the scars that “pull” the skin down. This can be improved with subcision treatment.

Subcision involves using a needle to manually “cut” and release the fibrous tissue underneath the scar. This results in less tethering of the skin by the scar tissue, therefore improving the appearance of the acne scars. Recovery time is about 5 days.

The cost of subcision in Singapore is about $200 – $500.

Radiofrequency treatment

Radiofrequency (RF) treatment uses heat energy to create deep heating of the skin, resulting in skin remodelling and improvement in scars.

RF such as thermage, venus RF and microneedling RF can help improve acne scars.

In summary, acne scars are complex and need to be treated in a holistic manner. A thorough consultation and assessment with a doctor is important before initiating any treatment. Almost all patients with acne scars will need a combination of treatments to produce optimal results. One-size-fits-all scar treatment package is not the right way to treat acne scars.

If your acne has subsided and you end up left with scars — typically lumps or uneven bumps — you may want to seek effective remedies in reversing the condition. Here are a few typical acne scarring treatments available in Singapore skin clinics.

Laser treatment: A nonsurgical procedure, where your skin is exposed to laser beams that provide high levels of energy. This removes the outer layers of skin and heats up the skin, and stimulates regeneration.

Radiofrequency microneedling: This is comparable to laser therapy, except that insulated microscopic needles and radiofrequency are used rather than lasers. These direct the energy to targeted spots. These are offered under brand names such as Infini and Venus Viva.

Chemical peels: Sounds gross, but it is only an acid solution that is applied to the skin to slough off the surface. Remember how we mentioned creams with salicylic to help exfoliate skin? Think as an amped-up variant of that of chemical peels. Based on the solution it could be sold under a brand name such as TCA Cross or as a chemical peel that is generic.

Subcision: This is a surgical process to bumpy skin with depressed scars. A needle is inserted to break down the scar tissue, elevating up the scar .

Punch excision/grafting: This one is kind of a”cut & paste” method. The scar not unlike a cookie cutter cuts . Then a plug of skin is used to fill the emptiness up. The graft is held in place with steri-strips sutures, or a unique skin glue.

Dermal fillers: Not especially a acne scar remedy, but frequently provided by skin clinics to plump up the epidermis and make it appear younger and smoother. In the process, a protein called hyaluronic gel is injected beneath the skin’s surface. It marketed under brand names such as Juvederm and Restylane.

Whether you are suffering from tissue scars or hypertrophic scars, getting the best treatment to get rid of these acne scars can be the most important thing for you. Some acne scars can be permanent while some can go away with time. But if the acne scars that you have on your face are making you embarrassed and self-conscious, then you must think about the ways by which these can be treated effectively.

Types of acne scars that you can get

If you want to have the best acne scar treatment Singapore, then you must know about the types of treatments that you can get at clinics. Following are some different treatments which are being used to minimize the appearance of acne scars:

1. Chemical peels

2. Laser

3. Filers

4. Skin Grafting

5. Punch excisions

Chemical peels

Chemical peels can also be used to decrease the appearance of your acne scars effectively. A chemical peel can be administrated by whether a doctor, nurse practitioner, or a nurse. In this process, a chemical will be used to apply on your skin to remove its outer layer to give your skin a smooth and an even look. But having this treatment you may have redness after a few days of your treatment.

Laser

Laser treatment can also be used to treat your acne scars. Your dermatologist may use laser treatment to remove the outer layer or counter area of your acne scars. Various types of lasers are being used for this treatment, and the use of one depends on the type and degree of your acne scars.

Fillers

In some specific type of acne scars, the fillers can be used to minimize the appearance of the acne scars. As fillers have the ability to be absorbed into your skin. A substance such as hyaluronic acid, fat or collagen can be used to fill certain types of acne scars, particularly those which are resulted as a depressed appearance of the skin.

Skin Grafting

In the process of skin grafting, a doctor may pick a small piece of your skin and use that to fill the acne scars of your skin. The skin which is being used for this treatment is usually taken from the area which is behind your ear. This way of treatment can also be used with other acne scar treatments with ease.

Punch excisions

This is a type of skin surgery which is being used to remove the acne scars that you have on your face. In this type of treatment, acne scars can be removed by individual excising or by cutting out the scars. The hole which is left can be repaired with skin grafting or stitches.

You must learn about the treatments which can be used to remove or reduce the appearance of these acne scars and by which you will be able to get clear and fresh skin with ease. The acne scars treatments are not cure-alls typically and are not being covered by insurance commonly. But these can be the most beneficial to minimize the appearance of acne scars.

Tag: acne scar treatment singapore, acne scar removal singapore, acne scars laser singapore

The worst nightmare teenagers mostly face are the acne or a potential breakout when you wake up in the morning and getting ready and suddenly you notice a pimple. Oh, the entire day is ruined. Nevertheless, there are good days also, where your pimple is heading towards its end and you are very happy about it. The last thing you want to see now is the acne scar, what if the acne scar still remains and gives you a bad vibe? Don’t worry, we are here to save you, there are many acne scar treatments Singapore that can help you in getting rid of the reminder of that horrible pimples. These can help to smoothen the skin and to minimize the appearance of the scars.

If the scars are disfiguring and severe and it affects you emotionally then you can easily go for opting any of the following acne scare treatments Singapore:

1. Dermabrasion:
This is extremely effective acne scar treatment, it utilizes a high-speed brush or some other instrument to provide you with a smooth surface of the skin and reduces or even remove the depth of the acne scars. Though these are effective but they may need to heal for several days after the treatment.

2. A less-intensive treatment:
If you are looking for less intensive dermabrasion then micro-dermabrasion can help you. It will smooth your skin by a spray of extremely small crystals. The aesthetician or dermatologist will perform the procedure and it might take more than one treatment to achieve the desired results also there is no downtime.

3. Chemical peels:
You should consider these things before having a chemical peel applied to your face. Chemical peels help to decrease the appearance of light acne scars and hyperpigmentation around the healed acne bruise. A chemical is applied to the skin to discard the outer layer while giving it an even and smoother appearance. However, you may feel redness and skin peel for a few days after the treatment depending on the acid used.

4. Lasers:
Lasers also take more than one treatments and it may take more days to heal. It is used to remove the outer layers of the skin, for contouring acne scar areas and for lighting the redness around the healed acne. The type of the laser used in the process will depend upon the acne scar which can be flat or raised.

5. Fillers:
Fillers are used to filling out the acne scars, more frequently those that contribute to the depressed appearance of the skin. Fillers require a substance such as hyaluronic acid, fat or collagen to fill in the scar. The filler injection is repeated every few months because they absorb into the skin eventually. The repeating of the fillers will depend on the type of the product. The downtime, however, is not limited for this treatment.

You can choose any of the above treatments depending on how severe your scars are and how much you are willing to do to eliminate them.

Keywords: acne scar treatment singapore, acne scar removal singapore, acne scars laser singapore