How to Remove Pimple Scars
Having radiant and healthy skin is surely everyone’s dream, especially for girls and women. When the beauty standards all around the world for decades have made a flawless skin as a beautiful skin, it can be quite difficult for people with skin imperfection and blemishes to feel confident with themselves. Worst of all, some people may get harassed or bullied due to their skin conditions. Finding doctors can be the best way to help improve the skin health as they can suggest the best treatment to treat skin issues. In this article, we will be focusing on how to remove pimple scars.
Acne is an inflammatory process localised to the skin that contains the pilosebaceous units (hair follicle, hair shaft and sebaceous gland) of the face, chest, upper arms and back. This inflammation happens due to formation of whiteheads or blackheads (comedones), sebum production and growth of Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes). Acne is so common that more than 85% of Malaysians get it especially during puberty age. 95 % of people aged 11 to 30 are affected by acne and usually acne often goes away when a person reaches mid 20s.
Complications of acne or pimple can lead to scarring of the skin especially in those with serious acne problems like nodules and cysts. This scar does not only occur on the burst pimple site, but also damages skin around it. Scarring may not only happen due to spontaneous bursts of the pimples, but also when a person picks or squeezes with dirty hands or objects. These pimple scars can greatly affect a person’s appearance and may also cause emotional distress. Hence, removing these pimple scars can greatly help to improve a person’s quality of life.
To remove pimple scars, dermatologists or aestheticians will first see how severe the scars are. This could include forms of ice pick, rolling or boxcar scars. These forms of scars will then determine the most suitable treatment to remove the acne scars. However, it is necessary to note that while the treatment surely improves the appearance of the scar, it does not eliminate the scar completely and may need more than one treatment session to see the best results. Below are examples of treatment for pimple scars removal:
1- Dermabrasion. This treatment removes the top layer of the skin and helps smoothening the skin. It can be done manually by hand or machine source such as high-speed brush, fraise or silicon carbide sandpaper.
2- Chemical peel. It is used to treat many small and depressed scars. It works by purposely injuring the skin to stimulate production of collagen that helps the skin to remodel and in turn reduce the scar appearance. Examples of chemical peels include lactic acid, salicylic acid, glycolic acid, trichloroacetic acid and phenols.
3- Microneedling. This procedure involves tiny needles puncturing the skin. The trauma created by this procedure triggers wound healing and production of collagen inside the deepest skin layer (dermis).
4- Laser resurfacing. Laser treatments are available in 2 types: ablative and non-ablative laser treatment. Ablative laser treatment involves removing skin around the scar while non-ablative laser treatment initiates the skin to develop collagen that repair some of the damages due to the scarring process.
5- Pulsed dye laser (PDL). This target blood vessels of the skin that reduce skin redness caused by acne. It also helps to reduce elevation of the scar which makes the skin become smoother.
6- Surgery. Usually involves punch techniques or subcision of the skin.
7- Filler. Helps to augment the soft tissue in the scar. Most are injectable and available either temporary, semi-permanent or permanent.
