Most people suffer from acne at some point in their lives and, in most cases, the acne will clear up in time without any lasting effects. However, in some cases acne can lead to scarring which can range from very mild and almost unnoticeable to very severe and deep. Fortunately, there are several effective treatments available for acne scars.

When it comes to acne scarring not all scars are the same and it is important to have your scarring professionally assessed by a qualified dermatologist before beginning any form of treatment. For example two commonly used treatments are dermabrasion and laser resurfacing, which can be very effective for mild and shallow scarring. However, if you have deep, steep sided scars (sometimes called icepick scars) then dermabrasion or laser resurfacing treatment will not work.

The four most commonly used treatments for acne scarring today are dermabrasion, laser resurfacing, surgery and drug treatment.

Dermabrasion has been around for a number of years and is used to treat a range of skin conditions, including mild and shallow acne scarring. After the administration of a local anaesthetic a high-speed brush is used to “sand” off the top layer of skin. The skin then regenerates through the natural healing process, removing the scarring or making it less obvious. This treatment often needs to be repeated several times over a period of months in order to clear mild acne scarring.

Laser Resurfacing is a new form of treatment for mild acne scarring and works in a similar way to dermabrasion, but in this case using a laser to burn away the top layers of the skin. At present there are a wide range of laser treatments available and some of these (for example using different coloured lasers) are still very much under evaluation.

Surgery is an option for those people with significant scarring, such as the deep, steep sided scars that are often referred to as icepick scars. In some cases a technique known as punching will be used in which the scar is cut out down to the level of the skin’s subcutaneous fat and the resulting hole is repaired either with sutures or with a small skin graft. Another method is subcision, in which the scar tissue is lifted away from the underlying unscarred tissue.

Drug treatments are used when scarring will not normally respond to other standard treatment methods. For example, mechanical methods such as those described above can actually cause certain forms of scarring such as keloids to spread further. Drugs are sometimes injected directly into the area around the scar or can be given in the form of a topical cream.

While it is possible to get rid of acne scars you should always consult either your doctor or a dermatologist to ensure that you get the right treatment for your particular case.