Scar Treatments

What are scars?

Scars may take several shapes and forms:

Acne scars - shallow depressions or deep ice-pick like pits that form due to loss of collagen as an aftermath of inflamed acne lesions

Atrophic scars - round, crater-like depressions often left from chicken pox or trauma to the skin

Hypertrophic scars - raised, firm scars that come after injury or surgery

Keloid scars - very large, firm nodules that extend beyond the margin of the scar on the skin. Keloids occur from such skin injuries as surgical incisions, traumatic wounds, vaccination sites, burns, chickenpox, acne, or even minor scratches. They are fairly common in young women and African Americans. Keloidosis is a term used when multiple or repeated keloids are produced

What treatments are available for scars?

Many treatments exist for the treatment of scars.

Acne scars

• Fractional Skin Tightening - builds new collagen deeper under scars producing smoother skin.
• Fractional Skin Resurfacing - builds new collagen in the surface layers of the skin using microscopic laser beams with untreated skin between.
• Fillers injected into the skin such as collagen, Restylane® and Radiesse® - fill certain scars that flatten when stretched by the fingers.

Atrophic scars

• Usually treated with fillers injected into the skin to lift the scar
• May also be treated with Fractional Skin Tightening and Fractional Skin Resurfacing

Hypertrophic scars

• First line treatment uses injections of steroids into the scar to soften and flatten it. This may be combined with massage at home and silicone sheets that have been proven effective
• May be treated using with the Palomar Lux G handpiece or with lasers

Keloid scars

• Treated with injections of steroids
• Often require surgical removal. Steps are taken to minimize the chance of keloid recurrence (a known risk) using injected steroids before, during and after surgery

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