Between the stress and frustration associated with acne, finally clearing your breakouts is a milestone worth celebrating. But what many don’t anticipate is the deep, pitted scars left behind from past breakouts, making it appear as though your acne never fully healed.
For all the work you put into treating your acne, you deserve acne scar solutions that clear your face once and for all. Fortunately, our skin specialists have years of experience helping patients treat their acne scars and create a glowing complexion.
Continue reading our blog to learn how acne scars form and our top 3 treatments for scar revision in Jacksonville. Ready to speak with a professional? Visit our website to schedule your initial consultation.
How does acne form?
If you’ve dealt with acne in the past, you likely already know that breakouts form when bacteria, oils, and dead skin cells clog pores. Clogged pores also form whiteheads and blackheads filled with pus, which you may be tempted to pop.
But our experts urge you to hold off on picking at your acne—you could be creating acne scars.
What are the types of acne scars?
Acne scars take on two distinct forms: depressed and hypertrophic scars. While some scars gradually fade as the skin heals through the natural collagen production cycle, others may become permanent without proper acne scar revision in Jacksonville.
Depressed Scarring
Depressed acne scars form after squeezing a pimple, which increases your risk of losing tissue during the healing process. Otherwise known as atrophic scarring, depressed acne scars appear as deep pits or depressions in the skin. As a general guideline, the more extensive the damage, the higher chance of tissue loss.
Additionally, depressed acne scars mark the skin at varying depths and patterns, including:
- Ice pick scars – Deep, narrow scars that look as though a sharp needle created them. Most commonly found in thinner areas of the skin, including the forehead and upper cheeks.
- Rolling scars – Wavelike depressions in the skin. Often found in the thicker areas like the jaw and lower cheeks.
- Boxcar scars – Sharp indents with edges that penetrate deep into the skin. Typically found in the lower cheeks and jaw.
Hypertrophic Scarring
Hypertrophic acne scars form when an abnormal response to wound healing occurs.
Collagen, or the body’s primary protein building block, repairs wounds in the deeper layers of skin. But when the body forms too much collagen, acne breakouts heal and transform into a raised scar.
Also known as keloids, hypertrophic scars commonly appear on the chest, back, shoulders, and jawlines. Many patients describe these overgrowths as painful and itchy.
Top 3 Acne Scar Treatments
At Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates, we believe all our patients deserve to feel confident with skin free from acne scars. Using resurfacing treatments that address the skin’s deepest imperfections, we can help your complexion look as though you never had acne to begin with.
Before all acne scar treatments, you first visit our office for a comprehensive consultation with one of our skin experts. During this appointment, your provider listens carefully as you describe your acne journey and the scars you’d like to address with treatment. They also conduct an examination of your skin to determine the type of scarring you’re experiencing.
From there, you and your provider begin creating your customized treatment plan. Here’s a brief overview of our 3 most effective treatments for acne scar revision in Jacksonville.
RF Microneedling
For acne scars that reach beyond the top layers of skin, our experts recommend RF microneedling to create a more even complexion.
Traditional microneedling treatments use tiny needles to penetrate the dermis, or middle layer of skin, to prompt the body’s natural healing process. This wound response stimulates collagen production to strengthen and repair the skin at a cellular level.
At Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates, we enhance our microneedling treatments with radiofrequency (RF) energy, which promotes total skin rejuvenation and treats the following aesthetic concerns:
- Fine lines and wrinkles
- Uneven skin tone and texture
- Scarring
- Enlarged pores
- Hyperpigmentation
Though RF microneedling is a highly effective form of scar revision in Jacksonville, we cannot use this treatment on patients with active acne breakouts. RF microneedling can puncture wounds like acne blemishes, ultimately spreading bacteria, inflaming the skin, and leaving patients susceptible to infection. We recommend consulting your provider on alternative treatments for current acne breakouts.
Treatment Process
To begin your RF microneedling treatment, your provider first cleanses your treatment area and applies a topical anesthetic to minimize discomfort. They then glide the RF microneedling device across your skin, targeting and minimizing acne scars as they go. You may feel a slight pinching or stinging sensation during treatment, but the numbing cream reduces any pain you may experience.
Most RF microneedling treatments take 45 to 90 minutes to complete, depending on the size of your treatment area. Our experts can use RF microneedling to treat acne scars on the face, chest, back, and shoulders. We recommend patients undergo a series of 3 treatment sessions for optimal acne scar reduction, but you may need more depending on the severity of your scarring.
Chemical Peels
When shallow acne scars leave your skin looking textured and uneven, chemical peels treat damaged skin cells to create a smoother complexion.
Chemical peel treatments use customized acidic solutions to create a controlled injury on the top layers of skin. Similar to RF microneedling, this process boosts collagen production, which forms new skin cells to replace old, damaged ones. Chemical peels are available in a variety of depths, each tailored to address the skin at different levels, including:
- Light chemical peels – Removes only the outermost layer of skin. Repeat every 2 to 5 weeks after complete healing.
- Medium chemical peels – Targets skin cells in the outer and parts of the inner skin layers. Repeat every few months to maintain results.
- Deep chemical peels – Addresses skin cells in the middle layer of skin and deeper. Procedure is best performed only once.
Treatment Process
Your provider first cleanses the skin to begin each chemical peel treatment session before evenly applying your customized chemical solution. This solution is specially formulated to address your acne scars and any other concerns that arise during your consultation.
After leaving the chemical solution on your skin for 30 minutes, your provider neutralizes it and cleanses your face again. They may also apply a calming serum to soothe your newly resurfaced skin.
Most chemical peel treatments take 45 to 60 minutes to complete. After your appointment, your skin may feel red, hot, and irritated. We recommend following your provider’s post-care instructions and applying a healing ointment to alleviate these side effects.
Dermaplaning
For patients searching for a gentler approach to scar revision in Jacksonville, our experts recommend pairing dermaplaning with one of our rejuvenating facials.
When dermaplaning, one of our providers uses a small scalpel or razor to gently exfoliate dead skin cells and facial hairs from your skin. By shaving away the uppermost layers of skin, dermaplaning stimulates the body’s wound response and increases collagen production for a smoother complexion. When paired with one of our facial treatments, dermaplaning allows for deeper penetration of serums and solutions.
Some of our favorite facial treatments include:
- Signature Facial – Cleanses, exfoliates, and infuses the skin with medical-grade serums.
- HydraFacial – Uses a specialized tool to extract impurities and provide deep hydration.
- Acne Facial and extractions – Eliminates acne-causing bacteria at its source.
- LED light facial – Pairs red and blue LED light to rejuvenate the skin from within.
Though drug and makeup stores sell at-home dermaplaning kits, we highly recommend booking your treatment at Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates instead. Our experts use professional tools and techniques, which are safer and more effective. If used improperly, at-home dermaplaning treatments can increase your risk of injury and infection.
Treatment Process
To begin your dermaplaning session, your provider cleanses your skin to remove excess dirt and oils. They then scrape a small handheld scalpel across your skin, exfoliating dead skin cells and other minor imperfections. You may feel a slight scratching sensation, but most dermaplaning treatments for scar revision in Jacksonville are not painful.
To finish, your provider applies a soothing gel or ointment to reduce redness and irritation. Most dermaplaning appointments take 60 minutes to complete, but may take longer if you pair your treatment with a facial.
Our experts recommend scheduling a dermaplaning appointment monthly. This is because the skin’s cellular turnover rate, or how often the skin renews itself, cycles every 28 days. We may recommend more frequent treatments, depending on the severity of your acne scars.
Say Goodbye to Acne Scars
If you’ve worked hard to overcome acne, you deserve to enjoy clear, scar-free skin. Our experts have spent their careers developing effective methods of acne scar revision in Jacksonville to help patients create the complexion of their dreams.
Visit our website or give us a call to schedule your consultation and learn which acne scar treatment suits your aesthetic needs.
Interested in skin care at Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates? Head over to our skin care shop or read our latest blogs for more information.
