Acne

Acne Scars

Despite so much effort, acne scars turned out to be extremely difficult to treat. In the past, dermatologists have used several methods such as punch grafts, excision, and chemical peels as treatments. But we all know that the results of these therapies have not turned out to be fruitful and these therapies may have given room to additional scarring to occur. Over the past years, dermatologists have been working with laser treatment to remove acne scar in which results turned out to be extremely beneficial and with excellent results.

Acne

Many different ways have been used to do laser acne treatment but the two major methods that have been proposed are:

Direct absorption of visible light energy by porphyrins wherein light energy is absorbed by the bacteria triggering production of toxic singlet oxygen which damages or destroys the bacteria. Almost any visible light source can be used, including narrow-band light sources such as the ClearLight and Blu-U, assorted IPL devices, copper vapor lasers, pulse dye lasers and various orange/red light lasers or light sources. One very important factor is that these lights have absorption peak of porphyrins so the laser waves have the advantage of penetrating deeper in to the skin.

Many researches have proven that to get good results of acne scar removal laser treatment, combining pulsed dye technology with carbon dioxide laser vaporization can turn out to be an efficient way in treating scars. Atrophic acne scars, where there is a breakdown of the skin, have been found to respond favorably to carbon dioxide laser resurfacing. The number of treatments needed depends on the type of lesion and each individual's collagen and wound healing response. Usually two or more treatments are necessary for cystic acne scars. With this acne scar treatment, the pulsed dye laser procedure is typically performed without general anesthesia. Local anesthesia is usually administered with topical anesthetic cream, intralesional injections or nerve blocks. The immediate result may produce a purplish color. The treated scars are then evaluated 6-8 weeks later, wherein another treatment at the same or slightly higher strength may be necessary.

The main reason for the increasing demand of acne scar laser treatment is its safety factor because it eliminates the risks of prolonged antibiotic use. Retinoid therapy can be avoided, as well as the expense and inconvenience of prolonged topical treatments, medications, gels, creams, etc. Whether or not acne laser treatments should be used as first-line treatment for acne, or even for prevention of acne, still remains unclear at this time.

Remove Acne Scar