The mirror to a personality is undeniably the face – and the face with acne blemishes could scarcely be considered the most esthetic of mirrors! The human tendency then being predictably to squeeze the pimples out of existence – which could well be defined as the most unfortunate but widely prevalent of practices considering that it could well leave behind the likes of a persistent and angry red or permanent brown stained scars which would well blemish the otherwise flawless complexion for life!
Cardinals
The cardinal rule then is to ensure that the acne does not leave behind potentially disfiguring scars being:
- The risk of acne scars being best minimized by ensuring prompt and quick treatment of acne
- Visible lesions are best kept covered and effectively controlled by effective and comprehensive treatment regimes.
Profile
The acne scars then are predictably easy to contact and invariably the staining of the acne scars improve and minimize with the passage of time provided effective multiple modalities of skin treatment is instituted – which could well encompass the likes of topical retinoid, exfoliation facials and even Alpha-hydroxyl acids.
The lesions could well vary from the mild variants which would scarcely be noticeable and may well fade out over a period of time while conversely the more severe variants may leave permanent acne scars!
Acne Classified
The acne scars could well present in diverse forms:
- Box Car Scars
These scars are similar in manifestation to Chicken Pox scars and are usually located in the region of the temples and the cheeks.
Concurrently these are one variant of acne scars which could either be superficial or deep.
- Ice Pick Scars
The Ice Pick variant of acne scars are more classical in manifestation and would inevitably present as deep pits
- Hypertrophied Scars
As is evident from the name – the Hypertrophied acne scars would invariably be thickened or Keloid scars
- Rolling Scars
The rolling acne scars may well not be very prevalent – nevertheless they would typically present with a wave like appearance of the skin
Acne Management Protocol
Managing acne scars then would need to adhere to a set protocol of management for optimum results:
- Acne would need to be effectively treated before instituting therapy for control and management of acne scars
- The specific classification or type of acne scar would determine the modality of management to be adopted
- The skin type of the individual would help identify the most effective modality of treatment
Managing Acne Scars
The typical acne scars then inarguably need to be prevented and where prevention is not viable – the pick of options would be to get rid of these potentially disfiguring scars – which is best achieved using multiple modalities:
* Non Surgical Treatment
The Non Surgical line of management is invariably the preferred option and would include some or more of:
- Topical Creams – for local application
- Chemical Peels – One peel every week for a duration of six weeks – adds luster and tone to the skin
* Surgical Management
The surgical modality of management being the more aggressive of modes would invariably include the likes of scar revision and resurfacing of the scars.
Conclusively managing acne scars is a science and the myth that those with acne scars would have to live with it! This could not have been further from the truth.

Tags: Acne, acne scars, acne treatment