Treating Acne Scars and Spots

Acne is also known as “pimples” is a dermatological problem that has never been paid due attention to by most people though it negatively affects the psychological state especially during adolescence and can cause persistent skin problems and scars on human skin in the long term in case of wrong treatment.

What you need to know

A direct link between fatty foods and acne formation has not been proven. Acne can be caused by hormonal and genetic factors.

• Although a fatty diet does not affect acne formation, oils applied to the skin (oils in cosmetics) can cause the development of acne.
• People with acne may wear makeup but should make sure to choose the right products. Comedogenic agents should be avoided.
• It is impossible to avoid acne simply by cleansing the skin. On the other hand, having acne does not mean that you are not good at cleansing your skin.
• 90% of the population have acne at least once in their lives.
• The treatment of acne spots and scars has been made possible by technological developments in the field of dermatology and laser devices.

What are acne/pimples?

Acne is a skin condition caused by excessive sebum secretion in sebaceous glands located in the middle layer of the skin.

The most common acne occurs when the bacteria Corynebacterium Acnes develop in the formation caused by the secretion of sebum as a result of clogging of the pores at the hair root.

Why do acne spots and scars occur?

The most common negative side effect of ineffective acne treatment are acne spots or scars.

Acne spots are a change in skin color after acne has healed.

Usually, the spots are darker than the skin, but in rare cases, they can be lighter. Acne spots are on the same level with the skin, there are no irregularities or depressions.

Acne scars are depressions and sometimes raised bumps in the skin after acne has healed.

Acne-affected skin usually has both acne scars and acne spots.

If the surface layer is damaged or burned our skin can heal without scarring. However, with deep injuries or burns, when the middle and lower layers of the skin are damaged, there is a high probability of scarring due to the healing process because the skin tissue is damaged more.

As with injuries or burns, our skin perceives acne as a problem that needs to be addressed and triggers a process called inflammation.

Some pimples cause rupture of the follicle walls, in these cases, the cells responsible for the skin self-healing are damaged. As a result, a scar appears because the skin produces more collagen than necessary. It is called a hypertrophic (keloid) scar. The type of scars that occur with less collagen production are classified as atrophic scars and look like pits or depressions.

In other words, acne scars can be convex or concave in relation to the surface of the skin, depending on the personal characteristics of the patient. Acne scars are most commonly considered atrophic scars.

When do acne scars and spots appear?

Acne scars or spots are not inevitable but they are very common.

Here are the reasons:

• Inappropriate acne treatment is the most important cause. As serious as your acne problem is, it can be cured. However, at a young age, this is often not paid attention to or treated with folk remedies. Acne is the subject of a dermatological examination. The result will be obtained if the treatment for this problem is prescribed by a dermatologist and then applied correctly.
• The goal is to prevent the formation of spots or scarring in the early stages of acne. You can find out the details of acne treatment on our page: https://en.dk-klinik.com.tr/acne-treatment.
• Large pimples are one of the most important causes of spots and scars.
• Popping pimples can cause spots and scars.
• The fact that acne is papulopustular indicates that it should be treated without delay. Papulopustular acne is a type of acne that protrudes strongly on the surface of the skin and is yellow in color indicating inflammation. This is the type of acne that causes scarring most often.
• Causes such as constant exposure of inflamed pimples to sunlight can cause new pimples to appear.

Is it possible to heal acne spots and scars?

Of course, it is possible.

However, the top priority should be timely acne treatment and prevention of spots and scars because treating spots and scars are much more difficult, more expensive, and much longer than acne treatment.

The first thing we look at when treating acne spots and scars is whether the acne is still active. If pimples still appear, effective acne treatment should be done to prevent new scars and spots from forming. Otherwise, spots and scars from new acne will have to be re-treated.

What is the guaranteed solution to the acne spot problem?

As we explained above, it is very important to prevent new acne from forming before treating spots and scars, because every new pimple is a candidate for a new blemish or scar.

When treating acne, small sebaceous formations that do not contain inflammation, called comedones or blackheads, should be treated with products containing acids. Because they are usually the precursors of acne.

Creams containing azelaic acid, salicylic acid, retinoic acid, or chemical peels with glycolic acid are an important step in the treatment that prevents comedones from becoming pimples and reduces acne formation.

For inflammatory lesions called pustules, nodules, cysts, treatment options vary depending on the severity of acne, from topical creams to oral antibiotics or retinoic acid.

Topical antibiotic creams, benzene peroxide creams, and topical retinoid creams are used to treat mild acne.

In the case of moderate acne lesions women may be prescribed oral antibiotic therapy (especially tetracyclines, the duration of which does not exceed 3 months) and in some cases estrogen-containing drugs.

In the treatment of severe acne lesions, one of the important options is the use of isotretinoin.

The following methods are mainly used in the treatment of acne scars:

• The use of a fractional CO2 laser is one of the most effective treatments for acne spots and scars. It is based on the evaporation of the upper layer of the skin using a CO2 laser which is a very powerful laser system. You can read the details at this link https://en.dk-klinik.com.tr/fractional-co2-laser
• Fractional Needle Radiofrequency Therapy is used to treat scars and spots by activating skin repair systems using the Scarlett radiofrequency system. You can read the details at this link https://en.dk-klinik.com.tr/fractional-microneedling-radiofrequency
• The above methods are some of the most effective treatments that can be used for moderate to severe acne scars as a combined treatment.
• Subcision is a small surgical procedure used to remove deep acne scars. Deep scars usually connect to the lower layer of the skin with a fibrous flagellum. This makes the dimple more pronounced. The process of cutting this flagellum by penetrating from the lateral side of the cavity is called subcision. As a result of the procedure, the cavity becomes more superficial.
• When using a chemical peel, the top layer of the skin is exfoliated and acne scars become flatter. The acid chemical peel uses different ingredients to penetrate to different depths of the skin. You can read the details at the following link https://en.dk-klinik.com.tr/chemical-peeling.
• Carbon peel that is performed with Q-switched NdYag laser treatment is more effective on acne spots than scars. One of the important advantages of the procedure is its applicability at any time of the year. In addition, it effectively clears blackheads and prevents the formation of new acne. You can read the details at this link https://en.dk-klinik.com.tr/carbon-peeling
• Treatments such as Dermapen and micro-punctures create many micro-injuries on the skin areas with acne scars. Due to this collagen is produced, our body quickly repairs these micro-wounds, and acne scars become less noticeable. You can read the details at this link https://en.dk-klinik.com.tr/dermapen.
• Mesotherapy increases the production of collagen and hyaluronic acid in the skin. It is used especially after to improve the effectiveness of other treatment methods to make the skin smoother. You can read the details at this link https://en.dk-klinik.com.tr/mesotherapy.
• Fillers help reduce the depth of the pits formed by acne scars. This procedure may need to be repeated at regular intervals. You can read the details at this link https://en.dk-klinik.com.tr/face-filler.

Which of these treatments is right for you?

The choice of treatment for acne scars and spots depends on the prevalence and depth of the spots and scars, whether new acne continues to appear, and the season of the year.

Treatments for acne scars are long-term and should be applied step-by-step.

That is why good contact between the patient and the doctor and regular check-ups are important in this process.

You may find some of our before and after results, below;

ACNE SCAR TREATMENT - Before and After Gallery

Will acne scars and spots completely disappear?

While treating acne is challenging there is a good chance that your skin will heal completely.

However, acne scars are much more difficult to treat. It is good if they are few and not deep. However, if there are moderate to deep scars it is difficult to predict how much the condition will improve. If an effective treatment protocol is applied and the person protects their skin well in this process significant improvement can be achieved. Deep scars should not be expected to completely heal with any treatment. If the patient wants deeply damaged skin to look as smooth as normal skin this can be achieved with fillers.

The topic of acne scars and spots is unfortunately widely used to attract clients to beauty centres. Salons and centres operating without a dermatologist make promises and give "one hundred percent guarantees", which unfortunately is not evidence-based. Unfortunately, acne scars and spots cannot be removed with skincare, needling therapy, or skincare products.

What can and cannot be done when you have acne?

Scientific studies have not found any link between acne formation and nutrition (such as fat in the diet). For this reason, patients with acne are not prescribed a special long-term diet.

The effect of coffee and cola on the occurrence of acne has not been proven either.

However, while acne is caused by genetic reasons and hormones, it can be aggravated by some environmental factors.

Humid hot air, pressure on the skin, chlorinated water are physical factors that can be listed as contributing to the spread of acne.

In addition to medical treatment, inflammatory lesions, also called pustules, should not be squeezed out otherwise the risk of secondary bacterial infections and acne scars increases.

It is possible to reduce the number of blackheads and whiteheads, also called comedones, by using a chemical peel with fruit acids every 3-4 weeks.

After peeling the steam bath is applied to the skin and then stubborn comedones are cleaned with a medical comedone press.

What diseases are acne confused with?

It is important not to confuse acne with another condition in order to choose and apply the appropriate treatment. At the diagnostic stage, you should rule out rosacea (rose disease), panniculitis, bacterial and fungal folliculitis with acne-like formations.