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Acne Scarring Treatments

Acne Scarring Treatments

Portland Acne TreatmentAcne scars are a major problem that can be disfiguring and psychologically devastating to patients. It affects patients of all ethnic backgrounds and skin types. Even minor breakouts can result in scarring. Although it is a complex condition, treatments are available in Portland for acne scarring.

Acne scarring actually takes on different forms. Some patients will complain of persistent red or dark marks on their skin after the acne is resolved. Others might note textural changes in their skin, with rolled depressions or deep “ice pick” indentations on the skin surface.

It is for this reason that not all acne scarring patients can be treated in the same way. Therapies need to be individualized and each case must be carefully evaluated, to provide the most effective solution for each unique situation.

Because patients often present with different types of scarring and different skin types a combination of procedures may be required to maximize scar treatment outcomes.

Treatment Options for Acne Scarring

Portland Acne Scar Doctor Dermatologist

When your skin suffers any type of injury, your body heals the wound with fibrous tissue formed of collagen and proteins forming a scar. Scars come in different shapes and sizes – discolored red bumps, stretch marks, deep pockmarks or ice pick holes from acne, sunken divots, keloids, or even shiny raised ridges at the sites of surgery. Hair usually will not grow from a scar, and scar tissue doesn’t tan normally or permit sweat glands to function in that area.

While scar is part of nature’s healing process, some scars are cosmetically unpleasing and may arise in an area that you find unattractive. Advances in dermatology and cosmetic surgery offer some amazing treatments available in Portland to revise your scars appearance.

  • Laser:  The Perfecta™ Vbeam laser works to target the superficial vascular component from a resolving acne lesion. These treatments can be performed on the face, chest and/or back, to reduce the appearance of redness from a healing acne lesion.
  • Radio-frequency Therapy: Radio frequency devices (E-Matrix) heat the skin and redistribute collagen to smooth scars. The E-Matrix™ can be used on all skin types to treat acne scarring. The Sublative™ fractionated bi-polar radio frequency technology places the heat energy effectively into the upper dermis where it can produce a significant increase in both collagen and elastin with minimal epidermal disruption.
  • Microneedling: The Dermapen3™ micro-needling device effortlessly glides over the skin to initiate and stimulate the body’s own natural healing and regenerative response. This procedure, used in combination with chemical peels, can provide patients with a customized treatment plan to repair skin healing from acne.
  • Chemical peels: A controlled method of using specific acidic solution derived from natural fruits to remove top layers of skin, refining scars.

You can learn more about treatments for Acne Scarring at American Academy of Dermatology.

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