Skin Scars and their Treatment

There are many types of scars: surgical, post-traumatic, atrophic scars from acne or chicken pox, burn and hypertrophic scars.

A different type of scars is keloids. They consist of an excessive production of scar tissue in relation to the injury that extends beyond the limits of the damage, in contrast to hypertrophic scars that are limited to the area of damaged skin. In other words, large keloids can occur even after a minor injury (e.g. ear piercing).

The predisposition to keloid formation affects some people and is treated differently than other scars (cortisone injections and cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen).

Acne scars

The severe inflammatory acne and cystic acne can leave scars on the face, usually on the cheeks that are very disturbing to patients from an aesthetic point of view and are not effectively covered by makeup. The "picking" of acne lesions also predisposes to scarring. In darker skins, acne can also leave discolorations (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation).

There are different treatment options for treating acne scars. Microneedling is the most effective method with the shortest recovery time in treating mild to moderate acne scars. It works with the method of multiple skin punctures at the scar spots with specially designed needles. These numerous punctures stimulate the production of collagen. Prior to the treatment, we apply an anesthetic cream, so the treatment can be well-tolerated. After the treatment, the skin is red and slightly swollen, but in 2-3 days it recovers spectacularly. Depending on the type of scars, 4-6 treatments one per month are required. The first results are already visible in 6 weeks. Sun protection and use of regenerating creams are recommended for one week after the treatment. Surgical scars are also treated in this way. Some acne scars that are severely atrophic require injectable hyaluronic acid to "plump".

Another way to treat acne scars, which also works by stimulating collagen production, is the Fractional CO2 Laser. It works by causing fractional micro-burns in the epidermis and upper dermis which prompt the fibroblasts to produce collagen. Repetitive treatments are required per month which we perform exclusively in the winter months to avoid exposure of the treated skin to the sun. The advantage of this method is that it treats facial discoloration and fine wrinkles at the same time.

It should be emphasized here that treatments such as peelings and microdermabrasion with crystals rejuvenate the skin but do not treat scars.