Acne scars can be a major insecurity for many people. These scars can serve as a constant reminder of your skin’s fight to treat acne blemishes. However, it’s essential to realize acne scars are not permanent and can be improved

There are a variety of different acne scar removal treatment options available from acne scar resurfacing to acne scar subcision that each work to improve the appearance of acne scarring.With nearly 50% of people in Singapore struggling with acne scars, this common skin condition can make you feel self-conscious and uncomfortable in your own skin.Depending on its severity, acne can cause emotional stress and scar the skin. It is crucial to know that the earlier you start the treatment, the lower the likelihood of such problems. Regain your inner confidence and effortlessly embrace your skin with the help of acne scar treatments.

Causes of Acne Scars and How They Are Formed

About 80% of people between the ages of 11 and 30 suffer from acne. And, of those people, 20% will get acne scars. Acne develops when the hair follicles under the skin becomes clogged by oil sebum and dead skin cells. Bacteria infect the clogged follicles, leading to inflammation and acne. Acne can appear as whiteheads, blackheads, papules, pustules, nodules or cysts. Acne scars form as a result of your body’s response to healing acne. However, everyone’s body responds differently to acne and how their body heals from acne. This unique way of your body treating the scars inevitably causes different types of acne scars to form.

Stages of Acne

Different Types of Acne Scars

If you have acne scars, you may likely to have more than one type of scarring.
There are two main types of acne scars:

Atrophic/Depressed Scarring: Scars develop from a loss of tissue and create an indentation on the affected skin’s surface.
- Boxcar Scar – Round or oval depressions with steep vertical sides. They give the skin an uneven, pitted appearance and are developed when acne destroys the collagen in the skin, causing the skin to lose support and sink to form a depressed scar.
- Rolling Scar – Wave-like depressions, with an uneven and craggy appearance on the skin. They are formed when fibrous bands of tissue develop between the skin and the tissue below. These bands pull the epidermis and bind it to deeper structures of the skin which creates the rolling appearance.
- Ice Pick Scar – Deep, narrow scars that extend into the skin. They appear as small and thin holes in the skin as if pierced by an ice pick. They tend to develop after an infection from a cyst which destroys the skin tissue, leaving long, column-like scars.
Hypertrophic/Keloid Scarring: Scars that appear as raised lesions on the skin as a result of the overgrowth of fibrous tissue in the region where the acne had developed.

Acne Scar Treatment Options

Not all acne scars are the same. One or a combination of acne treatments might improve the appearance of your skin, depending on your skin type, scar type, and severity of the scarring. At Aesteem Aesthetic Clinic, we provide a variety of different acne scar treatments to effectively treat your acne scars.

Rejuran S with Subcision

Rejuran S is made of polynucleotides (PN) which help to repair damaged skin cells and promote skin cell growth through collagen production. For deeper and more fibrous acne scars, a subcision is performed by inserting a tiny needle into the scar area and moving the needle in a “fanning” movement to break apart the fibrous tissues beneath and release the scar tissues within the scar. This is followed by the injection of Rejuran S into the base of the acne scar to stimulate collagen growth, improving and evening out the skin’s surface where the scar was. The combination of the 2 treatments will provide better results as compared to a Rejuran S injection alone. Rolling scars, boxcar scars, and icepick scars can be treated successfully with this treatment.

Profhilo Filler

Profhilo is a type of injectable that is used as a skin-remodeling treatment for hydrating skin and treating skin laxity. It has one of the highest concentrations of hyaluronic acid in the market and is injected into the skin to stimulate collagen production and elastin. The high concentration of hyaluronic acid makes it an ideal treatment for dermal tissue repair of acne scars as it enables faster wound healing, tissue renewal, and greater hydration to fill in scars and smooth out the skin.

Fotona Erbium Resurfacing Laser

Fotona Erbium Resurfacing laser is an acne scar laser removal treatment that uses two different laser wavelengths: Er:YAG and Nd: YAG to penetrate deep into the epidermal skin to target specific affected areas. The laser energy helps to promote your body’s healing response to stimulate collagen production and improve skin tone, texture, and the appearance of acne scars.

Secret RF Microneedling

Secret RF microneedling is an acne scar removal treatment that combines radiofrequency and micro-needles to treat acne scars. It can effectively treat ice pick, boxcar, rolling, and keloid scars.

The treatment applies precisely controlled radiofrequency energy directly into various depths of skin using minimally invasive micro-needles to prevent epidermis damage and reduce downtime. Collagen regeneration and new elastin production process begins immediately to heal the skin. Depending on the severity of condition, some patients may see mild improvements immediately and a series of 2-3 treatments is usually recommended for optimal results.

Enerjet Acne Scar Resurfacing

Enerjet acne scar resurfacing treatment is a non-surgical, minimally-invasive treatment that utilizes the unique Jet Volumetric Remodeling technology to deliver high pneumatic blasts of hyaluronic acid particles deep into the subcutaneous layer of skin, causing a deep volumetric micro-trauma, known as minimal epidermal damage enabling the optimal spread of the hyaluronic acid compounds. This process causes dermal remodeling of the scarred area to rise up to a similar level as the other parts of the skin, resulting in smoother and younger skin. This treatment is especially helpful in improving acne scars, stretch marks, and wrinkled skin and is suitable to treat the most delicate areas of the skin such as the neck, cheeks, lips, forehead, chin, and around the eyes.

How to Prevent Acne Scars

It can feel extremely frustrating to deal with the seemingly never-ending cycle of acne breakouts and the possibility of acne scars. Here are some easy ways to prevent breakouts.

Never pop your pimples – Although it may be tempting to want to pop your pimples, resist the urge! This will further spread the bacteria causing more acne to form, and disrupting the healing process of your skin and creating scarring.
Prevent Acne – You can’t get acne scars without first experiencing acne. Although acne is common and sometimes inevitable, there are ways you can reduce your acne and keep it under control. This includes washing your face, not touching your skin, potential diet changes, and staying hydrated are all possible ways to reduce your risk of acne breakouts.
Keep Hydrated – Consistently rehydrating and moisturizing your skin helps with the healing process of your body fighting off any acne blemishes and acne scars.

Consistently washing your face and body, changing your pillow cases, applying moisturizer, eating healthy (and avoiding sugary drinks and processed foods), exercising, and maintaining your stress levels are all lifestyle changes you can make to reduce your risk of acne in the first place, which thus reduces your risk of experiencing acne scarring.

When to See a Doctor

If your acne is persistent and self-care remedies don’t help to clear your acne, seek medical treatment from a doctor. Schedule an appointment with us, our specialized team can help to create a treatment plan best suited for you.