Diet

How important is a balanced diet in the prevention of acne.

This article highlights the significance of the different vitamins in diet to avoid the occurrence of acne.

It gives the sources of vitamins found in food and the right doses to be taken in a day.

Remedies

Are you tired of using ointments and medicines, which are ineffective for treating your acne?

If you are looking for natural methods of treatment of acne scars, here is a detailed treatment of the various home remedies you can use for the treatment of acne scars.

Myths

Various myths abound regarding acne. For myths surrounding acne this article is an in-depth study.

It dispels these myths with the actual truth behind these myths.

Best Acne Scar treatment

Acne is the most common disease treated by dermatologists. It is a chronic disease with the highest occurrence in adolescents. The etiology of acne is multi-factorial involving increased oil (sebum) production, changes in hair follicle, increased proliferation of bacteria (Propionibacterium acnes) and hormones.


Scars are the depressions or pits on the acne-affected skin which cause disfigurement. In about 95% cases of acne there occurs scarring. Acne scar is due to body's inflammatory response to acne. This scarring leads to disfigurement of skin. Any scar on the face has a tendency to leave mental scars too in teenagers affected with acne.

Scars should not be confused with pigment spots or infection spots that are temporary conditions of injury or infection. Moderate to severe acne produces substantial swelling in the skin these lead to scarring.

Some of the best acne scar treatments available are as follows:

1. Skin Surgery: Some ice-pick scars may be removed by "punch" excision of each individual scar. In this procedure each scar is excised down to the layer of subcutaneous fat; the resulting hole in the skin may be repaired with sutures or with a small skin graft.

2. Chemical peels can improve small, depressed scars and some larger scars. Peeling may also be effective in treating any remaining acne by removing comedones (blackheads and whiteheads).

3. Microdermabrasion: This is a simple, safe, cosmetic procedure for getting rid of acne scars. Here aluminum oxide crystals or other abrasive substances are blown on to the face. These are then removed with vacuum. The skin thus heals and becomes smoother.



4. Laser: Laser is a technology where high-energy light is used on skin. This helps in healing the scars. Lasers of various wavelength and intensity may be used to heal the scar tissue and reduce the redness of skin around healed acne lesions. The type of laser used is determined by the results that the laser treatment aims to accomplish. Laser resurfacing is a popular treatment for many skin defects. The most popular laser types used for resurfacing of acne scars are the carbon dioxide (CO2) and erbium:YAG (Er:YAG) lasers. Lasers work by essentially burning the top layers of skin to a precise depth. The skin then heals replacing the burned layers with newer appearing skin.

5. Grafting: Grafting is done to remove small scarred patch of acne affected skin with good skin.

6. Collagen injections: Collagen injections are given to quicken healing of the scars.

The best acne scar treatments focus on treating acne completely and early. Different people suffer from different type of scaring. Hence the treatment depends on the intensity and type of scars.
Acne scar treatment depends upon the condition of acne and skin. One has to choose among these treatments by consulting a surgeon or dermatologist. Yet among the above-mentioned laser treatment has come up as the best among the existing ones. It has revolutionized acne scar treatment. It may also happen that combination of these treatments needs to be carried out in sequence so to produce best results.

References:

1. Jemec G.B., Jemec B. "Acne: treatment of scars". Clin Dermatol. 2004; 22(5): 434-8.
2. Friedman P.M., Jih M.H., Skover G.R., Payonk G.S., Kimyai-Asadi A., Geronemus R.G. "Treatment of atrophic facial acne scars with the 1064-nm Q-switched Nd:YAG laser: six-month follow-up study". Arch Dermatol. 2004 Nov; 140(11): 1337-41.
3. Dreno B. "Acne: physical treatment". Clin Dermatol. 2004 Sep-Oct; 22(5): 429-33.
4. Spencer J.M. "Microdermabrasion". Am J Clin Dermatol. 2005. 6(2): 89-92.
5. Elizabeth L., Jason R., Tina S. "Laser in dermatology: four decades of progress". Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2003 July; 49#1.
6. Jordan R.E., Cummins C.L., Burls A.J., Seukeran D.C. "Laser resurfacing of acne scars". Cochrane Database System Rev 2001; 1:CD001866.