Our integrative medical approach to treating acne scarring
Scars are part of the skin’s normal healing process, following a wound or injury. All injuries to the skin will trigger the body to repair itself by forming new collagen fibres, the matrix of all body tissue. In the case of acne scars, a pore or follicle is blocked so the area becomes inflamed and infected. If the follicle tears, the infected material can destroy the surrounding healthy tissue and trigger the skin’s repair response.
Stretch marks are scars that form in an area of deep tissue that has weakened, usually during hormonal changes like puberty or pregnancy, combined with a stretching force on the skin such as weight gain or exercise.
Surgical scars are often dependent on the conditions of surgery and how effective the skin can align and mesh when held together by sutures. Other scars such as those occurring after tattoo removal may be due to ineffective treatment methods or therapist error, resulting in a burn.
As essential as this skin healing process is, it rarely results in the original skin structure or texture. Instead, there may be too much or too little collagen and fibrous threads may bind the scar tissue to deeper skin structures.
Key benefits
- Improve skin Texture
- Diminish scars on face and body
- Stimulate your own healing process for a more even skin tone
Available treatments
Unique procedure options for different scars
Results
Whilst acne scars and other scar removal treatments generally require a multi-method approach and more than one session, the results for nearly all patients can be extremely good if you complete the recommended treatment program … especially on the face, which has an amazing ability to regenerate skin.
Patience and program compliance are essential as each treatment will produce an incremental improvement and collagen production, which continues from 3-12 months depending upon the treatment options.
Once acne scar tissue has been refined, your complexion and skin tone can be further enhanced and maintained with dermal therapies such as IPL photo-rejuvenation (to remove residual redness or brown spots), non-ablative laser for texture and firming, chemical peels, Dermapen, home roller needling, microdermabrasion and clinic strength home-care products.
What to expect
How to prepare
Chemical Peels
Chemical peels also encourage the exfoliation of superficial skin, however, the peel is initiated via the application of a chemical solution, which can range from mild Glycolic or Jessner peels through to deeper medical—grade solutions. The deeper the peel, the longer the recovery time but less treatments are required.
The most suitable chemical peel will depend upon your skin type and conditions (some skin conditions are not suited to chemical solutions e.g. eczma and rosacea).
Skin Preparation Products
Where active acne is present or skin is congested, your treating doctor may prescribe a topical Tretinoin acid (ReTrieve 0.05%) to speed up cellular turnover, which clears and prevents the formation of new pimples and blackheads whilst shedding aged or damaged skin, giving the effect of lightening and smoothing the skin.
For sun exposed or darker skin types, your doctor is likely to prescribe a melanin suppressing cream such as Kligman’s, which reduces the risks of hyper-pigmentation and enables laser settings to be higher.
If you are having laser treatment near the lip area and have been exposed to cold sores, anti viral medication will also be prescribed pre and post treatment to prevent an outbreak.
Interested in Acne and Scaring Treatment
We welcome you to Pavilion Cosmetic Medicine Sydney for a consultation with our cosmetic practitioners, who'll tailor a treatment plan specific to your concerns and desires.