Ice Pick Scars – The Most Common Acne Scar

It is known that most acne sufferers have more than a few ice pick scars. It is easy to understand how this kind of scar was given the name because it looks as though they were made by an ice pick or a quite sharp, thin instrument like an ice pick. Ice pick scars are easily recognized ice pick scars mostly look like a very large open pore on the face. Not very pretty.

Ice pick scarring is formed, usually as a result of cystic acne, when the scar develops after a cyst, or other rooted, inflamed blemish. The eruption works its way up from the inner layers of skin. Vulneable skin tissue in its path, and nothing else, is effectively corrupted, leaving behind a rather obvious long and deep scarring. If seen under a microscope, an ice pick scar looks like a deep, narrow ravine, giving them their unique appearance.

While treatment is available to improve the appearance of ice pick scars, it may not remove the scarring entirely. New laser treatments are now being tried but the most preferred method of treatment currently is a form of cosmetic surgery known as "punch excision." As it sounds, the surgeon presses a small tool into the damaged area and, in effect, slices away individual scars. The resulting incision, hardly any wider than the original scar, is then closed using disolving stitches or, more so today, skin glue. Once the area has healed, the skin looks a quite a bit more normal. If still needed, the area can then be easily covered with light makeup.

Hypertrophic Scars

The hypertrophic scar is the most visible, even though they are rarely found on the face of a sufferer, because they actually stand out from the skin. They are found in areas of the body that are usually covered. They are visible on the surface rather than being sunken into it. What also makes it rare is the fact that it is not actually skin that has been eaten away by a breakout of acne, instead it is where there has been extra tissue created by sub-surface eruption. The name "hypertrophic" is taken from the term "hypertrophy" which means an increase in the size of an organ due to overgrowth of cells. In this case, pores of the skin.

It is quite common to find hypertrophic scars on the body of men rather than women because men sweat more and usually have more body hair. They appear as a raised, firm mound of tissue. Often, a hypertrophic scar will grow larger than the original wound. They are caused, {most often,|usually, by an overabundance of collagen, the igredient in our skin that allows our skin to be soft. Do not confuse hypertrophic scars with "Keloid" scars. There is a difference between the two. Keloid scars routinely overgrow the area of the original injury and usually harden the skin in the area where they develop.

The common treatment for hypertrophic or Keloid scars is injections of cortisone and Interferon. Cortisone is injected into the affected area and tends to shrink and flatten the scar tissue area. To help the shrinking and removal process, Interferon is injected along with the cortisone to enhance softening and to reduce the swollen appearance of the scarring. If you suffer from these types of scars and do not have insurance to pay for the injections, you should not be too upset. These types of scars can decrease in size and improve in appearance over a short time. Look into over-the-counter solutions and home remedies as a solution.

For those acne scar sufferers who can afford it, there is a new and potentially effective treatment against acne and scarring. It is laser technology. Currently used in the removal and reduction of acne scarring, it has been promoted by some scientists as a powerful weapon in the progression of acne treatments.

The idea behind this new treatment is that the laser will burn away the follicle sac in which hair grows along with the sebaceous gland where the oil is produced, as a result causing oxygen to form in acne-causing bacteria, killing them. However, as with all new treatments, there is a cautionary note. It should be apparent to those who understand how lasers work that there is always the danger that heat damage to the skin may cause long-term dryness and blemishes. The United States Food and Drug Adminstration has approved the controlled use of lasers for the treatment of acne and acne scarring.

There have been some technical problems reported. Some of the laser devices have suffered coolant failures, causing a small percentage of patients to suffer painful burning injuries. At this stage, the treatment is quite expensive due to its small-scale operation and the technology is still be tested. While lasers have not been ruled out for potential future use, it is available for those willing to risk it and who can afford it.