Acne during the teen years can leave long-lasting effects well into adulthood. The deep, pitted pockmarks can be unsightly and cause self-esteem problems unless it is remedied. Past treatments include microdermabrasion and chemical peels, but these are more for superficial skin problems and rarely achieve great results with deep acne scars. A new technique that emerged in the early 2000's, called the acne scar punch, completely smooths out acne scars. Does this Spark an idea?
Procedure
A punch graft is a technique in which a doctor creates a wound over the acne scar and then either sutures the edges together or fills the hole with a skin graft or some type of filler. Over time, the old acne scar will smooth out and appear much less noticeable than before. For "ice pick" acne that is very deep and pitted, the doctor might punch a hole in the skin and then elevate the scar tissue.
Results
The results for the acne scar punch graft are usually very good. Most people will see a reduction, if not complete elimination, in the amount of pitted scars. After a couple of weeks, their skin will have healed and the final results are achieved. Sometimes, the patient can opt to have microdermabrasion or a chemical peel to achieve super-smooth results after their punch graft procedure.
Benefits
There are several variations of the acne scar punch technique, but all of them will help the patient achieve smoother skin with fewer visible acne scars. In addition, people with non-acne facial scars or old chickenpox scars can benefit from this procedure. Any type of small pitted scar can be remedied with the graft punch technique.
Alternatives
Some alternatives to the acne scar punch procedure include laser resurfacing, which burns the very top layer of skin away. Chemical peels using a high concentration of salicylic acid can help with minor acne scars or hyperpigmentation. Another alternative is subcutaneous incision, which involves rolling a hollow needle under the scars to break up tissue. While some of these treatments are more expensive or painful than others, the acne punch procedure is the best for deeply pitted facial scars.
Tags: acne scar, acne scars, acne scar punch, punch graft, scar punch, deep pitted, facial scars
