3 Things you Must Know About Acne Scar Laser Treatment

Most of us will face acne outbreaks at some time in our lives. Unluckily, outbreaks can leave a have a lasting impact on our perfect skin: acne scars. Try as we might, these ugly marks somehow get and stay on our faces for a long time. A commonly touted treatment for acne scars is laser treatment.

We might think it’s as simple as torching away our annoying scars and admiring this now unblemished area. However, there are some things you must know about treating your acne scars with laser treatment before you pop by your local dermatologist to get rid of acne scars. Here, we will go over some of the most important aspects of laser treatment.

1.  Those with Active Acne Should Not Receive Laser Treatment

Treatment for acne scars and active acne are completely different, and you should avoid seeking laser treatment for your acne scars if you are actively dealing with breakouts. There are a few reasons behind this. The first is that active acne means more scars are still forming during the laser treatment. You should wait before tackling all your scars at one go.

Secondly, getting laser treatment with active acne opens up the possibility of a larger infection when your skin regrows after the laser treatment. The presence of acne-causing bacteria in affected areas means it can easily spread when your skin is sensitive after the treatment. You should hold your plans for acne scar treatment until you do not have to actively handle acne outbreaks.

2. There are Different Types of Laser Treatment

Lasers might all seem the same, but there are subtle differences between the different options available. Laser treatments can be separated into 2 main categories: ablative and non-ablative.

Ablative treatment is the more invasive treatment method of the two. It essentially fits the mould of “torching away scarred areas and letting skin regrow.” The laser exposes the skin to an intense light, and removes the top layers of the scarred or damaged skin and forces the skin to heal and regrow. The Edge Fractional CO2is a partially ablative laser treatment.

Non-ablative laser treatment avoids wounding or removing layers of the patient’s skin. An example would be the Fraxel Laser treatment. Instead of removing the skin’s surface layer and reconstructing a new one, the laser treatment heats up tissue in targeted areas to stimulate collagen production. Increased collagen levels help fill out pitted acne scars, leading to a smoother complexion.

3. Laser Treatments Require Time

Getting rid of acne scars won’t be instant with laser treatments. As with any medical treatment, results will need time to become noticeable. With ablative treatment, the entire layer of skin is removed, not simply the damaged areas. Thus, your skin will need time to construct a new and unblemished replacement layer. You will need 1 to 2 weeks to recover from an ablative laser session. You will probably only begin seeing results weeks or months after receiving any kind of laser treatment.

Handling acne breakouts is one thing, getting rid of acne scars is a whole other headache. But it is still a delicate medical procedure, and these are 3 facts you must know about laser treatments.