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So if popping pimples doesn’t cause scarring, what does?
Illustrations By Jocelyn Reunice
These red, painful nodules occur when clogged pores are filled with pus and bacteria, which causes inflammation.
Acne scars take many different forms.
You might see tiny pockmarks, a swollen keloid, or a discolored area on the skin.
And just like the types of scars vary, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all fix.
Here are the five primary types of acne scars and the popular treatments available to treat each one.
To get rid of these tiny pockmarks, Dr. Karolak relies on a TCA Cross chemical peel.
TCA stands fortrichloroacetic acid.
“We use a little applicator and go into the hole with chemicals to cause a burn.
Once the cyst goes away, the loss causes indentation,” Dr. Karolak explains.
Subsicion uses a sharp needle to go under the surface and break up that scar tissue.
Then, you might fill it in with fillers made specifically for acne scars like Bellafill.
Or you might do a fat transfer.
These treatments are often followed up with a collagen-boosting laser treatment.
Rolling acne scars have smooth edges and look like tiny hills and valleys in the skin.
Rolling scars can look like little saucers, giving the skin a wavy texture.
A keloid acne scar is a raised bump over the skin.
Keloid bumps are generally discolored and raised.
These scars form when the body tries to recover from the inflammation triggered by cystic acne.
The first step in treatment is to flatten the bump with a shot of cortisone.
Then, you could follow up with other treatments like laser or retinol to even out the skin tone.
And hyperpigmentation is a dark spot or discoloration triggered by inflammation.
Hyperpigmentation often clears up on its own.
