Acne is one of the most common skin conditions in the United States. For many pimple-prone folks, however, the breakout is only the beginning of the battle. Of the 80% of people who get acne, 1 in 5 will have scarring.
The scars serve as a constant reminder to you and those around you that you struggle with acne. But acne scars don’t have to stick around forever.
Dr. Divina Averilla and our team at Love Your Body Medical Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada, want each of our patients to feel comfortable and confident in their skin, so we offer a variety of treatments to help you achieve your goals.
You may know fillers as a treatment for thinning lips and sunken cheeks, but they can also be used to treat acne scars. Here’s everything you should know.
When you have acne, your hair follicles fill up with oil, bacteria, and dead skin cells, and the buildup triggers the blemishes you know and hate. Acne scars develop when your breakouts penetrate deep into your skin and damage layers of healthy skin.
You’re most likely to develop acne scars if you have nodules and cystic acne and/or if you pick, pop, and squeeze your pimples.
To you, acne scars are straight-up unsightly and embarrassing, but to us, acne scars are a problem to solve — and we begin by determining which type you have.
After your breakout clears, your skin tries to cover its tracks by repairing damaged skin with collagen fibers. Sometimes, your skin produces too much or too little collagen, which can lead to either depressed or raised acne scars.
Depressed acne scars are called “ice pick” or “boxcar” scars. You know they’re depressed if they disappear when you stretch your skin.
On the other hand, raised acne scars stem from an overproduction of collagen and look like a mass of raised tissue on your skin.
We need to know which type of acne scar you have because fillers only work on depressed acne scars that have developed as a result of too little collagen. Here’s a closer look at how it works.
Fillers are cosmetic injections that restore lost volume to facial features and smooth out fine lines and wrinkles. But some fillers serve another purpose.
If you want to address acne scars from multiple angles, consider fillers like Bellafill®, which contain collagen. The collagen solution in this filler adds volume just below your acne scar.
Bellafill also contains another powerful ingredient called polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) microspheres. These microspheres stay in your skin after the collagen from the filler has been absorbed and help stimulate your body’s ability to produce collagen on its own.
Fillers may not have been your first thought when addressing acne scars, but they can be incredibly effective if you have the right type of scars. The best news? It’s only one of the ways we can help you tackle this frustrating problem.
Depending on your specific needs, you may benefit from microneedling and laser treatments to break up scar tissue and restart the damage repair process.
We’re dedicated to helping you achieve your aesthetic and skin health goals. If you’re bothered by acne scars, request an appointment online or over the phone to talk to our expert.
