Ice Pick Scars: Healing From The Inside
What are Ice Pick Scars?
There are many types of acne scars; ice pick scars are those with the rough edges and steep sides, as if hacked by an ice pick. If you were to see ice pick scar pictures, you’d recognize them as a common type of acne scarring. Although more commonly hard and deep, ice pick scars can also come soft and shallow. Ice pick scars are so deep that they can affect the dermis and even subcutaneous layers. Ice pick scars can also turn into depressed fibrotic scars, larger and deeper versions, with time.
The formation of scars is the body’s natural response to the inflammation caused by acne. These scars are categorized into loss of tissue scars. Other loss of tissue acne scars include boxcar scars and rolling scars.
On the other end of the spectrum are scars caused by the excess production of collagen; these include hypertrophic scars and keloids.
How To Get Rid Of Ice Pick Scars
Most acne scar removal methods don’t work with deep ice pick scars. Dermabrasion and chemical peels only remove the superficial layer of skin and microdermabrasion even less so.
Lasers are also involved in ice pick scar removal. Lasers remove the outer layer of skin through vaporization. The fundamentals are the same in that this procedure stimulates new skin cell generation. Lasers also can improve the shape as well as reduce the redness of scars.
Although you might be eager to pursue acne scar treatment, to avoid improper healing and further scarring, do not move forward with any resurfacing procedure for at least 12 months after completing accutane.
If your scars are more than superficial, you might look into punch techniques. Some ice pick scars can be even too deep for punch grafts. After a scar has been excised, a punch graft or replacement is transplanted. Punch excision is similar to punch graft except no graft is transplanted. The wound is then closed by stretching the skin and left to heal. In punch elevation, a surgeon cuts the scar, allowing it to raise to the regular skin level. Healing can take several weaks.
Another variation for treating ice pick scars is stretching of the skin. This, however, is only successful when the ice pick scars are soft. To improve upon stretching, a filler of collagen, fat (autologous fat transfer) or other substance can be injected. The body eventually reabsorbs the fat within 6-18 months.
Get rid of your ice pick scars or of deep rolling acne scars with a chemical free cream that eliminates scar tissue and redness while improving the cell matrix of your skin.
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