Acne scar therapy

Scars are alterations in the texture of skin that are caused as a result of the healing of wounds. They can either appear as depressions or elevations on the skin’s surface with or without alteration in color of skin.
Surgical techniques: Punch excision of ice-pick scars is easy and gives good early result; occasionally there is secondary widening. Punch autograft is used when treating deep ice-pick scars. It is often associated with neocollagenosis, and the technique is good for V, U, and W scars. 

Resurfacing techniques: These include TCA peeling, phenol peeling, microdermabrasion, laser abrasion, selective thermolysis with Fraxel laser, and resurfacing by radiofrequency and electrosurgery.  The objective is to restore skin contour by inducing neocollagenosis. 

Microdermabrasion: This involves planing of the skin by mechanized means utilizing the projection of micromarbles consisting of aluminum oxide on scars. Six to seven sessions, at two week intervals are needed. In one session, twenty passes are made on each area until superficial bleeding appears. Chemabrasion is when microdermabrasion is combined with a peeling agent.

Lasers: These are increasingly being used to treat acne scars. Intense Pulse Light (IPL) acts by heating the dermis and stimulating neocollagenosis. It has weak activity and may be helpful in red, hypertrophic scars. Light-Emitting Diode (LED) does not warm but acts by photomodulation. It is a safe and painless procedure.