FAQ ACNE

Q. Due to teenage acne, I have awful marks on my cheeks, on my shoulders and on my back. I would like to know if there are any cosmetic treatments capable of eliminating them and whether they are painful or not.
A. Cosmetic medicine allows post-acneic scars to be improved, although no treatment can eliminate them completely.
Dermabrasion, for example, is a treatment that allows skin irregularities to be improved by removing the outer layer of the skin, making it smoother and more uniform.
Dermabrasion is usually performed under local anaesthetic and in outpatient care but, if the area to be treated is particularly large (e.g. dermabrasion on the whole face), general anaesthetic and, hence, one-day hospitalization may be needed.
Post-acneic scars and marks can also be improved by chemical peelings.
Peelings are chemical solutions which allow the skin of the face to be improved and smoothed by removing its outer layers damaged by pathological events (scars, acne, precancerous lesions, etc.), by hyperpigmentation or by the effects of the ageing process (wrinkles, loss of skin elasticity or tone, etc.).
Depending on the skin layer on which they act, peelings are divided into superficial peelings (AHA), intermediate peelings (TCA) and deep peelings (Phenol).
Superficial peelings (AHA) such as glycolic acid, lactic acid, etc. allow the most superficial wrinkles of the face and the hands to be removed, the skin to recover elasticity, the small skin marks to be removed, the acneic skin and the post-acneic scars to be improved.
Intermediate peelings (TCA), used in various concentrations, allow the less superficial wrinkles of the face to be eliminated and the skin marks and the small keratoses to be removed.
Deep peelings, derivatives of phenol and used in various concentrations, allow the deepest wrinkles of the face to be eliminated, the skin to be completely renewed, the skin marks (even the largest ones) and the precancerous lesions to be removed and the post-acneic scars and marks to be improved.
The treatment with superficial and intermediate peelings does not require anaesthesia, while deep peelings need local anaesthetic with sedation and are performed in outpatient care or with one-day hospitalization.
Acne can also be treated by laser. CO2 laser usually provides better results, though it is more invasive than Herbium laser. In both cases, an anaesthetic ointment is applied or local anaesthetic is administered before the treatment.

Q. Can post-acneic scars be eliminated by using hyaluronic acid or other fillers?
A. Having said that post-acneic scars and marks can never be eliminated completely, hyaluronic acid may be used to correct small skin depressions but not to fill post-acneic scars. Moreover, since it is an absorbable material, the improvement provided by hyaluronic acid is temporary and it is necessary to repeat the treatment after a few months. In my opinion, the most indicated treatments of cosmetic medicine to correct your blemish are dermabrasion, chemical peelings and laser.