Getting Your Moles Checked Out

Why Your Sunken Acne Scars Need Filler To Look Normal Again

by Javier Bell

Scars are something that many people experience on their faces due to acne or chicken pox. While some scars can be improved upon with things like at-home creams and patches, sunken scars formed by these kinds of injuries aren't one of them. Here's why the only way to get rid of these marks is with dermal filler.

How Scar Products Work

The vast majority of scar products are intended to make scars look lighter, smaller, closer to your natural skin tone, and even feel softer. Unfortunately, the reason these products don't work on other scars is because of their pitted nature.

If you've ever had another kind of scar, you probably know that it has a raised surface that stands up above the rest of your skin. Scar products can use gentle acids like alpha-hydroxy acid to help break down the scar and reveal the healthy skin underneath. While alpha-hydroxy can potentially soften your skin and make a pitted scar feel nicer, it won't do much for reducing its appearance.

What Happens in Pitted Scars

Pitted scars form after a deep patch of tissue damage and inflammation, like a zit or pock mark, bursts and isn't able to heal fully. When one of these marks does heal properly, the body puts its own natural filler back under the skin, filling it with collagen. This pushes the skin back up to the level of the rest of your skin.

Usually, a pitted scar results when skin isn't left alone to heal. If a scab is ripped off or a pimple's head is torn off, the healing process may end abruptly, leaving behind a pitted mark where no collagen was created to take the place of damaged and removed collagen when the inflammation occurred.

What to Expect

Getting a dermal filler is very easy and doesn't require hospitalization. Most of the time it can be done in a dermatologist's office in one visit and you can even go back to your day afterward.

Your dermatologist will examine your scarring and determine if dermal filler is an appropriate solution. If it is, your face will be numbed with a topical product first, and then a needle will be used to inject more numbing solution further down in the tissues. This will keep you from feeling any discomfort.

Once you're fully numbed, another needle will be placed alongside your scar. Your dermatologist will guide it into the area that's collapsed and pitted and will gradually fill it, immediately resulting in the skin returning to a normal appearance. This process will be repeated on any other pitted scars.

Dermal filler is an easy and fast way to repair the look of your skin. If you're tired of having pitted scars and have given up on over the counter products that don't do anything, get in touch with a dermatologist to talk about what they can do for you. Companies like Belle Meade Dermatologies TN can help.

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