If you have acne scars, no standard cosmetic procedure will completely smooth out your face. No peelings, no grinding - no matter what your cosmetologist promises.
However, we have good news. Our surgeon, Maxim Vasiliev, uses an effective subcision technique that removes even old acne scars on the face and body. To get rid of craters forever and get smooth, healthy skin, you usually need to spend 2-3 hours in the clinic and heroically live a week with bruises on your face.
more details about the method >>
In order to understand how this technique works, we invite you on a journey inside the skin. This journey will give us an understanding of where acne scars come from, whether they go away on their own, and why laser resurfacing will never help if you have acne scars on your face or body.
Why do acne scars form?
We are accustomed to the fact that acne and pimples are exclusively a teenage problem that goes away on its own. In fact, this is not true: more than 90% of acne scars leave behind.
Of course, acne marks can be expressed in different ways: for some they are almost invisible, while for others the skin is literally pitted.
To understand how acne scars form, let's remember the structure of the skin. Under the epidermis is the dermis, which in turn consists of two layers - papillary and reticular.
The upper papillary layer is thin. It got its name because of the papillae that connect it to the top layer of skin - the epidermis. Damage to the papillary layer does not threaten us in any way - it is restored without a scar. Damage to the papillary layer is a banal “water” callus, when a delicate pink skin immediately forms under the blister.
The lower layer of the dermis is reticular. This is a thick layer in which blood and lymphatic vessels, sweat and sebaceous glands, nerve receptors, roots and hair follicles are located. It is the reticular layer of the skin that contains collagen and elastane, which make the skin smooth, elastic and even.
After damage, the mesh layer of the skin is not restored. It heals, but always with the formation of a scar. Inflammation in the reticular layer forms acne scars and the skin loses its smoothness.
Herpes
This also applies to relatively common causes of acne.
The rash appears on the face in the lip area or on the skin of the groin.
In severe cases, it sprinkles the side surfaces of the body.
Therefore, moles can easily enter the affected area.
Especially if there are a lot of them.
Signs that a pimple in a mole on the face is of herpetic origin:
- Pain and burning several hours before the rash appears.
- A characteristic cluster of pimples in groups.
- Rapid formation of bubbles.
- Transformation into an ulcer-like surface.
- Drying with crust formation.
Perhaps herpes is the only type of inflammation that can cause skin cancer.
But only if the rash occurs often in the same place.
And herpes never leads to melanoma, no matter how many moles fall into the area of the rash.
Photos "before" and "after"
Subcision is the most effective way to treat acne scars. The result “before” and “after” of one procedure. Surgeon: Vasiliev Maxim.
Correction of deep scars. Before and after photos of one session. Completed by: Vasiliev Maxim.
Laser resurfacing of post-acne scars. Performed by dermatocosmetologist Elena Vlasova.
How to get rid of back pain?
A sore on the back, of course, brings less aesthetic discomfort than a pimple mark on the face. However, it can turn into a serious problem - it can become inflamed and even fester. To make the pain go away faster, you can:
- Get soap with tar and use it every evening for hygiene procedures. This remedy, by the way, will help prevent the formation of new acne. But you shouldn’t rub your back with a rough washcloth; it’s better to give preference to a soft sponge.
- Treat with antiseptics - the already mentioned Miramistin or Chlorhexidine.
- Lubricate it with drying, antiseptic and wound-healing agents. A good effect can be achieved by using sulfur or zinc ointment, as well as Erythromycin and Syntomycin ointments.
- Lubricate with acne medications, for example, Skinoren or Curiosin.
If the sore does not seem to go away, despite all the measures taken, it is better to see a dermatologist. Non-healing wounds on the body are a rather alarming symptom.
Why Acne Scars Make Skin Uneven
There are several types of acne: superficial, medium and deep (boils). The most noticeable scars remain after acne-boils. They are easy to recognize: they look like a voluminous and painful redness under the skin that does not have a purulent head.
A deep boil is a signal that the inflammatory process takes place not in the papillary, but in the reticular layer of the dermis.
Very often, a scar is formed after squeezing out pimples, when suppuration spreads from the upper sections of the skin to the lower, mesh.
Inflammation and pus destroy the layers of skin around it. Imagine the soil being washed away by an underground stream - it will fail. Much the same thing happens to our skin.
Purulent inflammation “washes out” the voids. But nature abhors a vacuum - and our body launches a mechanism for the formation of replacement scar tissue. The scar does not fill, but in order to save money, it lines and “glues” the edges of the lacuna. This is how the first skin sagging appears.
At the formation stage, the scar is moist and voluminous. But over time it dries out and shrinks. This is the second reason for sinking. As a result, we have “crumpled” skin, inside of which there are deep post-acne scars. On the surface this manifests itself as irregularities and craters.
A little about moles
In order to understand what will happen if you squeeze out a mole or have any other damaging effect on it, you need to understand what structures such as nevi are. In fact, moles are benign epidermal neoplasms that consist of cells containing an excess amount of the natural pigment melanin. The formation of such structures can be caused by various endogenous and external factors, ranging from hormonal imbalances to ultraviolet exposure.
Most often, nevi appear on the human body in childhood, but it is possible that they form in adulthood, which can be both a manifestation of a physiological norm and a signal of the development of a pathological process, including oncology. In general, moles of any location and visual characteristics are often associated with cancer processes, which, of course, has some basis. Dermatologists say that under the influence of certain accompanying factors, almost any mole can transform into melanoma - a dangerous oncological condition of the epidermal integument. One of these dangerous factors is the traumatic effect of the nevus on the body.
There are several types of nevi, each of which has an individual level of risk of injury:
- Flat moles. Visually, such pigmented structures do not protrude above the surface of the epidermal integument, which significantly reduces the likelihood of mechanical damage to this type of nevus.
- Convex moles. Protruding beyond the boundaries of the surface layer of the epidermis, convex formations are often subject to traumatic effects due to contact with tight clothing, shoes and accessories (jewelry, belts, etc.), as well as during the process of washing, combing or performing any physical work.
- Hanging moles. These neoplasms are more often subject to injury than others due to their morphological characteristics.
The last two groups of nevi require especially careful handling and constant monitoring. In addition, the risk group, whose representatives are more likely to experience damage to epidermal nevi, usually includes women and children. The former lead such statistics due to their adherence to tight, uncomfortable clothing and rough accessories that can injure the body of the mole, as well as due to the peculiarities of manicure. Children rip off or tear off moles most often unconsciously, during play.
What are the types of scars after acne?
There are different types of post-acne scars:
- Physiological – almost imperceptible, quickly healing damage to the papillary layer,
- Atrophic are depressions of various shapes at the site of acne,
- Hypertrophic - convex pink formations formed by excess scar tissue.
Red scars indicate an early stage of their formation. As they age, they change color and turn into hypopigmented white acne scars.
What to anoint with to make it go away quickly?
There are many recommendations from alternative medicine specialists that will help you quickly heal acne wounds in different parts of the body. A good result can be achieved using:
- Aspirin. Its tablets need to be crushed, diluted with a small amount of water and applied to the problem area. When this mass dries, you should wash it off with warm water without putting undue pressure on the injured skin.
- Aloe. Cut a leaf of this plant and wipe the problem area with the cut several times a day. This remedy will not only help cure sores, it can also be used to help the scabs fall off as quickly as possible.
- Hydrogen peroxide. Mix the most common baby powder with peroxide until you get a creamy mass. Use for spot application on wounds. Use 1-2 r. in a day. After drying, this product does not need to be washed off; it should simply be shaken off with a cotton swab.
- Tea tree oils. This product should be applied to the sores so that they go away as quickly as possible.
- Calendula tinctures. For accelerated treatment of sores, it is worth diluting 2 tsp. of this product in 1 tbsp. water and use the resulting solution to wipe your face.
You should not use several medications and folk remedies at once. Even the mildest of them in this case can only disrupt the condition of the epidermis and slow down recovery.
Why facial scars after acne cannot be removed with laser
The advertisement claims that the laser removes scars from the skin without leaving a trace. In the case of receding acne scars, this is fundamentally wrong.
Laser peels and resurfacing are effective only against problems of the papillary dermis. Not a single doctor will undertake to smooth out the skin and grind away acne scars to the level of the mesh layer - this is a 100% guarantee of the appearance of new scars (we remember that the mesh layer is restored only by scarring).
Only subcutaneous microsurgical cutting of scars using the subcision method copes with scars of the mesh layer and smoothes the skin. Maxim Vasiliev’s method is based on subcision, which removes scars of any depth.
Subcision is a painstaking method of correcting atrophic post-acne scars.
Review
“In my youth I suffered greatly from acne, I waited a long time for it to disappear on its own. On the advice of a friend, I squeezed out the pimples - it only got worse. As a result, acne left scars and spots all over the body, even on the butt. What to do?
I turned to Platinental in hopes of laser resurfacing, but I was referred to Dr. Vasiliev Maxim. It turns out that acne scars cannot be solved with laser; for such cases, there is another method - subcision.
I am very pleased with the first results, the scars have already been removed from my face, my skin has become much smoother.”
Pimple on a mole: danger signs
According to the descriptions proposed above, it is possible with a fairly high degree of probability to exclude the formation of melanoma or another type of skin cancer.
However, sometimes even an experienced doctor finds it difficult to distinguish a pimple from a mole, which threatens to degenerate into a malignant tumor.
It is necessary to urgently go to a dermatologist for examination in the following cases:
- Swelling in any part of the mole progresses relatively slowly, over several weeks or months.
- For a long time the process is painless, it can only cause moral discomfort, and sometimes causes itching.
- A mole that looks like a pimple begins to bleed and is easily injured.
- Pigment asymmetry occurs and color heterogeneity appears.
- The color of the formation darkened or, on the contrary, became lighter.
- A pimple appeared on a mole and did not change in dynamics for several days.
All these are individual signs of the degeneration of a stable pigment formation into a malignant process.
If a person has at least one of them, consultation with a dermatologist is necessary as soon as possible.
