Acne is an annoyance that creeps its way from puberty to adulthood more frequently than we realise. Research has indicated that 54% of women over the age of 25 have some form of facial acne.
What’s even worse is the acne scars left behind when the breakout starts to clear up, leaving you with an unpleasant and very visible reminder of the “attack”.
Boxcar Scars
Boxcar scars are the unfortunate consequence of inflammatory acne. When your skin breaks out with red, irritated pustules, collagen gets destroyed and the tissue is lost. This leaves the skin surrounding this area exposed and without any support, and results in the formation of a depressed area.
These oval or round depressions are usually shallow, but have sharp and steep edges. Boxcar scars give the skin a pitted appearance, making it look as if somebody pressed their fingernails into it.
Rolling Scars
Unlike the round depressions with sharp edges in boxcar scars, rolling scars appear as wave-like depressions on the skin, making it look uneven. Also a product of long-term inflammatory acne, these develop when fibrous bands of tissue form between the subcutaneous tissue and the skin surface. The rolling or wave-like appearance is due to the fibrous bands pulling at the epidermis.
Although it may start off as mild scarring, rolling scars can become a lot severe and obvious. If left untreated, they can cause the skin to lose its elasticity and become droopy.
Keloid Scars
Keloid scars appear and grow above the surface of the skin. These are a severe type of firm and raised scars that can even grow larger than the wound itself. Long after the acne abrasion has healed, the lateral shoots from the scar continue to expand, resulting in severe keloids.
It’s almost as if the skin refuses to recognise that the acne wound has gotten better, continuing to produce collagen. The overproduction of collagen is what causes keloids to develop and grow.
Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation
When the skin begins to heal from acne, it starts to produce a high quantity of melanin, which is responsible for giving skin the colour it has. This leaves behind a discoloured area that’s darker than the skin tone. This is known as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
Although not exactly a type of acne scar, this creates a flat and discoloured area on the skin. The appearance can range from red and pink to brown or black, depending on the skin type, and unlike boxcar or rolling scars, this isn’t pitted or wavy.
Get rid of your acne scars once and for all with our microneedling and microdermabrasion treatment! Visit Simply Clinics in Uxbridge or call us at 020 8352 3523 to make your appointment right now!
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