The scars left by acne can affect a person long after the condition itself has disappeared, causing psychological and emotional damage. Cosmetic surgery offers several techniques designed to remove scars or, if that isn't possible, to make them less noticeable.

Skin coloration plays a part in the effectiveness of cosmetic surgery. With some forms of cosmetic surgery, the affected area may become darker or lighter than the surrounding skin. This is especially true for individuals of African or Asian descent.

Although they sound the same, dermabrasion and microdermabrasion refer to two different procedures. Dermabrasion uses surgical techniques to "scrape" the upper layer of skin off the face. The new skin that forms to replace the old layer is smoother than the old, and scars are less visible. Microdermabrasion is a different procedure. The upper level of the skin is slowly removed using fine crystals and mild suction. It has the advantage of being very gentle on the skin.

Collagen injections "fill in" acne scars. Collagen is a naturally occurring protein, purified to the extent that it can effectively be used as filler for scars or wrinkles. Collagen injections tighten and strengthen the surrounding skin, creating a smoother look.

Laser resurfacing is a very precise form of cosmetic surgery, which smoothes scar tissue and "burns" it away. The advantage to laser resurfacing is its precision: the laser can remove very specific areas of skin. It works best with minor acne scars.

A glycolic acid peel removes skin cell layers by stripping them with mild acid. After the glycolic acid peel, the new skin layer that forms has a smoother look than the former. With the gentler acne scar removal procedures available today, the caustic acid peel is now rarely used.

Resources

American Society of Plastic Surgeons. (nd). Dermabrasion: Skin refinishing. Retrieved October 28, 2003, from www.plasticsurgery.org/public_education/
procedures/Dermabrasion.cfm.

Center for Dermatology, Cosmetic and Laser Surgery. (nd). Procedures. Retrieved April 26, 2002, from www.centerforderm.com/procedures/procedures.html.