The Role of Collagen in Your Skin
Collagen is in all the top skin care products these days, but why? Here’s a deep dive into this critical protein and a rundown of treatments that can boost your natural collagen supply.
I'm Embarrassed About My Acne Scars
Active acne seems like the worst thing that can happen to your skin, until you see the scars it leaves behind. The pockmarks and discoloration remind you and everyone around you that you once had bad acne on your face, neck, back, and chest, and it seems there’s nothing you can do but keep the scars hidden.
That’s no way to live.
Fortunately, we have acne scar solutions at Gago Wellness in Brighton, Michigan. Although nothing can eliminate scars completely, our master aestheticians are highly skilled and fully trained to treat acne scars so they fade and blend into your healthy skin. Here’s what you need to know.
What kind of acne scars do you have?
In mild cases, acne breakouts stop when your hormones are balanced (adolescents and teenagers are notorious for unbalanced hormones), and your sebaceous glands normalize their oil production. When acne finally subsides, you may be left with ghostly reminders in the form of acne scars — but they’re not all alike.
Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation
Some acne scars appear as discoloration rather than scar tissue. Squeezing or picking your pimples often leads to postinflammatory hyperpigmentation, red or dark patches. Mild forms of this scarring may fade over time, but when it’s severe, the discoloration may be permanent.
Hypertrophic and keloid acne scars
When your skin senses an injury, it floods the site with collagen to shore up the wound. The excess build-up appears as a raised bump called a hypertrophic scar, and it covers the same area as the pimple that caused it.
A keloid scar is also raised, but it tends to grow beyond the perimeter of the original wound. It’s most common on dark skin.
Atrophic acne scars
Atrophic scars are the mirror opposites of hypertrophic scars. These leave flat or depressed marks on your skin and are often the result of cystic acne. There are three main types of atrophic acne scars:
- Ice pick scars: small pinpoint indentations
- Boxcar scars: wide, square depressions with defined edges
- Rolling scars: wavy, slopey indentations
You might have a combination of these scars, depending on which type of acne you had and how severe it was.
How to get rid of acne scars
Once your skin has been wounded, the scar tissue that heals it is there for good, but we can minimize it and make it less noticeable. For example, plastic surgeons can perform scar revision surgery, removing the built-up scar tissue and controlling the healing process and the formation of new skin tissue.
At Gago Wellness, we offer a similar treatment without surgery. Using the most advanced technology, we can help your skin remodel itself from within, reestablishing a sound structure under the surface to fill in depressed scars, breaking up old raised scars, and evening out your pigment. Here are some of the treatments we offer to diminish your acne scars.
Morpheus 8
Morpheus 8 is an innovative treatment that uses radiofrequency (RF) energy and fractional microneedling to stimulate collagen production. The treatment creates countless micro-injuries in your skin and delivers RF energy down the channels, calling your body’s natural healing response into action.
This is exactly what happens when you cut your finger or scrape your knee, but Morpheus 8 accelerates the process and remodels the collagen so your skin looks newer, fresher, and smoother.
Forever Young BBL™
If you have postinflammatory hypertrophic scarring, Forever Young BroadBand Light (BBL) can help. This treatment uses a light source to deliver gentle, controlled heat into the layers of your skin. The thermal energy activates your skin’s genes, prompting accelerated cell renewal that counteracts the classic signs of aging like wrinkles.
Forever Young BBL uses intense pulsed light (IPL) to penetrate your skin, which is why it’s often called a photofacial. It’s completely customizable, and we can program it to address your unique skin needs. For acne-related discoloration, we use wavelengths of light that break up clumps of pigmentation in your skin so your body can flush them away.
Chemical peels
We may recommend a chemical peel for mild scarring in the upper layer of your skin. We use a solution of various acids that we apply to your skin, and your skin’s response is to slough off the top layer. If your scars aren’t very deep, the scar tissue falls off with the outer layer of skin, and your complexion is smoother and brighter.
For slightly deeper scars, we can formulate a stronger acid solution that removes more layers of skin. You can also use a chemical peel between your BBL or Morpheus 8 treatments to keep your skin looking smoother all year.
To learn more about our acne scar treatments, contact us online or by phone to schedule a consultation with our experts.
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