Laser Acne Treatments for Acne Scars

Laser acne treatment is rapidly gaining popularity among acne patients with scars that are the result of severe acne. In the initial stages of this method of acne treatment, the affected skin's surface was sculpted or vaporized by means of ablative lasers. However, over the years the use of ablative lasers has been reduced for laser acne treatment because of the long downtime of the ablatives and some possible complications. New laser acne treatment techniques like Fraxel are centered on promoting the growth of collagen (connective tissue) beneath acne scars. These techniques cast no damage to the skin surface and hence are increasingly becoming popular. Three more important techniques of these are: Smoothbeam laser, Vbeam Laser, and Fraxel laser.

Smoothbeam Laser In case of the Smoothbeam laser treatment, first a topical local anesthetic agent is applied to the affected area. A second before employing the laser pulse, a cooling cryogen spray is released on the skin. This makes the treatment fairly comfortable. After the treatment of scars with Smoothbeam laser, very little redness remains on the skin and that too disappears in a few hours time. Vbeam Laser

The Vbeam Laser along with Starlux, Ellipse and Medilux Intense Pulsed Light Systems (IPLs) are all very useful laser acne treatment techniques, especially for treating red acne scars. The target of these specialized systems is the blood vessels in the acne scars. With their sharp and focused energetic beams, they make the scars less prominent. These lasers work for a range of acne scars: flat, raised, and depressed. Laser acne treatment with the Vbeam and IPLs are not painful and do not require a long downtime after the procedure is over.

Fraxel Laser

Fraxel Laser literally remains the revolutionary technique in the laser acne treatment of acne scars and is now the world’s first non-ablative resurfacing laser (done without CO2 laser). The procedure of Fraxel Laser Treatment is forming numerous tiny, deep columns of treatment in the skin. These columns are termed micro-thermal zones. This method focuses on terminating old pigmented cells of the top skin (epidermis). The columns also penetrate deeper into the dermis layer of the skin and remove imperfections like acne scars. Precision of the Fraxel laser can be indicated by the fact that it penetrates the dead, protective layer of the skin (the stratum corneum) without causing it any harm. Also, Fraxel Laser Treatment does not injure or affect the surrounding tissues but precisely targets the scars.