Acne Care – Augmentation Therapy

This is a procedure used to treat acne scarring, whereby fillers are injected either to fill out a depressed scar, or to flatten a raised scar. There are various types of fillers, and the dermatologist who carries out the procedure may even use fat deposits taken from another area of the body which takes 6-18 months to be reabsorbed. It is not a permanent cure, and and may have to be repeated regularly. The aim is to improve the cosmetic appearance of the skin, and therefore the feel good factor of the patient.

Prior to the procedure, a full examination is carried out as to the suitability of the treatment for the individual. Any predisposing conditions, which may lead to delayed healing, such as immunosuppressant conditions and Herpes Simplex is considered. Antiviral treatment is usually commenced 2 days prior to treatment and completed about 10 days after treatment, if required. As with any procedure, counselling is an important part to evaluate the expectations of the patient, the psychological benefits, explaining the procedure and expected results, information about the recovery time and any complications which may ensue, especially pigment changes. Side effects are rare but could include discomfort, pain, infection, bruising and allergic reactions.

The procedure takes from 30-60 minutes to perform and varies from individual to individual. It is done under a local anaesthetic, on soft acne pitted scars, ice pick or box car type. Naturally occurring substances found in the skin, such as hyaluronic acid based fillers, which help with volume and hydration in the skin, or the patients own fat cells, are often used. For deeper scars silicone mcrodroplet technique may be used to level the skin surface. Usually it takes a month before results are visible, and there may be swelling of the area treated for around a week. This procedure may require repeating several times. Silicone gel sheeting is often used to flatten out keloid and hypertrophic or raised scars. Recovery time varies and the results are very effective.

There are lots of topical creams, gels and lotions, which have been specifically formulated, which can be applied, after treatment, to help aid recovery.

Information written by Christine Burden - TalkAcne Web Site Manager