Diagnosis and Treatment of Atrophic Scars

Sunday, February 12, 2023

This publication provides information for people who want to recognize and effectively treat Atrophic Scars. When you read this post, What Is Atrophic Scar?, How Is Atrophic Scar Treated? Why Does Atrophic Scar Occur? You will learn about things like

Recognizing and effectively treating atrophic scars chickenpox or acne scars are typical examples of sunken (atrophic) scars. These usually occur on the face, but can also occur in other parts of the body. Atrophic scars always occur during wound healing when too few new connective tissue fibers are formed to completely fill the wound cavity. The cause is usually a prolonged inflammatory reaction, as in severe acne. Persistent inflammation leads to the destruction of deeper skin structures, resulting in loss of substance. The scars are therefore below the level of the surrounding skin, they are practically sunken.

Atrophic scars: all types at a glance

There are three different types of atrophic scars in medicine.

Ice pick scars: V-shaped scars are funnel-shaped, less than two millimeters in diameter and deep within the lower layers of the skin.

Varioliform scars: U-shaped scars are similar to chickenpox scars. They have a diameter of up to four millimeters and are both flat and deep.

Wave-like scars: M-shaped scars are fairly flat and up to five millimeters in diameter. They consist of strips of connective tissue that connect the dermis to the subcutaneous tissue.

Treat ingrown scars with scar gel

For the treatment of sunken scars, the appearance of the scar can be improved and the itching and redness can be significantly reduced with regular use of a scar gel containing active ingredients from the pharmacy, eg Contractubex® gel. Even with older scars, consistent treatment with Contractubex ® Gel over several months can be beneficial. Let us advise you!

Diagnosis and Treatment of Atrophic Scars

Treatment of sunken scars in the doctor's office

Various treatment methods are suitable for the removal of sunken scars, depending on the type of scar. A surgical procedure has proven its worth for ice pick wounds. A punch excision can be used to most effectively remove smaller, deeply sunken scars.

To treat varioliform scars, a dermabrasion is considered, the skin areas around the sunken scar are carefully abraded.

Alternative treatment methods: medical needling and laser therapy

There are always new, skin-friendly treatments available to treat the sunken scar and cause as little damage to the skin as possible. For example, with medical needling, the scar model can be healed with the aid of a needle roller. During scar treatment with 1.5 millimeter needles, a natural inflammatory reaction of the skin is triggered. Pinholes create micro-wounds in the dermis during treatment and aim to stimulate skin cells to produce collagen.

This can eventually improve the entire complexion of the affected area. With this method, successful results can be obtained with approximately four to six treatments. However, it may take up to nine months for the effects to be seen. For example, in addition to sunken scars such as acne scars, skin cracks can be treated with this method.

Another treatment method is the use of laser technology. Unlike dermabrasion, small areas of the skin can be removed in a targeted manner using the CO2 laser. The resulting skin bridges allow faster restructuring of the affected skin area. The thermal effect of the laser on the dermis can also stimulate collagen formation and skin tightening.

In addition, laser treatment can be applied to the scar tissue, the treated skin area is especially sensitive to light. Dermatologists therefore recommend using it regularly.