Atrophic scar on the face: causes, features and methods of treatment

More than 90 percent of girls believe that a large part of their attractiveness is beautiful and healthy skin. A fresh, resilient, radiant and necessarily even derma is the key to a successful career, personal life and many other achievements that our contemporary can be proud of. Face skin requires special attention: if defects on other parts of the body can be hidden under clothes, hair or other attributes of style, then the "business card" must be initially impeccable. Any flaws on its surface deliver a lot of experience, especially if they are the result of injuries. Atrophic scar is one of such cosmetic defects. The causes of its appearance are mechanical, chemical or other kinds of influence on the skin of the face, due to which the cover acquires this aesthetic drawback. Is it possible to fight this phenomenon?

What is atrophic scars on a person's skin, their features

Skin scars are an inevitable consequence of various deep damages of the dermis, whether it is an open trauma or an operation. If a noticeable cosmetic defect appears on the face, threatening to remain for life, then it is worth using the whole arsenal of modern means to improve the appearance of the affected area. In contrast to the hypertrophic formation protruding above the surface of the skin and the normotrophic scar that merges with it, the atrophic scar is a depression with uneven edges, inside which young collagen cells form a colorless connective tissue.

Such skin lesions - soft, mobile formations - most often occur in areas with a missing subcutaneous fat layer. The characteristic appearance of such scars is due to the result of a chaotic construction of connective fibers underneath them, a deficit of a strong "skeleton of the skin", which forms protein compounds of collagen and elastin. Any atrophic scar on the face, even if it does not pull nearby tissues and does not disturb the function of their movement, is subject to treatment, since it is in the visible part of the body. Its reduced functional qualities are expressed in increased sensitivity to ultraviolet rays, as well as in the inability to restore hair follicles and sweat glands inside tissues. A similar scar on the face or body can be, as completely depigmented, and have a pronounced coloring in the center of the scar itself. Through the atrophic scar can sometimes be seen translucent vessels.

Characteristics of scars located below the skin level

Atrophic scars differ from each other in several ways. This is localization;age of the scar( immature - up to three months, moderately mature - from 3-12 months, permanently mature, the prescription of which is more than a year);form( arched, curly, striped, multiple point( post-acne) and others);dimensions;color( from pale to dark, pigmented);The influence of the scar on neighboring, healthy tissues. The atrophic scar on the face is aesthetically unacceptable for a patient of any age: from adolescent( most often, for those who suffer from acne) to the elderly, when a deficiency of collagen provokes the appearance of the deepest and coarse scars.

Causes of the appearance of

Any skin damage that destroys its collagen fibers can become a trigger for the appearance of atrophic scars: traces after severe damage to the dermis of acne( post-acne), burns, trauma associated with violation of the integrity of the skin( cuts, wounds, mechanical injuries)separate medical procedures( including surgical intervention), infectious lesions( chicken pox, acne or furunculosis).In the cheek area, on the cheekbones due to pregnancy, because of hormonal imbalance, dehydration or a sharp loss and weight gain, microtrauma - striae may also appear.

How to get rid of the consequences of a trauma on the face? Treatment of

Timely appeal to a cosmetologist or aesthetic surgery clinic will help to choose the most appropriate method of correction of scars, after which the atrophic scar on the face becomes less noticeable. Methods of treatment of this cutaneous formation are aimed at restoring the altered texture of the dermis with the help of both operating and non-surgical methods. Minimizing the trace from the atrophic scar at an early stage, when it was finally formed( but no later than 3-6 months), the use of ointments, gels and creams helps. From professional methods of treating scars( 6 to 12 months old), cosmetologists can offer chemical( median) peeling, mesotherapy or contour plasty( filling the scar with a hyaluronic acid-based filler), microdermabrasion or laser resurfacing. Among surgical methods of excision of an atrophic scar( with the help of a scalpel or laser) are popular with the further application of a cosmetic suture over the old scar, which make it more accurate and less noticeable. Before leveling the atrophic scar, specialists determine its parameters and select appropriate treatment, including complex therapy, which allows solving the aesthetic problem in several ways.

External cosmetics for getting rid of scars: ointments, gels and creams

In modern cosmetology, there are several types of drugs that help to effectively deal with the consequences of injuries on the skin of the face. To such aesthetic defects include atrophic scar. Treatment of it can include the use of drugs that include petrolatum and silicone. These components prevent the deterioration of the affected areas of the dermis. Healing of fresh scars is more productive with the help of steroid or hormonal creams, which are prescribed by a dermatologist. In addition, the arsenal of care products for the face with traces of damage to the dermal cover includes: scarring gels, silicone plates, moisturizing creams with SPF( protection against ultraviolet rays), promoting the growth of young cells and the restoration of microcirculation in tissues. Such drugs include Kontraktubeks and Mederm, Kelofibraza and Kelo-Kot, Fermentol and Dermatics, Zeraderm Ultra and the liquid Scarquard cream.

Atrophic scar, the treatment of which depends on the maturity of the scar itself and its size, can be made less noticeable in any case, only by increasing the duration of treatment. For example, using transparent silicone plates "Spenko".The choice of cream should be done only on the advice of a doctor, as self-medication of atrophic scars can lead to deterioration of their condition, the appearance of allergic reactions and waste of money. Minuses of treatment of post-acne, stria and other atrophic scars with the help of external means are their long-term use and selective effect. The advantages of using ointments and creams are their accessibility and simplicity, a relatively low cost.

Types of injection correction of scars

The most common intradermal methods of treatment and restoration of scar tissue are: mesotherapy, biorevitalization, plasmolifting and contouring( correction of scars with fillers).Mesotherapy, or the introduction of biologically active substances that improve the quality of the skin and affected tissues, promotes effective therapy and stimulation of acupuncture points. It makes it possible to direct the medicine directly into the atrophic scar. Biorevitalization helps to saturate deep layers of skin with hyaluronic acid and in the early stages to avoid the lack of formation of collagen fibers. Plasmolifting prevents the formation of post-acne scars by introducing its own blood component( enriched autoplasm) under the patient's skin. Stimulation of tissue regeneration processes with this procedure ensures safe and rapid treatment of scars.

Fillers

Intradermal implants based on stabilized hyaluronic acid help to solve the aesthetic task of the scars, raising the skin and giving the corrected area of ​​the skin the required volume. How to level an atrophic scar with their help? To do this, enter the filler with a gel consistency( filler) directly under the surface of the scar and raise it to the level of the outer epidermis. In addition, these drugs increase the ability of tissues to regenerate, which speeds up the processes of their natural renewal. The only drawback of this method is the need for regular correction due to the gradual biodegradation( decomposition) of hyaluronic acid, as a natural component.

Microdermabrasion - grinding of atrophic scars

For this procedure, special equipment is used that allows passing microcrystals to the epidermis surface under pressure( through the tip).Diamond, salt, organic particles or aluminum dioxide, like sand, exfoliate the outer layer of dead skin cells, leveling its relief. Some machines are equipped with a diamond tip with attachments that grind the skin instead of crystals. The standard course of mechanical mechanical peeling is 4-6 procedures, but the post-acne scars or deep atrophic scars are more often aligned with 10-12 sessions, each of which is conducted no more often than 1 time per 1-1.5 weeks.

Laser resurfacing of atrophic scars: modern methods of

Popular methods of laser peeling allow you to reduce the depth, the size of the scars on the face or permanently eliminate the aesthetic consequences of injuries. With the help of the beam of an erbium or carbon dioxide laser, the cornified skin cells are layer by layer removed and stimulated, due to the formation of protein fibers, the process of renewal of the dermis is neocollagenesis. Laser resurfacing of atrophic scars of small depth and size is carried out by an erbium ray, which acts sparingly on the epidermis. This type of radiation is suitable even for dry and sensitive skin. A more profound and powerful therapeutic penetration is provided by a fractional carbon dioxide laser. It also triggers regeneration in tissues, stimulates the synthesis of collagen, and the result of treatment becomes visible after one or two procedures, when the atrophic scar practically becomes invisible.

In order to obtain a guaranteed therapeutic effect, it is necessary to pay attention to its reputation and the dermatologist's qualification when choosing a clinic, since only qualified specialists who have received training and obtained a certificate are entrusted to work on laser expensive equipment.