Raised acne scars are areas of your skin that have become scarred and your body has produced what is called a keloid or hypertrophic area. Hypertrophic areas are easier to treat because they normally do not return. Keloids present more of a challenge since they commonly return after treatment, but your dermatologist has treatments available today that can greatly reduce the chance of their return. Both types of acne scarring are your body’s attempt to heal and protect the affected area. The main goal of raised acne therapy treatments are to reduce the redness and thickness of the affected skin and relieve the pain and discomfort that is normally associated with raised scars.

Treatments
Raised acne scars may require more than one type of treatment. Your dermatologist will examine your acne scarring and determine which treatments are the best according to where the scars are located and the severity of your condition. Intralesional injections of corticosteroids help to flatten acne scars. Many people need several injections spaced two to three weeks apart. Dermatologists also use interferon to soften and help keloids feel smoother. If the scar does not respond after the fourth injection, your doctor may recommend surgery.

Surgery is normally done in your dermatologist’s office under local anesthesia. Your doctor will remove the raised scar or keloid and then pressure may be applied with a pressure device or pressure garment. Your doctor may prescribe injections to help smooth the skin after surgery or he may prescribe radiation treatment which has been show to help prevent the reoccurrence of keloids. Radiation treatment has been shown to be most effective on keloids that have been on the skin for five months or less.

Some of the other treatments available for raised acne scarring include light therapy, lasers, cryotherapy, creams, gels and tapes. Light therapy uses pulses of light to treat the affected areas. This helps to reduce the severity of raised scars and smooth out the skin. Lasers are used to remove the scars and then injections and pressure are used to help prevent the keloids and raised tissue from returning. Cryotherapy uses intense cold to kill the affected areas. The scar eventually falls off and new skin is revealed. This therapy is not recommended for patients with dark skin since the new skin is usually much lighter in color. Your doctor may prescribe creams, tapes and gels for the treatment of your scars. These help to reduce the itching and discomfort of the area while helping to reduce the redness and appearance of the area. The drawback of this course of treatment is that these methods must be used continuously and you may not want to walk around with these on your face all of the time.

There are other treatments that have been researched for acne scarring. These treatments are still being researched and include 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), Imiquimod and radiation therapy used alone. Injections of 5-FU and corticosterioids have shown hope for keloids and hypertophic scars, when combined together these ingredients have shown to be more effective than when used alone. A cream used for genital warts and skin cancer, imiquimod used after keloid therapy has shown in one study to help reduce the appearance and reoccurrence of keloids. Radiation therapy used alone is showing progress in the treatment of keloids. Researchers continue their efforts to find an effective and safe treatment for raised acne scars.

Your dermatologist is your best resource for information about which treatment is best for you. He will examine your skin and use a combination of treatments to get the best results. Raised acne scarring is among the hardest to treat, but there are treatment options that will help reduce and remove these scars and help to smooth out your skin and reduce the appearance of your raised acne scars.