Acne Treatment and Medication
in the greater Edmonton areaExpert Acne Scar Treatment at Advanced Hair & Skin Surgery
Acne is a very common condition affecting men and women. Everyone knows about acne in the teen years once puberty starts, but many don’t realize that adult acne is very common. This is especially true for women in their 30s and 40s. Acne makes you feel self-conscious and can often even lead to scarring. There are many effective treatments for acne and its complications. These include topical and oral medications, medical peels and exfoliation treatments, and scar correction with surgery or silicone injection.
The expert team at Advanced Hair & Skin Surgery provides state-of-the-art acne scar treatment for several different types of acne scars and indentations in Edmonton and Sherwood Park, AB. Call us today to schedule an appointment!
Credentials & Qualifications
Acne scars are especially frustrating because once you’ve found a way to clear up the acne on your skin, you have to deal with the marks that never seem to fade. Acne scarring is two-fold: The first is the post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, which leaves red or brown marks, and the second is the ice pick scars, an indentation or pit in the skin.
If you’re concerned about your acne scars and considering treatment, we welcome you to our Sherwood Park office for an individualized consultation. At Advanced Hair & Skin Surgery, we have state-of-the-art equipment and treatments that can minimize or even erase the following types of marks and indentations:
Atrophic Macules
Boxcar Scars
Depressed Fibrotic Scars
Follicular Macular Atrophy
Icepick Scars
Macules
Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation
Rolling Scars
Soft Scars
Who Is a Good Candidate for Silicone Injections?
Silicone Injection Treatment for Acne Scars
Acne scars come in many forms, but any depressed or dimpled scar can be improved by injecting a filler. This adds volume under the scar and raises it up flush with the surrounding skin, often making it invisible in an instant. Temporary fillers, such as Restylane®, don’t make sense for a permanent scar, so Dr. Elliott uses Silikon 1000 micro-droplets. Silicone has been used for more than 40 years for acne scarring and is the only permanent dermal filler available.
In this technique, a tiny needle is used to inject micro-droplets under the scar. The technique is instant, permanent, and does not require any downtime.
How Do Silicone Injections Work?
Silicone injection treatments stimulate collagen production to repair your skin tissue and minimize the appearance of acne scars and lesions. Acne scars are caused by pores being overwhelmed with excess oil, bacteria, and dead skin cells. When the pore becomes infected and swells, the follicle wall might break, which leads to lesions.
When using silicone injection treatments, your surgeon will deposit microdroplets of silicone underneath your skin. This will fill in your skin’s defects, and your body will begin to accept the silicone as part of itself. Over the next four to six weeks, collagen will form around the silicone, and you’ll be left with natural, healthy-looking skin. This treatment is great because it requires little to no downtime, and our clients can resume daily activities immediately following their appointments.
How Do Zip Zaps Cortisone Injections Work on Acne?
Another commonly performed treatment in Dr. Elliott’s practice is “zit zaps.” Because cystic pimples consist of inflamed, swollen bumps, cortisone shots help get rid of acne by reducing inflammation, which shrinks the pimple. This can also help reduce the risk of potential scarring that occurs with swollen zits. When performing this procedure:
- Your dermatologist will use a tiny needle to inject a small amount of the medicine directly into a pimple.
- In most cases, it takes between 24 to 48 hours for the tenderness, redness, and swelling to subside.
Some breakouts may require more than one injection. While it’s expected for your breakout to subside, how long it takes varies among all clients. For stubborn, painful acne cysts, a simple cortisone micro-injection will minimize the pimple within 24 hours.