Mark
P
imples may disfigure a face for a few
days. But the scars they leave behind can
last a lifetime. "There's a psychological
factor that adds to the physical scarring," says
Jwala Karnik, MD, chief medical officer of
Suneva Medical (sunevamedical.com). "You feel
less-than, like something bad happened to you.
There are a lot of feelings of guilt, hopelessness,
lack of confidence and low self-esteem."
To make things more complicated, acne
scars are notoriously difficult to treat. "They're
some of the most challenging conditions we
have facing us as dermatologic surgeons," says
Michael H. Gold, MD, medical director of the
Gold Skin Care Center and Tennessee Clinical
10 July/August 2013 | ACNE & ROSACEA
By Randy Dotinga
Research Center and clinical assistant professor
of dermatology at Vanderbilt University School
of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee.
Treating acne scars has been a major
challenge due, in large part, to the lack of
effective tools. "We were good with wrinkles
but didn't really have an effective tool to
resurface acne scars," says Jill Waibel, MD,
a Miami, Florida-based dermatologist who
specializes in aesthetic laser and cosmetic
skin procedures.
The good news is that today dermatologists
and plastic surgeons can turn to a growing
array of sophisticated tools and strategies to
treat acne scars.
© istockphoto.com
the
Acne scar treatments are
becoming more effective
thanks to a growing
variety of treatment tools.