Postacne scarring: A review of its pathophysiology and treatment

BACKGROUND. There has been a largely unheralded revolution in the number of techniques that can now be used in the treatment of atrophic postacne scarring. Atrophic scarring is the more common type of scarring encountered after acne. OBJECTIVE. TO illustrate the range of techniques useful in the therapy of postacne scarring, their relative advantages and disadvantages, and their place in treatment. METHOD. A review of available techniques is used to illustrate the treatment of indented or atrophic acne scars. RESULTS. The individual architecture of the indented scar must be assessed so that treatment may be designed to maximize its improvement. A variety of new methods now exist, including newer resurfacing tools such as infrared lasers, dermasanding, and others in their infancy such as nonablative resurfacing and radiofrequency methods. A true explosion in autologous and nonautologous tissue augmentation and the advent of tissue undermining and the use of punch replacement techniques has added more precision and efficacy to the treatment of these scars. CONCLUSION. Atrophic postacne scars may be satisfactorily treated in many patients, but multiple methods are often required to ensure the best results.