Early Signs of Rosacea You Shouldn’t Ignore
Rosacea, which affects at least 5% of the global population, is a chronic and progressive condition that can very much benefit from timely action. Here’s a look at some early warning signs.
Erasing the Past — 6 Great Solutions for Acne Scars
While acne was problematic enough as you navigated the challenging years of adolescence, it hasn’t released its grip thanks to acne scarring that’s followed you into adulthood.
Acne is the most common skin condition — affecting about 50 million Americans annually — and many people are left with unwelcome reminders in the form of acne scarring,
As experts in skin health, board-certified dermatologist Dr. Bruce Saal and our team at Los Gatos Dermatology offer a complete arsenal for restoring health to damaged skin. And when it comes to acne scarring, we’re well-equipped with treatments.
Why acne scarring can appear worse in adulthood
Many adults who come to us for acne scarring care first want to know why the scarring seems to get worse in adulthood.
The answer to this question is simple — aging skin. Starting in your 20s, your skin’s production of collagen naturally diminishes to only about 1% per year.
Since collagen is a protein that gives your skin its tone, the gradual loss can lead to increasingly lax skin. As a result, blemishes like acne scars, especially indented ones, can start to stretch and look larger.
If your scars are raised, they can appear more prominent as the skin around them ages and becomes less taut and toned.
Hitting the reset button on acne with these scar treatments
Whether your acne scarring got worse in adulthood or not, you simply want the blemishes to go away and not serve as a constant reminder of your acne-riddled youth.
To that end, here are some effective acne scarring solutions:
Chemical peels
We use specialized acids to gently peel the outer layers of your skin, allowing the unblemished skin below to emerge.
Skin resurfacing
Skin resurfacing in the United States has become very popular. There were more than 3.7 million procedures performed in 2024 alone.
The aforementioned chemical peel qualifies as skin resurfacing, but we also turn to laser technologies that remove outer layers of your skin. At the same time, these laser treatments also create a call for more collagen production, which can help smooth away acne scars.
Punch incision
For stubborn acne scars, we might recommend a punch incision. With this approach, Dr. Saal uses a specialized tool to remove the scar and the hair follicle, allowing your skin to heal properly and more smoothly.
Dermal fillers
If you have indented acne scars, we’ve found great success in using dermal fillers to raise the scars and make them more even with your surrounding skin. But this solution isn’t permanent, as dermal fillers generally last between several months to a year or two.
Steroid injections
If you have raised acne scars, steroid injections are common treatments that can flatten the scar, helping it to blend in with surrounding skin.
Microneedling
This is a popular skin care treatment in which we use very fine needles to create a matrix of microchannels. Through microneedling, we can break up surface blemishes like acne scars and encourage new collagen to lift and smooth the skin from below.
As you can see, there are plenty of acne scar treatment options to choose from, and this list isn’t even complete.
For a better idea about what would work best to hit the reset button on your acne scarring, we invite you to contact our office in Los Gatos, California, today to set up a consultation.
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