The desire to maintain youthful skin grows with age. We combat wrinkles, sagging skin, and dullness to recapture the glow we once had. However, something we wish we could leave behind from our younger years… is acne.
You thought you were rid of those pesky red bumps, but they never truly faded, leaving marks upon your skin as reminders of the inflammation, irritation, and endless search for the cause.
Was it your diet? Did you use the wrong skincare product? What caused your acne, and why are the scars sometimes more noticeable than the pimples themselves?
At Marcos Medical we can answer these questions and help you reclaim an even complexion with our acne scar treatment in San Antonio. Read on to learn how we help you address and prevent acne.
Acne: A (Seemingly) Lifelong Battle
Where did the misconception that acne only affects us in our teen years come from? If you think about it, we often associate acne with “hormonal teenagers,” but our hormones affect us through all stages of life. Women especially tend to struggle more with hormonal acne because they constantly experience hormonal fluctuations, occurring during menstruation, pregnancy, while using birth control, and during menopause.
Adult acne has other contributing factors as well:
- Stress – Stress increases androgen production, stimulating the skin’s oil glands and hair follicles, which can lead to breakouts.
- Certain hair and skin products – Some products clog pores, making acne more likely. Make sure to only use oil-free or non-comedogenic products. Also, remember to thoroughly wash your face every night and follow up with moisturizer.
- Poor Skin Care Routine – Remember that consistency is key! Skipping steps like cleansing, moisturizing, or exfoliating can clog your pores and cause an imbalance in your skin’s oil production. You should always remove your makeup before bed to prevent acne.
- Undiagnosed medical conditions – Some endocrine disorders, like polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), cause acne along with other symptoms.
- Diet – Certain foods or drinks, such as dairy and high-glycemic foods, can trigger an increase in blood sugar levels and inflammation in the body. This can result in more sebum and oil being produced in your skin.
- Dehydration – When your body doesn’t get enough hydration, it leads to more oil production and an accumulation of dead skin cells. Make sure to drink plenty of water, and use hydrating skin care products to minimize acne breakouts and maintain skin health.
Fortunately, you don’t have to wait until those angry red bumps become scars before coming to us for acne scar treatment in San Antonio. We have options to treat active acne, acne scars, and both.
Why does acne leave scars?
Not all acne leaves scars. Sometimes a zit may rear its ugly head and leave with no issue.
In other cases, such as cystic acne or nodules—acne types causing deep, painful bumps under the skin—either indented or raised scars may result. Picking, popping, or squeezing pimples, even small ones, also increases your risk of scarring.
Scars result from the healing process of acne, and inflammation plays a major role in this process because it affects collagen production. If your body makes too much collagen, a raised scar forms. If it makes too little, the skin can lose tissue and create an indentation.
So, as you can see, collagen is the key to treating acne scars. All of our treatment options work with your body’s natural healing response to increase and control the production of collagen and new healthy cells.
Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation
Although acne may heal without scarring, a flat, pigmented spot may remain, often mistaken for a scar. This is actually post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Depending on your skin tone, these spots may appear pink, red, brown, or even bluish gray. We have several treatments that can address hyperpigmentation, helping to restore your complexion.
Why Come to Marcos Medical
We offer comprehensive care for many aesthetic concerns. As we established before, acne and acne scars may result from internal concerns. Instead of just fixing the problem on a surface level, we address the root cause of the issue. This could mean providing primary care or wellness services in addition to your acne scar treatment in San Antonio, helping to prevent future breakouts.
If hormones affect your skin health, we can provide hormone optimization, which can help both men and women alike. On the other hand, if hormones aren’t the cause, we’ll talk about lifestyle changes to improve your skin. We can discuss all of this, and more, during your consultation.
Consultation
During your complimentary consultation, we examine your skin to determine which acne scar treatment will provide the most effective results. Often, we use VISIA Skin Analysis for advanced imaging to examine your acne and acne scars. Using detailed images, VISIA helps us evaluate your skin health and identify underlying issues. Based on your results, we can develop a personalized treatment plan tailored specifically to you.
Treatment Options
For indented or raised acne scars, we have a variety of devices to help you achieve smoother, clearer skin. Laser facials, BBL treatments, and microneedling are some of our favorite treatments to boost collagen levels and target scars.
Halo Laser
The Halo laser utilizes both ablative and non-ablative wavelengths, making it the optimal choice for raised acne scar treatment in San Antonio. The ablative setting exfoliates and removes the top layer of your skin, while the non-ablative laser penetrates deeper layers.
While resurfacing the top layer of your skin, Halo simultaneously stimulates collagen production to enhance scar healing and skin regeneration.
This laser is customizable to suit a wide range of skin types! We will carefully target the depth of your acne scar with the laser, while avoiding any damage to the surrounding skin.
With ablative lasers, we estimate that you will need 3 days of downtime. You can expect clear skin by day 7. With Halo’s powerful hybrid lasers, you can achieve your goals with only 1 to 2 treatments.
Moxi Laser
The Moxi laser solely utilizes non-ablative wavelengths, focusing on deeper skin layers while keeping the top layer intact. This stimulates your body’s healing response and collagen production, helping to improve the appearance of indented scars.
Additionally, its non-ablative powers target melanin, the pigment responsible for skin color. Moxi breaks down excess melanin, which helps to lighten hyperpigmentation to create a more even skin tone.
Moxi’s gentler nature leads to less downtime than Halo laser—expect 1 to 3 days of recovery. You can notice results from this acne scar treatment in San Antonio in as little as 5 to 7 days. We usually recommend 3 to 4 treatments of Moxi for optimal results.
Juliet Laser
For patients wanting to improve acne scars, wrinkles, fine lines, and sun damage, the Juliet laser provides two treatment options:
- Light Facial Peel – Removes the top layer of skin to remedy minor skin ailments.
- Ablation Peel – Reach deeper skin layers to boost blood flow and collagen production, improving more damaged layers of skin.
Juliet usually requires about 3 to 5 days of downtime, with visible results in 7 to 10 days. The number of treatments you may need varies on your skin condition and aesthetic goals.
BBL HERO
BBL HERO lives up to its name by successfully addressing a variety of skin concerns, including acne and acne scars. The name is actually an acronym for “Broadband Light Therapy, High Energy Rapid Output.” Intense visible and infrared light pulses penetrate the skin, where damaged tissues absorb their thermal energy. This creates controlled cellular damage, and eliminates damaged cells to promote smoother, clearer skin.
You can expect to see results within 10 to 14 days with no downtime. We may recommend 3 to 5 treatments to help you adequately address your acne and acne scars.
Exion Fractional RF Microneedling
Although this treatment doesn’t utilize lasers, it’s still very effective for treating acne scars and improving skin tone and texture. The process of microneedling involves using fine needles to create controlled micro-injuries to stimulate your body’s healing response, triggering collagen and elastin production.
At Marcos Medical, we use the Exion RF Microneedling device which also utilizes radio frequency (RF) energy with ultrasound technology to heat deeper layers of tissue, further stimulating collagen production for smoother skin. After just a few weeks of this acne scar treatment in San Antonio, you can expect to see smoother, more radiant skin. We recommend a series of 3 to 5 sessions, depending on the severity of your concerns.
This treatment also involves minimal downtime. You may experience some redness or mild swelling following your treatments, but this typically resolves within 1 to 2 days.
Which acne scar treatment is right for you?
Scar-free skin requires a personalized approach, as everyone’s skin is different. Some devices or techniques may work better than another, depending on your concerns. The best way to determine how to get rid of acne scars is to come in for a consultation. Our aesthetics team will educate you on your options and provide guidance and support while you receive acne scar treatments.
Smooth Things Over With Marcos Medical
At Marcos Medical, we want to help you feel great from the inside out. That’s why we offer more than acne scar treatment in San Antonio. We also offer wellness services to address the root of the problem. With our treatments, you can address acne, acne scars, and much more.
If you’re interested in learning more about how Marcos Medical can help you achieve your aesthetic goals, book a consultation with us. You can even start now by using our treatment planner tool. Once we receive your submission, a member of our team will reach out to you with treatment options.
