Facelift for Acne Scars

Unsightly acne scars can make people feel self-conscious about their appearance. This is particularly true for acne scars on the face. Severe scars as a result of acne can produce an uneven, deeply pitted appearance to the skin. The doctors at Jefferson Plastic Surgery have seen a number of these patients who are seeking some type of cosmetic or plastic surgery procedure to tighten up the skin and even it out, thus reducing the appearance of deep acne scars.

What Causes Acne Scars?

Acne scars happen as a result of the body’s attempt to heal following an acne breakout. If the acne penetrates too deeply, it can damage both the skin and the underlying tissue. As the healing process starts, the body will produce collagen to help repair the damage. Collagen is a protein naturally found in the body and helps support the skeletal structure and fill out the skin over the bones. However, in repairing the damage from an acne breakout, the body may produce either too much collagen (resulting in raised areas on the surface of the skin) or too little (resulting in pitting).

There are numerous causes for acne that results in scarring. The most common is inflammatory acne, which is red, swollen, and painful. This type of acne penetrates down into the tissue beneath the skin. If patients do not treat this type of acne, or pick or squeeze at it, this will also cause the skin to heal improperly, resulting in scarring. Inflammatory acne may be hereditary.

Cosmetic Treatments for Acne Scars

For almost all cases of acne scarring that has not penetrated too deeply into the underlying tissue, laser excision of scars, chemical peels, or dermabrasion are considered the main treatment options to even out the skin’s appearance. In cases of shallow pitting, dermal fillers made from animal collagen may also be a good solution to smooth out the skin by filling in areas where there is not enough collagen.

However, in cases of very deep scarring (sometimes referred to as icepick scarring), particularly for patients over the age of 40 who are already experiencing some signs of collagen loss and aging to the face, a facelift may provide another viable treatment option.

Facelift Procedure for Acne Scarring

Although the primary reason for a facelift is to tighten up loose skin and underlying tissue around the face, a subcutaneous facelift procedure, combined with a subcision procedure for deep scarring, may reduce the appearance of deep icepick pitting due to acne scarring.

Subcutaneous facelift: Unlike a SMAS facelift procedure, which is designed to tighten up the facial muscles underlying the skin and tissue, a subcutaneous facelift only focuses on the skin and subcutaneous layers because acne scarring does not penetrate to the facial muscles. Incisions are made just in front of the hairline, and the skin and tissue are then lifted up, tightened, and sutured back into place.

Subcision: In this procedure, shallow incisions are made next to the acne scars. A fine needle is then inserted and worked back and forth in a fanning motion underneath the scar to release some of the fibrous bands that formed. This will help even out the skin’s appearance.

Although a facelift should not be the primary treatment for deep acne scars, it may provide an excellent treatment option for older patients who otherwise have good skin tone and elasticity.