Just about everybody winds up developing a few scars during their lives. Surgeries, injuries, and skin diseases like acne can all leave their marks.
For some people, scars are so tiny or so few, they hardly think about them. But for others — including many people who’ve had acne — noticeable or numerous scars can leave a far deeper mark, taking a big toll on your self-confidence, too.
At Starkey Medical Esthetics, Michele Meinhart, FNP, offers an array of treatments to reduce the appearance of scars, giving you a smoother, clearer complexion — and a big boost to your confidence. Here’s how she can help you.
Scars might seem like a bad thing, but they actually serve an important purpose. When your skin is injured, it reacts by forming new tissue to repair the area and close up the wound.
This tissue is largely composed of collagen, a fibrous tissue that looks and feels different from “regular” skin. Scars help protect the area from further injury, and they also prevent germs from entering your body.
Scars can appear flat, raised, or depressed, and they may be darker or lighter than the surrounding tissue. Scars from acne or other injuries can develop a “pitted” look.
Scars from smaller or shallower injuries typically fade on their own over time. Other injuries leave lasting scars that remain visible.
Different types of scars require different approaches to achieve the best results. Our nurse is skilled in multiple options, so your treatment can be entirely customized for your needs.
Microdermabrasion exfoliates the upper layers of skin, revealing smoother new skin and reducing the appearance of scars. During treatment, a handheld device apsses over your skin, emitting tiny abrasive crystals that gently remove the upper layer of skin cells. A vacuum device suctions away spent crystals and skin debris.
Chemical peels use different solutions to loosen the upper layer of skin, allowing it to naturally slough off in the days and weeks following treatment. Peels can be used alone or following a microdermabrasion treatment for deeper penetration. Chemical peels also stimulate collagen production to help skin feel firmer and smoother.
IPL treatments use light beams to reach deeper layers of skin. As the light is absorbed by your skin, it converts to heat energy, targeting scar tissue and destroying it without harming the tissue surrounding it. Over time, the scar tissue is replaced by healthy tissue.
CO2 fractional lasers use focused beams of energy to “break apart” scar tissue, which is replaced by new, healthy tissue. The laser energy also promotes the development of collagen and elastin for skin that’s firmer and smoother.
Don’t let scars make you feel self-conscious about the way you look. Scar treatment can dramatically reduce the appearance of scars for a complexion you can feel confident about. To learn more about scar treatments at our Salem, Virginia, practice, call or book an appointment online today.
