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Acne scars
Severe acne often leaves small scars where the skin gets a "volcanic" shape. Acne scars are difficult and expensive to treat, and it is unusual
for the scars to be successfully removed completely.
Physical acne scars are often referred to as "Icepick" scars. This is
because the scars tend to cause an indentation in the skin's surface.
Acne scars are unsightly, and it is for this reason they can be
psychologically and emotionally distressing. However, there is a range of treatments available. If acne scars are causing severe psychological
distress, social withdrawal and/or emotional ill-health, a physician should be contacted.
Those who suffered from acne before, and have developed scars are
generally relieved that the acne has gone, and emotional effects of acne scars tend to be less distressing
Ice pick scars - Deep pits, that are the most common and a classic sign of acne scarring.
Box car scars - Angular scars that usually occur on the temple and cheeks, and can be either superficial or deep, these are similar to chickenpox scars.
Rolling scars - Scars that give the skin a wave-like appearance.
Hypertrophic scars - Thickened, or keloid scars.
Pigmentation
Pigmented scars is a slightly misleading term, suggesting a change in the skin's pigmentation, and that they are true scars. Neither is true.
Pigmented scars are usually the result of nodular or cystic acne (the painful 'bumps' lying under the skin). They often leave behind an
inflamed red mark. Often, the pigmentation scars can be avoided simply by avoiding aggravation of the nodule or cyst. When sufferers try to 'pop'
cysts or nodules, pigmentation scarring becomes significantly worse, and may even bruise the affected area. Pigmentation scars nearly
always fade with time taking between 3 months to two years to do so, although rarely can persist.
On the other hand, some people, particularly asian or people with
naturally tanned skin do develop brown hyperpigmentation scars which is caused by a local increased production of the pigment melanin. These too typically fade over time.
Grading scale
There are multiple grading scales for grading the severity of acne vulgaris,[33] three of these being: Leeds acne grading technique:
Counts and categorises lesions into inflammatory and non-inflammatory (ranges from 0-10.0). 'Cook's acne grading scale: Uses photographs to
grade severity from 0 to 8 (0 being the least severe and 8 being the most severe). Pillsbury scale: Simply classifies the severity of the acne from 1 (least severe) to 4 (most severe).
Different types of Acne Vulgaris:
A: Cystic acne on the face, B: Subsiding tropical acne of trunk, C: Extensive acne on chest and shoulders.
Article Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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