Acne Scar Treatment in Philadelphia
Do you have mild, deep, or pervasive acne scars that diminish your confidence and make you feel self-conscious? Meeting Point Health offers everything from microneedling to laser scar treatment to fade scarring, even skin tone, and leave your face looking and feeling dewy and smooth.
Starting at $4K for 12 sessions
Acne Scar Treatment at Meeting Point Health
At Meeting Point Health, we want your mind and body to feel fully integrated so you can achieve your highest potential. It can be difficult to achieve that if you’re overwhelmed with insecurity about the condition of your skin. That’s why Meeting Point offers a variety of acne scar treatments in Philadelphia, PA. Our holistic acne treatments administered by experienced medical professionals will give you the radiant smooth complexion you need to move through the world confidently.
What Are Acne Scars?
Acne scars result from inflammation caused by blemishes. As the blemishes swell within your pores, the infection breaks down the walls in each pore. This process can cause the pore to heal incorrectly after the infection is gone, creating acne scars.
Minor blemishes are often shallow and heal quickly, resulting in little to no acne scarring. However, more significant blemishes—or lots of acne spread over a large area—can cause a general breakdown of the skin that may cause many different kinds of scars, from mild pockmarks to broad, rolling scars.
How Acne Scar Removal Works
Acne scars result from inflammation caused by blemishes. As the blemishes swell within your pores, the infection breaks down the walls in each pore. This process can cause the pore to heal incorrectly after the infection is gone, creating acne scars.
Minor blemishes are often shallow and heal quickly, resulting in little to no acne scarring. However, more significant blemishes—or lots of acne spread over a large area—can cause a general breakdown of the skin that may cause many different kinds of scars, from mild pockmarks to broad, rolling scars.
How Acne Scar Removal Works
Acne scar removal works by identifying the kind of scarring and choosing the proper treatment to address your particular needs. Acne Scars can be treated with microneedling with or without radio frequency, such as with the Morpheus8. Hyperpigmentation and turning over new skin cells can be treated with our Aerolase medical laser, our Cytopeel Hydrodermabrasian and other minimally invasive treatments such as chemical peels.
Regenerative treatments include platelet-rich plasma (PRP), platelet-rich fibrin matrix (PRFM), peptides such as GHK-Cu, exosomes, and placental matrix. All of these treatments can be combined with microneedling for profound tissue regeneration or simply injected into local areas.
Meeting Point’s world-class medical aesthetic team in Philadelphia will create a protocol by identifying the types of acne scars you have and recommending the best way to treat them. Below is a detailed list of common acne scar types we can treat.
Types of Acne Scars
Acne Erythema
Post acne erythema occurs when healing blemishes leave red, irritated-looking dots or bumpy areas on your skin. It’s usually caused by more severe acne infections, commonly called “whiteheads,” characterized by a red, inflamed bump on the skin with a white or yellow center. When whiteheads burst (or are squeezed), they often bleed and cause a lot of damage to the surrounding skin. As this damage heals, pigment cells flow into the healing area and cluster together, causing pink or red skin pigmentation for fair-skinned people and darker, hyperpigmented regions for those with darker complexions.
Hypertrophic (Raised) Scars
Hypertrophic scars are thick, inflexible, raised scars that result from excess connective tissue and collagen rushing into the area as it heals. These types of acne scars typically form from deep wounds that penetrate several layers of the skin and are more likely to appear in regions with taut skin, such as the forehead.
Those who experience long-term acne issues on their forehead or chest are more prone to hypertrophic scarring. The prolonged infection stimulates excess collagen production as the skin is damaged and begins to heal repeatedly, resulting in raised scar tissue the same size and shape as the blemishes.
Rolling Scars
Cystic acne, blemishes that form deep under the skin and manifest as large red bumps, often causes damage under the skin’s surface, creating rolling scars as it heals. Rolling scars cause the skin to appear taught, shiny, wavy, or bumpy in appearance. They occur when thick ribbons of scar tissue form under the skin. They occur most frequently in areas where clusters of acne blemishes arise, such as the cheeks and forehead.
Boxcar Scars
Like rolling scars, boxcar scars are often caused by cystic acne that forms under the skin and prevents it from healing properly. Unlike rolling or hypertrophic scars, boxcar marks result from a lack of collagen. This deficiency causes rounded or oval craterlike depressions as the skin heals because collagen is what makes our skin look soft and smooth.
Ice Pick Scars
Ice pick scars give the skin a perforated appearance as if it was punctured in certain areas by a small icepick. These deep, narrow scars occur when acne heals improperly, and insufficient collagen flows into the area, similar to boxcar scars. They’re most often caused by pore infections that result in “whitehead” acne.
Treatment Options for Acne Scars
Microneedling
Microneedling is a minimally invasive procedure that uses multiple sterile fine needles to create dozens of tiny superficial wounds over the scarred area. Similar to subcision, the needles break up and soften the hardened scar tissue. As the micro-wounds heal, collagen fills in the scarred area, evening out your skin’s texture and appearance.
Morpheus8
Morpheus8 is a method of microneedling with radio frequency. It’s enormously effective for acne scars and even acute acne breakouts. It can be used safely on most skin types—from extremely fair to very dark, with or without hyperpigmentation. Morpheus8 also allows minute control of the needle’s depth, which can go as deep as 4mm or as shallow as 0.5mm on the face and neck.
In addition to reducing acne scarring, Morpheus8’s benefits include:
- Fading stretch marks
- Increasing skin elasticity and vibrance
- Diminished fine lines and wrinkles
- Firmer, tighter-looking skin
Chemical Peels
Chemical peels are often used to amend mild, surface-level scarring, especially if it covers a large area of the face. During the procedure, a chemical solution is applied to the face to remove the outermost layers of skin. This process causes controlled damage that eliminates light scar tissue and stimulates collagen production to develop fresh, rejuvenated layers of skin.
Soft-Tissue Fillers
Dermal fillers are a non-invasive alternative to surgical scar remediation. These fillers are injected under the skin to lift, plump, and smooth depressions in the skin. They can be made from several different substances, including Poly-L-lactic acid (Sculptra).
Like many of the other available treatments, soft tissue fillers stimulate collagen production by bonding to tissues under the skin after injection. The additional collagen further improves the appearance of the skin.
Regenerative Treatments
Our regenerative treatments use specific agents that promote tissue regeneration via injection or infusion, stimulating the body to heal. These treatments nourish skin by replenishing lost nutrients or encouraging the tissue to initiate cellular healing resulting in firmer, even skin tone, and reduced inflammation.
Meeting Points regenerative acne scar treatments include:
- Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) uses a rich layer of plasma extracted from the patient’s own blood to stimulate tissue regeneration in areas of pain or degeneration.
- Platelet-rich fibrin matrix (PRFM) is similar to PRP. Platelets are extracted from the patient’s own blood and used as a dermal filler under the skin to lift and smooth away sunken scars.
- Peptides, such as GHK-Cu, are the building blocks of proteins and occur naturally in the body. They manage metabolic activity, DNA replication, cell signaling, and more.
- Exosome therapy restores cell functions throughout the body. Exosomes enhance cell-to-cell communication, meaning they address skin issues at the cellular level.
- Placental matrix uses treatments derived from placental tissue to stimulate cell regeneration and enhance your natural healing ability.
Each treatment may be applied to the skin’s surface before microneedling or injected directly into the skin to target specific areas.
Acne Scars Treatment Options Offered by Meeting Point Health
Treatment Options for Rolling Scars
Since rolling scars often cover a broad area and may include a combination of surface-level and deeper scarring, one or all of the treatments we offer may be used to eliminate them. For instance, if you have rolling scars across both cheeks that feature raised areas, indents, and scar tissue deep under the skin, we may recommend a combination of microneedling and subcision to address surface and underlying issues.
When you meet with us for your initial consultation, our medical professionals will examine you to determine what combination of treatments will work best to restore your complexion and help remove acne scars.
Treatment Options for Hypertrophic Scars
Hypertrophic scars are raised, textured areas of the skin that benefit most from treatments meant to break up scar tissue and encourage re-matrixing under the skin’s surface. Recommended treatments include:
- Microneedling
- Laser treatment
- Chemical peels
Depending on how widespread and severe your scarring is, we may recommend one or a combination of these treatments to achieve even skin tone and texture.
Acne Scars Treatment Before and After
Why Choose Meeting Point Health for Acne Scar Treatment in Philadelphia?
At Meeting Point, our integrative medicine specialists in Philadelphia believe that medical procedures and prescription medications are only part of a holistic approach to health and well-being. We believe everyone should have the chance to reach their full physical, mental, and spiritual potential without feeling held back by insecurities fueled by issues with their appearance. That’s why we offer a full continuum of treatments designed to help you show your best face to the world.
In our capable hands, you’ll receive the care of experienced medical professionals focused on your physical health and who want to empower you to shine the light of your inner radiance. Our acne scar specialists in Philadelphia will not only administer your treatments with world-class expertise but also support you emotionally through every step of your treatment.
Acne Scar Treatment FAQs
Acne scars occur when blemishes penetrate deeply enough to damage the tissues under the skin. Some scars may be light and fade over time, while others are deeper, thicker, and require medical intervention to remediate them. Recurring infections and inflammation can also cause scarring through a pattern of continuous damage that builds a layer of scar tissue over time.
The best acne scar treatment depends on what kind of scar or scars are present, where they are on the face or body, and the size of the area they cover. Some scars may improve with a single microneedling treatment, while more severe scarring may require a combination of treatments.
To determine which treatment plan is right for you, contact Meeting Point for a free consultation.
Again, this depends on the type of scarring and how severe and pervasive it is. Mild, surface-level scarring may take just a few weeks or months to fade—provided you’re taking good care of your skin—while deeper scarring may never fade without medical intervention.
Most acne scar treatments are minimally invasive, produce noticeable results in a short amount of time, and are semi-permanent or permanent. There is little to no recovery time, minimal risk of side effects, and most treatments produce little to no pain or discomfort.
Since many of our treatments involve stimulating the skin to heal itself, acne scar treatments are semi-permanent or permanent. However, new scars may form if you develop acne after treating previous scars. It’s important to keep your skin cleansed, hydrated, and protected from the elements to avoid future breakouts.
Soft-tissue fillers are the only temporary treatment we offer. These fillers last up to 18 months, at which point they’ll need to be replenished.
The best way to prevent future scars is to prevent future breakouts. Be sure to take good care of your skin by using the right cleansers, moisturizers, toners, etc., for your skin type. Proper skin care will help prevent the infections that cause acne, with the added benefit of treating things like fine lines, wrinkles, enlarged pores, and more.
Sunscreen is also crucial to having healthy skin. Sunburns may temporarily clear up acne, but flaking skin and inflammation can lead to breakouts later.
Acne scar treatments are generally considered safe and effective for older teens and adults with acne-related scars. However, some procedures may not be safe for those with certain medical conditions or who are taking specific medications.
Always be honest about your medical history and any medications or supplements you’re taking before receiving acne scar treatments of any kind. Our Meeting Point medical professionals can help you decide which treatments will be safe and effective for you.
Reserve Your Appointment Today
At Meeting Point Health, we help you discover the root cause of your disease, dysfunction, or pain. We ask questions, test and dig deeper to understand what’s happening at a cellular level. All of our treatments are personalized around your findings so you get the exact care you need.
