Scars & Acne Scars
Scars and acne scars are individually assessed according to their structure, depth and skin condition, and treated in a targeted way to visibly improve skin texture and transitions.
Scars form as part of natural wound healing. How visible a scar remains depends on many factors: the cause and depth of the original injury, location, individual wound healing, skin type, and genetic predisposition. Acne scars, in particular, can take very different forms. Some are shallow depressions, others sharply defined or wide. Redness or pigment changes can exist at the same time. For this reason, there is no single treatment for scars. At Clinic Selnau in Zürich, therapy begins with a precise analysis of the scar type and the question of which component actually needs to be improved.
Our Approach
A scar often consists of several components.
Structure, depth, colour, vascular markings, and pigmentation can be changed at the same time. A single technology, therefore, cannot automatically treat all aspects.
With acne scars, distinguishing between the different scar types is especially important. It is not the diagnosis "acne scar" that determines treatment. What matters is which structure of the individual scar has changed.
Which Scars Can Be Treated?
Depending on the starting point, different scars may be considered for aesthetic treatment. These include, for example:
- Acne scars
- Sunken scars
- Irregular scar surfaces
- Reddish scars
- Pigmented scars
- Certain surgical scars
- Scars following injuries
- Structural skin irregularities
Not every scar is suited to the same treatment. Where scar growth is notable, or medically relevant changes exist, a different or more extensive treatment may be required.
Planning & Scar Analysis
Before treatment, we assess the type, depth, and distribution of the scars.
With acne scars, we consider not only individual depressions, but the entire skin surface and the transitions between affected and unaffected areas. We additionally consider:
- Skin type
- Pigmentation
- Redness
- Scar depth
- Skin quality
- Previous treatments
- A tendency toward notable scarring
- Any still-active acne
An active inflammatory skin condition may first require different treatment before the scars themselves become the focus.
Different Acne Scars
Acne scars can take different forms.
Wider, shallower depressions differ from narrow, deep scars, or scars with sharply defined edges. These differences are decisive for treatment. A superficial structural change can respond to a different technique than a deeply fixed scar.
Many patients have several scar types at the same time. A combined treatment concept can then be more sensible than attempting to treat all scars with the same method.
Laser Treatment of Scars
Certain laser treatments can be used to stimulate controlled regeneration and remodelling processes within the skin.
This can gradually improve skin texture and transitions. How intensively treatment is performed depends on scar type, skin type, and the desired improvement.
For superficial or widespread structural changes, laser skin resurfacing can be part of the treatment concept. Deeper or fixed scars can require additional techniques.
Reddish Scars
For some scars, it is not the depression but persistent redness that is the primary concern.
In these situations, the vascular component can be treated in a targeted way. A treatment within redness & vascular laser can therefore be part of a combined scar concept. Where structural changes also exist, colour and structure are assessed separately.
Pigmented Scars
Following inflammation or injury, scars, or the skin around them, can remain darker in pigmentation.
Particularly for more pigmented skin types, restrained treatment is required here. Aggressive treatment can cause new pigment shifts. Where a pigment component is the main concern, treatment planning can be coordinated with pigmentation & pigment spots.
Can Scars Be Fully Removed?
An existing scar generally cannot be fully returned to unchanged skin.
The aim, therefore, is not complete removal. Treatments can improve structure, depth, colour, and transitions, thereby making a scar less noticeable. How much improvement is possible depends on scar type, starting point, and individual skin response.
A successful scar treatment does not undo a scar. It can change it so that it fits more harmoniously into the surrounding skin.
One Treatment or a Combination?
For simple changes, a single technique can be sufficient.
Complex acne scars, by contrast, often require different treatment principles. A structural treatment, for example, can be combined with a targeted treatment of redness or pigment. The individual techniques are coordinated according to the skin's response.
The aim is not to use as many methods as possible at once. What matters is treating each relevant component with the appropriate technique.
Medical Cosmetics & Skin Quality
Medical cosmetics cannot replace the structural depth of pronounced scars.
It can, however, be part of a more comprehensive skin concept. In particular, the skin barrier, hydration, superficial skin quality, and accompanying care can be considered before, between, or after device-based treatments, alongside regenerative techniques such as microneedling. Where blemish-prone skin also exists, care must additionally be taken to avoid new inflammation, and with it, possible new scars.
How Many Treatments Are Necessary?
Scar treatment is often a process.
How many sessions make sense depends on scar type, depth, treatment technique, and individual skin response. Particularly with pronounced acne scars, it is often not a single treatment that is decisive, but gradual improvement over several sessions. The treatment plan is adapted according to the course.
Healing & Results
The healing process depends on the method used and the treatment intensity.
Following laser-based techniques, redness, swelling, and temporary changes to the skin surface can occur. More intensive techniques require a correspondingly longer recovery phase.
The actual change to the scar tissue develops gradually. The result should therefore not be assessed immediately after a single session.
Long-Term Skin Quality
Once improved, scars can remain stable long-term.
The skin, however, continues to change. Ageing, UV radiation, and new inflammation can influence the skin's appearance again. Particularly with acne, it is therefore important to control active inflammation as well as possible, to reduce the development of new scars.
Consultation
During your personal consultation at Clinic Selnau in Zürich, we analyse the type, depth, and distribution of your scars.
We distinguish between structural changes, redness, and pigmentation. On this basis, an individual treatment concept is developed.
Depending on the findings, laser skin resurfacing, a treatment within redness & vascular laser, pigmentation & pigment spots, or a combination of different techniques within skin & laser can make sense. Accompanying medical cosmetics can support general skin quality.
We discuss realistic possibilities for improvement, the number and spacing of possible treatments, healing time, and limitations and risks.
The aim is not to make scars completely disappear. It is to improve structure, colour, and transitions so that the skin overall appears calmer and more even.