I’m Embarrassed By My Acne Scars

Acne gives your self-esteem dual blows: pustules, excess oil, blackheads, and painful red cysts that develop deep in your skin undermine your confidence, and the scars are constant reminders of the past skin eruptions, some years old.  

Acne scars are usually considered permanent, but the advanced treatments that Dr. Sharon Gertzman and the Serenity Medical Spa team offer —  Tetra CoolPeelⓇ and Vivace™RF — are easy to tolerate, effective, and involve minimal downtime. As with all treatments she offers, Dr. Gertzman adopted these two methods only after carefully researching their safety and clinical track records.

Why does acne scarring happen?

When acne scarring occurs, your immune system directs a surplus of white blood cells toward pimples to heal them. These extra cells transform into scars. 

There are factors that put you at greater risk of developing acne scarring:

• If a family member has scars, you’re more likely to also
• If you have painful inflammatory acne, which starts deep within your skin
• If you don’t seek professional treatment, especially for inflammatory acne
• If you irritate your acne by picking, squeezing, or popping pimples

We understand that when you live with acne scars, you’re most concerned about getting rid of the unsightly raised scars or depressed pits.

Types of acne scars

Acne causes multiple types of scars, and each poses different challenges in terms of treatment. 

Rolling scars have a wavy and ill-defined appearance, while boxcar scars are characterized by clear and abrupt pitting. Oblong scars that develop when infections from cysts deep within your skin come to its surface are known as ice pick scars. 

Hypertrophic scars are raised, firm, and cover only the place where your pimple was, while keloid scars are more severe raised scars caused by an overproduction of collagen. Keloid scars grow larger than the spot where your pimple was. 

What treatments can smooth and minimize my acne scars?

Serenity Med Spa is proud to offer two treatments that go beyond promises when it comes to noticeably reducing the appearance of acne scars, and collagen growth — the protein that gives your skin its elasticity and resilience — is fueled by both. 

Tetra CoolPeel is an updated, improved take on traditional carbon dioxide, or CO2 laser treatments, which have been used for years as aesthetics treatments. They improved skin’s appearance by removing the outermost thin epidermis and heating the skin underneath, but this was traumatic to skin and recovery was uncomfortable and lengthy.  

CoolPeel is gentler and employs intense pulsed light (IPL) to provoke collagen growth without the traumatizing effects of traditional treatments. We just target your superficial layer of skin during treatment, and the resurfacing results are so impressive — and achieved with no downtime! 

The other innovative acne scar treatment we offer is through the extraordinary Vivace™RF system, which gives acne scars a one-two punch, harnessing the powers of both radio frequency (RF) energy and microneedling. The treatment powerfully smoothes acne scars, and does so despite the fact that treatments are minimally invasive, brief, and comfortable. 

Dr. Gertzman delivers Vivace treatment through a small, robotic, handheld device that enables her to treat your skin in a highly targeted way. After treatment, we apply a treatment to amplify Vivace RF’s effects. The RF energy travels deep within your skin, and your body takes this as its cue to ramp up collagen production. 

The replenishing collagen rises up to your epidermis and pushes the depressed acne scars so they become level with your unscarred skin. The results are remarkable, and the system works well on decades-old and recently acquired acne scars. 

Our patients are consistently pleased with how painless treatment is (we apply a topical pre-treatment anesthetic routinely) and how any slight redness or swelling vanishes in less than 12 hours post-treatment. 

Dr. Gertzman usually advises patients to receive a three-treatment series, with one month’s time in between treatments for optimal results. 

Stop acne scars in their tracks

You can minimize scarring by leaving your skin alone when it breaks out. Likewise, religious use of sunscreen and using the right skin care line make a big difference. We offer an excellent one called ZOⓇ Skin Health, which is part of the highly respected Obagi product line. 

If you find yourself with a painful skin eruption, a visit to our office for a corticosteroid injection can also bring you relief from the discomfort of acne and minimize the chances that you’ll scar. 

When you visit us to talk about acne scar treatments, Dr. Gertzman discusses whether CoolPeel or Vivace RF will be more appropriate for you in terms of the type of scarring you have, your treatment goals, and other considerations. She then creates a personalized treatment schedule for you. 

You may have thought that a smoother face was beyond reach, but it’s not. Call our office to schedule a consultation with Dr. Gertzman, or reach out to us through our website.