Can Dermal Fillers Help Acne Scars?

Despite being the most common skin condition in the United States, acne takes its toll on a person’s emotional and social well-being. For some, the skin condition may leave behind scars that serve as a constant reminder that can negatively impact one's appearance and self-esteem.

But you don't have to live with your acne scars. At Associated Skin Care Specialists in Maple Grove, Fridley, Eden Prairie, and Coon Rapids, Minnesota, our board-certified dermatologists offer a number of treatments to reduce the appearance of your acne scars, including dermal fillers.

Not all acne scars are the same

Acne is a skin condition that develops when your hair follicles fill up with oil and dead skin cells, creating whiteheads, blackheads, and pimples. Acne scars occur when the blemish breaks through the hair follicle and penetrates deeper into your skin.

When the acne clears, your skin repairs the damage with collagen fibers. If your skin produces too much or too little collagen, then you end up with an acne scar that may be depressed or raised. Here's the difference between the two:

Depressed acne scar

When your skin fails to produce enough collagen to repair the damage from your acne, you end up with a depressed acne scar. The depressed acne scar may be described as an “ice pick” scar (small hole in your skin) or “boxcar” scar (round-or oval-shaped scar with steep sides). 

If your depressed acne scars disappear when you stretch your skin, then you have what’s referred to as distensible acne scars. 

Raised acne scar

When your skin produces too much collagen to repair the damage, you end up with a raised acne scar that looks like a mass of raised tissue on your skin.

Treating acne scars with dermal fillers

Dermal fillers are a cosmetic injection that adds volume under your skin. Most often sought out for smoothing out lines and wrinkles, dermal fillers also improve the appearance of depressed acne scars. 

For acne scars, we use Bellafill®, which is the only long-term filler FDA-approved for the treatment of distensible acne scars. It also improves the appearance of depressed acne scars on the cheeks.

Bellafill contains a collagen gel, which instantly adds volume under the skin of your acne scar, and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) microspheres. 

Unlike other types of dermal fillers, the PMMA microspheres remain after your skin absorbs the collagen, which helps stimulate the production of your own natural collagen to provide a more lasting effect. With Bellafill, you can expect your results to last at least a year. 

Other acne scar treatments

Dermal fillers can improve the appearance of your depressed and distensible acne scars, but that’s not the only treatment we offer. When you come in to see us with concerns about your acne scars, we conduct a comprehensive evaluation to determine the most effective treatment for you.

If you suffer from widespread depressed acne scars, we may recommend microneedling. Also called collagen induction therapy, microneedling breaks up the scar tissue and stimulates your skin to produce new collagen to improve your appearance. For raised scars, we may recommend skin resurfacing with our state-the-art Fraxel® laser.  

Treating your acne scars improves your appearance and self-confidence. To learn more about dermal fillers and how they can enhance your skin, contact the office most convenient to you, and schedule an appointment today.