Surgical Revision

Punch Surgery.  In this acne scar treatment, ice-pick scars may be removed by "punch" excisions.  In this process each individual scar is removed and replaced with a healthy graft (or punch) of skin tisuue from another area of the body.  During the procedure each acne scar is excised down to the layer of subcutaneous fat.  The resulting hole is repaired with a punch skin graft, usually from another area of the scalp.  Punch surgery may work well to fill the holes created by icepick scars, but pigmentation issues can remain fter surgery and downtime is required for healing. 

Subcision.  In this acne scar treatment, a surgical probe is used to lift the scar tissue away from unscarred skin, thus elevating a depressed scar.  It is used with deeper fibrotic such as ice pick scars.  Because the process is an invasive surgical procedure, subcision is tyically reserved for very deep, aged scars.

Skin grafting. In this acne scar treatment, flat skin grafts from other areas of the body are used to cover or repair acne scars.  Grafting may be necessary under certain conditions such as when dermabrasion uncovers dermal tunnels (also called sinus tracts) caused by inflammatory reactions to sebum and bacteria in sebaceous follicles.

To learn more about this treatment, contact your local acne physician.