Acne scar revision update

Since the July 1983 Symposium on Acne in which the article entitled 'Rehabilitation of Acne Scarring' appeared, there have been few major breakthroughs in the correction of acne scarring. However, the refinements developed since the previous publication have improved the results and are included here. The objective of rehabilitative surgery is to impart to the surface of the skin. Although a total correction of the tissue deformities caused by acne cannot always be achieved, the rationale for such surgery goes beyond the cosmetic to a concern for improving the patient's self-image. Acne can produce a variety of skin defects. A scar can be characterized as narrow or wide, deep or shallow, pitted, ice-pick-like, crater-like, diffusely depressed, hypotrophic, hypertrophic, keloidal, and hypopigmented or hyperpigmented. Rehabilitation techniques are selected by the type of scar. The typical patient has a variety of scar types, and several different techniques usually are required to achieve optimal reconstruction. Good photographic documentation of the skin's preoperative condition is usually necessary.