There are 4 basic types of acne scars: Ice-pick, rolling, boxcar, and hypertrophic. Understanding the differences between these types of scars is crucial in order to effectively eliminate or reduce the appearance of your own scars.
Certain treatment options are available for each type of scars, because they all have different causes and structures. Because of this, knowing as much as possible about your acne scars is the key to getting rid of them.
In this article we’ll take a look at boxcar acne scars. First we’ll examine what exactly they are, how they are formed, and finally we’ll take a look at each of the treatment options available for those with boxcar acne scars.
What Are Boxcar Acne Scars?
Boxcar scars, one of the four types of acne scars, are round, oval, or rectangular depressions in the skin with steep, angular sides. They are a type of depressed scar, which means they are indented into the skin. This is different than keloid scars, which are a type of raised scar.
Most common on the cheeks and temples, boxcar scars are similar to the scars that one might get from severe chickenpox.
Boxcar scars can be mild, moderate, or severe depending on how much tissue is lost due to damage from acne lesions.
Boxcar Acne Scar Pictures
What Causes Boxcar Acne Scars?
Boxcar scars, like most kinds of scars, are caused by a loss of collagen to an area of skin.
As the body heals from severe acne lesions, the collagen in the skin can either be destroyed, or can have it’s internal structure changed. When collagen is lost, the surface layers of skin no longer have support holding them up, and this lack of support causes depressions of the skin. When the depressions are large enough, you get boxcar scars.
They are a very common type of scar, and fortunately there are a number of treatment options available.
Boxcar Acne Scar Treatment Options
As I stated above, there are a number of treatment options available for boxcar acne scars. Let’s take a look at some of the more effective treatment techniques.
Skin Fillers (Augmentation)
Probably the most effective way of treating boxcar acne scars is with skin fillers, also known as augmentation.
This is a procedure where a material is injected into the skin, filling in the space where the missing collagen used to be. This means that the epidermis now has support, and won’t form a depression in the skin anymore.
The major drawback to this technique is that although the results are often satisfactory, they are often temporary as well. The material injected into the skin is usually collagen, hyaluronic acid, PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate), or the patient’s own body fat, and the only one of those which can be permanent is PMMA. With any other filler material, it is usually absorbed by the body within 3-6 months.
Laser Resurfacing
Another option available for boxcar acne scars is laser resurfacing, although this is not the ideal type of scar for this form of treatment.
During a laser resurfacing procedure, either an ablative or non-ablative laser is used to remove the top layers of skin. This causes the skin to regrow, hopefully without the presence of scar tissue.
The effectiveness of laser resurfacing on boxcar scars depends mostly on the depth and severity of the scar.
Dermabrasion
Dermabrasion is similar to laser resurfacing, except that instead of a laser, a tool is used to grind away the top layers of skin.
The same principle applies: the hope is that the skin will regrow without the scar tissue in place.
Punch Excision
This is another way of removing scar tissue, and is somewhat similar to laser resurfacing and dermabrasion, except that rather than the top layers of skin being removed, and entire scar is removed and the wound is closed with a suture.
A tool similar to a cookie cutter is used, and the entire area of scar tissue is literally removed, and the hope is that when everything heals, there will either be no scar, or a less visible one.
