Hydroxy acids, such as salicylic acid and glycolic acid, are extensively used as exfoliating agents and for skin peels. They eliminate dead skin cells and also loosen and slowly minimize or dissolve skin lesions such as stretch marks, skin tags, keloid scars, acne scars, surgical scars, age spots, burn scars, moles, and sun damage marks.

The secret of hydroxy acid's actions is that your healthy, normal skin has a high resistance to such acids. On the other hand, most skin lesions have a diminished structural integrity and are more easily broken down by the acids. The continued application of such acids over periods of one month or longer slowly reduces and even eliminates most skin lesions. This is basically a modification of the classic skin peel procedures where a very strong hydroxy acid (or other peeling agents such as TCA or phenol) are used as skin peels. These methods work very well under perfect circumstances. However, hydroxy acids can be very irritating if the subsequent regenerative response of the skin is insufficient to fully heal the acid-treated skin. If there is too little skin rebuilding, then the peeling substance can cause further scarring or inflammation.

Skin Abrasion Also Accelerates Scar Reduction

Methods that mildly abrade skin such as microdermabrasion and subcision (needling) also are helpful in accelerating scar elimination in concert with Hydroxy Acids. Some old scars are very hard and tough and physical breakdown allows the hydroxy acids to start dissolving the scars. For raised or flat scars, microdermabrasion serves well. For depressed scars, such as pitted acne scars, subcision with needles is usually used by estheticians to break up the deeply buried scar tissue.

Skin Remodeling - A Solution for Reducing Scars

The removal or reduction of scars, lesions, and stretch marks from the skin depends on a mechanism called "skin remodeling". The skin is designed to heal wounds quickly to prevent blood loss and infection. Scars are made from a rapidly formed "collagen glue" that the body gathers into an injured area for protection and strength. In perfect skin healing, the damaged skin is rapidly closed, then the healed area is slowly rejuvenated to eliminate the residual collagen scars and blend the skin area into surrounding skin. Scar collagen is removed and replaced with a mixture of skin cells and fine collagen fibers. This skin remodeling can continue in a skin area for ten years. In children the remodeling rate is high and scars are usually rapidly removed from damaged skin areas. But as we reach adulthood, this rate diminishes and small scars can remain for years. One way to accelerate remodeling is to induce a small amount of regulated skin damage with a needle, laser, or other procedures, and then let the body's heal mechanisms rebuild the skin area. A second procedure is to use skin healing accelerators that elevate the body's biological healing mechanisms to obtain an even better final result.