Our plastic surgery office in Beirut Lebanon is the top location to treat new and old acne scars on the face and body. Dr. Raffy Karamanoukian, our double board-certified plastic surgeon, is an international leader in the safe and effective treatment of acne scars. We treat scars that are hypertrophic, atrophic, or hyperpigmented in order to smooth your complexion and give you a healthy skin glow.
There are many treatments for acne scars but all of them begin with a careful consultation in which Dr. Karamanoukian or one of his colleagues assesses your skin quality to determine whether you have active acne. Treatments for cystic acne is an important element in the long-term management of acne scars. We employ topical and oral medication's to handle cystic acid and reduce the amount of inflammatory cystic lesions on the skin. At the same time, we will recommend a combination of RF and laser treatments to begin improving the contour of your skin. Patient will benefit by using a maintenance skin regimen that includes Melapads, Melarase AM and Melarase PM for the skin.
Chemical Peels
TCA Chemical Peel
A trichloroacetic acid chemical peel is a dermal skin treatment that can improve skin texture, hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, sun damage, and acne scarring. It stimulates skin renewal and collagen, helping the skin to appear smoother, tighter, and more youthful.
Dr. Karamanoukian is an expert in fractional laser combined with TCA peels, or TCA chemical peels for medium depth exfoliation.
A TCA chemical peel is effective for the following skin problems:
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Cystic Acne Blemishes and Scars
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Uneven Skin Texture
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Hyperpigmentation and Melasma
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Fine lines and wrinkles
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UV Damage and Actinic Keratosis
- Acne scarring (Boxcar and Atrophic Scars)
Depending on the depth of your TCA Chemical peel, you will experience mild exfoliation peeling that may last days, or deep peeling that may take 5-10 days to heal. Trichloroacetic acid peels have variable depths of skin penetration depending on the concentration chosen by Dr. Karamanoukian. Most patients will benefit from a lighter peel, especially for acne scar hyperpigmentation, while others may require deeper peels to help atrophic acne scars.
TCA Cross for Ice-Pick Scars
Ice-pick acne scars are usually caused by a deep cystic pimple that causes irreversible destruction to collagen within the dermis. The depth to width ratio for an ice pack scar is very high with a small opening visible on the skin, but a large depression within the epidermis and dermis of the facial skin. Ice-pick acne scars rarely respond to lasers and chemical peels but do respond to a procedure known as TCA cross in which a highly caustic acid applied to the scar to stimulate collagen growth and contraction of the ice pack scar. The TCA cross technique has been used for decades to address deeply atrophic depressions in the skin and Dr. Raffy Karamanoukian at Kare Beirut can help you find solutions, including TCA cross, to re-contour and smooth the skin.
TCA cross technique can be combined with fractional lasers and radio frequency treatments to to help treat different types of acne scars that occur simultaneously on the skin. Patients who have atrophic scars may respond to combination treatments that include fractional ablation, radio frequency stimulation of collagen, skin contraction, chemical peels, and fillers. Dr. Karamanoukian has a highly developed and intricate protocol for acne scars and addresses icepack scars specifically with TCA cross.
Dermaplaning and Microneedling
Microneedling and dermaplaning are two corrective skin treatments that can exfoliate the skin and improve surface irregularities and skin tone. Patients with mild acne scarring, fine lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, and sun damage can benefit from these procedures. In some cases, Dr. Karamanoukian will combine either dermaplaning or microneedling with PRP Growth Factors in order to stimulate skin quality.
Microneedling is an excellent alternative to chemical peels and should be combined with maintenance skin regimens including Replenish Retinoid creams and Melapads exfoliating pads.