Acne.org Products
You're welcome Jan31!
I forgot to answer your question:
"What about ReCell? Is this the same thing as Acell and has it been approved yet?"
ReCell is very different from ACell. My understanding of both is below:
ReCell is a method of taking a piece of your skin and quickly propogating it to create a "spray on" skin. It is used after dermabrasion or laser treatment (C02 I assume) and then spraying your skin cells over the wounded area to reduce scarring. It is also used on burns at the the time of initial injury.
ACell is an acellular powder derived from the outer membrane of the pig bladder. It acts as a matrix or scaffold allowing your regenerative signals to continue to bring nourishment to the wounded area and hopefully allow the closest thing to true regeneration currently available.
Hope that helps!
Anna
Anna, Thank you for the info. It's just hard to know what to do...I hope something happens soon!
I have another scar (I actually have 13 more, but TCA is improving most of them) that I want to get cut out. The scar from my first excision in September is almost invisible under make-up, but I'm still kind of debating with myself about getting another one done. I don't know if I should wait or not.
If I get it done I'm going to completely eliminate sugar and carbs since when I've done this in the past (as well as fasting) it has greatly improved the texture of my skin.
Jan31
p.s. I'm going to try your green smoothie recipe 
You're welcome Jan31!
I forgot to answer your question:
"What about ReCell? Is this the same thing as Acell and has it been approved yet?"
ReCell is very different from ACell. My understanding of both is below:
ReCell is a method of taking a piece of your skin and quickly propogating it to create a "spray on" skin. It is used after dermabrasion or laser treatment (C02 I assume) and then spraying your skin cells over the wounded area to reduce scarring. It is also used on burns at the the time of initial injury.
ACell is an acellular powder derived from the outer membrane of the pig bladder. It acts as a matrix or scaffold allowing your regenerative signals to continue to bring nourishment to the wounded area and hopefully allow the closest thing to true regeneration currently available.
Hope that helps!
Anna
If you already have excision or other surgical scars could Acell or Juvesta (sp?) still be used? What about ReCell? Is this the same thing as Acell and has it been approved yet? I'm sorry to ask, I went through and read the thread but I still have these questions...
Jan31
Juvesta, ACell, and ReCell all would need to be used at the time of initial wounding or revision, so if you already have a scar it would need to be excised. I'm not sure what the approval status is of ReCell. There is some talk of integrating ACell into Restylane or some type of filler to perhaps turn it into a more permanent solution for sunken defects or scars.
Anna I'm not to sure you can mix acell, I've read that even the slightest antibiotic can make it ineffective. I reckon putting restylane or anything into it will spoil the key signalling between the receptors and growth factors etc. Though I did read on some pdf file I saved, that vets mix it with part saline when they inject it into horse tendons.
Anyway I reckon Acell is by far the most promising treatment coming out. And I'm sure I read some where that it is available for human use because it is an application, not a drug. They just haven't manufactored it yet.
It has regenerated a lot of tissue in animal studies (e.g. a heart artery with no scarring), and regenerated another finger, not just the surgeons brothers finger. I also read the other day that someone even regenerated stretch marks using it. Link:
http://healthyskin.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a...52/m/1950092315
Also the pictures of the animal studies on the acell website where the skin has regenerated are very interesting, when you consider that an animal doesn't need aesthetic function and thus you don't need to follow the course like you do with a human. I mean there are animals with 4cm by 4cm gashes that are unable to flap together to stitch, that regenerate over time, instead of scarring over time, when you solely apply the powder. This regeneration also regenerates hair where hair is supposed to be on these gashes; that gives you a glimpse of its regeneration powers when it is put into the local tissue healing environment.
If you already have excision or other surgical scars could Acell or Juvesta (sp?) still be used? What about ReCell? Is this the same thing as Acell and has it been approved yet? I'm sorry to ask, I went through and read the thread but I still have these questions...
Jan31
Juvesta, ACell, and ReCell all would need to be used at the time of initial wounding or revision, so if you already have a scar it would need to be excised. I'm not sure what the approval status is of ReCell. There is some talk of integrating ACell into Restylane or some type of filler to perhaps turn it into a more permanent solution for sunken defects or scars.
Anna I'm not to sure you can mix acell, I've read that even the slightest antibiotic can make it ineffective. I reckon putting restylane or anything into it will spoil the key signalling between the receptors and growth factors etc. Though I did read on some pdf file I saved, that vets mix it with part saline when they inject it into horse tendons.
Anyway I reckon Acell is by far the most promising treatment coming out. And I'm sure I read some where that it is available for human use because it is an application, not a drug. They just haven't manufactored it yet.
It has regenerated a lot of tissue in animal studies (e.g. a heart artery with no scarring), and regenerated another finger, not just the surgeons brothers finger. I also read the other day that someone even regenerated stretch marks using it. Link:
http://healthyskin.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a...52/m/1950092315
Also the pictures of the animal studies on the acell website where the skin has regenerated are very interesting, when you consider that an animal doesn't need aesthetic function and thus you don't need to follow the course like you do with a human. I mean there are animals with 4cm by 4cm gashes that are unable to flap together to stitch, that regenerate over time, instead of scarring over time, when you solely apply the powder. This regeneration also regenerates hair where hair is supposed to be on these gashes; that gives you a glimpse of its regeneration powers when it is put into the local tissue healing environment.
Hi Kirk-
Yep, all very interesting. If you take the time to read through all the literature you will find that it is Badylak himself that proposed integrating ACell with Restylane. Restylane is Hyaluronic Acid (naturally occuring) and actually will not impede the efficacy or signalling ability.
Thanks, Anna
Anna, Thank you for the info. It's just hard to know what to do...I hope something happens soon!
I have another scar (I actually have 13 more, but TCA is improving most of them) that I want to get cut out. The scar from my first excision in September is almost invisible under make-up, but I'm still kind of debating with myself about getting another one done. I don't know if I should wait or not.
If I get it done I'm going to completely eliminate sugar and carbs since when I've done this in the past (as well as fasting) it has greatly improved the texture of my skin.
Jan31
p.s. I'm going to try your green smoothie recipe
Jan31,
You know, outside of the TCA treatments you might want to hold off doing any more excisions. If Renovo's products are able to greatly reduce surgical scars that would be great for excisions!
Let me know how you like the green smoothie! It has done wonders for my skin. Just a warning though...they are NOT low calorie. I gained five pounds with these as I started having them in the morning. I've never been a breakfast girl so this extra food in the morning has porked me out a little bit. I'm only 5'5" and I went from 120 to 125...the skirts are just a little tight dang it! Oh well, I'll just have to figure it out... 
Take care,
Anna
Vet grade Acell??? Is this safe for us primates? I'd like to know where to get ahold of some if it is.
Some guy on that forum got vet grade Acell and healed his stretch marks!!
I'm not to crazy about the idea of creating an open wound to heal a stretch mark. But it's better than the standard "nothing you can do about it".
Vet grade Acell??? Is this safe for us primates? I'd like to know where to get ahold of some if it is.
Some guy on that forum got vet grade Acell and healed his stretch marks!!
I'm not to crazy about the idea of creating an open wound to heal a stretch mark. But it's better than the standard "nothing you can do about it".
To my understanding it is only considered vet grade because where it is manufactured is not under any kind of regulation for human consumption (that doesn't mean they still don't abide by good manufacturing processes) but I mean come on if all these animals didn't show any problems then I doubt it would do us harm.
I really wish we could get our hands on some of the powder so we could do our own experiments.
A little birdie once told me that someone on here got their hands on it ....but I can't remember if it was the powdered form or not...also they needled which makes me think they sterilized the needle (and the area before doing it) ...and according to the Acell site sterilization with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide will denature it (but they are very smart and could have been very wise to this).
But yeah it would be interesting if someone did the TCA method and then dissolved the powder in Emu oil like the stretch mark person did.
It will also be interesting if Juvista can be combined with this...have Juvista hinder the scar mechanism and have Acell facilitate the regeneration.
I would definitely love to try this. What I don't understand is, if it is now available for use for animals why not for us - I mean, why aren't plastic surgeons using this? What's holding it up? Could an ordinary doctor order off of a vet site? I wonder why we can't order some of it since it is not a drug...
Vet grade Acell??? Is this safe for us primates? I'd like to know where to get ahold of some if it is.
Some guy on that forum got vet grade Acell and healed his stretch marks!!
I'm not to crazy about the idea of creating an open wound to heal a stretch mark. But it's better than the standard "nothing you can do about it".
To my understanding it is only considered vet grade because where it is manufactured is not under any kind of regulation for human consumption (that doesn't mean they still don't abide by good manufacturing processes) but I mean come on if all these animals didn't show any problems then I doubt it would do us harm.
I really wish we could get our hands on some of the powder so we could do our own experiments.
A little birdie once told me that someone on here got their hands on it ....but I can't remember if it was the powdered form or not...also they needled which makes me think they sterilized the needle (and the area before doing it) ...and according to the Acell site sterilization with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide will denature it (but they are very smart and could have been very wise to this).
But yeah it would be interesting if someone did the TCA method and then dissolved the powder in Emu oil like the stretch mark person did.
It will also be interesting if Juvista can be combined with this...have Juvista hinder the scar mechanism and have Acell facilitate the regeneration.
I would definitely love to try this. What I don't understand is, if it is now available for use for animals why not for us - I mean, why aren't plastic surgeons using this? What's holding it up? Could an ordinary doctor order off of a vet site? I wonder why we can't order some of it since it is not a drug...
It's not used because I don't think it's approved for use in humans....yet. An ordinary doc isn't going to order it from a vet site and use it on a person because that would but his/her license in danger.
FDA won't let them sell it for humans unless it's manufactured in a factory that meets certain federal regulations for safety. To do that requires major capital.
Since ACell was sued by Cook they don't have any capital right now. Even though they won the lawsuit they are still in debt from it, probably for years.
That was actually the intent of the lawsuit. To slow down a superior product so the inferior one can gain a market majority. Well at least big business didn't totally crush the lone inventor and steal his idea. That's what would have happened 100 years ago.
So now we have to wait several years more . . .
I'm hoping that it won't take several years for them to recover from this...
Regarding Juvista, I went onto their website and read that they are going to be wrapping up their clinical trials here in the US in the beginning months of 2008. I think I read somewhere on this thread that they would have something out by 2009 or 2010?
It seems like this is a very promising product. I just don't understand, are they waiting to be approved by the FDA? If so, why, if, as Kirk and others have said, a gel or cream or powder is not a drug?
I wonder if we should all just go to Canada or Mexico?
ACell is approved for human use just as Integra is. The problem is that after the lawsuit they need to start all over.
ACell is approved for human use just as Integra is. The problem is that after the lawsuit they need to start all over.
Correction: Vet grade Acell is not approved for use in humans.
I also just noticed that ACell's mailing address is literally 20 mins down the road from me ...maybe I should show up begging for samples haha.
That is correct. The vet version is not approved for human use. However, the version for human use is approved under the same approval as Integra.
Below is what I have put together on ACell (Vet). Anybody responding to this please don't quote as it is LONG. Thanks! Anna:
What is ACell
ACell is an acellular matrix harvested from the tissue layers surrounding the lamina propria of the urinary bladder mucosa of SPF pigs. Itas cell free composition ensure that there is no immunological tissue rejection. ACell contains naturally occurring structural and functionally active proteins such as fibronection and Type I, III and IV Collagens, as well as several potent growth factors. Large amounts of laminin, derived from the basal lamina, enhance cellular adhesion and intercellular communication. Additionally, ACell also contains hyaluron and proteoglycans. Specific tissue active peptides known as Magainins provide ACell with significant antimicrobial properties effective against most types of bacteria.
How does ACell work
ACell works as a natural biological tissue template, enhancing biological signaling from structurally damaged tissue to the bone marrow, from which large amounts of stem cells are recruited to the site of trauma. This unique stem cell migration is initiated by a factor called Fraction 4, one of the most important components of ACell. Local growth factors present within each specific tissue type activate and regulate the recruited stem cells resulting in their differentiation in situ thereby regenerating the damaged tissue to site specific cells. The ACell Template is dissolved within 1-3 days after administration, whereas the biological effect remains for up to two weeks post treatment.
Chronic
ACell is indicated in chronica cases where there are ultrasonographic signs of hypo - or anecchogenic spaces in the structures.
Study Objective
Recent work in human and veterinary medicine using growth stimulants, bone marrow implants and stem cells have stirred interest in regenerative medicine as a technique for tissue repair. Extracellular matrix or ECM has been tested and proposed as an agent for tissue reconstruction.1 ECMas have been derived from several tissues including the submucosa of pig small intestine and urinary blader. The objective of this retrospective study was to assess the therapeutic value of ACell Vet Urinary Bladder Matrix Powder (UBM) for tissue regeneration and return to function in tendon and ligament injuries of the equine limb. Assessment of response was by review of lameness evaluation, physical characteristics of involved structures, and visible improvement of identified ultrasound lesions in affected structures. < /P>
Q1. Does the wound need any treatment before placing the ACell Veta product?
A1. Simply wash the wound with sterile saline. Almost all other cleaning or disinfectant solutions will de-nature (i.e., kill) the proteins in the ACell Veta product, and therefore should be avoided if at all possible. The concomitant use of other products may interfere with the efficacy of the ACell Veta material. If other products are used to clean and/or debride the wound, it is very important that they be very thoroughly rinsed from the wound site prior to placement of the ACell Veta material.
The following is a list of some common solutions that may denature the proteins in the ACell Veta material:
Alcohol or any alcohol based solution
Detergents and soaps (e.g., Zepharin)
Iodine containing products (e.g., Betadine)
Any product with Silver nitrate (e.g., Silvadiene or other metalo bases)
Hydrogen peroxide, Dakin's Soln. (bleach) Chlorine
Cortisone based products (e.g., topical anti-inflammatory medications)
Also, try to avoid direct contact between the ACell Veta bioscaffold and topical antibiotics, particularly amino glycosides and products that contain sulfa, etc. There should not be any need for additional antibiotics unless gross contamination and infection are present.
Q2. Does the wound need to be debrided?
A2. Only dead tissue, eschar, scarring along the edge of a wound, or flesh which has a foreign body(ies) imbedded (e.g., dirt, stones, gravel, etc.) need to be debrided. All animals which have dead tissue and/or a foreign body in the wound will produce enzymes to break down that material. Those enzymes also kill protein, including the ACell Veta material. If there is exudate, it should be washed away or manually removed with saline and forceps.
Q3. What about debriding the wound between dressings or during the dressing change?
A3. Any residual ACell Veta material should be left alone. Do not remove it. Residual ACell Veta material in the center of the wound can look like a non-infectious purulent discharge. Do not debride this material, as it supports new cells growing at the site. Any spots of remaining dead tissue or scar should be removed before placing the second sheet of the ACell Veta product on the wound. Only sterile saline should be used for cleansing the wound. Place a new piece of the ACell Veta bioscaffold directly over the old piece and cover to the edge of the wound.
Q4. What kind of dressing should be used over the ACell Veta material?
A4. We currently advise placing saline soaked gauze over the ACell Veta material to keep the site moist. Over the gauze, place Opsitea, Telfaa or another relatively impervious film (we also recommend Silastica). However, do not place these films in direct contact with the ACell Veta scaffold. If the wound needs a pressure dressing, use gauze fluffs and then some kind of wrap material to hold in place.
Try to avoid dressings that will stick to the wound. It is important when removing the dressing to avoid removing any of the ACell Veta material or new cells at the wound site. The following is a list of some dressings that should be avoided:
Orthopaedic felt
Foam padding (rubber or synthetic)
Rubber sheeting
Cellophane
Any cellulose based product
Q5. How often should a new piece of the ACell Veta material be placed on an open surface wound?
A5. A new dressing of saline soaked gauze should be applied 3-4 days after the initial treatment, taking care not to remove any of the ACell Veta material with the original dressing. The dressing should be changed again in another 4-5 days with consideration given for a second application of ACell Veta material. If the healing of the wound is progressing (see Q6) simply re-dress with saline soaked gauze and continue this procedure every 4-5 days. A second application of ACell Veta material should be considered 2-3 weeks following the initial treatment, if not applied during a previous change of dressing.
Q6. How do I know if the ACell Veta treatment is working?
A6. Animals become comfortable within first 24 hours and stop licking or agitating the wound. Localized heat, swelling and redness decrease markedly at the first dressing change. Exudate slows down or stops. Epithelization begins to be apparent in the center of the wound rather than just at the edges.
Q7. How long will it take for the wound to heal?
A7. There is no typical wound. Such issues as size, species, chronicity of the wound, infection, depth, and other medical co-morbid conditions such as diabetes play a role in the time it takes to heal. Fresh wounds treated before infection occurs may heal in 2-3 weeks. Older chronic wounds may take 2-3 months. How long the ACell Veta product is used depends on progress, not time. If the wound is healing, then treatment should continue.
Some guy on that forum got vet grade Acell and healed his stretch marks!!
I'm not to crazy about the idea of creating an open wound to heal a stretch mark. But it's better than the standard "nothing you can do about it".
fraxelwaxel,
Which forum? Do you have a link??
Thanks!
Anna
Anna -
Do you know what makes the powdered form different? I know that the form you just posted about provides a scaffold to work with, but how does the powder work? Is the powder's mechanism of action just a regeneration cell recruiter?
Kirk had provided the link to the thread of the cured stretch mark claim...here it is again:
I wonder if that person who claims they cured the stretch mark really did achieve regeneration with the TCA Acell emu oil method. If cortisone can disrupt the matrix properties I'd imagine that emu oil would as well.....but I guess we really can't know.
Anna -
Do you know what makes the powdered form different? I know that the form you just posted about provides a scaffold to work with, but how does the powder work? Is the powder's mechanism of action just a regeneration cell recruiter?
Kirk had provided the link to the thread of the cured stretch mark claim...here it is again:
I wonder if that person who claims they cured the stretch mark really did achieve regeneration with the TCA Acell emu oil method. If cortisone can disrupt the matrix properties I'd imagine that emu oil would as well.....but I guess we really can't know.
My understanding is that there is no difference between the powder and sheet form. It is just more efficient for a large wound to use the sheets. As I have imagined it in my head, when the body senses an open wound it goes into alert and tries to close the wound. The nutrients hit a roadblock. ACell (regardless of the form) act as a bio-electric patch. It tricks the body into thinking it doesn't have an open wound and it allows the nutrients drive along even though the road (tissue) isn't there, and thereby allowing the natural maintenance (and by accident) regeneration to occur.
You would probably know much more about why cortisone would maybe denature ACell than I do, hopeseed...I just don't know. If it were pure Emu (isn't Emu oild taken from the Emu bird?) I don't see why it would denature given that the bird is a living creature....and this is designed to work on animals. 
My understanding is that there is no difference between the powder and sheet form. It is just more efficient for a large wound to use the sheets. As I have imagined it in my head, when the body senses an open wound it goes into alert and tries to close the wound. The nutrients hit a roadblock. ACell (regardless of the form) act as a bio-electric patch. It tricks the body into thinking it doesn't have an open wound and it allows the nutrients drive along even though the road (tissue) isn't there, and thereby allowing the natural maintenance (and by accident) regeneration to occur.
You would probably know much more about why cortisone would maybe denature ACell than I do, hopeseed...I just don't know. If it were pure Emu (isn't Emu oild taken from the Emu bird?) I don't see why it would denature given that the bird is a living creature....and this is designed to work on animals.
I don't really know why cortisone would denature Acell. Either the steroid hormone does something to the proteins confirmation in Acell or it suppresses the way Acell communicates with body tissues (much in the way that it suppress inflammation and the cells that are recruited in inflammation). From what I understand Emu Oil suppresses inflammation as well, so it might suppress Acells communication as well. While it seems promising that it is taken from a living creature and Acell is designed to work in living creatures the caveat is that it's an extract from a living creature. There are tons of extracts from us or any other lifeform that could denature Acell (endogenous cortisones included!)....let's just hope that Emu Oil's inflammation suppression does not interfere with the ability of Acell to communicate.
I really wish we could try this method....we really need to find some PhD's that are in our same plight that are willing to study this...even as an aside.
I really liked your explanation of Acell there, I believe the powder would be easier for us to use than having a sheet tacked on.
A informative report about scarring:
http://www.itsmybody.co.nz/images/ProductC...ring_Report.pdf
At the end of the report, experts opinion are that a "scarless future" is just 10 years away...
Tgan3,
Forgot to answer you, that report you are reading was written up in 2003, and I'm sure the predictions are between 5 and 10year.
I did not want to start a new topic, yet this doesn't really fit on here but I felt that the enterprising individuals that read this thread might appreciate it
New delivery method of delivering collagen via a cream
Who knows if it will be beneficial ...it might be in conjunction with fraxel or TCA or needing....might turn out to be good in supplementing our efforts.
what the heck, let's have a post on topic as well
How it works: The skin's wound repair process is initiated immediately after injury and involves inflammation, proliferation, scar production, and tissue remodeling. One of the common complications in wound healing is excessive scarring. Gourdie and Ghatnekar developed the bioengineered peptide based on a naturally occurring protein in the body that helps regulate communication between cells. This peptide accelerated wound healing and tissue regeneration with significantly reduced scarring in laboratory animal tests, and leads researchers to believe that it will promote faster healing, reduced scarring, and restoration of more normal looking skin during human clinical trials.
Who knows if it will be beneficial ...it might be in conjunction with fraxel or TCA or needing....might turn out to be good in supplementing our efforts.
Yeah, that's how I always like to think of things. I never like to invest all of my hopes in one product, treatment, innovation, or regimen. Like you said, "in conjuction." That is definitely the key.
I think the most hope for all of us is utilizing many diverse modes of addressing both scar remodeling and more efficient healing.
This is certainly an interesting sounding cream. I found a cream a few months ago that is supposed to stimulate the stem cell reserves within the skin called Amatokin.
It is also supposedly a revolutionary breakthrough in cosmeceuticals. Who knows?
"They actually aoerejuvenatea your skin by aoeawakeninga your body's own reservoir of undifferentiated stem-cells... every major cosmetic manufacturer is rushing to tap into this new stem-cell technology."
amatokin.com
Who knows if it will be beneficial ...it might be in conjunction with fraxel or TCA or needing....might turn out to be good in supplementing our efforts.
Yeah, that's how I always like to think of things. I never like to invest all of my hopes in one product, treatment, innovation, or regimen. Like you said, "in conjuction." That is definitely the key.
I think the most hope for all of us is utilizing many diverse modes of addressing both scar remodeling and more efficient healing.
This is certainly an interesting sounding cream. I found a cream a few months ago that is supposed to stimulate the stem cell reserves within the skin called Amatokin.
It is also supposedly a revolutionary breakthrough in cosmeceuticals. Who knows?
"They actually aoerejuvenatea your skin by aoeawakeninga your body's own reservoir of undifferentiated stem-cells... every major cosmetic manufacturer is rushing to tap into this new stem-cell technology."
amatokin.com
The price tag for the cream (that I posted) is a little too much, considering I could not find any scientific papers supporting there claims on their cosmetic site and their pharmaceutical site. I really think if it does what it says using it "in conjunction" is key for the following reason (from www.telomolecular.com):
"Applying things that are alleged to "stimulate" the production of collagen can be useful, however, there is just not enough collagen produced by "stimulators" to make much of a visible difference."
I think if you do something that gets the "stimulators" going and you add extra exogenous collagen to work with you might get some profound results. Needling the skin to break up the scar tissue and then to allow the collagen to grown and interwine with the exogenous collagen seems like fantasy, but it just might be a possibility.
The problems with most of these creams and any other process though is the existing scar tissue which is a barrier for any change. Signals can't get through or out.
I think Anna coined the term "mini amputations" While I agree with that phrase when it comes to atrophic acne scars ...I don't agree with it completely. What makes skin different in that it is constantly regenerating and replacing itself. It's that darn scar tissue that is acting like a brick wall, preventing those structures from being replaced.
The scar reversal Dogma: Get rid of the scar tissue, prevent it from reforming, then regenerate by default.
I think Anna coined the term "mini amputations" While I agree with that phrase when it comes to atrophic acne scars ...I don't agree with it completely. What makes skin different in that it is constantly regenerating and replacing itself. It's that darn scar tissue that is acting like a brick wall, preventing those structures from being replaced.
The scar reversal Dogma: Get rid of the scar tissue, prevent it from reforming, then regenerate by default.
Yeah, I have trouble buying into the "missing tissue" theory. I think that this view tends to be a little simplistic and seems to be primarily based upon the visual appearance of atrophic scarring. Sure atrophic scars look areas of the skin where tissue has been carved out and is missing, but is this actually the case? I know this the opinion of all the dermatologist "experts" out there, but that doesn't convince me of anything.
Like you said, Hopeseed, "Get rid of the scar tissue." This what people tend to forget about acne scarring. There is scar tissue involved! One person wrote on this board a while back that treatments or products that address scar tissue don't apply to acne scars because there is no scar tissue there, just holes of missing tissue. That's ridiculous.
The configuration of the scar tissue and the way that it is laid down creates odd shapes and tethers the skin in various ways creating what we visually see as depressions.
Has anyone actually proven that atrophic scars are the result of tissue loss?
I think you are right on with that: If you could completely remove the existing scar tissue and then prevent any tissue from being formed again, you would have totally normal skin.