Typically, chickenpox scars appear as round, depressed marks on the face.
Fortunately, chickenpox has become rare in the United States due to high current rates of childhood vaccination. However, plenty of us had no such vaccinations available decades ago and now have chickenpox scars on the face as a reminder of the childhood illness.
They tend to be small, but they can raise a cosmetic concern when they occur in a prominent location. Chickenpox scar treatment may involve several options depending on the type and location of the scar. Very small scars may best be simply removed via punch-excision. This involves using a round surgical punch to remove the chickenpox scar and then placing one or two small sutures to close the defect. Another procedure called Dermastamping (Dermaroller) employs tiny needles that stimulate the healing process leading to new collagen; this can raise a sunken scar back toward normal skin level. Other treatments include fractional CO2 laser resurfacing (CO2RE) and Bellafill®.
