Adolescents and adults develop acne at some point in their lives and generally the lesions of acne leave behind lasting scars. The scars are one of the reasons why many people detest acne and complain about acne, because the scars can last a lifetime and be a constant reminder of the skin battle they once fought.
Special skin care products, medications, cosmetic procedures, or a combination of all these listed are what you may need to remove your acne scars. The post-inflammatory period of acne is crucial (acne scars are not considered permanent until after a year) and the way you care for your skin during this period can determine the impact of scars. Medications combined with certain skincare practices play a vital role in reducing acne scars.
Your mother might have told you not to pick at your pimples and to avoid touching the acne. She was right! Picking or popping your pimples can dramatically delay the healing and remodeling of the skin underneath the wounds.
You can also get rid of acne scars by practicing ice therapy. Brew some green tea, pour it into ice trays, let them freeze, and massage a green tea ice cube once a day on acne to remove redness, irritation, inflammation, and to kill the acne-causing bacteria.
Unprotected exposure to sun rays also damages the skin, delaying the healing process. Make sure to use SPF suncscreen and wear a wide-brimmed hat when you are under the sun.
Acne Scar Treatments
Alpha-Hydroxyl Acids (AHAs) helps with skin rejuvenation. The formulations with AHA reduce redness and increases collagen production allowing better skin tissue healing. Retinoic acid derived from Vitamin A used during post-inflammatory period produces smooth and firm skin.
Laser resurfacing boosts collagen production and reduces acne scars. The greatest advantage of this procedure is precision and only affected skin tissue is targeted. Depending on the depth of the scars, a few treatments from a dermatologist can reduce scars. The scarred, outer skin layers are burned off, the middle layers are tightened, and new fresh skin surfaces.
Microdermabrasion is another cosmetic procedure for effectively removing older scars. Fewer treatments may be required for minor scars and this procedure gently exfoliates the skin with tiny micro beads massaged onto the skin.
Fractional laser therapy is another FDA approved treatment for acne scars. Healing time for this treatment is much shorter as top tissue layers are left untouched during therapy.
Acne scar removal is definitely possible. A combination of treatments coupled with appropriate skincare can really give you desired results. And the lesson in all of this? Stop picking at popping your pimples…now!
