How To Get Rid Of Acne Scars On Your Face

Aside from its physical appearance on the face, one of the worst things about having acne is the long term scarring that can occur when you pick at your spots.

As a result many people who have acne end up with scars later in life. You can’t blame them really, because it is a natural reaction to pick at acne spots when they appear in an attempt to get rid of them.

The good news is that most skin discolouration and scars that come as a result of acne will fade over time, and don’t require special surgical treatments.

Of course this largely depends on the severity of your acne, as people who have severe acne may have a harder time at hiding/removing acne scars and skin discolouration.

Acne Skin Discolouration

The best way to speed up the fading of acne skin discolouration is with a hydroquinone or a similar skin lightening formulation.

However it should be noted some people believe hydroquinone cream is dangerous and should not be used, so if you do decide to opt for such a treatment make sure you are aware of the possible side effects first.

Acne Scar Removal

Light acne scars are a bit more hit and miss than skin discoloration. Some you will be able to remove and some you won’t.

How successful you are at removing acne scars largely depends on the freshness of the acne scar, and also how deep your acne scar is.

Your best bet is to try a Retin A cream and see how your scars respond to that. Although it is worth remembering that if you do use Retin A on your acne scars, your skin will be much more sensitive to sunlight and so will require sunscreen protection for the rest of your life.

Below you shall find information on how to remove different types of acne scarring.

Keloid Scars

Keloid scars are caused by increased tissue formation, caused by the body producing too much collage which then forms into a fibrous red-brown lump.

Keloid scars are most common in people of colour, although some people can be genetically predisposed to them.

Treatment of keloid scars can be difficult, since cutting them out only tends to create another keloid scar.

Your best bet in treating keloid scars is to speak to a dermatologist, who may then recommend cortisone injections to flatten the scar and reduce the redness.

Dell Scars

Dell scars are areas of depressed skin and usually have smooth edges. However it is also possible to have a dell scar with ragged-edges and with uneven edges.

To treat dell scars microdermabrasion can help to soften their appearance, as can laser resurfacing.

To help decrease the size of the depression, the scar can also be treated by an injection which contains fillers to help bulk out the scar.

Unfortunately most of these fillers only offer a short term temporary solution, so they are not a permanent scar removal solution.

Ice Pick Scars

Ice pick scars are small deep holes with ragged edges. Over time they may also get deeper and larger.

To remove such scars usually requires surgery to either sew them up, or to fill the hole with skin tissue that has been removed from another part of the body.

Follicular Macular Atrophy

These types of acne scars tend to resemble whiteheads or a red rash. They are most commonly found on the back and chest.

Acne scars which appear on the body are generally much harder to remove than acne scars on the face. To treat such scars usually requires pulse-dye laser to relive the redness.

For dark spots, hydroquinone cream may be effective at lightening the overall appearance of the scar.

Be Realistic About Scar Removal

Skin care procedures are advancing by the day, so even if you are not able to remove your acne scars right now, there is a good chance you will be able to in the future.

Regardless of the scar removal treatment you opt for, it is important that your expectations are realistic.

The appearance of most scars can be reduced by modern day skin care procedures, although as yet there is no one cure all that will quickly fade away any type of scar.

Your best course of action therefore is to treat your scar as soon as possible, as the earlier you treat a scar the more chance of success you will have at removing it.

For older scars it is worth going to a dermatologist, as they will be able to give you the best advice that will be specific to the type of scar you have.

Failing that, if you your scars are still bothering you, then you may want to consider scar make up.

This can be used for both men and women, and is designed to hide the appearance of the scar so that its appearance is greatly diminished.

As long as you can hide the appearance of your scars, you can then hold on until skin care treatments advance to the point where scars can be completely removed. Hopefully, this shouldn’t be too long away!