Acne Scar Treatment

 For minor acne breakouts, once these areas have begun to heal, you will notice that they may have hyper pigmentation or a red area. As the skin heals from acne, this coloration is quite normal but it could take at least six months for your body to heal the area and leave your skin unblemished. With these types of minor scars, it is best to use an acne scar treatment such as Retinol or some type of hydroxyl acid to help promote and speed up healing.

However, if the scars from your acne are quite deep, such as those from nodular or cystic acne, what acne scar treatment should you decide upon? The answer lies in the severity of your skin condition as well as what your dermatologist suggests that would best diminish or totally get rid of the scars.

Chemical Peels

For minor surface scarring that does not delve too far beneath the surface, chemical peels may be the best acne scar treatment for you. The process involves the application of chemicals on the skin which serves to "injure" it temporarily and allow for new skin to grow. Chemicals peels may have to be repeated several times before optimal results are achieved and sessions should be spaced out to allow maximum skin healing in between.

Dermabrasion and Laser Resurfacing

 When you have light or shallow ice pick scarring from your acne, dermabrasion or laser resurfacing might be a good acne scar treatment for you. Dermabrasion is best when you no longer have active acne and no infections of the skin and there are superficial as well as deep methods. Deep methods which remove the epidermis and gets to the dermis level will take longer to recover from as the outer protective layer of skin is removed.

Laser resurfacing acne scar treatment involves using a high beam of light, typically with CO2 to "burn" off the top layer of skin which holds the majority of the scarring. This promotes new skin growth but requires constant care during the recovery process to prevent infection.

Surgical Methods

Surgical methods of an acne scar treatment may be necessary for those deep ice pick, boxcar or rolling acne scars. A punch excision may require punch tool to insert into the deep scar to extract the skin inside and then suture it to create a level surface. Sometimes there are bands of fibrous tissue under the skin caused by deep acne scarring which must be broken up with incisions made subcutaneously. This acne scar treatment, once healed will help to eliminate or at least greatly reduce the appearance of rippled skin.

Each acne scar treatment comes with its pros and cons and must be evaluated on a case by case basis with your dermatologist. There are other treatments not listed above that may work equally well. Your scars will be your guide when it comes to the acne scar treatment that would work best for you.