How to Remove Acne Scars and Prevent Them in the Future
Beautiful skin doesn’t happen overnight. After acne has cleared up, acne scars are often the most difficult thing to get rid of. Acne scar removal treatments are the best bet for people who want their acne scars gone and prevent future ones from forming. It takes derma clinics to make it look that way.
Acne scars can be embarrassing, frustrating, and sometimes just plain painful. This article will discuss acne scar removal treatments for acne scars and how you can prevent new ones in the future! The good news is that derma clinics like Sozo Aesthetic have a number of treatments for acne scar removal available to them – some more aggressive than others depending on the severity of your case.
Table of Contents
Understanding Acne and Acne Scars
Before anything else, it is an important factor to understand acne and what causes it. Acne occurs when excess sebum mixes with dead skin cells, clogs the pores of your dermis and becomes infected by bacteria, leading to pimples. Pimples usually heal on their own in a few days or weeks depending on severity but sometimes leave behind scars such as icepick scars (sharp, vertical) or boxcar scars (angular).
Acne scars generally happen because of acne that is severe or has gone untreated for too long. Pimples form under the dermis and damage it, causing scarring to occur when they heal on their own instead of going away with treatment.
Icepick scars are the most common type of acne scar and are usually the result of a deep, narrow pimple. A lot of people develop icepick scars because the acne lesion goes all the way down to the dermis, destroying collagen and leaving a very small, deep pit in the skin.
Boxcar scars are round or angular depressions that look like chickenpox scars on the skin. These acne scars look like large pores that have been filled up with body tissue once healing has occurred after infection from acne has damaged their epidermal layer. Boxcar scars are more common in people with dark skin as they tend to heal darker, too, making them even more visible than icepick scars.
Preventing Acne and Acne Scars
While acne and acne scars can’t be prevented completely, some steps that you take while fighting acne will also work to minimize acne scarring. The most important thing is taking care of your skin while fighting acne by keeping it clean and moisturized so the skin doesn’t get dry or irritated, which would only worsen acne symptoms.
Another thing you should do if you want to prevent acne scars is to keep up with regular exfoliation treatments such as using a scrub every week because this helps unclog pores before they become too clogged and infected! Additionally, try not touching your face often when possible since acne tends to spread across the face via contact.
Here are the other acne scar preventive strategies:
- Use sunscreen: Sunscreen is important to use when trying to prevent acne scars because it helps shield your complexion from the harmful UV rays, which can further damage the skin and increase inflammation.
- Eat healthily: Having a balanced and healthy diet is important in acne prevention, as well as acne scar prevention. Eating healthy foods that contain high amounts of antioxidants can help to fight off any free radicals that may damage the skin and lead to acne scars.
- Stay hydrated: Drinking enough water every day is crucial for keeping your skin healthy- including preventing acne scars! Water helps remove all the toxins from the body, which can cause inflammation and worsen acne symptoms.
- Use topical treatments: There are many topical treatments available on the market that can be used to prevent acne scars from forming. Topical retinoids such as tretinoin (Retin-A) or adapalene (Differin) are great for repairing any damaged skin cells and promoting collagen production to minimize acne scars.
Treating Acne Scars
If you’re too late to prevent acne scars, don’t worry- there are many treatments available to help get rid of them. The best acne scar treatment usually depends on the severity and type of acne scarring that you have. Some common acne scar treatments include:
- Laser therapy: Laser therapy uses concentrated light beams to target and breaks up acne scars. This is a popular treatment for more severe cases of acne scarring as it can be very effective in reducing their appearance.
- Chemical peels: Chemical peels use acids such as glycolic acid or salicylic acid to dissolve the top layer of skin and promote new collagen production, which can minimize the appearance of acne scars.
- Microdermabrasion: Microdermabrasion uses a handheld device that sprays aluminum oxide crystals on acne scars. The pressure from this machine’s suction then removes these tiny particles of skin, leaving behind renewed and healthy tissue that is free of acne scarring.
- Subcision: Subcision is a treatment that breaks up acne scars by releasing them from underneath the skin. The acne scar itself remains, but it no longer has anything keeping it down, so there are fewer bumps under the surface to be seen!
- Fillers: Fillers are another option for treating acne scars- they work similarly to subcision in that they break up acne scar tissue and can reduce their appearance. However, fillers also add volume back into areas of depressed acne scars, which makes the skin appear more normal again.