Concern is growing about the scars left behind by spots and breakout, so how can acne scars be treated? While acne scars can be frustratingly persistent, experts say with the right treatment you can reduce their appearance.
Understanding and identifying acne scarring
An important part of the treatment of acne marks is understanding what they are and where they come from: they are the result of both moderate and severe acne, which lead to depressions in the skin. It is also important to note that there are different types of scars, including ice-pick, roll and box scars, which are characterised depending on size, shape and contour.
Acne breakouts can affect different parts of the skin, such as the eyes, nose, lips, cheeks, mouth and chin. As the inflammation of an acne flair-up subsides, scar tissue may develop as the skin tries to heal. Delayed acne treatments, such as over-treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs, can actually lead to scarring. If left untreated, acne scars can be permanent. To identify whether you are developing acne scars, experts say you should close your eyes and run your fingers over problem areas on your face and hairline, if you can feel a change in texture you may have an acne scar.
Treating acne at home
To help treat acne without risking scar formation you should use products that contain prebiotic polysaccharides such as marigold and sage, which reduce acne inflammation, maintain the skin’s moisture barrier and exfoliate skin surfaces to cure acne and acne marks faster. Experts recommend a calming acne treatment for all patients as opposed to aggressive treatments which can harm the skin. If there is not much new acne formation it would be appropriate to only use treatments on the remaining acne and any additional breakouts as necessary.
Another at-home strategy you can try is to use regularly mild face peels that exfoliate the skin. In addition, experts recommend using retinol, otherwise known as vitamin A, which is responsible for increasing cell turnover and stimulating collagen production. This can help treat the discolouration associated with acne and scarring without further damaging the skin. Another vitamin that is effective in treating skin discolouration is vitamin C, which can be applied to the skin in a serum. Vitamin C is rich in antioxidants and protects the skin from harmful free radicals caused by sunlight, while also brightening to reduce the appearance of dark spots.
Beyond home treatment
Although acne breakouts and scarring will have differing appearances depending on skin tone, with lighter skinned people developing red spots while people with tan skin will develop brown spots, the treatment across all skin types remains consistent. The unfortunate truth is that acne, once scarred, is permanent. Although home treatments like those listed above can help prevent scarring and may reduce the appearance of scars,
professional office treatments such as lasers still offer the best results in improving the appearance of acne. Photodynamic therapy and light therapy can be used to reduce inflammation in active acne, while pulsed dye lasers, available in the US and Europe, can use a combination of light and photodynamic therapies to improve post-inflammatory pigmentation.
As well as lasers, dermatologists say PRP, which stands for platelet-rich plasma, can help reduce acne scars and scarring. Dermatologists use vascular lasers and emerging lasers on scars to improve their appearance. Most importantly, acne scars, especially those with impressions, can be resuscitated with a non-ablative or ablative laser. It is important to have patience, however, because acne will pop up no matter which treatment route you go down.
The timing and outcome of the scar depends on the type of scar and the type of treatment and the severity of the acne scars. However, experts say there has never been a better time to treat acne scars than now. Acne scars can be disfiguring and much needs to be done to help patients treat them so that they look as beautiful on the outside as they are on the inside.
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