Scare your Acne Scars Away: Causes, Types, Treatments, Home Remedies & Lifestyle Changes

 

What Causes Acne Scars?

Scars form when the skin is damaged. With acne inflammation, different types of blood cells and collagen rush to the point where injury may repair the skin. But they can’t always return the skin back to normal, especially when severe acne doesn’t give the skin time to heal before it breaks out again.

Acne Scars

Types of Acne Scars

When you’re ready to treat your acne scars, your first step is identifying what type you have. You may have one specific scar that bothers you or a combination of multiple types of scarring.

So grab a mirror and see what best describes the scars you’re facing.

First, see what general type of scar you have. Is it:

·         Depressed – Goes down into the skin

·         Raised – Rises from the skin

·         Discoloured – Lighter, darker, or redder than your skin tone

Once you know the category of the scar, identify the specific type.

 There are three different types of depressed acne scars

Rolling scars

These scars give your skin a rumpled, uneven appearance. They’re caused by bands of scar tissue underneath the skin. These can be treated using laser treatments, micro-needling, and skin resurfacing treatments.

Boxcar scars

Boxcar scars are craters in the skin left behind by deep acne inflammation. Shallow boxcar scars can be treated easily using skin resurfacing, but deeper scars might require a more intense dermatological treatment like subcision and punch techniques to remove scar tissue and encourage healthy tissue growth.

Ice pick scars

Ice pick scars are deep, v-shaped scars that look like you’ve been punctured with an ice pick — hence the name. They can be difficult to treat because they extend deep into the skin. If you have a number of ice pick scars, a combination of scar treatments can help reduce their appearance.

Types of Acne Scars

Acne is a skin condition that results in pimples spreading across areas of the skin such as the face, shoulder, back, chest & neck. It occurs when the skin's follicles become plugged with oil, dead skin cells, dirt, and debris. Acne is embarrassing as they cause stress, annoyance, depression, and leaves behind a scar if not treated at the right time.

Treatments

 Comedone extraction

 Microdermabrasion

 Laser for Acne

 Chemical Peels

 Derma Rollers

 Filler for acne scars

 

Home Remedies & Lifestyle Changes

Once acne scarring forms, getting rid of it typically means using one or several of the treatments listed above. However, you may be able to prevent acne scars from developing by making some small changes to your habits:

  • Treat acne as soon as it develops. More acne usually means more potential for scars to develop. If you’re prone to acne, make sure to treat it as soon as you notice any new acne lesions developing, as each breakout can potentially leave behind scars.

    Our guide to science-backed acne treatments goes into more detail about what you can do to treat and prevent acne.
  • Don’t pop or pick at your acne. As tempting as it might be, popping acne isn’t a good idea. Not only can popping pimples make your acne worse by pushing bacteria deeper beneath your skin — it can also lead to permanent scarring.
  • Avoid picking at scabs. If you do pop a pimple and it turns into a scab, make sure not to pick at the scab. This can stop the skin from healing properly and make it more likely that a scar will develop.

 

Comments