How Can I Get Rid Of Old Acne Scars?

To find the best way to get rid of acne scars, it is important to understand that there are different types of acne scars and they require different treatment.

First there are what are known as early acne scars. These are not scars in the true sense but an inflammation that remains for a time after a pimple is gone. This is a red mark and possibly a slight swelling in a place where you had a pimple.

Because of the swelling, some people think that part of the pimple is still there in the form of a cyst, but this is not the case. There is no need to go on treating the area with anti acne creams. It is just inflammation which will pass naturally, although it can take anything from one week to 12 months depending on how the skin reacts at that site.

Using topical retinoids such as Retin-A can speed up the skin's remodeling and healing. This can be a useful treatment for early acne scars. Antioxidant creams may also help this process.

12 months is the maximum time that the skin would take to heal. So if acne scars remain after one year, then these are true scars and may require surgical treatment. This usually takes the form of skin resurfacing, which is recommended to get rid of acne scars for many people.

Skin resurfacing can take several forms.

1. Collagen injections

These injections smooth the skin by plumping up the area right under the scar. This treatment is often used for boxcar type scars, the round or oval scars that have clear edges and are usually less than 0.5 mm deep. Collagen treatment is also used to smooth out wrinkles in older people.

2. Laser resurfacing

Here the scar tissue is burned away with a carefully targeted laser so that healthy skin can form in its place.

3. Dermabrasion

This treatment removes the scar tissue with a fast spinning wire brush.

4. Chemabrasion

This treatment uses a chemical peel to remove the top layers of skin. This is most useful for superficial scars.

All of the last three options will cause the skin to look red for a while until the new, healthy skin forms in place of the scar. Ask your dermatologist about the effects of each treatment.

There are a few acne scars that cannot be treated with skin resurfacing. Most of these are what are called icepick acne scars. These are narrow, sharp scars, usually less than 2 mm wide, that can go deep. They make the skin look like it has been punctured with a small icepick. These scars are often too deep for skin resurfacing or dermabrasion to be effective, so sometimes there is no treatment. The scar must be left to perhaps heal in time, or in some cases it can be hidden.

However, an icepick acne scar that never heals is unusual. Most acne scars heal by themselves and if they do not, surgical procedures are usually effective. Some patience is required but in the end it is almost always possible to get rid of acne scars.

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