Sometimes it can seem like there’s no justice in the natural world. You suffered with acne as a child and now that it’s gone, you’re suffering with acne scars as an adult. You want to get rid of acne scars once and for all and regain your confidence and beauty. When it comes to being able to get rid of acne scars, there are lots of acne scar treatments available. Everything from non-medical procedures, like special creams, all the way up to medical procedures like lasers, fillers, and even surgery are available for acne scar treatments. (The surgery for acne scar removal is known as ‘excision’.) In this article will take a brief look at the various types of acne scar treatments available to you so you can see which one is right for you.
The first thing you need to do before trying any acne scar removal treatment is to get your acne under control. Just like you would not paint a house while it’s still raining, it’s pointless to try to get rid of acne scars at the same time you’re trying to get rid of acne. If you’re unable to get rid of acne on your own, you should see a doctor because they most likely will have something that can help you prevent future acne scars by getting rid of your acne. Once your acne is under control, you can start to think about acne scar removal.
There are three main types of acne scars; indentations (also called rolling scars or dents,) raised scars, (keloids,) and pigmented scars, (where the skin is lighter or darker than the skin around it. Also known as hyperpigmentation.) What kind of acne scar treatment you choose will depend on the type of scar you have.
Indentations scars actually have several subcategories of their own, and are classified by the shape and depth of these scars. Sometimes the scars can be a gentle slope downward, like a pock mark, while others can be quite jagged and go straight down. (That type is often called an icepick.) Depending on the depth of the indentation, getting rid of acne scars like this could be done with simple at-home acne scar treatments or require medical acne scar removal.
Raised scars happen most often because a pimple was there so long that the skin underneath was actually forced upward, leaving a permanent bump. This kind of scar rarely reacts well to at-home acne scar removal treatments and requires acne scar treatments of a more medical nature.
Pigmented scars are the ones that respond best to at-home acne scar treatments. Pigmented scars can be lighter or darker in color than the skin around it. In some cases, this type of acne scar can even be permanently red. This type of acne scarring happens most often in people with high concentrations of pigment in their skin already, such as African-Americans, Asians, and even many Latinos.
Non-medical procedures for acne scar removal usually include special acne scar removal creams or even just regular scar cream. This type of cream works best on shallow indentation scars or pigmented scars. Based on a micro dermabrasion technique, it gently strips away the top layers of your skin to reveal healthier brighter cells underneath. While no at home micro dermabrasion technique is as effective as the one you get the dermatologist office, if you only have mild scarring than scar cream is a great way to get rid of acne scars.
Medical acne scar removal methods can vary widely but generally fall into three main categories; resurfacing, which includes peels lasers and micro dermabrasion, fillers, which can include injections or subcisions, and excision, which is actual acne scar removal surgery. These more aggressive acne scar treatments should be considered when trying to get rid of acne scars on your own once you’ve determined that a simple acne scar removal cream is not enough.
When it comes to acne scar removal, you have more choices than ever before. What will effectively get rid of acne scars depends largely on what kind of scar yours is. It also depends on the depth and severity of the scar. While at-home acne scar treatments, such as creams, will work for mild scarring, more stubborn scars will require actual medical acne scar removal. It’s always best to start with the at-home treatments to get rid of acne scars and go from there.
