What is the Best Treatment for Acne Scarring?

Looking to diminish acne scars? Don't let them haunt you any longer. Whether you're dealing with minor marks or deep pitting, effective treatments can help fade facial scarring and unclog pores. Our Skin Health Experts can guide you on combining ingredients like vitamin C and retinol to tackle hyperpigmentation.

Discover five scar-reducing treatments, understand the causes of scarring, and know when it's best to seek professional assistance. Let's say goodbye to acne scars together.

Some Tips that may help reduce the appearance of Acne Scars:

The answer to your question 'what is the  best treatment for me?'  depends on the type and severity of your  scarring, as well as the underlying causes. Consider these at-home solutions that we can help you with to target lingering marks and discoloration while combating acne:

1. Salicylic acid: Salicylic serum is known for treating acne blemishes, salicylic acid also aids in reducing scars on acne-prone skin caused by hormonal acne. By eliminating dead skin cells and excess oil, it promotes smoother skin and evens out pigmentation. Our salicylic face wash or mask is a great everyday skin care routine addition!

2. Retinoids: Retinol is a potent acne treatment that can also benefit those suffering with scarring from mild to severe acne. They minimize redness, promote even skin tone, and gradually reduce the visibility of scars from inflammatory acne. Our retinol serum and cream offer a similar effect in regenerating the skin and diminishing acne scarring.

3. Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) – AHAs are a skin cell treatment that may help remove dead skin cells to keep your pores clean. This  means they may help reduce the visibility of your scars when used regularly. Luckily, our AHA serum is great for regular use. 

4. Vitamin C & Retinol  Vitamin C and Retinol are beneficial for acne scarring due to their remarkable properties. Vitamin C helps lighten hyperpigmentation, promotes collagen production for smoother skin, and protects against sun damage. Retinol aids in exfoliating the skin's surface, reducing visible signs of aging, and promoting clearer skin with unclogged pores.

5. Face masks and a Skin Care Routine Having a skincare routine tailored to your skin would help reduce acne scars, especially over time. Face Masks are an important part of this routine and adds a great touch of Self Skin Love, as do skin rollers which also reduce puffiness and add a great touch to your skin care routine. 

What Causes Acne Scars?

Not everyone who has acne will also experience acne scars. Instead, acne scars and acne breakout risks increase in certain individuals, such as those who:

• Have inflammatory or cystic acne 
• Pick, squeeze, pop, or otherwise interfere with blemishes 
• Have a relative who has acne scars
• Had hormonal acne when they were very young
• Don’t properly treat their acne

Any of these factors can cause lasting scars, even once blemishes fade. That’s because acne scars are caused by blemishes that penetrate deep into the skin, which can damage the skin and its underlying tissue.

Types of Acne Scars and How They Form

Acne scars occur when your skin cell tissue sustains damage and becomes inflamed. In response to the irritation, your body attempts to repair the blemish with collagen. However, sometimes the body produces too much or too little collagen, resulting in raised or discolored scarring. 

When this occurs, several different types of acne scars can arise:

• Dark spots or hyperpigmentation – Acne is an inflammatory condition that can cause hyperpigmentation in areas where breakouts occur. Unfortunately, this discoloration can remain once the acne heals. 

• Atrophic scars – If your skin didn’t have enough collagen as your acne healed, you might be left with atrophic scars. These scars appear as small or large depressions in the skin. Some can resemble the pits left behind from chickenpox while others are smaller and spread out across the skin.

• Hypertrophic scars – In other cases, your body produces too much collagen while your acne heals. The excess collagen collects under the skin, forming a raised bump. 

When Is it Time to Seek Professional Help for Acne Scars?

If these at-home treatments are not working for you and you are still not happy with your acne journey as we do understand that this is a tough one,  we recommend seeking the advice of a dermatologist. Here there are several additional options you can explore to help reduce the appearance of acne scars. A board-certified dermatologist can offer additional treatments that are performed in their office. Some of these may include:

• Chemical peels using a powerful combination of active ingredients
• Dermabrasion to exfoliate the skin
• Laser treatments
• Fillers to smooth scars
• Injections or micro-needling
• HydraFacials

Discovering the right treatment or a combination of treatments to reduce your acne scarring may take some time. So be patient and practice persistence!