Acne Scarring

What Causes Acne Scarring?

Acne scarring does not have to occur if you are careful not to pick at the area or to infect it in anyway. Although big pustules can leave marks most people get acne scarring as the result of doing things to their skin that they think can make it better. Instead they end up making the problem worse.  You don’t have to have a big acne sore on your face to get a scar. Even if you pick at the tiniest of eruptions you can still end up with pockmarks or discolored skin.

Acne scarring can have several different appearances.  A persistent redness may not just be a temporary condition – it might be evidence of acne scarring.  Sometimes an acne pustule can leave a big brown spot called hyperpigmentation. This is called staining.

 Yet another type of acne scar actually leaves a small or large dent right in the skin’s surface. In almost every case of acne scarring the person did not take care to treat it early and also made the mistake of trying to squeeze pus out of the acne sore. This is a big no no both for yourself and any beauty technician that might be working on your face.

If you do end up with acne scarring there are camouflage foundations out there can help make your skin look smoothers. Some of them contain healing nutrients like Vitamin E and others contain light reflecting pigments that help defer attention from hyperpigmentation and acne pockmarks. You can also buy topical creams that have a fine exfoiliant in them that over time can help smooth out the upper dermis of the skin and make it look smoother.

If your acne scarring is severe you might want to consider going beyond cosmetic treatments and try a more invasive approach. Many acne sufferers have had success with chemical peels that don’t remove the scars but can help improve overall skin tone.

Yet another treatment for acne scars is to use skin fillers or injectables. These types of treatments are available from a dermatologist.  These materials are injected into the depressed area of the scar to make it level with the normal surrounding skin. There are several types of fillers that are both temporary and permanent fillers - examples are: Artecoll®, Zyplast®, Restylane®, and HylaForm®.

Although more experimental some people who have acne scars have had some success with laser treatments.  These treatments work by having the lasers stimulate the collagen beneath the skin so that healing of the skin is accelerated.

If the scarring is very severe you can try microdermabrasion, which is a procedure that finely polishes the skin. Yet another successful treatment is photo rejuvenation in which a broadband visible light is applied to the skin to improve mild acne scarring.

In severe cases of acne scarring a mechanical process known as dermabrasion, in which a rotating wire or brush is used to level out the skin. This process is used in tandem with fillers to give the appearance of a smoother healthy complexion.