What Are Acne Scars?
Scars are your body’s inflammation response, when you pop a pimple the skin around the pore swells then the skin tries to repair itself by
creating new collagen fibers, but sometime these repairs do not end up being as flat or smooth as the original skin.
The main Scarring type being addressed here is depressed scarring or Atrophic scars. These are the ones caused by loss of tissue, the main types are Icepick or Boxcar scars.
Icepick scars look like small noticeable holes in the skin and boxcar scars look like small round or oval dents on the skin. These scars are the most common among acne sufferers or previous acne sufferers and are some of the most difficult ones to get rid of.
Will my Scars go away?
Short answer is no; the scars won’t go 100% away however there are many things you can do to certainly fully reduce their appearance in your face to the point that they won’t be as noticeable. You need to keep this in mind when looking at scar solutions, so please do not be discourage if after a few months you do not see much of a difference.
Like always, different skin types will have different effects to these treatments, the important thing is finding something that will truly help you and I believe based on my experience and research the products recommended here will help. The following methods cover the entire spectrum of skin types, so they will certainly help you.
Below are a few of the methods I’ve used that helped me and many people reduce Scars. These methods were chosen not only because I’ve used them and seen great results on me and others, but also they are price conscious, you won’t spend thousands of dollars on these treatments.
You will see some products below, to see the full list of product reviews check out the Scar Products page.
Derma Rollers
Easily the cheapest and most effective product for scars are Derma rollers. Basically you have a roll with small needles. All you do is run the needles around your scars once or twice a week (depending on skin sensitivity) and that’s it.
The needling creates small trauma on your skin increasing collagen remodeling of the surface skin. This process can take months, so do not quit doing it. The best one out there:
Derma Roller, Micro Needling Facial Treatment
This is going to leave your skin feeling a bit stingy, on the Red/Dry Skin page of the site we recommend a great moisturizer to put on after Needle Rolling.
LED Treatment
There isn’t much data on this since is fairly new, but what little data and reviews are coming out seems to point this works beautifully. Basically a Red light source is shined on your face increasing collagen production thus remodeling of the skin. Some of these lights come with a Blue light source which has proven to kill bacteria, preventing Acne. Two birds one stone… or light source. The best ones and the ones we recommend are these:
RubyLux Red & Blue LED Bulb, Acne and Scars Treatment
Red LED Light Therapy, Eliminate Wrinkles and Get Rid of Acne Scars
^ For those Happy with their Acne treatment and want full power Red light therapy.
LED Photon Therapy Mask Review, An Easy Treatment for Acne Scars
The light bulb works on any light socket and can be easily installed in a lamp and shine on your face.
If you want to invest a bit more money the Photon mask is an excellent choice because it will consistently point at your face and you can still move around. Check both reviews to help you decide, they are both very effective.
Other Scar Products
Glycolic Acid 30% Gel Peel, Formulated Peel for All Skin Conditions
^ An at-home chemical peel, excellent for acne and scars
Glycolic Acid 50% Gel Peel, The Best at Home Chemical Peel
^ Another at-home chemical peel, much stronger, for experienced users only.
Amara Organics Vitamin C, Top Rated Organic Serum
^ A top rated natural product for a great beautiful skin.
Radha Beauty Rosehip Oil, Best Organic Skin Care Product
^ An amazing organic product with actual studies proving its usefulness.
To see the full list of product reviews check out the Scar Products page.
Acne Scars Tips and Tricks
You want some tips and tricks when it comes to Acne Scars I get it, so here are some things to consider:
1. Sun exposure: I’m not telling you to turn into a vampire, I’m just telling you to avoid the sun as if you are one. The sun has some not so beneficial rays that can worsen yours scars and skin, so avoiding prolonged exposure to the sun is important, same goes for tanning booths.
2. Sleep: I’m sure you heard this so many times it makes you cringe now, but the fact is sleep is important especially if you want your skin to recover from some of the treatments and products recommended. Your body needs to heal period, get your 7 hours a day.
Many times some of the treatments I’ve done to my face looked worse the next day because I have so little sleep my face was still healing. Collagen production needs a lot of time to work and sleeping helps the process greatly.
3. Nutrition: Yea, this one too, you want your body to magically heal without any energy source? It does not work that way, you need at least three meals a day and healthy food for a healthy body.
Final Thoughts
Scarring may not be fully cured, but it sure can be reduced noticeably. The important thing is sticking to a treatment and hope for great results, spending a good amount of time and effort on these treatments will yield great results.
The most important thing is to accept yourself no matter what and just because we are doing all this does not mean we do not love ourselves it is simply a small way to improve ourselves.
Join us in our Red/Dry skin page for some tips on well… dry and red skin.