5 Step Approach to Acne Scar Removal
Acne scars are so embarrassing and troubling, especially when you have to attend a fancy party or hang out with your friends. It becomes very difficult to hide acne scar marks if you have bad acne or deep scars with make-over alone. Although, a variety of cosmetic products today, serve to give a good cover-up for acne scar marks but still you need a permanent solution for beach parties and for your self-esteem and confidence.
In some other cases, people try extra strong remedies for trivial acne or acne scars that damages skin moisture and quality leading to excessive dryness or peeling. It is therefore recommended to try step by step approach according to the severity of acne.
Let us try this 5 step approach to get rid of acne scar marks, depending upon how bad and stubborn your acne scar marks are, you can follow the steps until you get desired results.
Step # 1:
You can call it a physical approach that is the basic step in getting rid of acne scars. In this step:
- Pay attention to your diet, eat healthy and fresh food and avoid processed and unhealthy meals.
- Take care of your skin cleanliness, do not touch or squeeze your acne and use good skincare products according to your skin type.
- Drink plenty of water and organic juices/ supplements that are rich in Vitamin A, E and Vitamin C.
- Avoid excessive and direct sun-exposure, good quality cosmetics and herbal skincare products.
This approach greatly decreases acne break-outs and improve skin remodelling with 100% organic approach.
Step # 2:
This involves more focused approach and targeting acne scars by gentle scrubbing. A lot of skincare products are designed for this purpose like face wash, face scrubs and other peelers that have mild to moderate concentration of alcohol/ salicylic acid and other chemicals that can gently decrease bacterial growth and remove dead skin by effective cleaning. Make sure you get your skincare products after determining your skin type, allergy status and concentration of ingredients.
Step 1 and step 2 can help clear mild acne scars without affecting the texture and smoothness of skin.
Step # 3:
If the above 2 steps fail to clear acne scars off your face, see your dermatologist and get some local/ topical ointments for your acne scars. Most acne scar ointments and lotions contain benzyl peroxide, salicylic acid and similar anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory agents that help in gently controlling acne breakouts and also help in lightening acne scar marks be removing dead skin.
Step # 4:
Take some oral medications after your dermatologist prescription for moderate to severe acne and acne scarring that improves skin remodelling and help in deposition of collagen. This includes medications like tetracycline (doxycycline) and other similar agents. These antibiotics decrease bacterial growth and helps in deposition of connective tissue. For more refractory acne scarring, medications like retinoid (both oral and topical) are also widely used. These are cost-effective as compared to more advanced options like surgery, laser and are also effective in most cases. However, the remodelling changes are slow to occur and above 3 steps must also be followed when you are taking antibiotics and oral medications for treatment of acne scars.
Step # 5:
Go for cosmetic procedures that can scrape the dead and dull skin to replace it with fresh and healthy skin. This step is only resolve for stubborn scar marks that does not go away with traditional therapies and remedies like the ones mentioned above. Step 5 includes a variety of interventional treatment options for acne scar marks like laser therapy, dermabrasion, microdermabrasion and peeling. The choice of therapy is dependent on the depth of scar and severity of pigmentation.
Deal with you acne scars more schematically and you will see the difference, not only in the scar appearance but also in the skin texture and quality.
How To Treat Acne Scars?
– Are you ashamed of going in public because of your acne scars?
– Are you losing your friends because of low self esteem and decreasing confidence?
– Are you called by names in school or office because of the acne marks?
– Do you feel your beauty and glamour is being affected by your skin issues?
If your acne is affecting you so bad, it is high time to seek treatment for your acne scars. Acne is a fairly common skin problem that most of us go through at some point in our lives. Although, most of us are very proactive against acne, but same people often take month to realize if they need acne scar treatment.
When acne gets healed it leaves scars on the skin which unlike acne may be temporary or permanent. This article will help you that how can you get rid of acne scars. Further it will also help you to know that how you can avoid acne scars.
What causes acne scars?
Acne vulgaris is the primary cause of acne scarring. Among the adolescents this is the most common skin problem. Acne scarring is rather a long term problem unlike acne which in most cases is a short term problem. Let us begin with different stages of acne scars and then we will get into the details of treatment of acne scar.
Stages of acne scars:
Acne scar have different types and stages. There are different treatment options available for every type and stage. Main stages of acne scars are:
– Atrophic Acne Scars:
It is the most common type of acne scarring. Early treatment of acne vulgaris is the best option to avoid acne scars. In order to avoid acne, besides treatment modalities, dietary modification and life-style changes play an important role.
– Keloidal Acne Scars:
This kind of scars are usually itchy but very firm. The scarring occurs because of overgrowing of tissue and the size of the scar is bigger than the actual pimple. Genetic tendency also plays an important role in the development of scars. If you have a tendency to develop keloid (that is because of hereditary issues in Collagen genes), avoidance of acne is the only therapy besides surgery.
– Hypertrophic Acne Scars:
These are the raised scars originate from the pimples. They mostly are of the same size as of acne but the size reduces with the time.
Hypertrophic acne scar is the most common clinical acne scarring that is reported to clinics. The treatment modality is mostly interventional due to deeper tissue damage. Treatment decision is made by grading the severity of acne.
Grade 1:
Macular: These scars are not usually easily visible. They appear when the skin changes its color. Grade 1 scars can be treated through laser treatment, peeling, pigment transfer treatment or tropical laser treatment.
Grade 2:
Mild: Such scars can easily be disguised through facial hair or make-up. These scars shows good result when treated with laser. Punch excision is the other option for treatment for mild acne scars which is a skin rolling procedure.
Grade 3:
Moderate: They are little bit more prominent than mild scars and are difficult to disguise them by make up or facial hair. Manual Skin stretching can make these scars disappear. These scars can be taken care with chemical peeling, resurfacing techniques or by surgery.
Grade 4:
Severe: These scars cannot be disguised through facial hair or make-up at all.
These scars are difficult to be treated and different combinations of therapy are used to take care of these. If you are looking for the most effective scar treatment then laser treatment is the one. It will take a few sessions and you will completely get rid of acne scars. You can also use Acne scar creams, on a daily basis; these will not solve severe conditions, but may be effective, as long as you use the best Acne scar cream constantly and according to the instructions.
How to Get Rid of Acne Scars on the Back?
Acne is so terrible and acne scars are even worse. Although acne can erupt at any part of your body, but most common spots are face, chest, shoulders and back. Acne scars make it very tough for you to present yourself in social gatherings and events with a glamorous look as acne scars are not only unsightly but also very disgusting.
Acne marks on face can be covered by the use of make-up and cosmetics but what about the acne scar marks on the back?
What causes back acne marks?
Acne at the back and shoulder region is fairly common because most women are not able to effectively scrub and clean their back and due to sun-exposure, oil production by oil glands and sweat by sweat glands, acne flares occur. As most women do not clean their back, shoulder and chest region, acne takes longer to resolve and leave darker spots.
Sometimes, body scrubs and body-wash are not used according to the skin type. Because an average male or female do not take more than 2 showers a day, enhanced oil production by sebaceous glands further aggravates acne at the back leaving acne scars.
Sometimes, a lot of women use soaps and other alkali agents that lead to excessive dryness of body skin. This eventually promotes oil production to maintain moisture of skin and this oil get clogged to lead to acne. Back acne, chest and shoulder acne is common in women living in tropics.
What are the hazards of acne scars on the back?
Acne scar marks on the back prevents you from wearing low back, bare back dresses, bathing suits and swimming costumes in summer season and party dresses that are open from behind in all seasons. This is because acne scar marks on the back looks so ugly and the worst thing is you hardly notice theses and so no intervention is mostly taken by most women.
How can you get rid of acne scars on the back?
– Get an oil control body wash according to your skin type.
– Use body scrub to get rid of dead cellular debris, clear pores and in order to close pores.
– You can also use lemon juice on your back acne scars. Less caution is required for back skin then facial skin, which is more sensitive. You can also apply lemon juice (with the help of cotton ball) on back acne scars as well as chest and shoulder acne marks. It is ideally recommended to apply lemon juice after bathing when pores are open.
– Turmeric is a widely used spice that may be too strong for facial skin, but is just right for acne marks on the back. Apply turmeric paste once a day on your acne marks at let it dry. Ideally apply turmeric paste before bed-time and take bath in the morning (caution to be taken as turmeric may stain your night dress or bed-cover).
– Vitamin E oil massage is one of the great revitalizing organic therapies today for back and facial acne scars. Vitamin E enhances cell growth and division by its anti-oxidant action. Moreover, anti-inflammatory action of Vitamin E also prevents new acne from developing and also controls the tissue damage. Vitamin E tablets are equally effective for facial acne marks, back acne marks and shoulder or chest acne marks.
– Baking soda is one of the best exfoliation agents you can use to get rid of dead skin, cellular debris and exfoliate pigmented cells to get a new and fresh skin. Make a thick paste of baking soda in little amount of water and apply directly on the back, shoulder and chest acne marks to ensure gentle and fast exfoliation without leading to any scarring.
All these simple remedies are very helpful in a number of cases but you can always go for more advanced cosmetic methods depending upon how refractory your skin is to these simple tips and how bad your back acne marks are.
How to Cover Acne Scars with Make Up?
Make up tips for acne scars invariably help those who have disgusting acne scars on the face, neck and other exposed parts of the body. Cosmetics and make over tips not only help you in enhancing beautiful features of your face but also helps in covering or blending not so attractive features and components of the face to present an overall attractive and impressive person.
Acne scars and marks affect the confidence and self-esteem of most women, making it difficult for them to face people. However, with a variety of cosmetic products and techniques, now you can cover and conceal most hideous looking acne marks to walk proudly with a smooth skin and shiny face.
Cosmetic tips for acne marks:
It is very important to get the right cosmetics for your skin, especially if you have acne marks. Normally all big brands offer cosmetic products for acne marks today; it is up to you to make the right choices according to your skin type. Few tips may help you: – Get cosmetics that are aqua-based (water based) and not the oil based that further aggravates acne.
- Check expiry date and brand reviews before getting your cosmetics. This is because a lot of ingredients don’t suit every skin type.
- Always get a shade darker than your original skin tone (or the same shade) for foundation if you have too much acne scars. This is because in order to blend in the pigmentation, you can’t apply the same rules of foundation that are employed for normal skin type.
How to cover acne marks with cosmetics?
If you are planning to go out, our tips may help you look gorgeous by applying proper make up and conceal your acne scars efficiently.
- Wash you face with plenty of fresh water before applying make-up.
- Apply an aqua-based moisturizer that gently coats the skin of face and neck. This is very essential so that your foundation spreads gently on your face without looking too cakey.
- Next step is to apply congealer on the acne scar marks. You can use stick or your thumb to pat gently in a way as to cover the acne scar completely.
- Cover all your acne scar marks with congealer and apply some foundation on sponge (similar in color/shade to the congealer) and gently pat on your skin. Use sponge to gently blend the foundation and concealed that you applied on acne scar marks.
- Once you have covered your face gently with a thin layer of foundation, now apply blush-on with side strokes on side of cheeks. Apply blush-on not only on the cheeks but also apply fine touches/strokes on the entire face to give a more natural glow and shine to your face.
- If you want to add a little shimmer on your cheeks, go for it but make sure not to use too much as shimmer normally settles on the acne or acne marks, making it look more prominent.
- Apply a natural colored lip-stick or lip-gloss can add further charm to your face. A little practice will teach you where to apply strokes of brush and how to enhance your positive features like eyes, cheek bones, eye-brows and lips by the use of bold make-up and brush strokes.
Although a variety of cosmetic surgeries and laser treatment options can help you in getting rid of scars permanently, but besides being hazardous, these therapies are also expensive. Cosmetics that are an essential need of our daily life can be efficiently used to conceal and cover acne scar marks in a cheap and effective way.
Acne Scar Removal Treatments That Work
Life naturally assumes we need obstacles to overcome, biology is the same way. Aside from every other concern in our lives, acne is just another problem to add to the list. As if that isn’t enough, we are commonly left with acne scars as what seems like a permanent reminder.
The severity of these scars is determined by the severity of the acne. Acne is clogged pores that develop bacterial infections and allows the bacteria to grow, which in turn forms unpleasant red, puss-filled pimples.
Scar Removal Options
Considering scar removal would be appropriate in the moderate and severe stages of acne. There are quite a few treatments available for acne scar removal. The most popular being laser surgery and creams. The first step to treatment is realizing what type of acne scars you have.
They come in two forms, deep and narrow, and scars with a dip or gradual depression (also known as “rolling scars”). Ask your physician whether or not you have mild or severe scars and their best recommendation for your best results. Types of treatment to ask about include dermabrasion, laser resurfacing, or fractional laser surgery. Types of creams to look into may include Revitol Scar Cream, Cimeosil, Bio oil, Zenmed, SCARprin, Mederma, and Scarzone.
Dermabrasion is using an instrument such as a wire brush or a diamond-shaped tool to wear down the skin’s surface. Throughout the healing process new, smoother skin will form. The healing process can take up to 3 weeks to be complete. Laser resurfacing is a decently quick procedure that can be performed at a dermatologist’s office or doctor’s office. Most sessions last between 10 minutes to an hour depending on the severity of the scars.
The laser strips away the top surface of the skin, leaving the smooth middle layer of skin to replace it. Local anaesthesia is commonly used for pain management and can take 3-10 days to heal. Fractional laser surgery is the deepest type of surgery possible (used for severe cases). This treatment does not affect the top layer of skin; therefore the severity of the side effects is relatively close to a sunburn.
“Rolling scars” are usually treated by injecting a material underneath the scarred skin to raise it and become even with the healthy skin. It is vital to be careful what products or treatments you decide to use because it could make the condition worse. Talk to your physician before using any type of creams.
One of the best ways to prevent acne scars is to use treatment as early as you detect the pimple or zit. Popping pimples or zits can cause them to spread and make the damage worse. The washing your face daily even with soap and water, can reduce your chances of acne a lot because you are cleaning out the dirt, oils, and skin cells from building up in your pores.
Being capable of recognizing you are prone to scars increases your chance to stop it, your doctor can give you treatment options early on. If you experience large breakouts or cysts talk to your doctor as soon as possible, this type of acne is the most prone to leaving scars.
Catching it early could make treatment a lot easier and allows for better results. Always keep in mind, the earlier it is caught, the better chance you have of getting rid of the scars for good.
Final Conclusions
Each type of acne scar removal option has its own advantages and disadvantages. The best thing to do is to prevent acne from occurring in the first place. Because laser scar removal is expensive and has some side effects we recommend going with a good scar cream to get rid of your scars. The cream that we believe will serve you the best out of the options listed above Revitol Scar Cream. If used as directed Revitol Scar Cream can significantly decrease the appearance of acne scars.
The best place to buy Revitol Scar Cream is online from the official website. I have provided a link below to go to their official website.
Acne Scar Treatment – Do they work?
What are acne scars?
Acne scars are nothing but the indentations left by acne or pimples. There are different types of acne scars, such as Atrophic scars – which are shallow in appearance, box scar that are deeper and irregular in shape, and ice-pick scars that are narrow and much deeper than any other type.
These scars appear in different tones among different skin color. For example, people with darker skin may notice dark tones, also called hyper-pigmentation, after the acne disappears leaving the actual scar in the end, while people with lighter skin initially show redness on their scars called Erythematic. Acne is the result of hair follicles on the skin getting plugged with oil and dead skin cells, so people who are more prone to this skin condition normally have oily skin and more hair follicles. A plugged follicle is a perfect growing space for the acne causing bacteria that feed on the dirt and chemicals, eventually creating bumps and causing inflammation. While mild acne is normal in many adolescents and some adults, severe acne may be the case of hormone fluctuation. On the flip side, most mild acne do not leave any residue once it’s gone; it’s the severe acne – cysts, nodules and pustules – that cause acne scars.
The Sooner the Better
A golden rule of thumb to get rid of acne scars is to prevent acne in the first place. There are many approaches one can take to prevent acne or zit formation, from simple home remedy to most powerful antibiotics and drugs. Some of the home remedies for acne include aloe Vera, turmeric paste, sandalwood paste, cucumber treatment, tomato paste and honey.
Drugs
Drugs that invade acne bacteria from inside the body include Doxycyclin, Yazmin, Spironolactone and Acutance, but these drugs require prescriptions and timely medical follow-ups. Remember that, picking or squeezing the acne makes the scarring more badly than leaving it alone. Other treatments for acne scars depend on how severe the acne is.
Microdermabrassion and Chemical peels
Some dermatologists and skin therapists recommend these procedures to their patients/clients. These treatments can surely improve the appearance of acne scars. However, like many other treatments, they provide only temporary solution, that can last for about a month or two. Hence the therapist may also suggest multiple sessions to improve the chance of the desired result.
Laser Skin Resurfacing
Although powerful enough to penetrate any skin, dermatologists recommend this procedure to only certain type of skin tone. The laser beam with the perfect intensity can remove the damaged top layer of the skin, leaving the underneath layer soft and smooth. The entire procedure can take anywhere from thirty minutes to two hours. The skin needs a long healing period after the procedure, which is typically two to four months during which the redness and bumps disappear. Fractional laser therapy, on the other hand, is another laser procedure that works at a deeper level than any other laser procedures. The result may vary depending on many factors, including the skin tone, type of procedure and the expertise of the dermatologist.
Punch Grafting
Punch grafting is another treatment option for deep acne scars. Here a punch biopsy resembling a cookie cutter is used on the scars that need to be corrected. The tool can be adjusted to fit the scar’s depth, including the border of the scar. The scar is then excised and the skin sutured following a brief anaesthesia. The area is then treated with various skin resurfacing techniques for better results. In skin graft replacement technique, the required skin is taken from another part of the body and placed on the defect, instead of suturing the skin edges.
Derma roller
This is another popular treatment for acne scars in the skin care world. Dermaroller involves pricking the skin with a collection of very fine needles, the depth of which is just enough to stimulate collagen and elastin production. Although, the true benefits of dermaroller are not known, people who have used this instrument have seen noticeable difference in their skin texture and the appearance of scars. The small micro channels created by dermaroller while rolling it over the skin help serum applied to the face permeate deep into the skin.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C and Arbutin are good alternatives for surgical acne scar treatments but less effective compared to the results that surgical treatments can bring.
Over-the-counter Cortisone and Fade Creams
Many fade creams that are found over the counter in pharmacy stores are used to calm the skin. For example, cortisone cream that is mostly recommended by physicians for moderate acne sufferers is absorbed by skin cells, thereby reducing inflammation. Certain fading creams are also effective in fading scar pigmentation, although they do not do anything for the actual scars. Kojic acid, another popular product for acne scars, works similar to chemical peels and makes the skin light.
It is our opinion that by using home remedies such as vitamin C and over the counter cortisone cream along with a fading cream you can get the desired results faster and more inexpensively than with expensive treatments such as laser removal.