The Science Behind Acne Scar Reduction Treatment

A breakout of acne can be distressing to people. It sometimes directly impacts your self-confidence and overall feeling of wellness. Often people, because of the embarrassment they feel because of acne and acne scars become less social and have trouble facing people. Additionally, apart from having a breakout of acne once they are done, they even form scars that stay for a long time. 

Acne is considered to be in different forms of intensity. 

• Mild acne: This is the most common form of acne and causes whiteheads and blackheads. Most people face this at some point in their life. 
• Moderate acne: This is where you face inflamed pimples that are red and pimples with white centers called papules and pustules respectively. 
• Severe acne: These are pus-filled cysts or lumps under the skin that can be painful.  

There are many options where acne scar reduction treatment is available. However, before we get to that we must first understand the kind of acne types that exist. There are primarily two kinds of acne, namely, Hypertrophic or keloid scarring and Atrophic or depressed scarring.

• Hypertrophic or keloid scarring: This is a condition where the scar remains because of too much collagen in the body. Because of the collagen production as the acne heals, a mass of raised tissue is the result of the skin. 
• Atrophic or depressed scarring: In this condition, the scar develops due to loss of tissue. This is when not enough collagen is produced in the body. This is a fairly common type of scarring. Within this condition there are three common types: 
  • Boxcar: This type of scar is wide, U-shaped. It typically has sharp edges. It can be either shallow or deep. The shallower ones respond better to skin resurfacing treatments.
  • Rolling: These types of scars are wide depressions. They are round and irregular. 
  • Ice Pick: These are small and obvious looking holes in the skin. These are harder to treat because they could be deep in the skin. They are typically narrow and shaped like a V. They look very close to chickenpox scars.

With this information, it is very important that any person that is trying to treat their scars speaks to a good dermatologist to first understand the kind of scar you are facing and the right type of treatment you will need to reduce the acne or eradicate it from your skin when possible. 

The following are some of the options that you can look at as cream options in-house to help clear out the scars: 

• Salicylic acid: Considered one of the most common and best acne treatments, salicylic acid clears pores, and reduces swelling. It reduces the redness in the skin and exfoliates it when applied topically. 
• Alpha hydroxy acids: Alpha hydroxy acids also called AHAs help remove dead skin. It is found in products that are used to treat acne. They prevent clogged pores. 
• Lactic acid: This is a type of peel that can be used every two weeks for a few months. This helps improve the texture of the skin. It also lightens acne scars and improves the appearance and pigmentation of the skin. 
• Retinoids: Topical retinoids is an acne treatment that also smoothes scars. It helps speed cell regeneration and improving your skin’s texture. However, this treatment can make the skin sensitive to the sun, therefore wearing sunscreen becomes important.  

Clinical Acne Scar Reduction Treatment Includes:

• Dermabrasion
• Laser Resurfacing
• Chemical Peels
• Injections
• Microneedling
• Fillers

The above procedures will need more extensive consultation with dermatologists and plastic surgeons. These will require you to take a lot more precautions and consultation and post-procedure care. 

Author Bio:

Rena Joshi is a healthcare content specialist who is currently employed at Welona, a skincare clinic in Chennai. She aims to combine her passion for skin and hair care along with her flair for writing and blogging, to educate a wide online audience about trends and tips in the field.