How to Get Rid of Acne Scars
You haven’t had a pimple for years, but your teenage acne is still messing up your complexion. Acne is one of those gifts that keeps on giving, and not in a good way. Long after your acne fades away, scars remain as a lasting reminder of those painful breakouts.
What can you do about acne scars? The skincare experts at Restora Austin Plastic Surgery Centre have a few tips.
Understanding Acne Scars
Acne occurs when pores become clogged with oil, dirt, and dead skin cells. Bacteria thrive in this plugged pore, leading to a breakout. Acne can be mild, moderate, or severe. Generally, the more acute your acne, the more likely you are to experience scarring.
Acne scars come in different types. Three of the most common are as follows.
- Atrophic: The crucial characteristic of atrophic scars is a loss of tissue. Ice pick, boxcar, and rolling acne scars all fall into this category.
- Hypertrophic: Hypertrophic scars feature a buildup of tissue. They occur when the body produces more collagen than needed when healing a scar.
- Keloid: Keloid scars are a type of raised scar where scar tissue can extend great distances from the original site of injury. Some people are genetically predisposed to keloid scarring.
Many patients also experience skin discoloration from prior acne. Red and brown spots that form on the skin after a zit can take a long time to fade. Be patient; these marks typically fade within a year. Don’t pick at pimples or scars. Doing so can make scarring worse.
Bump up Your Skincare Routine
To prevent new acne and clear up the scars you already have, good skincare is essential. Make sure you’re using sunscreen daily, along with high-quality skincare products.
These skin-friendly ingredients are some of our favorite at-home options for acne scars.
- Hyaluronic acid
- Topical retinoids
- Salicylic acid
- Alpha-hydroxy acid
Our skincare experts can provide product recommendations if you’re not sure which products are best for your skin.
Try an In-Office Treatment or Two
There’s a lot you can do to improve acne scars at home, but these treatments usually work best on mild scarring or as a maintenance treatment. For deeper scars, we invite you to come in for a visit to our medical spa. Here are some of the powerful treatments we use to smooth your skin.
- Dermal fillers: Fill in the dips of atrophic scarring with a dermal filler. Injecting filler or fat into the divots of your scars will build missing tissue back up, creating a smoother skin appearance.
- Microneedling: You may also hear this treatment called collagen induction therapy because of its ability to build this essential, “building-block” protein. When performed over acne scars, this treatment can replace missing collagen, smoothing the skin’s appearance, and filling in pitted scars.
- Lasers: Often, your best skin is hiding under layers of damage. Laser treatments remove the outer layers of skin. This removal causes the body to produce more collagen and heal damaged areas of the skin.
Explore the many treatments for acne scars in Austin, TX by contacting Restora Austin Plastic Surgery Centre at (512) 371-8817 for a consultation.
