Acne isn't fun. Unless you're one of those genetically gifted freaks who has never had a bad skin day in their entire lives, almost everyone has had to endure the discomfort and indignity of having a face covered in oozing, inflamed pustules.
For most of us, acne plagued the hormonal and emotional No Man's Land phase of our lives otherwise known as puberty, and blessedly, for some people, that's where acne's trauma ends.
However, for many people, acne can leave more than just mental and emotional scars. This is why there are so many websites dedicated to answering the question of how to get rid of acne scars. There are also products and treatments for the fast removal of acne scars, as well as a good number of home remedies for acne scars.
How Acne Scars Happen
Acne can develop when the pores in your skin get plugged up by sebum (oil that the body produces naturally), dead skin cells, or dirt. Bacteria can grow here, sometimes causing the skin to get inflamed, and pus can collect around the area. In the most severe kinds of acne, red bumps and pus-filled cysts can form, damaging the skin. Different kinds of scars can result from the damage the pustules, pimples, and cysts that acne can wreak; keloid scars, discoloration, depressed areas on the skin, or raised lesions.
Some people are more prone to scarring than others, but usually, to prevent scarring from becoming permanent, problem spots should be identified and treated early so that the skin repairs itself better, making it less likely for scars to develop in the first place.
How to Get Rid of Acne Scars
Of course, sometimes, no matter how hard you work to keep scars from forming, they can still show up. Over time, scars can fade and become less visible. This is because as skin renews itself, old, damaged tissues are replaced by newer, healthy skin cells. Most of the time though, scars won't disappear completely on their own. If you want fast removal of acne scars, there are a lot of different treatments available.
A lot of topical creams and serums can kick-start your body's natural healing and skin renewal processes so that your scars fade more quickly. However, since scar tissue is mostly dead, damaged skin, treatments like dermabrasion or microdermabrasion, laser therapy, chemical peels, and surgical therapies like subcision are best for fast removal of acne scars.
Different Forms of Acne Scar Treatments
Dermabrasion and microdermabrasion both involve exfoliation; the removal of the damaged skin through abrasion: by simply scrubbing the dead skin away. The difference between the two kinds of exfoliation is that microdermabrasion is gentler and not as invasive. These treatments work even on scars that had formed a long time ago.
Laser resurfacing therapy, on the other hand, softens scar tissue by actually wounding skin a little using intense, microscopic light pulses. The body heals the microthermally wounded areas, repairing the scarred tissue as well, making the scars look a whole lot better than before.
Chemical peels use a solution that makes the top layer of the skin blister and peel off so that the skin that the body regenerates is much smoother and less scarred and wrinkled.
Subcision is a treatment best used for the really deep kinds of acne scars that leave depressions in the skin. With this surgical treatment, skin in the affected area is separated from the scar tissue, which lets the blood pool under the area and allows the skin to grow more level. Afterwards, other treatments, like the ones listed above will smooth out the scar tissue itself and even out the skin color.
Home Remedies for Acne Scars
The treatments listed above are great for the fast removal of acne scars, but they can be costly and uncomfortable. If you want to save some money and trouble, try some do-it-yourself exfoliation and skin renewal recipes.
One way to make acne scars look less visible is to lighten them using lemon juice. If you don't have lemons, other kinds of citrus work too, but this works best with very sour kinds of citrus fruits. Simply apply the juice over the scars and let it stand for a few minutes, then wash it off.
Try mixing and matching fruits and vegetables to place on your face. Those rich in vitamin A, like tomatoes for example, aren't just good to eat, but by combining pureed tomatoes with pureed cucumber and applying the mixture to your face for five to thirty minutes, you can soothe and tighten your skin, prevent excess sebum production, and renew damaged skin. Just be sure to wash your face afterwards, so you won't smell like a pasta dish.
These home remedies for acne scars won't show results as dramatic as conventional treatments, although if you want to figure out how to get rid of acne scars, using recipes like these frequently can really help make the fast removal of acne scars even faster. Try using them in combination with more conventional treatments for better results and healthier skin.
For most of us, acne plagued the hormonal and emotional No Man's Land phase of our lives otherwise known as puberty, and blessedly, for some people, that's where acne's trauma ends.
However, for many people, acne can leave more than just mental and emotional scars. This is why there are so many websites dedicated to answering the question of how to get rid of acne scars. There are also products and treatments for the fast removal of acne scars, as well as a good number of home remedies for acne scars.
How Acne Scars Happen
Acne can develop when the pores in your skin get plugged up by sebum (oil that the body produces naturally), dead skin cells, or dirt. Bacteria can grow here, sometimes causing the skin to get inflamed, and pus can collect around the area. In the most severe kinds of acne, red bumps and pus-filled cysts can form, damaging the skin. Different kinds of scars can result from the damage the pustules, pimples, and cysts that acne can wreak; keloid scars, discoloration, depressed areas on the skin, or raised lesions.
Some people are more prone to scarring than others, but usually, to prevent scarring from becoming permanent, problem spots should be identified and treated early so that the skin repairs itself better, making it less likely for scars to develop in the first place.
How to Get Rid of Acne Scars
Of course, sometimes, no matter how hard you work to keep scars from forming, they can still show up. Over time, scars can fade and become less visible. This is because as skin renews itself, old, damaged tissues are replaced by newer, healthy skin cells. Most of the time though, scars won't disappear completely on their own. If you want fast removal of acne scars, there are a lot of different treatments available.
A lot of topical creams and serums can kick-start your body's natural healing and skin renewal processes so that your scars fade more quickly. However, since scar tissue is mostly dead, damaged skin, treatments like dermabrasion or microdermabrasion, laser therapy, chemical peels, and surgical therapies like subcision are best for fast removal of acne scars.
Different Forms of Acne Scar Treatments
Dermabrasion and microdermabrasion both involve exfoliation; the removal of the damaged skin through abrasion: by simply scrubbing the dead skin away. The difference between the two kinds of exfoliation is that microdermabrasion is gentler and not as invasive. These treatments work even on scars that had formed a long time ago.
Laser resurfacing therapy, on the other hand, softens scar tissue by actually wounding skin a little using intense, microscopic light pulses. The body heals the microthermally wounded areas, repairing the scarred tissue as well, making the scars look a whole lot better than before.
Chemical peels use a solution that makes the top layer of the skin blister and peel off so that the skin that the body regenerates is much smoother and less scarred and wrinkled.
Subcision is a treatment best used for the really deep kinds of acne scars that leave depressions in the skin. With this surgical treatment, skin in the affected area is separated from the scar tissue, which lets the blood pool under the area and allows the skin to grow more level. Afterwards, other treatments, like the ones listed above will smooth out the scar tissue itself and even out the skin color.
Home Remedies for Acne Scars
The treatments listed above are great for the fast removal of acne scars, but they can be costly and uncomfortable. If you want to save some money and trouble, try some do-it-yourself exfoliation and skin renewal recipes.
One way to make acne scars look less visible is to lighten them using lemon juice. If you don't have lemons, other kinds of citrus work too, but this works best with very sour kinds of citrus fruits. Simply apply the juice over the scars and let it stand for a few minutes, then wash it off.
Try mixing and matching fruits and vegetables to place on your face. Those rich in vitamin A, like tomatoes for example, aren't just good to eat, but by combining pureed tomatoes with pureed cucumber and applying the mixture to your face for five to thirty minutes, you can soothe and tighten your skin, prevent excess sebum production, and renew damaged skin. Just be sure to wash your face afterwards, so you won't smell like a pasta dish.
These home remedies for acne scars won't show results as dramatic as conventional treatments, although if you want to figure out how to get rid of acne scars, using recipes like these frequently can really help make the fast removal of acne scars even faster. Try using them in combination with more conventional treatments for better results and healthier skin.