Best Products for Acne Scars
Dealing with acne is hard enough, but being left with scars from breakouts for the rest of your life is perhaps even more difficult to accept. However, there are ways to diminish acne scars, including over-the-counter products, prescription treatments and home remedies, all of which help to even out the skin tone, smooth roughness and bring your skin back to its pre-acne state.
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Chemical Peels
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Chemical peels can be purchased at your local drugstore or completed by your dermatologist, depending on the strength of the treatment. An over-the-counter chemical peel is usually made from alphahydroxy acids like glycolic acid and is generally milder on the skin. This will show some improvement over time, but the results will not be drastic. An in-office treatment will usually use phenols, which can seriously burn the skin if not used properly. Recovery time is considerably longer, and while it won't remove scars that are depressed into the skin, it will even out skin tone and help lift red marks caused by previous breakouts.
Filler Materials
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Another way to deal with acne scars is the use of filler materials. These fillers can be made from a variety of substances, the most common being brand-name products like Restylane, Fascian, Cymetra and Cosmoderm. Collagen is also used to fill in depressed scars and help them appear level with the rest of the skin. Sometimes, fat from one part of your body is removed and injected into the scars. These treatments are temporary, however, making repeat treatments necessary every six months.
Microdermabrasion
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Microdermabrasion is another way to deal with acne scars. You can either purchase at-home kits or have the procedure done at your dermatologist's office. This procedure involves the application of aluminum oxide crystals to the skin in order to remove the outermost layers of skin. This stimulates faster sloughing off of dead skin cells and helps acne scars heal faster, especially those that appear as red marks. Your skin may be sore following treatment, but as long as you wear sunscreen, there's no reason your life cannot continue as normal.
Mederma
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Another way to help acne scars fade faster is to apply a gel like Merdema to them. Merderma is available over the counter and helps to soften and smooth over old and new scars. It keeps the skin supple and helps eliminate rough edges to scars. Merderma is usually available in a tube and contains onion extract, which helps to break down scar tissue.
Green Tea
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Green tea is very soothing on the skin and helps revitalize its surface. However, it also has a great impact on acne scars, reducing rough edges, helping to fade red spots and improving the overall texture of the skin. Green tea is included in many moisturizers, lotions and creams because of these qualities that are so helpful in reducing inflammation and scarring.
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