How to Reduce Acne Scars

Even though people outgrow adolescent acne, they may be still left with ugly and embarrassing acne scars. Luckily, there are ways to reduce or minimize the appearance of acne scars. The treatment you may need will depend on the severity of the scars.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Use natural treatments if you have mild scarring. Rose hip oil, lavender oil and aloe vera juice or gel may help reduce acne scars.
2. Apply some over the counter topical creams that contain Vitamin E or use a scar reducing cream which is readily available in most pharmacies.
3. Try at home procedures and products to help fade the scars. Use microdermabrasion kits, facial peels, retinol or alpha hydroxyl lotions. If you have sensitive skin, be careful using retinol or alpha hydroxyl lotions immediately after a microdermabrasion treatment.
4. Minimize acne scars by an augmentation procedure. In this procedure, materials like collagen or your fat can be injected under the scar. This treatment can last up to six months.
5. Get professional treatments for severe acne scarring from a qualified dermatologist or cosmetic surgeon. They can recommend the best treatment options available to you. One possible treatment can be laser resurfacing. Doctors perform this procedure to remove skin with lasers so new skin will form.
6. Diminish acne scars by getting dermabrasion treatment or a chemical peel from a doctor. In a dermabrasion treatment, a rotating machine removes damaged skin after the application of anesthesia to numb the area. Scabs will form and the face is red for a few weeks. Chemical peels can improve mild acne scars.
7. Treat more severe acne scars with punch incision or subcision procedures. Punch incision is useful for ice pick acne scars. For these severe cases of acne scarring, a doctor usually performs either punch incision or subcision procedures before other techniques like laser resurfacing or dermabrasion. A qualified cosmetic surgeon or dermatologist should perform these procedures.