How to Discover a Great Acne Scar Removal Cream

Minimize acne scars with the right treatment cream.

Acne can leave behind scars even when the blemishes have cleared. Having a pockmarked face can be just as embarrassing as having pimples. Common medical treatments for acne include lasers and microdermabrasion, but these can be prohibitively expensive. According to Dr. Heidi Waldorf, a dermatologist at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City, microdermabrasion involves shooting crystals at the skin, which abrades the top layer of dead skin cells, then vacuuming the crystals back up. But before you visit a dermatologist, here are a number of scar treatment creams you can try, containing ingredients ranging from silicone to onion extract.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• A desire to remove acne scaring.

1. Consult your dermatologist about options. A dermatologist is your best bet when it comes to treating acne and scars.

2. Ask your pharmacist for a scar treatment recommendation. After your doctor, your pharmacist is the most likely to know which cream works the best.

3. Experiment with the treatment creams available in your drugstore. Use the creams one at a time and precisely follow the package's instructions. Try the least expensive one first. When you find one that works for you, purchase it again.

4. Ask your friends for recommendations. Seeing is believing, so if you can tell that a friend's scars have improved considerably, try his scar cream recommendation.

5. Read online reviews. According to Columbia University Health Services, the three main ingredients in treatment creams that have shown some degree of scar improvement are onion extract, silicone and alpha-hydroxy acids. Onion can help combat the overproduction of collagen, silicone strips fade and flatten the scar, and alpha-hydroxy acids slough surface skin cells. Decide which approach seems most beneficial to your situation and purchase the tube that contains the appropriate ingredient.

Tips & Warnings

• Visit the Acne Scar Removal Cream site listed at the bottom of this page. There is a lot more info there.

References

• Teens Health: Can Acne Scars be Removed?
• Scar Treatment Association: Acne Scars
• Acne Resource Center: What is Retinol?
• Go Ask Alice: Embarrassing Scars: How Can I Get Rid of Them?

Resources

• Bestcovery; Best Scar Removal Cream; Kim Hill; July 2011
• CBS News; A Look at Microdermabrasion; Tatiana Morales; February 2009