Acne Scar

Acne scars can seem like double punishment – first you had to deal with pimples, now you have marks for memory.



However, most serious scarring is caused by the more severe forms of acne, since nodules are more likely to leave permanent scars than other types of acne. The best way to deal with acne is to get treated as soon as it appears. That is if you want to prevent further severe acne and scarring.



In case you have nodules, you should see your doctor or dermatologist for treatment.

If you have serious skin problem of scarring from previous bouts of acne, there are several things you can do. One type of treatment is laser resurfacing that can be done in the doctor's or dermatologist's office. It can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour and the doctor will try to alleviate the pain by first numbing your skin with local anesthesia. It generally takes around 3 to 10 days for the skin to heal completely.

Another method of dealing with acne scarring is dermabrasion. It uses a rotating wire brush or spinning diamond instrument to wear down the surface of the skin. As the skin heals, a new, smooth layer replaces this abraded skin. It could take a while longer for skin to heal using dermabrasion – normally between 10 to 21 days.

Both these treatments could cause your skin to turn red, and this redness could last for several months. Then again, you can have these treatments only if you don't have an active case of acne at the time of treatment. Depending on the severity of your scars, your doctor or dermatologist may also suggest a more mild chemical peel or microdermabrasion, to help improve the appearance of the scarred area. That can also be done right in his or her clinic. In some cases, your doctor could recommend surgery to remove deeply indented scars.

One thing you should never do to deal with acne scars is load up your face with masks or fancy lotions. These won't help but could irritate your skin further, making the scars red and even more noticeable.

If you have a red or brownish mark on your face that you got from a bad zit, don’t worry – it will fade eventually, just like the scars you had on your knees after you fell off your bike when you were a child. However, it may take a year or so to show results. So, no matter how tempting it may seem, your best bet is to avoid these kinds of marks by not squeezing or popping your zits.