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How to Get Rid of Acne Scars

February 20th, 2007 by admin
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Acne Scar Treatments

Before committing to any specific method of treatment for your scarring, make sure you do a LOT of research first. Every treatment option has pros and cons, and every treatment option will improve the appearance of some people’s scars while worsening the appearance of others. These treatments can also be very expensive, which means you need to be very selective about your dermatologist – sometimes they’re in it for their patients, other times they’re in it for the money. Here are some tips to help you pick the right skin doc for you:

  • When initially selecting a dermatologist, visit several different ones. Contrast what the different doctors tell you and follow it up with a little research of your own to determine which one is really the best for you. Beware of doctors that pressure you to commit on the first visit and push new and expensive procedures on you. Search for the doctors name (with quotes) in a search engine like Google and see what you find. If you’re not comfortable with any of them, move on and keep looking.
  • Get each doctor to tell you very specifically what course of treatments they would prescribe for your scarring, and then get them to explain to you in plain english exactly why they are prescribing that particular course. If you think you may forget, write it down or bring along a voice recorder. Follow up their advice with your own research and if you receive opposing treatment plans, bring them up to other dermatologists and see how well they respond.
    •
  • Insist on seeing before and after pictures of their previous patients. How many of the people in the ‘before’ pictures have scarring that resembles yours? Can you contact any of these people?
  • How long have they been practicing dermatologists? What treatments do they have experience prescribing and performing?

Some people who have had their acne scars successfully treated report that as they age, the scarring gradually returns. Other people who have been unable to reduce their scarring report the exact opposite effect. My point is that everyone is different. Be realistic with your expectations and above all: research, research, research! Try to get in contact with people who have successfully treated scarring that is similar to your own and learn what they did. Sometimes you can find these people through dermatologists, support groups, and online forums and communities. We’ve added some links to a few online sources at the end of this article. Now on to the treatments:

Subcision

Cost: Up to $1000 per treatment.
Procedure: Subcision is a treatment where the upper layer of skin is detached from the deeper tissue, allowing blood to flood into the opening and raise the skin in the treated areas. This is usually used to treat shallow and rolling scars and often requires multiple treatments.

Punch Treatments

How to Get Rid of Acne Scars

Cost: $50-$150 per treatment.
Procedure 1 - Punch Replacement: This method involves physically cutting out the entire scar and replacing it with a skin graft.
Procedure 2 - Punch Excision: This method involves physically cutting out the entire scar and then stretching the surrounding skin closed around the wound and letting it heal, thus avoiding the need for a skin graft.
Procedure 3 - Punch Elevation: This method is similar to subcision; it involves cutting the scar loose from the deeper tissue below it and then letting it heal. This usually results in the treated area elevating slightly, which can diminish the appearance of certain types of scarring.

Chemical Peels

Cost: $600-$800 per treatment.
Procedure: One of many different types of acid is applied to the skin, allowed to sit for a period of time and then removed. The acid removes the top-most layer of skin. This usually results in a slightly smoother end result and is helpful for very mild scarring.

Dermabrasion

Cost: $1200-$2000 per treatment.
Procedure: Dermabrasion (not to be confused with microdermabrasion) is a process where the top-most layer of skin is removed mechanically. The skin to be treated is first numbed, and then a rotating abrasive disk is used to ‘sand’ off the top-most layer of skin. This is a painful procedure and does require some down time. Many people who have tried this approach have found that it provides only short-term results, and that the scars do grow back over time.

Laser Resurfacing

Cost: $2500+ per treatment.
Procedure: This is very similar to dermabrasion in that it involves physically removing the upper-most layer of skin to achieve a smoother effect – but instead of abrasive disks or pads, lasers are used. This is very expensive and the results appear to be very similar to those reported by people who have undergone dermabrasion – the scars can return.

Acne.org has started collecting people’s experiences with the above treatments. If you are considering any of them, you should definitely check them out here: Acne.org’s Acne scar treatments section.

Acne Scar Creams


There is certainly no shortage of creams and balms that claim to cure everything from impotence to scarring, but do they work? Most of the reports we have found say “no”, however there are always a few who claim success with these methods, so here is a list of the ones we have found that have had at least one reported success story associated with them (and we only found two!).

  • Creams containing cocoa butter and vitamin E help keep your skin soft, elastic and healthy. Regular use of such creams may help scars diminish naturally over time. We would recommend combining this with an overall healthy lifestyle.
  • Apply a 3x solution of medical-grade hydrofluoric acid (or a product which contains it) to the scarred area twice daily for one to two weeks. Do this ONLY under the supervision of your dermatologist because this CAN damage your skin.

Do you have a remedy or tip that can help other visitors to this page? Please share it with them using the form at the bottom of this page.

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  1. shantiara herriott Says:
    December 21st, 2008 at 3:01 pm

    i wonder how u get rid of acne because mine are still on my face and how to get rid of blackheads.

  2. eureka! again.. Says:
    November 29th, 2008 at 9:05 pm

    oh hi again!!
    just to let u guys know that i’ve been to some weird research about different types of acne scars and how to treat them, turns out to be that it works for some but IT DOESNT ACTUALLY OR COMPLETELY REMOVE UR SCARS! all it does is to minimize it or appear it to be the same colour of ur skin. just giving u the highlights. but people, dont go extreme measures just to get rid of scars, i know how u guys feel of hving this cuz i hv it and it sucks! but mine is slowy vanishing and im no putting any scar cream! but this will take a long period of time! and i cant be patient! i hv, i THINK i hv ‘HYPERTROPHIC SCARS’. lolx. i wish the scientis or doctors would come out a CURE for completely vanishing this scars!!! and i mean comppletely!!!

  3. eureka! again.. Says:
    November 29th, 2008 at 8:57 pm

    hi hi again!!!
    ever since i use clearasil for my acne, it is slowy removing my big, deep pimple. but now it seems to be risng up closer to the surface of my skin. u know, deep pimples means that they’re deeper in ur skin and closer t ur veins. hving this kind of pimple can hurt reall bad and its imposible to pop it out. mediction is only the way. as i was saying, using ‘clearasil’ for abt a week for this pimple of mine is showing god results. nw, my pimple is quite a little bit close to the surface and this morning i press it and some oil came out but not the ’seed’. in acne there’s always a ’seed’ and its while in colour. must take it out cuz this ’seed’ is like a plant!! it keeps growing in different areas. belive me, i kknow. well TTFN!

  4. je Says:
    November 27th, 2008 at 12:45 am

    its me again i almost for got to mention another thing that helped me a lot with a scar and i need to use it again but i just had forgotten vitamin E is great for scars well for me it worked great one time when i went to the doctor he recommended it an i saw results fast maybe you should try it… it worked for me and helped with other bad scars that i had for years and there gone…ok this is what you do you just buy the caplets of vitamin E at wal-mart or a drug store. the vitamin is inside the pill make a hole in it an apply to scars over night an use it every nigh till they fade away and hopefully it will work for u it did for me!!!! good luck hope i helped some one!!!

  5. je Says:
    November 27th, 2008 at 12:24 am

    hey everyone, i have had acne for a long time now and its hard to get rid of it!!! Ive tried lots of things an only one worked it called axepsia its Mexican brand for acne and it works great!!! an there’s all kings of things that they sell for it too like pills, creams and even makeup. but now i have many scars and i still break out because i haven’t had the chance to go to Mexico to buy more…. another thing that helps get rid of the redness is a cream i use called avita it works great i only use it once in a while and it really works. my scars r bad!! anyone know how to get rid of them?

  6. cary allen Says:
    November 25th, 2008 at 9:23 pm

    Hey everyone! Well in the past 3 years or so, I have had acne worse than ever. I have always gotten pimples but something happened and in the past 2 or 3 years my face just will not stop breaking out. I have tried EVERYTHING over the counter. Ive tried Differin cream, Proactive, erythromycin gel, home remedies(Lemon juice, garlic, olive oil!!). None of these helped very much. Well, a couple weeks ago I went to Belk’s and bought the CLINIQUE acne solutions kit and the exfoliating cream. I used it and I swear it totally cleared my face up like nothing else. I was surprised how well it worked. It was about 32 dollars for everything. I know everyones skin is diffrent, but if u have not tried it maybe you should think about it!! It could work for you!! You never know…. :)

  7. eureka Says:
    November 24th, 2008 at 8:42 pm

    hi again!
    ok, my way of getting rid of acne does work for me but i hv no idea on u guys!.i love to help people who is hving a major case of acne and scars and really need S.O.S! well, wat i do is for hving acne is that i use ‘clearasil’. clearasil has soem strong substances in it which prevents acne. on the label, it says u must test it on ur elbw before use cuz some poeple r highy sensitive to this. and u must also wash ur hands after use. before me hving to use clearasil, i used to use ‘Oxy 5′. i dont knwo whether some of u hv heard of it but it did helped for me but no effectively. but when i start using clearasil, well….it really did help wit my acne. on that time, i had a small but noticeable pimples on my nose!!! but when i use clearasil on it, BOY! did i vanised away about 3-4 days!!! and theres NOT one single SCAR on it.now, for geting rid of scars ir that i leave my scars alone and i never use pimple mediction on it, trust me it doesnt work. instead, this is goign to sound crazy but i use wound-healing cream on it and after soem time it slowy dissapers. like i said, i dont know whether it works on U! but those of u who r hving Hydrotrophc scars then read this or try if u want. Oh! remeeber to drink lots of water!!! im 14 this year turning 15 next year and i really want to hv CLEAR SKIN. im sure everybody does. look at the celebs, they sure got nice skin, dont they? AND i’ve forgoten to let u know that i wash my face twice a day. i use Nuetrogena and i dont think its helping me at all. but u should put wash ur face 2 a day. if ur face secretes oil faster then wash it off!! dotn leave it until night or day. just wash it away! this gives a hgih chance of *unwanted-visitors* to visit. and u dotn want that! well thats all yall! TTFN and good luck

  8. eureka Says:
    November 24th, 2008 at 8:19 pm

    Dear to all,
    Hi everyone. i been reading through this comments about people hving acne and scars. well, i hv them too but i dont hv a bad case of acne, though. actually, i hv rather few pimples like 3-4 but mainly i hv scars after they r popped out. when i read the Seventeen magazine on this, they said u should never TOUCH ur pimples and DRINK lotss of WATER everyday. they say that by touching ur pimples wit ur fingers can cause bacteria to come and infect ur pimples causing it to leave ugly scars! Man! now i know wats causing this damn scars to show up. and i really hate hving them! anyway, some of my scars seem to be much lighter than before. when i went to check wat kind of scars i hv, apparently i hv HYDROTORPHIC SCARS. and YES, they usually go away depending how big or how small they(scars) r. i hv small or medium size scars which go away over some time. but hey, try using ‘Clearasil’ but using this can ONLY prevent PIMPLES and NOT SCARS. scars r not pimles. Clearasil really helped me! in about a week my acne cleard leaving behind ANY SCARS!!! i was happy. and ur still wondering why i hv scars?? well, to tell ya the truth, i hv a BAD HABIT or popping and scartching my acne. im trying to stop this bad habit and i know i can!!!

  9. stacy Says:
    November 20th, 2008 at 3:16 pm

    I had really bad acne in middle school and I took a yellow pill called ACCUTANE!! This was the best investment for me!! I am a junior in college now, and I rarely have any break outs– only the occasional blemishes when I’m on my period. Seriously, try it.. it was the last resort after spending so much money on creams and gels but I wish I had known about it sooner. I still have a little bit of scarring though, any advice?

  10. Sandra Says:
    November 18th, 2008 at 6:31 pm

    Hi all,
    Please do yourselves a favor and leave out the drugs when it comes to acne “cures” and everything else because it will just bite you in the ass down the road. I am on an all natural diet and lifestyle and this is the best route for long term acne clearing. What we all need to do is just cut out the unhealthy foods: sugar, dairy (have you seen the living conditions of the cows, and ever thought about how many dairy products are produced in these environments? Most people and very sensitive and dont even realize it), gluten, and nasty oils such as canola and vegetable. This combined with some exercise, lots of water and reducing stress will give you long term success. Did you know that taking medication increases your chances of developing skin problems in the future because they actually tend to cause some acne and it can take many many years to completely clear antibiotics out of your system? I have learnt alot lately about all these harsh things we do to our body and it is no wonder we have these problems. Good luck all and remember that lifestyle change will make the biggest difference with your body’s issues.

  11. April Says:
    November 17th, 2008 at 11:12 pm

    when i turned 19 i started getting acne kinda bad…now that im 21 i still have it but i mostly have scars..my skin looks awful..how can i get rid of these scars without going to a dermatologist? they are just red and reddish purple on my cheeks and they make my skin look terrible! help?? thanks!

  12. jennnnn Says:
    November 14th, 2008 at 6:51 pm

    This is weird but it works, you wouldnt think it would..take zinc pills, I took 50mg ones, only once a day, I had really bad acne, its all clear now, but i do have scars. Tell me how to get rid of them?

  13. Stephanie Says:
    November 11th, 2008 at 1:02 pm

    I think that you should try one of those home remedies. Once my face broke out really bad and i crackes two raw eggs in a bowl and added some honey and a squeeze of lemon. Before the next day, i saw noticable results and my face completly cleard up before thee days! *ALSO THE BEST WAY TO KEEP YOUR SKN HEALTHY IS TO DRINK LOTS OF WATER!*****

  14. david Says:
    October 28th, 2008 at 7:07 pm

    JUST stay as clean as possible, dont get any oily stuff on ur head. If there is those greasy stuff (eww)kill “the” thing by washing away ur face with soap until u dont have all that greasy stuff. AND also try not to think about the acne so much, just pretend or feel like u dont have any acnes; it will than naturally more go away(think positive)
    If u really really really want to get rid of ur acnes right now and ur impacient(which is not always ur best choice), get a surgery on yo face. Might want to bring some cash with u to the dermatolgist if ur going to get that laser surgery and make ur face all pretty and clean again. It might be like thounsand dollars for that laser one and like couple hundred bucks for a cheaper kind. ye

  15. xoxo Says:
    October 19th, 2008 at 12:34 pm

    I have had actney since i was 13 now im 14 but ive harldey ever hd any pimples one black heads and pores and a couple of days ago i got A LOT of big red pimples on my face and i havent touched them at all but i started to use CLEAN AND CLEAR ULTRA PORE AND PIMPLE PADS DO NOT USE IT! i used it to see if it could clear my pimples but only left me with a lot of scars and i used it only once. tomorow i have to go to school so if anyone can help find a solution without telling to buy or order products that wont help thanks. I would really appreciate it.

  16. megan Says:
    October 18th, 2008 at 3:19 pm

    I have fairly recent(within the past year) shallow boxcar scars and I am using cellex-c high potency serum (vitamin c serum) on my skin:

    http://www.cellex-c.com/

    It has not gotten rid of these scars completely, but over the past six months of using it every day, they have softened noticeably. The hyperpigmentation has also faded.

    One note: it is expensive - $100 for a small bottle, but may be worth a try.

  17. irasema Says:
    October 17th, 2008 at 11:52 am

    where can i find a dermatologist that does the punch excision in arizona.

  18. Niki Says Says:
    October 4th, 2008 at 5:12 am

    Hi do you fink you can help me please

  19. tyler Says:
    September 24th, 2008 at 8:11 am

    well this is not really a tip but i just wondered if someone on here knows really how to get rid of acne. if got tons of over the counter products, pro activ, and have gotten a perscrpition called differin and a pill called monocycline and they havent worked. when i just went to a dermatoligist they gave me a donocycline antibiotic and a shower jel. they say i have grade 3 acne but after looking at pictures i think its grade 2 but anyway if this doesnt work does anyone know any home remadies?

  20. Cali Says:
    August 9th, 2008 at 2:18 pm

    okay i didnt read this but i really want to help people
    im 16 and ive had acne since i was in elementary,because mines was hereditary(however you spell it)

    okay well i went to the doctor for a check-up before school and the lady was like “what about you acne” and i was like well im using acne free and she was like well can i prescribe you something

    and i was like yeah whtever, i hate when people talk about my acne
    -.- and this other lady was like ohh that really works, just take it for 12 weeks, and it should be all gone

    so then its a big 100mg pill and so it was like “dont go in the sunlight,unless you have sunscreen, and dont eat dairy before taking the pill” soo i was like ima take it at night, no sun and no eating at night, so when i woke up the next morning, alot of my acne scars we’re already faded, and i had alot on my forehead and they we’re almost gone, i guess it was the power of the 100mg pill LAWL. the pill is called doxycycline hyclate, so ask yuor doctor if you can get it! it really get rid of scarring, because i thought when i got older i was gonna have to get that laser surgery, but nope not anymore

    heres the wikipedia website and it says the pill get rid of acne,staph infections, e.coli(its used for different reasons)

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doxycycline
    please ask your doctor if you can use doxycycline
    it gets rid of this stuff, i barely wear makeup now
    =D yayay!

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