Why does Scarring happen? Top tips on getting rid of acne scars

Acne can be a painful and traumatic skin condition that can be a nightmare for teenagers and adults alike. Not only is it annoying but it also has a nasty habit of appearing in the wrong places at the wrong time. While several home remedies for acne and other skin products can help clear away acne, they do leave behind bad memories in the form of acne scars.

The best acne scar treatment would be to prevent the occurrence of acne, unfortunately that is not always possible. The second step would be to get rid of these scars in a natural and safe way, which is what we will discuss in this article. So if you want to know more about different characteristics of acne scars and ways to treat them, keep reading.

Characteristics of Acne Scars

Acne or pimples leave behind blemishes in the form of skin discoloration or spots, also known as post-inflammatory hyper pigmentation marks. This is in fact your body’s response to the acne as it begins repairing the point where the acne or pimple occurred. Such blemishes usually fade away or become lighter over time.

There are different types of scars based on their appearance and severity, but the four most common types are:

• Boxcar scars: When a pimple comes up, it forms a pore under your skin which when the pimple disappears results in some collagen or tissue loss, leaving behind a small depression. Such marks are referred to as the Depressed Acne scars or Boxcar scars.

• Ice Pick Scars: These are like deep pits that extend into the dermis. These often result from a skin infection or cysts or severe acne & pus-filled papules. They might appear as small, deep holes and are one of the most common forms of acne scars.

• Rolling Scars: Rolling scars are wave-like structures that appear on the skin. These are caused when fibrous bands of tissue develop between skin and subcutaneous tissue and pull the epidermis towards the deeper parts of the skin.

• Hypertrophic Scars: These result from an over-production of collagen and appear in the form of raised, firm mass of skin tissue. Also known as Raised acne scars, they generally appear as an after-effect of a wound or skin injury.

Depending upon the intensity of these scars, they can either be treated through natural remedies or through skin treatment procedures such as dermal fillers, or Laser Treatment for Acne. But before you set out to get these treatments done, it is advisable you try some simple home remedies for your acne scars.

Home Remedies for Clearing Away Acne Scars

Fortunately, there exist many home remedies that work effectively as acne scar treatment’s. Let’s have a look at some of these remedies:

• Apply Tea tree oil on the affected areas twice daily: Tea tree oil contains diluted Terpinen-4-oil that has strong antibacterial properties which destroy the acne causing bacteria and also reduce the scars when applied on a regular basis.

• Orange Peel Extract or orange essential oil: Orange peel pounded along with water forms a paste which can be applied on the acne affected parts. The citric acid present in orange peel clears the infection and also cleanses the skin pores. It is an excellent remedy for clearing blemishes.

• Apply a mixture of tomato and lime juice on the scars. This works as a natural bleach and lightens the scars remarkably, plus giving your skin a well-toned and healthier look.

There is some other generally good advice for minimizing scaring caused by breakouts. Avoid squeezing them especially pustular and cystic breakouts, when you pick at these you can actually cause the follicle to erupt spreading the pus and bacteria to surrounding tissues, causing more inflammation increasing your chances of scarring. If you have blackheads and would like to have them taken out it is best to have this done by a professional skin care therapist who is experienced, in a sterilized environment with proper preparation of the skin you can see good results, as these blackheads are less likely to turn into more serious pustular breakouts. An important part of your acne scar treatment plan should be establishing a good skin care regime, to reduce the incidence and severity of breakouts.

It helps to keep in mind that it is the inflammation process that leads to tissue damage/scarring, so the longer a breakout is red and inflamed the more likely it is to scar. So the most important thing is to do all you can to clear the breakout as quickly as possible and minimize any additional trauma to the skin. If your breakouts form a crust or scab don’t scratch it off or pick at it.