Dermatologist Answers: Effective Treatments For Acne Scars
There are several acne scar treatment options that range from at-home topical products to professionally administered laser procedures. While patience is important, the key to reducing acne scarring is to be proactive.
Types Of Acne Scarring
Acne scars are not all the same. There are four different types, each classified in terms of appearance:
- Boxcar Scars: These are round or square skin depressions, typically with sharp edges
- Icepick Scars: Appear similar to puncture marks within the skin
- Hypertrophic Scars: These are raised/textured scars that are firm to the touch
- Rolling Scars: Wide and shallow skin indentations, typically round in appearance
Can acne scars disappear without being treated?
The simple answer, unfortunately, is that there is not a simple answer. Initial patience can be important to allow your skin to remodel to help new acne scars fade. It can take up to a year for scars to remodel and reduce in appearance. Physical manipulation of acne lesions (i.e., picking or squeezing the pimple) can increase your body’s inflammatory response, which can reduce collagen in your skin that can result in increased scarring.
Should I wait until my acne improves before I treat my scars?
An important step in treating acne scars is to first reduce active acne, which is essential in order to limit continued scarring. A dermatologist can tailor an acne regimen for you using a number of effective acne treatments. Although certain scar treatments can be started as soon as acne is resolved, it is better to wait to allow your skin to kick off the healing process to minimize the number and frequency of treatments. However, waiting too long can be problematic as it allows old acne scars to become fully remodeled and healed. Typically, my recommendation is to wait a few months after improvement and stabilization of acne before tackling acne scarring treatments.
At-Home Treatments For Acne Scars
There are many home-based treatments that can effectively address mild acne scarring. First, practicing good sun protection by wearing a high quality, broad spectrum sunscreen can help reduce the visibility of acne scars through the reduction of redness and DNA damage. Look for a formula that contains zinc oxide or titanium dioxide and skin protecting antioxidants. A great product that I recommend for my patients is EltaMD Clear.
Oftentimes acne scars develop dark areas (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation) along the skin. In these instances, the use of an over-the-counter (OTC) skin lightening product can be effective. Some of my favorite OTC brightening creams include SkinMedica Lytera and SkinCeuticals Advanced Pigment Corrector. In cases where OTC brighteners fail, a dermatologist can prescribe a more powerful prescription skin lightener.
Topical products for scars are plentiful; however, it is difficult to decipher through effective topical products over the less effective products. Studies have shown sun protection in addition to silicone-based gels or pads can enhance scar remodeling and reduce overall scar appearance. A recommended scar topical is SkinMedica Scar Recovery Gel, which has multiple ingredients that target remodeling skin and reducing visible scars.
Professional Treatments For Acne Scars
Although topical products can help reduce discoloration (redness, hyperpigmentation) and scar appearance, professional treatments at a dermatology office may be necessary for more aggressive or stubborn scars.
Laser Treatments
Lasers can treat both discoloration and texture issues stemming from acne scarring. The Vbeam laser, for example, is a great laser treatment for addressing redness with minimal downtime. Additionally, resurfacing lasers, like Fraxel, are effective at addressing raised scars while also stimulating collagen synthesis to decrease the appearance of a scar.
Chemical Peels
Chemical peels can be used for residual hyperpigmentation, redness, or help reduce depth of acne scars. One technique, called the CROSS method, uses a strong concentration of trichloroactic acid (TCA) that stimulates inflammation with resulting collagen synthesis to aid with acne scarring remodeling. There is minimal downtime with small scabs that typically falls off after 4-7 days. On average 3-4 treatments are required with treatments performed every 3-6 weeks.
Dermal Fillers
Soft tissue dermal fillers can help to reduce the visible appearance of deep acne scars. However, since fillers absorb into the skin over time they will require upkeep in for the form of maintenance treatments about every 4-8 months (time varies depending on product used).
Micro Needling
Micro-needling (also known as Collagen Induction Therapy) creates small channels in the skin to help stimulate collagen synthesis. This leads to formation of new tissue and releases the skin’s natural growth factors which promote scar and hyperpigmentation repair and healing.
Subcision
For more severe acne scarring, a surgical procedure called subcision can be performed by your dermatologist, which consists of inserting a needle to help break up scar tissue to reduce atrophic (or bowed down) appearance of skin.
With so many options available for treating acne scars, it is important to consult with your dermatologist to see which method would be most beneficial for you.
Michael Rains, MD, FAAD is a board certified dermatologist that practiced at Westlake Dermatology until July 2018. Dr. Rains has since relocated and is currently practicing in Asheville, North Carolina. He completed medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, where he graduated as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. During medical school, Dr. Rains was awarded the Thomas B. Freese Award for Overall Excellence in Dermatology and received Magna Cum Laude for his research in Dermatology.
My wife has been using the cream dermalmd to treat her acne scars, and the product is indeed showing results after regular usage for a few months. The acne has visibly reduced.
Thanks for detailing some of the treatments for acne scars. I finally have clear skin, but I still have a lot of acne scars. I think that going to a dermatologist that could help me figure out how to clear them would be best because nothing else has worked.