How Do I Get Rid of Old Acne Scars?
Having acne isn’t something anyone is happy with. What is even worse though is that for some individuals the signs of it linger long after it has gone away. This is in the form of acne scars. They can be very minimal or they can be very evident which will make a person self conscious most of the time.
How do Acne Scars Form?
Acne scars form after the breakouts have cleared up. Some individuals worry that they have scars right away. This is because they redness and indentions from acne can last for up to six months before they go away on their own. If the area remains that way for more than six months it should then be classified as a scar.
Sometimes too much new tissue forms around the area though and that too can result in scarring. So there has to be a balance because too much or too little of the tissue can increase your chances of scars remaining.
Types of Acne Scars
Acne scars are classified according to which category that your recovery fell into. Those that are caused by too much tissue are known as hypertrophic. Generally there is too much collagen being produced. Those caused by a loss of tissue are often smaller in both diameter and depth. They are often called ice pick scars due to the small indentations that they leave on the face .
Avoiding the Development of Acne Scars
It is important to remember that your face consists of live tissue. So when it is damaged due to the acne outbreaks it may not recover fully. Doing all you can to make sure it heals well is important. For example you need white blood cells for the live tissue to recover. Eating right will help you to continue to have enough of them in your body to avoid acne scars.
It is best to keep the skin clean and to pat it dry after washing it. Excessive rubbing can result in the skin becoming irritated. That can lead to the development of acne scarring as can squeezing and touching the inflamed area of skin. Do your best to treat the acne as soon as you can. The less severe that the outbreak is, the less likely you will end up with scars from it.
Tips to Remove Acne Scars
Should you find that acne scars do develop though they don’t have to be permanent. There are some ways in which you can reduce the look of them or complete remove them. It will depend on your skin type, the severity of the acne scars, and how long you have had them.
Avoid the various over the counter products that tell you they will eliminate them though. Instead you will need to look towards technology to help you. The use of a laser to stimulate the skin that has been scarred seems to be very effective. However, it is also expensive and it can take many sessions before you see results.
Injections of collagen into the skin as well as microabrasion work well for ice pick scars. These methods also require several treatments over the course of time before you will see results. For more severe types of acne scars skin surgery or grafting may be necessary.
How do I Know Which Treatment is Right for Me?
Since there are many issues that have to be addressed, you should have a professional decide which treatment options will work best for you. A dermatologist who specializes in skin can do this for you. In most instances you should be able to get a free consultation about the remove of old acne scars. Make sure you get at least two different opinions though before you make a final decision.
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Acne Solutions – Not All Measures are Equal
Acne isn’t easy to live with but 90% of the global population has to at one time or another. It strikes all ages, races, cultures and geographical regions. There are ways to deal with it, though.
Briefly, acne happens when a hair follicle becomes clogged by dead skin and debris. Bacteria that naturally live on your face then infect the pore and the result is a blackhead or pimple. By the time you notice a pimple it’s too late to prevent it so you must take aggressive action to prevent further outbreaks and tame the blemish.
Acne needs cleanliness more than anything else. By keeping the area clean and free of as much bacteria as possible, you’ll keep the blemish from becoming worse. Above all, do not “pop” the pimple. Popping can spread the bacteria and infection to other areas of the face, compounding your problem. It can also lead to permanent scarring.
Washing your face at least twice a day with a natural or commercial solution will keep outbreaks to a minimum and control the infections you already may have. A note of caution, however, washing too often will signal your glands that your face needs more oil, which may result in more acne. Neosporin (name brand or generic) applied to the area a few times a day will help banish the infection. If the site breaks open on its own Neosporin will help keep it soft, kill the bacteria infecting it and prevent scarring.
Moisturizers also help acne by giving the skin enough elasticity that it doesn’t think it needs to increase oil production, which in turn clogs pores and causes acne. A water-based, oil-free moisturizer will not only help prevent acne but make outbreaks less severe.
Sometimes an outbreak can be so severe and resistant to anything you try that your best solution is to consult a dermatologist. A dermatologist is a physician who specializes in skin conditions of all types and a large percentage of their caseload is patients with acne. They can decide if you need prescription medication, such as antibiotics or other medicines. Some prescription medications such as Accutane have demonstrated severe side effects in a small percentage of patients, though, and you should be sure to educate yourself by reading the patient information provided with the drug as well as discussing it with your dermatologist.
Sometimes you can control, reduce or eliminate acne through dietary means. Your body’s acidity level (pH) has a lot to do with your glands’ oil production. If you can reduce the food and drink in your diet that are acidic, you’ll be able to reduce your prevent acne. Carbonated beverages are a major culprit and should be replaced with water. Eating lot of anti-oxidants, found in brightly colored fruits and vegetables will also prevent or help control acne breakouts.
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Acne Diet – Number One FAQ Answered
I know you’re saying to yourself, how can diet and acne be related, because my doctor told me that diet has nothing to do with acne. It’s important for you to first understand this: In order to cure your acne, diet is just one change you’re going to have to make, there are other factors as well that need to be addressed.
How can I be so sure? I suffered with very severe acne for years. I did everything to try and remedy the problem, from over the counter meds to seeing many different doctors and dermatologists.
I first learned from a health food store owner to stop drinking milk and any and all dairy products. With that alone I saw a great improvement in my skin. I then over the next few years tested many foods and food groups to be able to work with clients on exactly what diet they should consume if they are prone to acne.
Why have doctors been telling us for years that diet has nothing to do with acne? Well think about it. Can a doctor or dermatologist make any money by telling you to just make a diet change? No. They make money when you keep coming in for that office visit, or because you need a prescription for a drug.
I was told very early on by a doctor, that diet has nothing to do with acne and you can eat whatever you want. For many years I believed that. I think it’s because we hold doctors in such high regard that when they say something we take it as a fact.
My first visit to a dermatologist was in the late 1970’s, and it was during that consultation I had asked the doctor a random question about the relationship of diet and acne. He began laughing like I had just told him a joke. He then said: “there is no scientific evidence to support that diet effects acne in any way.”
I can’t remember what the doctor said in my third or fourth appointment, but I remember that statement clear as a bell! Being that I was a teenager and this was a doctor with a medical degree of course without question I believed him. I went a good five or six years before I would ever question that again.
You would think that all these years later that doctor’s would have a cure for acne. A typical appointment to a dermatologist now has not changed much.
Not that long ago a young man contacted me and he just happened to live in a city that was not that far away. He emailed a few times with some questions, and in one of those emails he said that he had an appointment with a dermatologist the next week and he was going to cancel the appointment.
I emailed him back and said not to cancel the appointment so that I could go with him to see what the protocol is like now. He agreed, and I accompanied him and his mother to the appointment.
The consultation was almost identical to the 1970’s appointment I had gone to. The only real difference was the prescriptions he gave him were a little different. All he really did was diagnose that he had acne, then, he prescribed drugs to remedy the problem.
Before we went in I told him at some point to ask the doctor a question about diet. He asked that question and the doctor’s response was pretty much what I thought it would be.
“Diet has nothing to do with acne, that’s just a myth. Just make sure you eat a healthy sensible diet and you’ll be okay.” One new little twist, the doctor said acne was a disease.
After all these years instead of a cure it’s now a disease, how sad. I paid for his office visit and as for the prescriptions he got, I told him to just throw them away, you won’t need them.
A month or so later I received an invitation to have dinner with him and his mother. I got there and rang the doorbell, at first I did not even recognize the young man that opened the door. The last time I saw this kid he had pretty bad acne, now his skin was smooth and healthy. I walked in and his mother took one look at me, then at her son and started crying.
That’s what it’s all about for me.
Cameron McKenna is the owner of Clear Solutions Research Inc. The company was formed in 1997. The original work Acne Cured was first sold by mail-order in manuscript form. acnecured.com went live in the spring of 2003.