Have you ever wondered how to get rid of acne marks? Acne marks serve as a horrible reminder that just because the underlying pimple is gone; doesn’t mean that the problem is over. You’ve been told by your friends, family, and doctors that the key to avoiding acne marks is to not touch or pick at your acne. Although this mitigates the risk of getting some acne scars, unfortunately you can still get marks on your face and not even touch your acne once. Conversely, there are some pimples you can pop (very carefully) and in a few days not a single trace of its existence will be left behind! So this begs the question – what do you have to do to get rid of acne marks? Should you buy an over-the-counter topical ointment that claims to get rid of acne marks? Maybe you should visit your local beautician you heard from your friend that’s really good at making acne marks disappear. There are numerous ways to get rid of acne marks and scars; it just depends on what type of mark you have. To find out how to get rid of acne marks, it’s beneficial to understand the different forms of acne and the types of acne marks caused by acne first.
Forms of Acne
Mild Acne – whiteheads and blackheads; this form of acne isn’t considered serious and if left alone will usually not leave any acne marks behind. If carefully popped, the pore can be cleared out and the acne will disappear sooner. However, if popped incorrectly (if you squeeze too hard, if your nails peel away some skin) you will most likely get a mark and you will regret touching it in the first place.
Moderately Severe – red inflamed papules and red pimples with a white center called pustules; this form of acne produces pimples of all sizes and is usually the type that people try to pick at most; especially pustules with the embarrassing whitehead on the pimple’s surface. If left alone, a brown spot will be left behind, but with a good exfoliation face wash and moisturizer the spots will fade relatively quickly. Because it’s too difficult to determine which pimple is “safe” to pop, it is highly recommended to not pick at this form of acne. This is key if you want to learn how to get rid of acne marks.
Severe Acne – nodules, cystic acne; this form of acne can hurt when you touch them and usually stays on the surface of the skin for a few weeks. The acne is deep inside the skin and it’s common not to see a whitehead form on top. In more severe cases, acne sufferers have cysts that get very large and to reduce the size of the cyst, they visit their local dermatologist whom injects the cyst with cortisone. It will not benefit you try to pop a cyst because the pus is deep inside the skin and you will most likely not release any of the bacteria to the surface to clear the pore – picking will just irritate the cyst and this will add another few weeks to the healing process. In addition, the bacteria from this type of acne is easy to spread; if you pop a cyst and if the bacteria hits surrounding areas of the skin, it’s highly likely nodules will form in that area – this is the last thing you want to happen. Unfortunately, this type of acne usually leaves marks behind regardless of what you do so it is best to leave them alone so they can disappear quicker on its own.
Types of Acne Marks and How To Get Rid of Them:
Ice Pick Acne Marks – This is the most common acne mark; very narrow and deep, it looks as if an “ice pick” stabbed the surface of the skin. These marks are most commonly seen on the cheeks.
How to get rid of Ice Pick Marks: This type of mark is difficult to get rid of due to the level of deepness the mark leaves on the skin. Skin resurfacing treatments performed by lasers can be effective, but you might need multiple sessions depending on the deepness of the marks. Please consult with your dermatologist to discuss this treatment option.
Boxcar Acne Marks – This type of mark gets its name due to the indentation it leaves on the skin; leaving a mark with defined and angular edges. Oftentimes, it resembles chicken pox. These marks are most commonly seen on the temples and cheeks.
How to get rid of Boxcar Acne Marks: Chemical peels are effective for this kind of mark. An acid-peel solution is applied to the boxcar areas of the face; this is done to burn away the upper layers of the skin. This process levels out the surface of the skin making the marks much shallower. Your body reacts positively to the trauma by slowly regenerating new skin and in a few weeks the marks will be eliminated. This is a very effective method for how to get rid of acne marks. Please consult with your dermatologist to discuss this treatment option.
Rolling Acne Marks – This type of mark occurs when bands of tissue develop between the skin’s surface and
structures deep inside the skin. Pulling at the skin, these bands cause the skin’s surface to resemble a rolling; almost “wavy-looking” exterior.
How to get rid of Rolling Acne Marks: This type of mark is best treated with fillers such as collagen. Collagen is also commonly used to treat “crow’s feet”, frown lines, and smile lines. Composing roughly 90 percent of the skin, collagen’s main purpose is to maintain the skin’s integrity. The overall structure of the skin was damaged due to the pulling of the bands on the skin and during the process collagen in the damaged areas gets depleted. Proven to be an effective method for how to get rid of acne marks, an injection with collagen will revitalize the damaged areas almost immediately and in some cases, the treated areas could be nearly gone in as little as one week. Please consult with your dermatologist to discuss this treatment option.
Hypertrophic Acne Marks – Also known as keloid scars, these are considered the most serious type of mark because it expands beyond the perimeter of the original pimple. These types of marks are most commonly found on the jaw line, chest, back, and earlobes. They are caused by the skin’s overproduction of collagen after a pimple has healed and the result is an elevated mark over the original wound site of the pimple. They can be itchy and are more common on darker skinned people.
How to get rid of Hypertrophic Acne Marks: This type of mark is best treated with an injection of corticosteroids. Of all the treatments available, this option has proven to be most effective with over 70 percent of users responding positively to the injection. This treatment works by flattening the raised areas of the skin. Please consult with your dermatologist to discuss this treatment option.
What Else Can Be Done To Get Rid of Acne Marks?
So far you’ve learned a lot of good ways on how to get rid of acne marks of all types, but the best way to get rid of them hasn’t been mentioned yet. What method of acne mark prevention am I referring to? Hint: I mentioned the main keyword in the question. Give up? It’s prevention. The best way to get rid of acne marks is to prevent acne from occurring in the first place! Easier said than done but it’s the only full-proof, 100 percent, guaranteed way to make sure acne marks won’t be a part of your life. Some quick tips to help you with acne prevention: drink plenty of water, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, get plenty of rest, use moisturizer, and try not to touch your face with your hands (the last tip will be difficult to follow as the average person touches their face 3 to 5 times a minute or 180 to 300 times an hour).
Lastly (and most importantly), it is critical to discuss your acne mark treatment plan with your dermatologist. They have experience dealing with people with similar marks as you and have the resources to provide you with the best treatments available. This is the most important step to learn how to get rid of acne marks for good.