How To Treat Acne Scarring
One of the most common skin conditions – and something that is likely to affect most people in some way at some point in their lives – is acne. This manifests itself in different kinds of ways, whether that’s spots coming to the surface, oil skin or skin that’s painful or hot to touch.
Acne usually appears on the face, but it can also cause problems on the back and chest. The spots themselves can either appear as blackheads, whiteheads, papules (which may be sore to the touch), pustules, nodules (which can be painful) and cysts (which carry the greatest risk of causing permanent scars).
Although not a cause for serious medical concern, acne can have a huge impact on your emotional health and wellbeing, really affecting your self-esteem and confidence. But the good news is that there are various ways you can go about preventing acne, as well as treating any scars you may have.
How to treat acne
Avoiding frequent washing can help ease your spots and not dry out your skin. Using lukewarm water and being gentle with your skin can help ease your symptoms. Squeezing spots and blackheads can often make your symptoms worse and lead to scarring, so try to avoid this where possible.
When your skin is really bad, try to avoid using too many cosmetics and wearing too much makeup. Removing your makeup before going to bed can also help prevent breakouts.
Creams, lotions and gels can be bought from pharmacies, or from us here at Grand Aesthetics, to help treat the condition, while antibiotics can be prescribed by a doctor to treat severe acne. The contraceptive pill is also often offered as a way to control acne.
There are various treatment options available if you do have acne and the right course of action will largely depend on the type of acne you have.
Chemical peels, for example, can be used to treat mild to moderately severe acne, where the skin is exfoliated using glycolic or salicylic acid. This can reduce the appearance of blemishes, open pores, acne and pigmentation, helping to encourage new skin cell growth and give you smoother, softer skin.
IPL skin rejuvenation, meanwhile, uses light therapy to kill the bacteria beneath the skin that can cause acne, helping to ease any inflammation at the same time.
How to treat acne scarring
Rejuvenating treatments can be used to minimise scars, such as the dermaPen, which is a microneedling procedure that boosts natural collagen production. This improves the look of scars and open pores, as well as acne, wrinkles and pigmentation.
The process itself is minimally invasive and there’s very little downtime, so you’ll be able to get on with your day sooner rather than later. It involves making tiny pinpricks beneath the skin to help it make new collagen-rich tissue.
Another option worth considering is the Acupulse CO2 laser machine, which can work wonders on acne scars, particularly if the scarring is deeper. If you’d like to find out more, get in touch with us today to see how we can help.