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How to Get Rid of Acne Scars? – Hydroquinone, Retinoids, and More
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How to Get Rid of Acne Scars? – Hydroquinone, Retinoids, and More

How to Get Rid of Acne Scars

How to get rid of acne scars? – Acne scars are common in people who have experienced chronic and inflamed breakouts.

True acne scars are hypertrophic, meaning they are raised above the skin’s surface and are pink, purple, brown, or the same colour as the skin.

How fast can acne scars fade?

  • The time it takes for acne scars to fade depends on the type of scar, the severity of the scar, and how long you’ve had the scars. In general, older spots are more challenging to treat than newer ones.
  • However, it is essential to wait until all acne lesions have fully healed before attempting to treat your scars, as many of these treatments can irritate active pimples and cause further inflammation.
  • Atrophic scars require professional procedures to treat, usually in multiple sessions spaced over weeks or months.
  • Full results are generally achieved in a few months to a year, depending on the scarring severity. Surgical procedures can remove them more quickly.
  • Hypertrophic scars require multiple procedures spread over several months or single surgical treatment to remove them.

Will I see results overnight?

  • The only type of acne scar that can treat relatively quickly is PIH. You may see a substantial improvement in PIH after just professional treatment or a few weeks of using an over-the-counter product.
  • Atrophic and hypertrophic scars generally require several months of treatment to see a noticeable improvement.
  • Maintaining realistic expectations about what a procedure or product can do for your acne scars is key to being happy with your skin in the long run.

Get rid of acne scars in less than 6 months

These treatments require consistent use of a topical product or several in-office procedures to treat acne scars.

Gradually active ingredients or methods fade scars by breaking up scar tissue, increasing the rate of cell turnover, or lightening hyperpigmentation.

Cross technique therapy:

  • The Chemical Reconstruction of Skin Scars (CROSS) technique involves applying 70% trichloroacetic acid (TCA) directly to ice picks and wagon scars.
  • TCA breaks down scar tissue and encourages the growth of new, healthy skin.
  • It is more effective than full-face chemical peels for small, deep scars. The procedure is repeated every two weeks for three months or until the scars disappear.

Subcision:

  • Subcision is a minor surgical procedure. It involves inserting a needle under a depressed scar.
  • The hand cuts through the fibrotic scar tissue attached to the healthy tissue underneath, releasing the tension that creates a depression in the skin.
  • The procedure should be repeated once a month for three to six months, depending on how quickly your skin responds.

Retinoids:

  • This class of topical skincare products accelerates skin cell regeneration and exfoliation of dead cells. By encouraging new cell growth, these products fade depressed scars and hyperpigmentation.
  • Retinoids available without a prescription include retinol and adapalene. Retinol products include serums, creams, and moisturizers.
  • A gel containing 0.3% adapalene is effective in reducing atrophic acne scars for six months.

Hydroquinone:

  • Hydroquinone is a skin-lightening agent used for post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
  • The activity of tyrosinase, an enzyme necessary for the production of melanin, is inhibited.
  • By preventing new skin cells from creating melanin, the pigmented cells that make up the dark spots are gradually replaced by unpigmented ones, lightening the discolouration.
  • It is available over the counter in a 1-2% strength and a 3-4% prescription. The product has determine to be safe for continuous use for up to six months.
  • Hydroquinone increases your skin’s sensitivity to sunlight. Counteract the risk of accidentally causing additional hyperpigmentation by applying.
  • A broad-spectrum sunscreen of at least 30 SPF every day as part of your skincare routine.

Treatments that take less than 6 weeks

These treatments consist of an initial procedure with several weeks of recovery time.

And also, after the recommended waiting period, you may choose to undergo the process again to enhance your scars further.

Medium Chemical Peel:

  • Chemical peels involve applying an acidic solution to the face to dissolve the skin’s outermost layer, revealing the unhealed and normally pigmented skin underneath.
  • However, a medium chemical peel with glycolic acid or TCA can improve rolling or wagon acne scars with just one treatment.
  • The expected recovery time for a medium peel is three weeks. You may need several sessions to achieve your goals.

Laser therapies:

  • Various laser treatments can treat raised and depressed scars. Including ablative, non-ablative, and fractional laser therapy.
  • However, ablative laser skin resurfacing procedures remove the skin’s damaged top layer and stimulate collagen production in the dermis to smooth the skin.
  • Non-ablative lasers target the dermis only, along with the red and pink pigments in raised scars.
  • Recovery time for a laser treatment session is 3 to 10 days, during which time you experience redness and swelling.
  • Full results from each session are visible after six weeks, but multiple sessions may require to achieve desired results.

Drilling excision:

  • An excisional puncture involves a doctor cutting individual scars and repairing the wound with a skin graft or stitches.
  • The procedure leaves a scar that is smaller and lighter than the original. It is most effective for deep ice scars.

Instant acne scar treatments

Hypertrophic or atrophic scars cannot be treating instantly. However, PIH can be immediately improving with one of several quick in-office procedures.

However, these procedures significantly improve dark marks after just one session.

Light chemical peels:

  • A light chemical peel treats PIH with salicylic acid, glycolic acid, mandelic acid, or other alpha-hydroxy acid and requires no downtime.
  • And also, just one treatment visibly lightens hyperpigmentation with full visible results after 48 hours.

Microdermabrasion:

  • Microdermabrasion uses a small, portable device that exfoliates the skin. With a vibrating diamond tip or a microfine crystal spray.
  • However, a microdermabrasion session lightens PIH without the need for downtime.
  • Multiple microdermabrasion sessions can treat depressed scars, although the procedure is not effective on very deep or ice pick scars.

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