Mild acne causes less irritated whiteheads or blackheads with or without a few red bumps or pustules. Most of the time, the light red or brown marks left behind by healed acne clear up over time on their own. But severe acne, especially cystic acne, is likely to leave permanent scarring as it heals.
Keep in mind that just because you have acne, that doesn't mean you'll get scars. And if you do (one in five people with acne will also have scarring), the good news is that not all acne scars are permanent! Treatments are available.
If you have a red or brownish mark on your face that you got from a bad zit, it should eventually fade. However, it may take 12 months or longer. If you're upset about acne marks, talk to your doctor, who might have advice on what you can do.
What causes acne scars? Depressed acne scars: If the body produces too little collagen, depressions or pits form as the skin heals. Raised acne scars: Sometimes the body produces too much collagen as it tries to heal the skin and underlying tissue.
Acne marks (discoloration) usually fade away within 3-6 months. There are many ways to speed up the process. However, scars remain and can be removed medically or by using home remedies.
It's tempting, but popping or squeezing a pimple won't necessarily get rid of the problem. Squeezing can push bacteria and pus deeper into the skin, which might cause more swelling and redness. Squeezing also can lead to scabs and might leave you with permanent pits or scars.
In general, you can gently pop a whitehead pimple once, but don't try to draw more out again later. Doing so can lead to scarring. You should never pop a pimple that does not have a whitehead or is deep under the skin. Deep inflamed acne can be due to nodular breakouts or cysts and should not be squeezed.
Laser therapy, dermabrasion, microdermabrasion, and chemical peels can help improve the appearance of acne scars that aren't very deep. They all involve removing layers of skin cells to encourage skin to produce new cells.
While waiting is never fun, it's worth it when it comes to pimple-popping. Basically, what happens if you don't pop a whitehead is that it goes away on its own, usually in 3 to 7 days. It may happen that you wake up one morning and notice the pimple is gone. Or you may notice the pimple draining.
They often look like small oval holes, similar to a chicken pox scar. Because of these characteristics they are the most difficult acne scars to treat. As the deeper under the skin they go the harder it is to heal them.
Sun protection may help reduce red or brown discoloration and help the scar fade faster. Always use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher and reapply frequently.
She continued: "Ice can be really helpful by reducing the swelling, redness and calming the inflammation and that will reduce the risk of scarring and post-inflammatory colour change on the skin." Ice reduces blood circulation to the inflamed area and tightens the skin's pores.
There are two basic types of scar depending on whether there is a net loss or gain of collagen (atrophic and hypertrophic scars). Eighty to ninety percent of people with acne scars have scars associated with a loss of collagen (atrophic scars) compared to a minority who show hypertrophic scars and keloids.
Of the 80% of people under the age of 30 with acne, 20% of them will scar. Whether or not you fall into this category depends on several factors, many of which are unavoidable: Genetics: Some people are more prone to scarring than others. Not only from acne, but from all types of skin damage.
Although it might feel good to pop a pimple, dermatologists advise against it. Popping a pimple can cause infection and scarring, and it may make the pimple more inflamed and noticeable. It also delays the natural healing process. Due to this, it is usually best to leave pimples alone.
If you're bleeding, she says to “gently blot the area with a clean tissue or cotton pad and clean the area with alcohol.” Once the blood has stopped, she advises applying a spot treatment containing benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid as mentioned above.
Depending on the location of the scar, acne scars can appear more severe as you grow older because of collagen depletion in the skin. Depressed acne scars or atrophic acne scarring will usually look worse as your skin loses natural volume as part of the natural aging process.
They're often thick and raised and are the result of too much collagen being made in response to an injury, as opposed to not enough. Vitamin C has only been shown to be successful at helping reduce the appearance of hypertrophic scars because of its ability to regulate collagen production.
Known as the 'healing' vitamin, vitamin E is an anti-inflammatory antioxidant. It encourages healing, and is specifically renowned helping with acne scarring. You'll find vitamin E in nuts, avocado and spinach.
CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum
This CeraVe retinol serum is great for all types of acne scars, especially if you're new to retinol. Retinol helps resurface skin texture, while licorice root extract brightens the skin and improves its overall appearance.