Acne Outbreaks can Lead to Scarring
Scars are formed when an acne breakout penetrates the skin deeply, damaging the tissues beneath it.
If you are anxious to treat your own acne scars, it’s important to know what type they are...
Atrophic or depressed acne scars
Atrophic scars are most common on the face. A depressed scar sits below the surrounding skin. They’re formed when not enough collagen is made while the wound is healing. There are three types of atrophic scars:
Ice pick - These scars are narrow, V-shaped scars that can go deep into the skin. They can look like small round or oval holes, like a chickenpox scar. These are the most difficult scars to treat because they can extend far under the surface of the skin.
Rolling - These are wide depressions that typically have rounded edges and an irregular, rolling appearance.
Boxcar - These are wide, U-shaped scars that have sharp edges. They can be shallow or deep. The shallower they are, the better they respond to skin resurfacing treatments. Microdermabrasion and gentle peels are often suggested for treatment while laser resurfacing has to be done cautiously because more scarring and pigmentary changes in darker skin tones, like post-inflammatory pigmentation.
Hypertrophic or raised acne scars
These scars are most common with chest and back acne. They stand above the surface of the surrounding skin and are caused by too much collagen during healing.
Discoloration left behind after a zit has cleared isn’t a scar. The purple, red, or brown marks will fade over a few months on their own.
Before you start any treatment for acne scars, it’s important to be seen by a dermatologist or a healthcare professional to ensure that those marks on your skin are actually scars and not another condition.
How can you treat acne scars?
Ideally, you should treat the acne itself or prevent it occurring in the first place.
- Keeping the skin clean and removing any make-up or build-up of any dirt, oil or dead cells that can block the follicles. Simply Cleansing Oil is a great start for this.
- Many skin care products and cosmetics are full of toxins that can cause more skin problems than they solve. You should use pure, safe, natural skin care products such as our own H-Acne Formula. Naturally derived topical acne care products are preferable to chemical products since they do not irritate and dry the skin. Essential oils are one of the most effective natural weapons against acne.
- Spending time in the sun is far from being harmful to the skin and causing acne. In fact, solar UVB light may even reduce the risk of acne as it can kill the bacteria and of course is well known for stimulating the production for vitamin D which in turn can reduce the risk and symptoms of acne by strengthening the immune system.
- Improve skin health and prevent acne by eliminating sugars and grains from your diet. While the spread of bacteria and the growth of inflammation lead to acne, diets high in sugar and refined carbohydrates are the main reason for acne.
- Include plenty of richly colored fruits such as berries, citrus fruits (lemons and oranges), fish, almonds, walnuts and leafy green vegetables in your diet.
- Another important cause of acne is stress. Work on a plan for managing stress to prevent acne flare ups. Changing to a healthier diet will lower your stress levels too, along with plenty of sleep and regular exercise.
And then for the treatment itself
Our H-Scars Formula
(using established homeopathic ingredients and pure essential oils) is applied topically, directly to the scar helping to repair and restore your skin.
The Formula provides a specific treatment for those scars caused by cystic acne, acne vulgaris and acne rosacea and will safely and gently reduce the appearance of new and older acne scars as well as keloid scars.
The Formula promotes healthy skin tone, helping you to regain the appearance of scar-free skin once more.
See How to Identify Different Skin Conditions
Written by Jane Chitty
Jane writes for Healing Natural Oils, a producer and retailer of high-quality, all-natural treatments for a variety of conditions as well as a range of beauty products. Apart from writing about those various conditions, she also covers general health, environmental and other subjects of interest. She has lived in Kenya as well as Cape Town, South Africa and spent time in San Diego, USA. She now lives in Somerset, England with regular visits from her far-flung children and grandchildren. She is a keen gardener and enjoys growing fresh fruit and vegetables with her husband on their joint allotment. As a result, there is something available to use in the kitchen virtually all year round. Her regular posts can be found on our blog.