What To Do When Acne Outbreaks Lead to Scars

The problem with having acne in your teens and even in your twenties is that it can damage your skin cells.  Even though your acne may appear to have disappeared, deep depressions or scar tissue can remain behind.

Your acne symptoms may disappear over time but you could still be left with acne scarring, giving your skin an irregular appearance.

Although acne scarring is the direct result of deep trauma to the skin related to acne, if you pick at your acne, this can traumatize even the small acne lesions and result in scarring, appearing as areas of pitted or raised skin and occurring on the face or body. 

What causes acne scars?

• Acne scars are caused by the body’s natural attempt to heal itself.
• When skin pores become clogged with dead skin, the cells slowly fill with excess oil allowing bacteria to grow. 
• These pores (or follicles) can become engorged, resulting in acne lesions namely whiteheads or blackheads.
• When these lesions rupture, the resulting material that spills out onto the skin causes irritation and then inflammation.
• This inflammation causes redness, tenderness and sometimes thick white fluid.
• The skin starts to repair itself, naturally forming new collagen fibers.
• If and when the skin produces too much collagen, raised acne scars can appear.
• But if the skin produces too little collagen, pitted acne scars can be the result.

Are there different types of acne scars?

Yes, there are several different types and if you are prone to acne scarring then unfortunately, you are likely to experience a mix of these types.

Keloid Scars:  these are caused when the skin produces too much collagen as mentioned above, leaving a ridge or bump.  They are more likely to appear on the back, shoulders or jawline and can be painful or itchy.

Atrophic Scars:  this type of scar appear as a depression in the skin when there is too little skin tissue production during the healing response.   They can appear as: 

• Ice Pick Scars which are triangular shaped chisels in the skin and usually found on the forehead or upper cheeks.
• Boxcar Scars are deep indents with clearly defined edges and usually found on the lower cheeks and jawline
• Rolling Scars are more likely to appear where skin is thicker such as on the cheeks.  These scars come with sloping edges, giving the appearance of being wavy or unevenly textured.

What can you do to prevent acne and acne scars?

 It is important to treat the acne itself or to 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. A blackhead is an accumulation of dead skin cells and sebum that forms a plug within the pore. The oil impaction changes to a dark brown or black color when exposed to air, much like an apple turns brown when it has been cut or peeled and left.
• Many skin care products and cosmetics are full of toxins that can cause more skin problems than they solve, inflaming an acne outbreak or preventing one from healing. Some 99% of personal care products contain at least one unsafe ingredient. 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.
  
  

• Spend 5 minutes at least twice a day carefully and gently cleaning your face and always remove all makeup. Exfoliate occasionally. Apply your natural skin care products including moisturizer to a warm skin – this increases absorption.
• 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.
• The food you put in your mouth has a direct impact on the appearance of your skin. The single most important step to take to improve skin health and prevent acne is to eliminate 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.
• Some of the best foods to eat for acne-free skin are richly colored fruits such as berries, citrus fruits (lemons and oranges), fish, almonds, walnuts and leafy green vegetables.
• 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.

What to do if you end up with acne scars?

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.

Sources

Rakel D, ed. (2018). Acne vulgaris and acne rosacea. In: Integrative Medicine. 4th ed. Elsevier. https://www.clinicalkey.com.(Accessed February 7 2021).

Acne. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/acne. (Accessed February 7, 2021).

Kraft J, et al. (2011). Management of acne.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3080563/ (Accessed February 7, 2021)