Acne scars: What's the best treatment?

 Acne scars are stubborn, and no single treatment is best for everyone. One or a combination of the following approaches might improve the appearance of your skin, depending on your scar type, your skin type and the severity of the scarring.


Home skin care. Using sunscreen can help limit the contrast between unscarred skin and a scar. Some medicated creams, such as those containing azelaic acid or hydroxyl acids, might help too.

Soft tissue fillers. Injecting collagen, fat or other substances under the skin can plump the skin over indented scars. The goal is to make the scars less noticeable. Results are temporary, so repeat treatments are needed to retain the effect. This method has little risk of changes in skin color.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             


Laser resurfacing. This approach is increasingly popular and is often used on scars that were once treated with dermabrasion. This technique has an increased risk of side effects for people with darker skin or a history of keloids.

Other energy-based procedures. Pulsed light sources and radiofrequency devices help make scars less noticeable without damaging the outer layer of skin. Results are subtle, and you might need repeat treatments.

Dermabrasion. This procedure is usually reserved for more severe scarring. Your doctor removes the top layer of skin with a rapidly rotating brush or other device. Surface scars may be completely removed, and deeper acne scars may appear less noticeable. Potential severe side effects include scarring and changes in skin color.

Chemical peel. Your doctor applies a chemical solution to the scar tissue to remove the top layer of skin and minimize the appearance of deeper scars. You can repeat mild and medium peels to maintain results. You can have only one deep peel. Potential side effects include changes in skin color, especially with deep peels used on dark skin.

Skin needling. Your doctor rolls a needle-studded device over the skin to stimulate collagen formation in the underlying tissue. It's a safe, simple and possibly effective technique for acne scarring. It has minimal risk of discoloring the skin. Results are subtle, and you may need repeat treatments.

Surgery. Using a minor procedure called punch excision, your doctor cuts out individual acne scars and repairs the wound with stitches or a skin graft. With a technique called subcision, your doctor inserts needles under the skin to loosen fibers below a scar.

OnabotulinumtoxinA (Botox). Sometimes the skin around acne scars puckers. Injecting Botox relaxes the surrounding skin, which may improve the appearance of an acne scar. Results are temporary, so repeat treatments are needed to retain the effect

Lawrence E. Gibson, M.D.

Get the latest health information from Mayo Clinic’s experts.

Sign up for free, and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips and current health topics, like COVID-19, plus expertise on managing health.

Enter your email

EmailLearn more about Mayo Clinic’s use of data.

Subscribe!

Pregnancy acne

Birth control pills for acne?

ShareTweet

Nov. 10, 2020

Show references

See more Expert Answers

Products and Services

Newsletter: Mayo Clinic Health Letter — Digital Edition

Book: Mayo Clinic Family Health Book, 5th Edition

Book: Mayo Clinic Book of Home Remedies

See also

Acne

Acne mistakes

Acne treatments: Medical procedures may help clear skin

Adult acne: Can natural hormone treatments help?

Birth control pills for acne?

Can zinc supplements help treat hidradenitis suppurativa?

Hidradenitis suppurativa wound care

Show more related content

Advertisement

Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission.

Advertising & Sponsorship

PolicyOpportunitiesAd Choices

Mayo Clinic Press

Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic.

Try Mayo Clinic Health Letter - get FREE book

NEW - Back and Neck Health

Mayo Clinic on Digestive Health

NEW - Live Younger Longer

Simple, effective Home Remedies

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How To Remove Dark Spots Caused By Pimples

Image
 Acne is a war that nearly absolutely everyone faces and the scars left in the back of are what bugs us the maximum. As if handling pimples wasn’t already difficult, that submit pimples darkish spots secures an area in your pores and skin like a bad tattoo. There are heaps of merchandise that declare darkish spot discount but how will you inform which one will paintings? Well, we are right here to help you parent that out! Here are 10 approaches How To Remove Dark Spots Caused By Pimples. From beauty products to remedies and even herbal components, we give you all the solutions to fading away darkish spots caused by pimples, efficiently. Read on. 1. Use Vitamin C To Reduce Dark Spots 2. Try Retinol To Reduce Dark Spots 3. Buttermilk Helps In Fading The Pimple Marks four. Lemon Juice Is Great To Remove Dark Spots 5. Pimple Patches Are A Good Remedy For Dark Spots & Scars 6. Broad Spectrum Sunscreen Is Always Helpful In Keeping Dark Spots Away 7. Salicylic Acid Is The Acne Scar A...
Read more

Does Walmart Accept Venmo? How To Use Venmo Online & In-Store

Image
 Venmo is a popular contactless cell fee technique a few of the Millennials and Gen Z. It’s just like PayPal. Still, its specialty and popularity stem from the fact that the Venmo app simplifies cash-sharing and bills by allowing purchases via social feeds. In addition, customers can hyperlink and make payments with their financial institution account, debit/credit playing cards with chips, prepaid playing cards, gift cards, or by the usage of their Venmo balance. How to Use Venmo at Walmart Online? It started with credit and debit cards, which brought the arena into a cashless economy and made it possible to spend cash without the need to go to banks or look for Chase, Wells Fargo, and other bank ATMs that dispense $5, $1, $50 or $100 close to me. Then came the net age and current financial technology. They’ve given us on-line and cell fee solutions that have added digital wallets like PayPal, Venmo, banking apps, and contactless mobile payment techniques like Google Pay and Apple...
Read more