Pimples forms when hair follicles plug with oil, bacteria and skin cells. The inflammation can cause trauma and create a wound and the body tries to repair the damage with scar tissue. As if dealing with painful acne weren't enough, the larger lesions are more likely to cause visible and permanent scars than the small nuisance pimples, according to the Nemours Foundation. No treatment can necessarily remove all traces of post-acne scars, but many methods can help to reduce their appearance.
Step 1
Treat your acne before you treat the scars. Your acne activity should be low or absent for multiple months before you attempt to correct acne scarring, according to the Osteopathic College of Dermatology. Once you and your dermatologist have found a way to control your break-outs, the color in many of your scars should fade within a year. At that point, your dermatologist may recommend treatments for the scarring that remains.
Step 2
Ask your dermatologist about treatment options for your type of scars. Acne scars typically come in two forms: scars that have a gradual dip or depression, which are also called "rolling" scars, and scars that are narrow and deep, according to the Nemours Foundation. Your treatment plan will depend on the type of scars you have and also how severe your scarring is.
Step 3
Discuss gentler treatments if you have mild scarring. Chemical peels and microdermabrasion, which can be performed in your dermatologist's office, exfoliate your top layer of skin and allow your body to replace lost cells with healthy cells, which can reduce the appearance of minor scars, according to the Nemours Foundation.
Step 4
Undergo laser resurfacing. Like microdermabrasion and chemical peels, laser resurfacing can be performed in your dermatologist's office, says the Nemours Foundation. Laser resurfacing removes the damage in your top layer of skin and tightens your middle layer of skin to smooth it out. This process can cause some pain and take up to an hour to perform, so your dermatologist will numb your skin beforehand, according to the Nemours Foundation.
Step 5
Discuss dermabrasion treatment if you have deeper acne scars. Dermabrasion is a surgical treatment that uses an abrasive instrument that causes a skin wound in order to "sand" away skin problems, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. As the new skin heals over the wound--a process which can take up to three weeks--it should be smoother than the skin before it, says the Nemours Foundation.
Step 6
Ask your dermatologist about other options. If you have deeply indented acne scars, she may recommend a procedure called punch excision, which cuts out scars and stitches the wound shut or fills it in with a skin graft, according to the Mayo Clinic. Another procedure, which only offers temporary results, involves injecting fat or collagen under the skin and under the scars to stretch or fill out the skin, says the Mayo Clinic.
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