Scarring Caused By Blemishes

If you had bad skin as a teenager or young adult, you may carry a few scars to remind yourself of your former blemishes. Scars from acne can cause emotional effects ranging from minor distress to fear of public places, and some sufferers say those scars impact self-esteem, job prospects and their social lives. Fortunately, you can choose from a wide variety of treatments that can help improve the appearance of the scarring.

Types

Scarring caused by blemishes comes in three types: depressed scars, raised scars (or keloids) and skin discoloration. Of these three, depressed scars appear most often and raised scars can be most difficult to treat, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Skin discoloration from former blemishes isn't true scarring, since it eventually will fade completely; but many people who have it want to treat it so that it fades more quickly.

Options

Depending on how bad the scarring from your blemishes looks, you might consider over-the-counter treatments first to clear it up. According to the AAD, over-the-counter products generally don't help much on bad scars, but can help to clear milder scarring. They work by encouraging your skin to make new collagen, which can plump up your skin and reduce the appearance of your blemishes. If you decide to take this approach, look for products with vitamin C, retinol and/or glycolic acid, since these seem to be most effective.

Medications

If you have skin discoloration from your blemishes in the form of red, pink, tan or purple dots, your doctor may give you a prescription for tretinoin, a form of vitamin A. Tretinoin, which sells under various brand names such as Renova and Retin-A, can rapidly increase the turnover of the skin cells on the surface, helping to fade these marks more quickly. However, it doesn't work instantly -- users report it takes up to four months to yield results.

Procedures

For bad scars, especially the depressed type, you may need a physical procedure from a dermatologist. In acne scar surgery, your dermatologist can cut out or raise deep depressed scars. Laser treatments use laser energy to peel off the top layer of skin, which leaves your depressed scars less noticeable once your skin heals. Chemical peels, which use strong acids to peel the skin; and dermabrasion, which uses a machine to sand down the skin's top layer, have similar effects on depressed scars.

Considerations

Getting rid of scarring from your former blemishes likely will take some time, and no scar treatment works perfectly. If you opt for less aggressive laser treatments or microdermabrasion, a milder version of dermabrasion, you will have fewer side effects but you may need several sessions to see results. If you haven't gotten good results with over-the-counter scar treatments, visit a dermatologist to learn about scar treatment options.