Acne Scar Reduction

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.

Steroid injection: Injecting steroids into some types of raised scars can improve the appearance of your skin.

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. Scars are formed when a breakout penetrates the skin deeply and damages the tissues beneath it.

Before you try to treat your scars, it’s important to know what type they are. Each type responds to treatment differently, and some treatments are better for particular types than others.

Additionally, your skin tone can also be a factor. For example, for darker skin types, deeper skin laser treatments will not be recommended due to higher chances of scarring and pigmentation.