You’ve finally won the battle against acne, but the aftermath is often worse. Acne scarring can often be just as debilitating as experiencing acne in the first place as wherever you had a pimple, there’s a chance you’ve been left with a permanent reminder in the form of a red or darkened mark on the skin or even a nasty indentation or scar.

What is acne scarring?

Skin colour changes are usually seen after inflammatory acne lesions have healed and they usually improve with time, but sometimes don’t fully resolve. There is also sometimes actual scarring after acne and the type of scarring depends on the type of acne you experienced:

• Ice-pick acne scarring: these are deep, narrow pits that often fail to heal
• Rolling scars: these typically present as a broad depression with a sloping edge
• Boxcar scars: like a rolling scar, these are broader depressions but have more sharply defined ages
• Atrophic scarring: common on the jawline and the chest, these are elevated and firm scars
• Keloid scarring: similar to atrophic scarring, but they can grow bigger than the original spot and appear thick and lumpy

Best acne scar treatments

Dermal fillers: temporary hyaluronic acid dermal fillers can be used to fill the depressions in the skin, but they aren’t a permanent solution.

Microdermabrasion: superficial layers of the skin are removed, which stimulates cell turnover and collagen production to improve the appearance of scars.

Chemical peels: similar to microdermabrasion, a chemical peel can unclog pores and boost cell turnover to improve blemishes.

Laser treatments: these can improve any discolouration left by the acne and can also stimulate collagen production to promote better skin healing.

Microneedling: this stimulates the body’s own natural healing process by causing microscopic skin injuries.

Skincare products: look for products that contain glycolic acid which boosts cell turnover. Retinol is a vitamin A derivative that can greatly improve the appearance of acne scarring.