Hundreds and hundreds of solutions for treating acne scars exist to include prescription medications, over the counter products, home remedies, and revolutionary procedures. However, for the person struggling with this skin disorder and the aftermath, the greatest challenge is choosing what is considered the best acne scar treatment in that most products make this same claim.
As far as over-the-counter products and home remedies made with organic or natural ingredients, the Food and Drug Administration does not monitor activities as with prescription medication and medical procedures. For that reason, making claims of being the best acne scar treatment is much easier to get by with even when the product or remedy falls short of its promises.
Gaining Insight
One of the best things a person can do before spending a dime on any solution would be to spend time conducting research online to understand different skin and acne types. Interestingly, many people will immediately meet with a high-priced medical doctor or dermatologist when in many cases gaining insight with research would lead to the same treatment but without spending a fortune.
Even if a person wanted to work with a medical professional for getting rid of acne scars, conducting research would still be advised. After all, during a consultation, different aspects of acne scarring and information about some of the best acne scar treatments would be discussed. By being educated thanks to the wealth of information found free online, an individual would have a better understanding of the questions to ask but also find it easier to follow along with recommendations made by the doctor or dermatologist.
Scarring Types
As mentioned, the best acne scar treatment would be based on a number of factors, one being the type of scarring a person has. Today, four primary categories of scars exist, each with different challenges and thereby needing different treatments. These classifications include ice pick, boxcar, rolling, and hypertrophic, which are also called keloid scars. We felt it would be helpful to provide a brief overview of these scar types so the best acne scar treatment could be chosen.
• Ice Pick Scars – While narrow, these scars are quite deep. Typically, ice pick acne scars are narrow at the base and then wider at the surface whereby at the cross-section a V appears. In most cases, acne scars of this type of seen on a person’s cheeks that form multiple small but also deep holes that look as if they were done by an ice pick, thus the name. In this case, the best acne scare treatment would be a resurfacing procedure in which the top skin is removed and new skin beneath allowed to heal.
• Box Car Scars – The normal shape of box car acne scars are flat but shaped as a “U” as the bottom. When compared to ice pick scars, these are much wider but because they are also shallow, they seldom go deeper than the mid-portion of the top layer of skin. Most experts agree that the best acne scar treatment for this category is with chemical peels or skin resurfacing.
• Rolling – Acne scars that fall in this category are actually much deeper than others, usually between the second and third layer of skin. Because a person’s skin is pulled because of the depth, scars are wavy or rolling in appearance. One of the biggest challenges of rolling acne scars is the fibrous bands that would also need to be taken care of at the time the best acne scar treatment is performed.
• Hypertrophic Scars – Scarring of this kind can be very difficult to treat, which is why even the best acne scar treatments such as topical products, prescription medication, and home remedies would simply not work. In most cases, these acne scars develop around the jawline, near the ears, or on the back or chest. Keloid scars are plump, raised, and wide, with the fullness being the result of the body producing too much collagen. Because of this, keloid scars need to be treated a little more aggressively than other types.
Treatment Options
As mentioned, there are multiple ways of getting rid of scars although the best solution would be based on each person’s situation. In other words, not one single treatment can address every type of scarring and for every possible skin type.
Although those three are among the best acne scar treatment options, many others exist. For example, someone with scarring caused from chronic acne might also consider chemical peels, dermabrasion, microdermabrasion, skin needling, and laser therapy. Because there are so many possibilities, remember the importance of research and consultation with a professional.
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