Acne Scars 101
WHAT CAUSES SCARRING?
The culprit behind those scars is, you guessed it, inflammation. However, that could mean a lot of things because inflammation is an underlying factor for most of skin issues. Usually though, your scars/inflammation can be traced back to picking at your skin, leaving your acne untreated, or even just your genetic predisposition.
Picking at your pimples accounts for most acne scars, especially if not done correctly. However, you do need a significant amount of inflammation for this to happen. The result is, usually, a combination of pigmentation and scar tissue which makes the texture of the skin uneven.
Breakouts that are on the surface, like small whiteheads or blackheads, are not usually what cause scarring. Scarring is caused from large inflamed cysts under the skin. Most times, they are clustered because the bacteria has spread underneath the skin.
DIFFERENT types OF SCARRING
Boxcar Scars: Broad depressions with defined edges caused by widespread acne. They most often form on areas where skin is thicker, like the lower cheeks and jaw.
Rolling Scars: Have a varying depth, with sloping edges that make skin appear uneven.
Ice Pick Scars: Smaller depressions that are common on the cheeks.
Hypertrophic and Keloid Scars: Raised lumps where the acne once was as a result of scar tissue build up. Hypertrophic scars are the same size as the acne that caused them, while Keloid scars create a scar larger than the acne that caused them and grow beyond the sides of the original spot. These are common on places like the jawline, chest, back, and shoulders. People with a darker skin color are more likely to develop this type of scarring.
Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation: A dark or discolored patch of skin formed once a pimple heals. This often gets confused as a scar, but it actually isn’t! Hyperpigmentation can occur when skin is damaged by severe acne, or if you’ve picked at your acne, but will fade on its own as long as you keep it away from sun exposure.
HOW TO PREVENT IT
The best way to stop acne from scarring is to prevent acne from forming in the first place. This is why having a strong skincare regimen is so important! Make sure you’re cleansing twice daily, exfoliating once every other day (if it's appropriate for your skin), toning (choose a toner containing benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid), applying a serum (restorative serum in the AM, corrective serum in the PM), moisturizing, and finishing with SPF (if you are making contact with the sun) — in that order.
If you have acne-prone skin, we recommend the following skin regimen... (click on each product to learn more)
Benzoyl Peroxide Wash or Mandelic Wash (no scrub if it's inflamed)
If you currently have an enflamed breakout, we recommend the following...
Apply 1% Hydrocortisone cream to your inflamed pimple and press an ice cube on it for 10 minutes, 2-3 times daily. This will help heal the pimple faster and prevent it from scarring.
And always, always, always...
If you have a breakout, and you plan on having ANY sun exposure, add an SPF to your morning skincare routine (we recommend SPF 50). This means even if you are going to be inside all day, but by a window with sunlight—then wear SPF. If the sun is touching it, protect it. Sun exposure can accelerate and worsen scarring, so this precaution is very important.
at-home TREATment
Scars are stubborn and last for weeks, months, or even years. So, can they ever truly go away? They can! If you have a solid skincare regimen and, if you can, consult with your esthetician (us, wink wink) about professional treatment, scars can fade and even vanish.
The best at-home treatment if you currently have scarring is to include retinoids in your daily routine to help boost your skin’s cell turnover and increase collagen. This can help improve the texture of your skin. It will also help even out pigmentation.
If you absolutely have to pop a pimple, here's what to do before and after to prevent scarring...
Disclaimer: we never recommend picking at cystic acne, as it can cause long-lasting damage to your skin and may become even more infected. Instead, try the prevention method we mentioned above.
For white heads, breakouts that come to a head and have a white center, you may gently extract. First, you will want to open your pores. Apply a warm compress or extract after a shower when the skin is warmed. Have toner and a cotton pad ready as well as a spot treatment or pimple patches. Wrap your fingers in tissue and gently apply pressure, applying down then up. It should come out very easily with very light pressure and will be a mixture of blood and pus. Gently apply pressure a second time to be sure everything has been removed. Now blot the toner over the area and apply pressure. This is to help kill bacteria. Next, apply a spot treatment or pimple patch. It will still be inflamed but it will slowly start to shrink and calm.
OUR FAVORITE SCAR treatment SERVICES aT sacred
THE POLISH (Laser Genesis + PCA Peel) If your skin is in need of a major collagen boost, plumping, smoothing of fine lines in addition to ridding sun damage, melasma, hyper-pigmentation or acne—this is the treatment for you. Genesis works deep within the skin stimulating collagen while the PCA Peel is working on the outermost layer of the skin to remove pigmentation, congestion, acne scarring and softening fine lines.
BEFORE
AFTER 4 SESSIONS OF The Polish (LASER GENESIS + PCA)
MICRONEEDLING If you have acne scars from years ago, you may want to consider Microneedling. Medical Microneedling, otherwise known as Collagen Induction Therapy, is a non-surgical skin rejuvenating procedure that dramatically improves acne scars, fine lines and wrinkles, stretch marks, photo-damage and uneven skin tone. This revolutionary medical technique utilizes fine sterile needles to stimulate the skin’s natural healing response to injury in a controlled environment for optimal collagen remodeling. Microneedling is safe to use on all skin types and does not employ the use of chemicals or neurotoxins to achieve a luminous complexion.
LED Just as plants absorb and convert sunlight into cellular building blocks, skin absorbs therapeutic light and uses it as a source of energy to stimulate cellular regeneration to produce collagen and elastin, kill acne bacteria, reduce inflammation and speed healing. LED has been shown to minimize fine lines and wrinkles, shrink pore size, reduce inflammation and increase circulation and oxygenation of the skin. Greater oxygenation leads to increased nutrients to areas of the skin responsible for cell growth. This will help recover the damaged, scarred skin.
