Types Of Acne Scars & How To Treat Them

Indented Scars: Indented acne scars occur when the skin doesn’t produce enough collagen while your blemishes are healing. To treat these types of acne scars, you need to focus on revving up collagen production. In-office treatments like microdermabrasion and chemical peels can make a huge difference. I also recommend using a Microneedling Tool at home to boost collagen and increase your skin’s ability to absorb the active ingredients in serums. At-home peels and serums infused with epidermal growth factors encourage the skin to create new healthy cells to fill in the scars.

Raised Scars: While less common than indented scars, some cystic acne sufferers experience hypertrophic or raised scars, which occur when the skin overproduces collagen during the healing process. Hypertrophic scars are often red or pinkish in color and can sometimes look like swollen acne lesions. These types of acne scars can be incredibly troublesome because it looks like you still have acne even after your blemishes have disappeared. Dermatologists use topical steroids or steroid injections to treat this kind of scarring; for at-home treatment, I recommend microneedling to smooth the area and anti-inflammatory serums like my EGF Activating Serum to reduce redness and speed the healing process.

Discolored Scars: Hyperpigmentation or skin darkening is the most common type of acne scarring that I see in my work as an esthetician. Even mild acne can cause this type of scarring. In-office treatments like laser therapy, chemical peels, and dermaplaning can help. Luckily, it’s also fairly easy to treat hyperpigmentation yourself with a regimen of at-home peels to resurface skin, microneedling to lighten dark spots, and brightening serums infused with peptides to keep skin soft and spot-free. Just remember to always wear sunscreen if you experience this type of acne scarring as sun exposure can darken existing scars, which makes them more difficult to treat.