Best Acne Scar Treatment

There’s nothing worse than finally getting rid of all your acne, only to end up with a daily reminder that you had it in the first place. Acne scarring may not be as irritating as the pimples that once covered your skin, but it can still do a number on your confidence level. Scarring also tends to hang around until professional care is provided. Today we’re going to walk through our best acne scar treatments.

Acne scarring is an alteration to the texture of your skin. Depending on how deep the scarring is, you may even feel a “dip” when running a finger over it. This is a sign of true acne scarring.

Post-inflammatory erythema (PIE) is the residual red, pinkish, or even purple-looking spots that remain in the places where you once had acne. It results from blood vessel dilation and damage due to the inflammation in the skin. One way to tell if you have PIE is to note the texture of your skin. PIE won’t change your skin’s texture like acne scarring will. It also tends to affect those with lighter skin tones.

The Best Treatments For Acne & Acne Scars

Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) occurs when your skin makes extra melanin because of inflammation. Acne is often a cause of PIH (but it’s certainly not the only cause). PIH won’t alter the texture of your skin, but it does alter the color. It usually occurs when inflammation causes an overproduction and deposition of melanin in the skin. This causes darker brown spots to appear. PIH tends to occur in those with darker skin tones.

Radiofrequency microneedling is one of the newest revolutions in minimally-invasive tightening and contouring for the face, neck, and body. It’s also great for scarring. It works by stimulating your body’s production of collagen and elastin to provide results that improve over several months. By stimulating collagen growth, Vivace RF Microneedling encourages your skin to heal itself and reduces the appearance of acne scars by helping to fill in the “dips” in your skin from the inside out. Three common types of acne scars it helps treat are ice pick, boxcar, and rolling acne scars.

Vivace RF Microneedling is FDA-approved and uses ultrafine needles to penetrate the skin and deliver radiofrequency (heat) energy to deeper layers of the skin. It delivers results which are realized over 3-6 months, with minimal downtime. This option requires a series of treatments for optimal results.

Your Quick Guide To The Best Acne Scar Treatment, Elite+

Laser CoolPeel treatments can be a great fit for addressing acne scarring. The CoolPeel provides similar benefits of a traditional CO2 laser resurfacing treatment without the downtime (because it is a fractional laser treatment). It also only targets the superficial layer of skin tissue. The damaged skin is sloughed off and collagen is stimulated, revealing younger and healthier-looking skin.

Halo is a completely customizable laser treatment designed to precisely target the skin damage left behind from acne. A patient’s skin type, lifestyle, and downtime tolerance are all factors that go into treatment customization. And while Halo can provide stunning results from one initial treatment, your Dermacare expert will work with you to determine the best treatment plan for your scarring and if a series of Halo laser treatments are needed to obtain the best results.

BBL FotoFacial is a facial rejuvenation technology that uses light energy to target red and brown chromophores in your skin. Redness and brown spots are corrected, and skin cells are stimulated to produce collagen, restoring your skin to its natural beauty, blending its natural colors, and making it smoother, vibrant, and younger-looking.

The 29 Best Acne Scar Treatments That Actually Work

Light Chemical Peels are great for addressing PIH because they help remove the top layer of skin and allow it to regenerate. At Dermacare, our peels are highly customizable, so we formulate each to address each patient’s individual needs.

A good clinician will work with you to determine what kind of chemical peel would be best to start with for addressing your PIH. At , we typically use more conservative peels in the beginning and then work our way up to stronger peels if that’s what your skin needs. This is because we want to see how your skin reacts to the treatment.

Sun protection is extremely important to treating PIH. This is because exposure to the sun stimulates the melanocytes in the skin to produce darker pigmentation. So areas already darkened by PIH will become even darker if left unprotected from the sun. We recommend PIH patients wear a broad spectrum sunscreen, ideally containing a physical blocker (like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide), with at least 30 SPF daily.

Products To Help You Deal With Acne Scars

Medical-grade products are great for treating post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. This is because medical-grade skincare products work on a cellular level to actually improve the skin cells’ function. Products purchased from a retail store are not prescription-grade quality and often just mask the damaged skin instead of correcting the underlying problem.

There are a lot of products that can help, ranging from vitamin C serums to niacinamide to retinoids. Choosing the right one for your PIH can be tricky, so we always recommend consulting a professional.

Depending on the severity of your PIH, our Dermacare Experts may recommend products from brands such as AlumierMD, DefenAge, SkinMedica, and Image, as well as our own signature skincare line–MY Dermacare Skincare.

Acne Scar Treatment For Asian Skin

If you’re not sure if you have acne scars, post-inflammatory erythema (PIE), or post-Inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), don’t hesitate to give us a call! We offer free no-pressure virtual consultations where we can help you identify what is happening with your skin and recommend the best course of treatment to fit your budget and lifestyle.

Leon Garber is the President and CEO of Dermacare of Hampton Roads. He has over 11 years of experience in the industry. Dermacare is focused on providing great outcomes for our patients through top notch providers and concierge level service.When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site.

Melanie Rud is a Chicago-based writer with 10 years of experience covering beauty. She covers all things skincare for , from ingredients to acne advice.

Acne Scars Removal Cream, Acne Gel Acne Scars Cream, Acne Scars Removal, Skin Repair Treatment For Stretch Marks/burnscars/cuts/surgery Scars

Stacy Chimento, MD, is a board-certified Dermatologist currently residing in Bay Harbor Islands, FL. She has been trained in general medical, surgical and cosmetic dermatology and holds an expertise in acne, rosacea, body contouring, laser rejuvenation and injectable aesthetic treatments

/ Sabrina Jiang Let's start with one thing: If you have acne or acne scars, that's completely fine. It's a myth that skin has to be smooth and clear to be glowy and beautiful. You don't have to change anything about your skin (and we're not going to tell you to, either). That said, you're allowed to want to avoid scarring, lift discoloration, and fade acne scars. No shame either way. If you're interested in the latter, we can help. It’s important to keep in mind that not all types of acne scars are the same, and treating them also requires different approaches. “Acne can leave multiple types of scars. These are generally categorized into acne blemishes, atrophic acne scars, and hypertrophic acne scars, ” explains Dr. Y. Claire Chang, a board-certified cosmetic dermatologist. Acne blemishes are distinguished by a change in skin color; these can be either red marks or dark spots, the latter of which are referred to as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Atrophic scars, commonly referred to as ice pick scars, are caused due to a loss of collagen and elastin and show up as actual changes in the texture of the skin (think: crevices and pits). And finally, hypertrophic scars or keloids are caused by haphazard collagen production that occurs during the wound healing process and shows up as growths of excess skin. We conducted hours of research on the best acne scar treatments, evaluating each formula on active ingredients to fade discoloration or help fill in pits and even out skin texture, depending on what type of acne scar you're looking to treat. We considered how often you have to use each treatment, how long it takes to see visible results, and any extra benefits of the product, like youth boosting or active acne-fighting properties. After consulting with two board-certified dermatologists for their expert recommendations, we cross referenced their picks with top-rated fan favorites for options with the best value that are suited for each skin type, from oily to sensitive and everything in between. Worth noting, each pick on our list is safe for use and has been vetted by a board-certified dermatologist. Our Top Picks Best Overall: Murad InvisiScar Resurfacing Treatment at Amazon Jump to Review Best Budget: RoC Retinol Correxion Night Cream at Amazon Jump to Review Best Preventative: Dr.