Acne Skin Damage and Treatment Options

Most people have breakouts during their lives that leave residual scarring that can be more or less visible for some period of time. Use the tips below to care for your skin and address any scarring you may have from acne.

If you have breakouts that are leaving your skin looking damaged, consider visiting a dermatologist to prevent your breakouts. Successful prevention will help reduce the need to address skin damage after acne breakouts. Another benefit of obtaining treatment for your acne rather than trying to correct its aftermath such as scarring is that treatment is usually covered by health insurance and the costs of trying to address scarring afterwards is frequently not addressed by health insurance and is considered a cosmetic surgery.

Much skin damage resulting from breakouts can heal and become less noticeable over time. Some dermatologists will suggest that you wait for periods of up to two years before taking more complicated measures to help minimize the appearance of acne scarring. In the meantime, using makeup to smooth your skin's appearance can be a helpful way of reducing the appearance of acne scarring. Maintaining prevalent attitudes about the sun including avoiding prolonged exposure and using sun block is advised for all skin including for those with acne. Sometimes individuals will believe the appearance of acne scarring is reduced by having a tan but it can actually make scarring worse while it's exposing the rest of your skin to skin damage. Over the counter solutions that promise reduction in the appearance of acne scarring should always be considered only after you talk with your physician.

Today laser therapy can be used both for acne treatments and for acne scarring. If you have acne, ask about these treatments and whether they might be helpful for your acne. In addition to preventing scarring by reducing breakouts, these treatments can be covered by health insurance when they are administered as part of acne treatment rather than as cosmetic solutions to acne scarring. Laser treatments can effectively reduce the appearance of acne scarring.

Different types of laser treatments for acne scarring are available. The most powerful form of laser treatment will often be called ablative. This type of laser amounts to skin resurfacing and burns away scar tissue. In addition to being the most expensive form of acne scar treatment, there are other risks associated with ablative lasers that you should consider with your doctor before deciding to undergo this type of treatment for your scars. There are also non-ablative laser therapies available to you to treat acne scars. In this instance, the lasers are designed to stimulate collagen production and are helpful because collagen helps repair the skin.

Fillers are sometimes used to treat acne scarring alone or in combination with other treatment. Although fillers can be an effective way to treat scarring, as in all medical procedures there are risks and the filler will likely have to be redone periodically to maintain its beneficial effect on the appearance of scarring.

Acne scarring can negatively impact the way you feel about your appearance. Use the tips above to consider acne scarring treatments choices that you can consider to address your acne scarring.