Acne is a skin condition that usually occurs in adolescents. This skin condition is usually caused by the presence of a certain type of bacterium in the individual's skin. This bacterium allows the skin to fester and blemishes to grow and become infected. There are also some factors that add to the severity of acne. Poor hygiene, clogged pores and an excessive amount of sebum on the skin can actually make acne worse. Constant exposure to dust and dirt can also amplify the case of acne. Although, acne does not flare up often, it's effect is rather long lived and may need some degree of medication and treatment in order to control and manage it well.



This manifestation of this stage in an individual's life can be excruciating for a teenager; not because of the pain but because of the consciousness of being physically marred no matter how temporary it may be. There is also a big possibility that severe cases of acne can result to scars. There are many different causes of scars and there are also several kinds of scars that may occur.

Treating Acne Scars

Scars from this condition are easy to circumvent by treating acne early on. Prevention is basically the better way to "treat" scars that may result from this condition. Not every person is susceptible to scarring as a result from this skin condition. Many people emerged unblemished from acne even after severe bouts on the face and other parts of the body. On the other hand, some people who scar easily suffer from deep or big scars just from a moderate flare up. One can not know how the condition will affect each individual person or if scars will form in an individual or not until the acne and the scars clear up or stay.

There are some so called scars that are actually just post inflammatory pigmentations that result from injury to the skin. Some of these scars eventually fade away or fade to a lighter tone. People who are darker skinned are more prone to post inflammatory pigmentation than lighter skinned individuals. Many bouts of acne result to these so called scars. If the pigmentation does not totally fade away, there are many different lightening cosmetics that can actually help to erase them. These cosmetics can also help to eradicate any more bouts of acne as long as their composition is good at doing so. Not all cosmetics work for people, but the more well know to work are those with salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide. Consulting a dermatologist early can help to prevent the occurrence of deep scars or lasting pigmentation.

Deep scars or gouges can also be the result of acne. Most are called ice pick scars due to the fact that they look like a person's face was attacked by miniature ice picks. Treating these scars can be more difficult than treating hyper pigmentation. Collagen or fat injections are options for the deeper and more livid scars. Surgery and skin grafting are also other options for the more severe kinds of scars that may happen to a person who have suffered from acne. Shallow acne scars can be minimized in appearance by laser reconstruction, dermabrasion and microdermabrasion.

Individuals with keloid tendencies may have a difficult time getting rid of the scars that formed due to acne. Keloid is a skin condition where the person's skin reacts to injury by growing too much skin which will look like bums on the skin surface. One solution is to inject retinoid compositions into the surrounding area of the scars or keloid formation and hope for the best. This process may take longer than other ways to treat other kinds of scars.