So what can be done about acne scars?

The first and best way to deal with acne scars is to avoid them, because once acne causes scarring, it is extremely hard to shift.

So whenever you have a breakout of acne it's essential to get proper treatment as soon as it appears. There's a whole range of highly effective acne medicine on the market these days, it's just a case of experimenting with different treatments until you find the right one for your skin. Beyond that, it's important to resist the temptation to squeeze or pop your acne pimples. Applying pressure to the inflamed area can cause extra damage to your skin, making the acne scarring worse.

However, I realise that won't help you much if you've already got acne scars, so here are the best ways to deal with acne scars that have already formed.

But at this point, it's important to bear in mind the difference between acne scars and acne stains on the skin. Unlike scarring, skin that has been stained or discolored by acne will slowly fade over time. In some cases these acne stains will disappear completely.

There are two main types of acne scar; the keloid scar and the "ice pick" scar.

Keloid scars are caused by the build up of collagen when the skin tries to heal itself, resulting in a raised area of scarring. In comparison, an "ice pick" scar is a depressed area of skin that looks as though it could have been caused by an ice pick, hence the name.

There are a number of different treatment options for acne scars, including; laser resurfacing, chemical peels, dermabrasion, augmentation etc. However these treatments are complex, costly and the end result may not look the same as unaffected skin.

Dermabrasion: This technique involves the surgical scraping of the skin to create a new smooth surface. It works well on shallow acne scars and costs perhaps $1500 per treatment.

Laser Removal: This expensive treatment uses a laser to remove the damaged layers of skin. Studies have shown encouraging levels of improvement after laser treatment for acne scars, with an average improvement of 50% to 75% in 90% of cases after three treatments.

However, the main drawback is the cost of this procedure. Depending upon the size of area affected and the number of treatments required it could cost anything from $600 to $6000, with the average cost being in the region of $3000.

Chemical Peels: This treatment is less expensive than either dermabrasion or laser resurfacing at approximately $750 per treatment. However, this technique is less effective that either of these alternatives and can only be used on minor acne scars.

Augmentation: This treatment relies upon injecting collagen or the patient's own fat into the area of scarring until it is level with the skin of the surrounding area. However, this is a costly treatment and it's not permanent as the body will get rid of the injected substance over time. And due to the nature of the treatment it's only suitable for depressed areas of scarring and not keloid scars.

Punch Techniques: This technique involves using a biopsy tool to remove the area of scarring and then stitching the area. The aim is to replace a scar with a smaller scar which will respond better to further treatments such as dermabrasion.