Breakouts = stress, especially as they can sense when you definitely don’t want them to appear. It’s like they also receive notifs when something important is about to appear on our social calendars. But for some, the stress doesn’t exactly stop when they’re on their way out as some of these pimples will leave long-term marks and scarring.
So, how can you get rid of acne scars? Rule number 1: Don’t squeeze that pimple (seriously, don’t!). Rule number 2: Book yourself in for acne scar treatments as soon as the skin is fully healed – the longer you wait, the harder it’ll be to lighten your acne scars.
Thankfully, not all pimples will leave marks behind, but why is it that a giant zit that feels like it could be seen from another planet that you were so sure was going to scar, left no trace of existence whatsoever?
Well, acne scars are caused by significant inflammation deep beneath the skin’s surface that doesn’t always happen with every breakout. When a pore becomes overloaded with dead skin cells, excess oils, or bacteria, it’ll swell up and rupture. If this happens towards the surface of the skin, you’re usually safe from scarring as the rupture won’t cause as much damage. But when it happens deeper below, more damage can occur, such as a break in the follicle wall causing the infected material to overflow into the dermis and harm healthy skin tissue.
To fix the damage, the skin products new collagen fibres, but sometimes this can be a bit of a botched job, leaving the skin rougher and darker than before. Papules, pustules, nodules, and cysts are all types of acne that tend to have more inflammation.
Acne scars are also more likely to occur if your guilty pleasure is pimple picking or you have a genetic tendency to scar. If this sounds familiar, we recommend taking no chances and treating acne before you find out whether or not it’ll scar.
If left alone without any acne scar treatment, they can become permanent. But there are treatments available to significantly clear and lighten acne scars.
SIGNATURE CHEMICAL PEELS – Our Signature Chemical Peels are one of our most recommended treatments to get rid of light-medium acne marks by removing the outer layer of damaged skin cells with a chemical solution that causes them to fall off over the next few days. These skin cells are then replaced by new skin cells over 2-3 weeks (depending on your skin) which are smoother and lighter in appearance, reducing pimple marks.
MICRONEEDLING – If you have tougher acne scars, microneedling is your best bet. The minimally invasive acne scar treatment features a microneedling pen that gently pricks the skin with tiny needles to break down old scar tissue and create micro wounds to stimulate collagen in the area – promise it’s not as bad as it sounds. It’ll also help to lighten acne scars by encouraging and bringing new skin cells to the surface.
AQ GROWTH FACTOR FACIAL – Similar to microneedling, this facial treatment reduces pimple marks by inserting healing proteins through small incisions to speed up the process, whilst separating old scar tissue so it can be broken down. It’s most suitable for deep acne scar removal as it kickstarts the production of new collagen beneath the skin as well as injecting it from the outside for a double whammy. Plus, if you still have active acne, the proteins featured in the AQ Growth Factor Facial will also help them to heal faster and reduce the chances of scarring.
