Ask anybody who has ever suffered from acne what was the least enjoyable part of the whole experience and probably the most possible answer will be the scars - acne scars that remain long after acne is gone. If having acne is considered bad, then what about having acne scars for several years more ? If acne scars are what you want to either avoid or get rid of, then a few tips are presented here ...

Prevention is better than cure

If you are still in the early stages of acne then you might want to consult a qualified dermatologist at the earliest to prevent acne from getting worse. Getting rid of acne fast can greatly reduce the chances of scarring later on. A qualified dermatologist can help determine your skin type and the particular triggers that may exacerbate your acne help you get rid of acne fast.

What if you already have scars?

Well, if your acne has already progressed beyond the initial stage of whiteheads and blackheads and you now have pimples and scars on your face, then you have to do two things at the same time - get rid of pimples and get rid of acne scars.

Before discussing how to eliminate acne scars, you may want to know...

What are acne scars?

Acne scars are caused when pimples either get inflamed or do not heal fully. Acne scars are formed when at least one of the layers of healthy skin is injured. When the skin is damaged and bleeding, the body forms new tissue fibers at the place to heal the wound and stop the bleeding. It is these tissues that may appear as a scar.

So getting rid of scars requires that the scar tissue be replaced by healthy tissue by some process or method.

Becoming completely free of acne scars that already have been formed depends on two things : 1) The severity of the scarring and 2) the treatment method you follow. The more severe the scarring, the more effort and time it may require before the scar can completely heal.

Treatment methods for acne scars

There are several methods to heal acne scars but in practice very few of them may be very effective. And some methods may have side effects that you may want to be aware of before you start such a program.

Laser Resurfacing: A carbon dioxide laser burns away the damaged skin, layer by layer. The depth of penetration is controlled. As the outer layers of damaged skin is removed, new skin cells begin to form as the healing process starts and in a few weeks, a younger looking smoother skin surface begins to appear. This is how the process is supposed to work, at least in theory. Laser resurfacing is a relatively new process and you might want to ask your dermatologist about the effectiveness of this method in healing acne scars.

Dermabrasion: This uses a spinning diamond instrument or a rotating wire brush to wear down the outer layers of the skin that have been damaged. And when the skin starts healing, younger and smoother skin will replace the old skin removed by abrasion. The healing process may take up to 3 weeks.

Chemical peels for acne scars: Acidic solutions are applied to the skin to peel away the damaged layers and the new skin that is formed is usually smoother. Chemical peels range from mild to deep penetration. Though chemical peels can be applied at home, it would be advisable to get a dermatologist to apply it.

Punch grafts: More suitable for deep and pitted acne scars, this method involves punching a hole to remove the scar and then removing a small piece of undamaged skin - usually from the area behind the ear - and using it to replace the damaged skin.

There are treatments for acne scars. But the question you may want to ask is...

Do They Work?

All of the treatments mentioned above seem to have a moderate success rate - while they seem to work well for others, some are less than delighted with these treatments. While results like these may be expected with any medical procedure, your face is a very important part of your life and you will want to be absolutely certain that any treatment will be beneficial to your sense of well-being and not otherwise.