Understanding Your Acne Scarring

Many parents understand how to deal with teen acne. Teenage acne is a common problem with many possible solutions, some as simple as making sure your teen has good personal hygiene and washes regularly. However, acne scarring is another matter entirely. As upsetting as acne can be to a teen, acne scarring can be even more distressing. As a parent it’s also harder to know what to do about acne scarring. Fortunately, there are approaches you can take to acne scars. Before you decide to proceed with treatment for acne scarring, it’s important to know what causes acne scarring.

Understanding Acne Scarring

First of all, what is acne scarring? Acne scarring refers to lesions on the face caused by acne that do not heal. They may appear as discolorations, raised bumps or pits in the skin. They can vary from barely noticeable to extremely unsightly, and while you may be able to cover them up to some extent, they do not go away.

What Causes Acne Scarring?

Some parents may feel responsible for their teen’s acne scars. It’s important to understand that while certain actions may lead to acne scarring, it can also occur without provocation. If acne is present, acne scars can occur. That being said, picking at acne, scratching acne, or squeezing and popping pimples definitely can lead to acne scarring. It is definitely a good idea to instruct your teens on how to handle their breakouts. Teens with acne should wash with cleanser and water regularly and use medication if necessary, but should never squeeze pimples or touch their pimples when not cleaning or medicating them. Even in these cases, it’s very important that your teen washes his or her hands thoroughly so as not to add additional dirt or bacterial to the acne affected area.

Acne Scarring Solutions

There are some home remedies for acne scarring, usually involving the application of some kind of citrus extract or juice. However, the most these remedies are likely to do is slightly improve the color of scar discoloration. To really remove acne scars, you will generally need some form of medical treatment. Popular acne scarring treatments include chemical peels, microdermabrasion and laser resurfacing. All of these methods involve removing the top layers of skin where the acne scars are located.

These treatments can be expensive and require several iterations to be fully effective, so you will need to decide if the effect of the scarring is severe enough to make this kind of treatment worthwhile.

Acne Scarring and Acne Treatment

The best way to handle acne scarring is preventatively. Acne scarring comes from acne, so if you can safely get rid of acne then you can protect the skin from acne scarring. If your teen is developing a serious case of acne, consult a dermatologist immediately for the best approach for dealing with said acne. In many cases, regular use of an acne control system with benzoyl peroxide as the active ingredient can be considerably helpful in dealing with acne breakouts.