8 solutions to reduce the appearance of acne scarring

By Iantha Yu 19 Feb 2019

Read the full article on BeautyCrew here.

If you’re experiencing red and inflamed spots on your face, then you may be suffering from acne. This skin disease can be caused by a hormonal imbalance (which can cause your oil glands to make excess oil), the contraceptive pill, a family history, medicines, and even simply using greasy cosmetics, which can alter the cells of your hair follicles and make them stick together, causing a plug or blockage in your pores.

Unfortunately, acne affects people of all ages, and is certainly not reserved for those in their teenage years. According to studies collated by Allergan, acne is more common in women, with 13.6 per cent of Australian adult females having acne, and five per cent of women still having blemishes at age 40.

As for the cause of acne, it can stem from skin with irritations such as pustules (pimples), nodules (painful and hard lumps under the skin) and cysts. When these sores become inflamed and then close up, it can result in acne scarring, which can look like dark spots and little holes in the skin.

“Acne scarring can be difficult to treat,” says Jodie King, owner of Skin Clinic Blyss. “This is due to textural changes in the skin, pigmentation, erythema (reddening) and more importantly, the depth of the scarring. The deeper the scarring, the more difficult to treat, so we often need to look at more than one type of treatment for improvement.”

But, all hope is not lost. If you’re wondering how to get rid of acne scars, here are eight of the best acne scar treatment options we recommend you try.

4 – With acupuncture

Acupuncture can do much more than relieve tension in your body; it turns out that this needling treatment can boost circulation in skin and regenerate tissue and collagen, which can reduce the appearance of acne scars on the face, as well as the body. “Cosmetic acupuncture can be really helpful in softening the appearance of acne scarring in the form of pitting and hyperpigmentation, which are dark spots of red and purple,” explains Dr. Vivian Tam, founder of Cosmetic Acupuncture Clinic. “Ultra-fine, painless needles are inserted in the affected area, which can boost blood circulation to promote healing, fade purple spots and scars, and allow fresh blood to come to the area. Scarring in the form of unevenness and pitting is softened as you are encouraging your skin to renew and regenerate tissue by promoting the production of collagen.” It’s recommended to have three to four sessions of the treatment to see a difference, and each treatment’s cost starts from $105.