How long does it take for acne scars to fade away?
get dove soap use that everyday….http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AivkRJwf.r60wdiQ5Pwcf8_sy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20100615174147AA8jAI0I would suggest going to a dermatologist to find out what would best help you since everyone’s skin is different. Or if you can’t get to one or you just really don’t want to go try differin or retin-a.
Hope I helped.
By acne scars, I’m assuming you mean areas that have darkened from the inflamation. From what I know, it takes (depending on the severity) anywhere from a month to a year – but that’s only with major scars which I doubt you have. But rest assured, they DO fade on their own eventually, so don’t let anyone scare you.
As for treatments, treating acne will prevent scars from ever forming, but for preexisting ones, there are a variety of different fading/lightening treatments. They’re usually in the form of creams or serums, and they range from drug store creams to high end expensive department store ones. What they do is inhibit melanin production to gradually fade the appearance of the dark spot. They either use natural ingredients or chemicals such as hydroquinone, which I’m a little skeptic about, because it has already been banned in several countries and is harsh on the skin. It’s generally better to use something without this chemical. It might take longer but its better than risking harming your skin.
I haven’t gotten the chance to try anything yet (I have awful acne scars too), but research something that is best suited for your skin type and individual situation. I’ve heard stories of drug store creams working just fine, so more expensive doesn’t necessarily mean better.
I’ve also heard that mederma helps with acne scars, although I’m not sure how it helps, because it seems like its more for softening scars caused by accidents than lightening dark spots, but it might help you. Also, anti-aging creams (which there are a VAST supply of) tend to have ingredients that inhibit melanin production. Some anti-acne products also claim to help with scars, so they might be worth a shot.
You want to make sure you limit sun exposure and use sunscreen (which you should ALWAYS do) when using these. Also, please don’t try using any cream that doesn’t seem legit. Use your better judgement. Some creams that claim to make your skin fairer can really damage it. Stick to looking for products in reputable stores. And keep in mind that you won’t get results overnight; it takes several weeks to see full results.
I wish I could reccommend something to you but I haven’t used anything yet so I don’t honestly know what’s the best product to use. If you really want a good opinion, see a dermatologist.
if you don’t want to use a store product, I’ve heard that bio-oil, lemon juice, and potato juice (I’ve tried this and its more trouble than its worth) can be helpful.When I have had bad acne breakouts, I have used vitamin E oil to help with the healing process. As soon as you recognize you have a problem, add the vitamin E oil, don’t wait. After scarring heals, it’s really too late to try to change things. I’m African American so when I have acne, they usually leave a blemish and sometimes scarring. The vitamin E plus a product like Esoterica or Porcelana helps to lighten the area and take away hyperpigmentation. Be extra careful not to handle your face too much as this is a great way to infect the acne sores and cause scarring as well.
Now to the question, how long will it take and what will help. It depends, if you are just doing the wait and see approach, more than likely your acne scars won’t go any where. There is a process called a chemical peel that will probably work over time. The peel takes away the old skin on top and promotes healthy new skin growth underneath the skin that is being peeled away. It’s a process, but I think you can get some pretty good results over a long period of time like 6 months to 1 year if you put yourself on a regimen and remain faithful with it.
Below is an article I found on chemical peels and how they are used.Lemon juice, baking soda, honey, cinnamon!
Dark/Discolored Scars
Use a Q-Tip to dab on the lemon juice onto the scars
Make a paste with water and baking soda, apply to face for 3-10 minutes, depending how bad they are, and how sensitive your skin is
“Hole” scars
Put Honey on your face as a mask before you go to bed, wash off in the morning
If you use powdered cinnamon, mix in with honey and use as a mask, just like with plain honey
Honey will also work on dark scars, not as effective as lemon juice or baking soda though.
*Powdered Cinnamon is optional but will help!*Use a mild soap for sensitive skin but it doesn’t matter exactly what type of soap you use. It can be designed for acne-prone skin or not, but you will want to treat your skin gently. Harsh antibacterial soap may actually make your acne worse by irritating skin.
Remove dead skin cells regularly by exfoliating. Use a gentle scrub with natural defoliants like ground walnut shells, or use an over-the-counter chemical defoliant like salicylic acid or glycolic acid. Adding ground walnut shell to a thick moisturizer like cocoa butter can be effective too. Take caution, because over-exfoliating can actually increase the likelihood of acne by irritating the skin. Pat dry, rather than rubbing, since rubbing can cause irritation to the fresh skin you’ve just revealed.
Use a good toner. Spray onto face or wipe on with a cotton ball and wipe off with a clean, dry cotton ball. This gets rid of excess cleanser and tightens pores. Good, inexpensive choices include plain witch hazel for normal to dry skin, lemon juice, or 3% hydrogen peroxide for oily skin. 70% ethyl rubbing alcohol can also be used for severe oiliness, but it can really dry out your skin and irritate it more. Some toners are medicated, and this stage is the best for using a medicated product if you’re only going to use one medication.
Bacteria in pores is one cause of spots. Reduce the amount of bacteria by using toners containing anti-bacterial agents like alcohol, peroxide and benzalkonium chloride, and by using creams that contain benzoyl peroxide (ask your doctor about benzaclin, with moisturizer if you have dry skin, as it works better than just plain benzoyl because benzoyl takes up to 8 weeks before improvement is seen) which kill bacteria as well as cause the skin to regenerate faster. …
Acne Scars: How To Prevent Them
Acne scars happen when some spots on your skin become sore and didn’t heal as it should be. While scarring for a few people appear to depend on genetic factors or skin color, safety measures can be taken for acne scar prevention and medication are easily accessible to considerably lessen the scarred skin’s appearance.
Scars are formed at the area of an injury or damage to the tissue. They are the evident memento of a damaged and repaired tissue. In the terms of acne, the damage is caused by the body’s allergic reaction to bacteria, dead cells and sebum in the plugged sebaceous follicle.
There are two kinds of scars that exist:
A. Depressed section like the pitted acne scarring or scars that resemble ice-pick wounds, and
B. Raised thickened tissue such as keloids. When a body tissue has gone through an injury, the part of the body that have the work to heal it, rushes to the site in order to repair it. Think of this, when you have injured the skin, all the repair and immune system are automatically activated; whereas elements such as the inflammatory molecules, regenerative elements and white blood cells, they have the work of repairing tissue and fighting infection. In spite of this, when their work is finished they may leave behind an untidy repair site in the shape of eroded tissue or fibrous scar tissue. But it isn’t always that way. White blood cells and inflammatory molecules may stay within the vicinity of active acne wound for days or even weeks. For some people who are vulnerable to scarring the outcome may be an acne scar. In the meantime, the cases of scarring are still not very well recognizable, though. There is a substantial variation in scarring among different people, it is only indicative that some individuals are more easily scarred than others. Scarring is usually the outcome of acute inflammatory nodular cystic acne that takes place under the skin. But, scarring can also occur from more shallow irritated lesions.
As the pimples manifest itself, here are things that can be done for acne scar prevention. The best prevention for scarring is by getting rid of the acne. Skin care experts and dermatologists can utilize many ways to improve the scarring which was brought about by acne. The acne scar prevention treatment must always be particularized for the certain patient or individual.
Chemical peels can be applied to some patients, while laser abrasion or dermabrasion may be more applicable for others. It is crucial that the acne be well manageable before any procedure is undertaken to remedy the scarring.
The acne scar prevention treatments can help acne scars look better and give the feeling of smoothness. You can ask your doctor or health professionals about them. Likewise, the best cure for you is dependent on how grave the scarring is. You can have scar tissue eradicated or you can choose to have a shot of collagen. Collagen smoothen the pitted scar by inflating the skin underneath.
Acne scars occurs soon as you pinch the pimple or squeeze it out. That is to say, that popping and squeezing are not the way for acne scar prevention but the other way around. The deeper you have pricked the skin, the darker and uglier is the mark.