Everybody encounters acne at some point in his or her life. Who hasn't woken up on school picture day to find a giant pimple on the tip of the nose? Who hasn't had a pimple erupt on the chin right before your first date with that special someone? Who didn't spend many dollars on facial cleansers and anti-acne creams during their teenage years?
Because we've all battled acne, chances are high that we have a few "battle scars" to show for it. If you were prone to picking, you know that acne scars are often worse than plain acne. After all, scars stick around for years—some people have them for the rest of their lives!
Acne scars happen when your body builds connective tissue to fix the parts of your skin that have been damaged by acne. Your white blood cells work together with healing antibodies to repair acne and picking damage and this is what causes the scar to appear.
So are you absolutely stuck with an acne scar once it appears? No! There are ways to treat and/or minimize the appearance of acne scars.
The first step to minimizing the appearance of acne scars is to find a solution that contains both alpha and beta hydroxy acids. Alpha hydroxy and Beta hydroxy are vitamins that help to increase the skin's healing speed which can help prevent acne scars from appearing in the first place.
Of course, the best way to keep acne scars away is to take care of your skin! Stay out of the sun. Eat a healthy diet. Use skin care products that contain benzoyl peroxide (unless, of course you are allergic to it).
If acne scars do appear, the best course of action is to leave the scar alone. Picking at the scar will make it more noticeable.
