Acne Scarring

Perhaps unsurprisingly, acne scarring is one of the most widely-shared skin concerns. Around 80% of people between the ages of 11 and 30 will get acne, and of those, at least 1 in 5 will experience some sort of scarring. It can be an incredibly frustrating experience, trying everything in your power to treat inflamed, painful acne — gingerly treating your face so as not to make it angrier — only to end up with stubborn scars. While scarring can indeed be difficult to address, there are several treatment possibilities that can truly improve the appearance of acne-scarred skin. But first, let’s take a look at why scarring even happens in the first place. 

What causes acne scarring? 

Acne scars develop when acne-affected pores swell and become inflamed, leading to a breakdown in the pore’s tissue health. Some pimples are relatively minor and do not penetrate the skin deeply enough to cause scarring, but many times, when a pimple or breakout sits deeper beneath the skin’s surface, the surrounding tissue becomes damaged, even if we do our very best not to pick at it. Our bodies respond to this tissue damage by producing collagen to grow healthy, new skin, but things can get a little tricky  — a surplus of collagen production can result in a raised scar, and insufficient collagen production will result in an indentation in the surface of your skin. 

What can be done about it? 

You’ve got options, but it’s important to remember that the best choice will be different for everyone depending on the degree of scarring and other factors like skin type, tone, and genetics. While severe scarring often responds best to intensive procedures like chemical peels, dermabrasion, and laser resurfacing, these treatments can be quite costly and require downtime. For more moderate scarring, there are proven topical ingredients, like vitamins C, E, and peptides, that can genuinely work wonders to reduce the appearance of scars and encourage healthy collagen production. 

The importance of vitamins and peptides: 

Vitamins C and E are widely regarded as two of nature’s most powerful antioxidants, both working to protect skin from photoaging and free radical damage while also acting as anti-inflammatory, brightening, and healing agents. By neutralizing free radicals, quality forms of vitamins C and E, like those found in Vital Face Oil, encourage the skin’s natural healing process, allowing for new cells to grow and replace damaged scar tissue. Vitamin C in particular can help to prevent pesky hyperpigmentation that so often accompanies scarring. Topical peptides, such as the tetrapeptide-38 in Elixir Firming Serum, work by signaling the skin to go into repair mode, increasing the production of collagen and elastin to bring healthy, smooth, and even skin to the surface. In combination, the topical application of these antioxidants and peptides can visibly improve the appearance of scarring without having to endure invasive, expensive procedures. 

So while dealing with acne scarring is certainly frustrating and can even seem downright unfair, don’t be discouraged. With an approach that suits your skin, acne scarring can definitely be addressed. 

https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/acne/derm-treat/scars

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673383/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7756752/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4570086/

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21222-acne-scars