Is acne scarring permanent?

Acne scarring, by the core nature of its name, sounds permanent. When we think of scars we think of badly healed wounds, uneven skin texture, and even some discolouration. Worst of all though, we think of these being with us for life. Acne feels great to beat and we can finally feel like we have control over our skin but being left with scarring is embarrassing and saps our victory. Is there a way to tackle it? Is acne scarring permanent?

You’ll be glad to know that no, acne scarring isn’t permanent. Let’s discover what it is and what we can do to fix it.

As anyone that suffered acne will tell you, it’s embarrassing and unsightly and can sometimes be painful. Certain prescription medications may help with clearing your skin and quietening your oil production, but sufferers are also warned not to pop their spots. This is because the skin is in trauma and it will react irrationally to any kind of spot breakage. Plus, the dirt and oils from your fingers could infect the spot and even make it worse.

Because acne inflames the skin, the affected area is already upset. This means that when you pop a spot, the skin will react quickly and brashly to close the sore to protect you from infection. Hasty healing means hasty skin cell and collagen production to close what the skin sees as a wound. Because this process happens quickly, they’re often over-produced and therefore create the dimpled or slightly risen scarring.

This scarring is common for spots that are picked at, but during aggressive bouts of acne even spots that are left well alone often heal into a scar. It’s important not to anger the skin while it’s already being troubled by acne, but the resultant scarring doesn’t have to be permanent.

How do I treat it?

We treat acne scarring by stimulating the same processes that cause the scarring in the first place, but in a much more controlled way. The treatments we use don’t anger the skin or cause it to react in a panicked fashion, but rather we enact a moderate stimulation of skin cells and collagen.

For example, microneedling is extremely effective at treating acne scars. This works best when the skin is not in immediate trauma. We use tiny needles to create tiny pinpricks in the skin, penetrating it to kick-start skin cell renewal. By lightly damaging the top layer of skin we force the body into its shedding cycle, sloughing away the damaged cells to make way for the fresh ones it is creating. These fresh cells essentially ‘push’ the scarring out from the inside, bringing with them a smoother complexion and fresh glow.

Our treatment of microdermabrasion works in a similar fashion to our microneedling, too. This device uses a crystal exfoliant head to intensely resurface the skin, removing the outer dead skin cells. This prompts positive skin cell turnover and starts the process of smoothing acne scarring.

Acne scarring doesn’t have to be permanent with Omniya and our skin specialists in Knightsbridge. We even offer free consultations, so you can tackle acne scarring with the treatment that is best for you. Enquire online today or call 020 7584 4777 to book your first appointment.