Acne is a common skin problem nowadays. Along with breakouts, acne leaves marks and scars after healing which can last for long time and become major cosmetic issues. When there is active acne, there is inflammation in the skin appearing as bumps or redness or pus-filled pimples; when they heal the skin of that area may become red or black pigmented (acne marks) or uneven to touch (depressed/raised acne scars) due to tissue defects.

Acne marks may fade with time and use of a good skincare regimen, but often require chemical peels and lasers for quick and complete resolution. Acne scars, on the other hand, can not be treated by applying any product or medicine and require procedures that go under the skin – like laser toning, laser resurfacing and Microneedling to fill up the tissue defects.

Facewash containing salicylic acid, glycolic acid, tea tree oil etc are recommended for use in active acne and acne marks. These can remove oiliness of the skin and lighten the marks. However, doctor consultation is necessary before using active products on the face as they can also cause dryness and irritation on unprepared skin. Your dermatologist may recommend you gentle skincare products including facewash along with your medicines. Once the active acne is reduced, laser or Microneedling can be planned for acne scars that are left behind.

Acne can often leave scars after healing. Acne scars may be pigmented – where there is colour change to red or blackish skin without any texture change, or raised/depressed – which can be felt by touch.

Pigmented scars, if untreated can take upto a year or more to heal. If you have pigmented scars and you want an improvement, you should start with a good skincare regimen to give your skin the best chance to heal. Consult a dermatologist who can prescribe you creams for lightening the marks. Procedures such as chemical peels and laser toning, if taken regularly for a few sessions can help treat the pigmentation much faster. Please ask your doctor about them.

Acne scars which can be felt by touch usually do not go away if not treated and often become apparent even on makeup. They need specialised treatments done by dermatologists. Raised scars are often treated with small injections or laser resurfacing, while depressed scars can be treated by inducing collagen under the skin which can fillup the lost tissue. Collagen inducing procedures most commonly include Microneedling radiofrequency and fractional laser which are minimally invasive procedures done under anesthesia. They require multiple sessions.
Do not expect your acne scar to heal by two weeks without any treatment. Please consult a dermatologist for detailed evaluation and possible results with a timeline.

Teenage acne can often leave marks and scars after healing. The marks, also called post acne pigmentation, appear as red or blackish discolouration on the skin, and they slowly fade over time (may take a year or more) even if not treated as the skin heals from within. However, using a good skincare regimen and products suggested by your dermatologist can help treat it much faster.

For scars that appear as depressions on the face (most common) on your cheeks, forehead and chin, and raised scars (less common) there is tissue defect in the skin which occurred during healing. This defect needs to be treated, otherwise the scar may be permanent or long lasting. Depressed scars need collagen induction to fill up, which can be done by Microneedling radiofrequency or fractional lasers. Raised scars can be treated by small injections and ablation by laser or cautery. These procedures require anesthesia and may have downtime, so they should be done after detailed consultation with a doctor. Multiple sessions may be required.

Start with a good skincare regimen with mild cleanser, moisturiser and a suitable sunscreen usage daily to improve your skin quality – this can help faster healing. Next, talk to your dermatologists regarding available options, budget and timeline. He/she can also explain about the expected results.

It is difficult to know with the first bout of active acne about the extent of scarring. Please visit a dermatologist to get your skin checked and give detailed history of previous acne or acne scars if any. Acne, even small whitehead like acne can leave deep scars, and such scars are permanent and do not fade without treatment. However, if treated adequately and on time, acne scars can be prevented.

The first requirement for healing of acne without marks and scars is an excellent skincare regimen of cleanser, moisturiser and sunscreen tailored to your skin, preferably of non-comedogenic products. Avoid scratching or plucking your acne, and intake good amount of water and fresh fruits and vegetables, as processed and sugar containing foods can increase inflammation and scarring. In case you want to put on makeup for any occasion, choose light, water based, breathable products and remove makeup at the end of the day.

Your dermatologist can give you oral or topical antibiotics and retinoids to help early healing of acne with minimum complications. Chemical peel like salicylic acid peel or azelaic acid peel can also help resolve active acne as well as treat the existing marks and scars. Such treatments should be undertaken only under medical supervision. Avoid using OTC products and oils to self-treat your acne as such steps can further damage your skin barrier and cause more scarring and pigmentation.

Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid used quite commonly for acne treatment. It acts by penetrating inside clogged pores and removing the dead skin cells and bacteria thereby reducing inflammation in acne. It also reduces oil secretion by the glands, hence reducing chance of blockage. Salicylic acid in small percentages – 2% SA can be incorporated in cleansers, toners and serums for regular use.

As for acne scars, salicylic acid acts as a keratolytic and exfoliates the upper damaged layer of skin, allowing new brighter skin to generate from the lower layers. This can lighten acne marks and improve mild acne scars. However, this needs a larger concentration – chemical peels with 15-30% salicylic acid with multiple sessions under medical supervision can help. Deeper and older scars do not respond to salicylic acid as they often need procedures like deeper peels, lasers, microneedling which can penetrate below the epidermis and stimulate collagen formation.
Though salicylic acid use has multiple benefits, be careful while introducing it in your skincare regimen. It can cause dryness, redness and irritation if not applied correctly. Using salicylic acid on dry, damaged skin with inadequate barrier can even cause burns and marks which creates new cosmetic problems. A good skincare regimen with moisturised skin and adequate sunprotection is essential. Use of other active products like retinoids should also be done cautiously with this acid as simultaneous use can increase irritation and dryness. Consult a dermatologist for best treatment of your acne scars and advice about using salicylic acid on your skin.

Acne scar is a common complication of acne which mainly occurs following severe and inflammatory acne (occasionally small comedones can cause it too). Due to inflammation, the tissue doesn't heal properly and defects remain on the face which may be visible even under makeup and from a distance. Such scars are often permanent if not treated.

Red-black pigmentation following acne which some categorise as acne scars do fade with time, but that requires months to years by itself. You can go for chemical peels, laser toning and carbon peel for quick improvement of such scars. However if you have raised or depressed scars which can be felt by touch, you would need multiple sessions of procedures like local injections of steroids, microneedling radiofrequency and laser resurfacing to make any significant difference. This would have to be done under medical supervision with careful pre and post procedure care.

If you have current active acne, the best plan would be to treat the breakout so that acne scar doesn't occur or occurs minimally. For that your doctor may prescribe you medicines to apply or do a chemical peel like salicylic acid peel to keep the inflammation down.

Start with a good skincare regimen consisting of non comedogenic sunscreen, mild cleanser and moisturiser, and avoid makeup to heal the current crop of acne. Visit a dermatologist for proper diagnosis and treatment.

To know whether creams work on acne scar, you need to know how scar is formed. Inflammation in active acne prevents proper healing and causes scars by either blood vessel dilation (red scars), pigment deposit (black marks), inadequate growth (depressed/atrophic scars) or excess growth of tissue (raised/hypertrophic scars). While the red-black marks can fade with time (months to years), the tissue defects remain permanently unless treated.

Creams are commonly used to treat active acne, when they can act in different ways e.g. Retinoids can reduce oil secretion and release clogged pores, antibiotics kill the bacteria and exfoliating agents remove the dead skin cells of the upper layer.

Red-black scars may be treated by creams as they are superficial. Lightening and exfoliating creams like those containing glycolic and salicylic acid, retinoids can remove the top layer and pigment deposits under the skin. Early raised scars can be treated by certain creams which help dissolve the excess tissue. Retinoids can help regenerate tissue in very mild atrophic scars.

However, deep pigmentation and tissue defects can't be treated by creams as creams can't penetrate deep under the skin or modify tissue defects. If scars are old, creams may have no effect.

Such scars need procedures going deeper. Chemical peels can exfoliate the skin while laser toning can treat marks and mild scars. Depressed scars need collagen production to fill up the defects by microneedling radiofrequency, laser resurfacing etc.

Please consult your dermatologist to know which cream/treatment would be best suitable for you.

Inflammatory acne causes acne scars. Scars may be pigmented- black/red discoloration, or textural changes - raised or depressed scars that felt by touch. Severe scars are visible at a distance and may not be conpletely coverable by makeup.

Pigmentation fades naturally, but can take months to years. However, the textural change in skin due to actual tissue/collagen defect cannot heal by itself. They remain permanently and can even worsen with age and deteriorating skin quality.

The best way to treat acne scars is by taking action when you have breakouts so that bad scars do not form at all. Maintain a good skincare regimen with mild sunscreen, cleanser and moisturiser. Take healthy diet and avoid stress to naturally improve acne and acne marks. Tea tree oil, aloe vera, rosehip oil can be used to treat acne prone skin and marks. With regular usage they can improve the skin quality.

Once acne scars form, natural remedies cannot heal them completely. Collagen stimulating procedures like microneedling radiofrequency and fractional laser, injections for raised scars, minor surgical procedures etc are recommended by dermatologists for treating textural acne scars. Chemical peels like salicylic acid, lactic acid and mild laser toning can help with acne marks.

You can try natural remedies at early stages of acne or to improve skin quality. But visiting a dermatologist for proper diagnosis and treatment is recommended. Once you understand the mechanism of action for the treatment options, you can decide what you are comfortable with, as they mostly act by improving skin's natural healing capacity without harming the skin.

Acne scars are caused by tissue defects during healing of acne. They include red and black discoloration of skin and textural changes like depressed/atrophic scars and raised/hypertrophic scars.

The discolorations are usually due to blood vessel dilation or excess pigment deposition, which can sometimes be corrected over time by skin itself, though it can take years. Atrophy/hypertrophy cannot heal on their own as it needs tissue remodelling at a higher level.

Multiple creams are available in the market claiming to heal acne scars, but the conponents must be studied well to understand which of them can act on acne and acne scars, and to what extent.

Starting with mild non comedogenic skin care products- sunscreen, cleanser and moisturiser is recommended as the first step.
If you rely on creams, they treat active acne more than scars. Topical antibiotics like clindamycin, retinoids like adapalene and benzoyl peroxide acts on active acne and prevents scars from forming at all.

Red/black scars can be treated by creams containing anti inflammatory and lightening agents like salicylic acid, glycolic acid, azelaic acid and tretinoin. They reduce pigment and exfoliate skin. Deeper marks may need chemical peeling/laser toning along with creams.

Atrophic and hypertrophic scars don't respond well to creams. Retinoids can help with mild scars while silicone gels can reduce hypertrophy to some extent, but significant reduction requires procedures like laser and microneedling. Please consult a dermatologist to know the best treatment for the scars you have.

Acne scars are of different types and there is no single treatment that acts on all types. Scars occur due to inflammation while acne is healing. There may be excess pigment deposition turning skin black, blood vessel distortion turning skin red, or extra/deficient skin formation leading to depressed and raised scars.

Mederma contains onion or allium cepa extract which has an antibacterial and anti inflammatory property. If applied during the healing of acne or while scar is red and itchy, it can reduce the inflammation and the severity of the scars. But it has minimal effect on pigmentation and cannot effectively treat black spots. Also, old acne scars with textural defect where there is no active inflammation do not respond to onion extract at all.

Thus such creams can be used as an adjunctive treatment along with other medicines and procedures to improve active acne and scars, but they cannot heal all scars on their own with solo use. Please visit your dermatologist to know what treatment will be the best for your acne marks and scars and whether you can expect any improvement with onion extract creams.