Acne Scar Treatments

Patience is key when treating acne scars

There is often some confusion between true acne scars and simple post-acne marks, says skin-care expert Paula Begoun. "Although people often refer to such marks as acne scars, they are really post-inflammatory hyper-pigmentation marks, which appear as your body heals," she says. These marks generally go away within six months as your skin repairs itself. Still, there are a few treatments that you can use that may hasten the process.

Salicylic, lactic and/or glycolic acid products, like Jan Marini Bioglycolic Bioclear Lotion (*Est. $60 for 1 oz.) help to gently resurface the upper layers of skin and shed dead skin cells. Antioxidant formulas (see our reports on facial moisturizers and wrinkle creams for suggestions) protect the skin from further damage and help the skin to heal itself. Retinoid products such as Retin-A help to promote collagen growth, thus making pigmentation marks less visible.

CosMedix Define Vitamin A Resurfacing Treatment (Est. $80 for 1 oz) is recommended by editors at TotalBeauty.com. The formula relies on lactic acid and retinol to exfoliate and brighten skin while boosting collagen production. The process may help hasten the fading of red or brown post-acne marks. Unfortunately, we didn't find any other reviews for the formula, and it's unclear whether editors at TotalBeauty.com actually tested the product.

For true acne scars, which are caused by damage to deeper layers of skin due to severe and/or cystic acne, professional treatment is required. Editors at WebMD.com recommend fractionated laser technology and/or filler injections. According to editors, "... laser skin resurfacing using fractionated laser technology can even out the skin surface and increase new collagen formation to help fill in acne scars." Results can be seen in one to three sessions. Filler injections, on the other hand, can also help by filling in indentations, but they need to be repeated every four to six months.

There weren't many strong reviews for products used to treat acne scars; therefore, we didn't pick a Best Reviewed product for this category.