Acne Scar Facial:
What to Expect and What to Avoid
What Is an Acne Scar Facial?
If you’ve got acne scars, you know how hard it can be to look good in a selfie or, for some of us, even in a mirror. Acne scars can be especially difficult to deal with because they don’t just appear on your face—they’re also in your head. The good news is that there are ways to treat acne scars, and many of them are fairly easy and painless. In this article, we’ll cover what you can expect from an acne scar facial, as well as some common mistakes people make when they get one done.
What Is an Acne Scar Facial?
An acne scar facial is a way to treat the physical mark left behind after an acne breakout. It usually involves cleaning up the skin with microdermabrasion (a gentle exfoliation technique) and then adding products designed specifically for treating acne scars. In some cases, lasers may also be used to help heal the skin more quickly.
What types of acne scars can be treated with microdermabrasion?
There are a variety of acne scars that can be treated with microdermabrasion. The most common types of acne scars that can benefit from microdermabrasion are ice-pick scars, rolling scars, and boxcar scars. Ice-pick scars are the deepest and narrowest form of scarring; they look like small dots or holes in your skin. Rolling scars are wider than ice-pick scars but still shallow, and they have a jagged appearance. Boxcar scars are not as deep as ice-pick or rolling, but they’re wide and shallow and have a sharp edge around them.
Microdermabrasion is also used to treat superficial acne scarring, which is typically not treated with other methods because it’s so thin and delicate—microdermabrasion can help reduce the appearance of these superficial scars without damaging the skin.
What to expect from an acne scar facial?
You’ve probably heard of the term “acne scar facial,” and you may have even seen one in action. But what exactly happens during a facial like this? And what should you expect during your first treatment?
The first thing to know is that acne scar facials are not for everyone. If you have active acne, it’s best to wait until your skin has cleared before getting an acne scar facial treatment.
Here’s how it works: your aesthetician will extract any acne lesions or blackheads, so they’re out of the way before beginning the rest of the treatment. Then she’ll apply a warm, damp towel over your face in order to soften up your skin and open up pores. She’ll then use a special tool called a microdermabrasion wand to gently remove dead skin cells from your face and neck area. This process helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles as well as acne scars by helping exfoliate away dull layers of dead skin cells that can make aging spots look more prominent than they really are.
Your aesthetician will likely use some kind of numbing cream during this step, which helps reduce any discomfort caused by the process itself (but not