How to Get Rid of Acne Scars Naturally? Ayurvedic Self Care

“Finally, after a long drawn out war, I am free from acne!” That was your exclamation when the breakouts finally came to an end. However, you soon realize that it was only a small piece of your journey to clear and healthy skin. And the ultimate battle with acne scars is yet about to begin!

What? Yes, right! Because after a while, these scars will just not leave your face alone. Often they are so disfiguring that you may start to consider your skin like a battlefield against acne. A war whose signs have still remained in the form of Acne scars.

These signs need to be cleared, and your skin deserves a chance to heal and flourish. And that’s why Medhya Herbals is here for you. To help you win the war altogether! And clear your battlefield with all natural holistic remedies from Ayurveda. So that your skin can be fine, smooth and sparkly again!

How Do Acne Scars Come About?

Well, for one, I do not want to question your intelligence by telling you that acne scars are a dirty result of acne outbreaks that were not handled well! So first learn here on What causes acne in the first place and how do I take care of it?

Now let’s look into the internal process scar development so that you can arm yourself with right information and handle your skin better!

Acne Scars develop when your skin starts to heal itself

1. Once the acne inflammation is brought under control, your skin is then left with the task of caring for itself and healing itself.
2. In this process, the skin begins to form new tissues to cover up the injured parts of the skin. It also manufactures collagen fibre to hold the new tissues together.
3. However, as the skin heals, it proceeds from the edges of the injured area, going inwards.
4. As a result, the new tissue patch has defined edges surrounding a somewhat elevated or depressed area.
5. It is this irregular area of skin that is thus known as a scar.

So, we can summarize all that and say that acne scars are scars that result after an acne outbreak. The breakout can penetrate the skin deeply enough to damage the tissues beneath it.

Acne Scars are of Different Types

We must first understand any condition in order to be able to effectively treat it. In the case of Acne Scars, we must understand that there are generally different types of scars, in two classes: Hypertrophic and Atrophic scars.

Hypertrophic Scars

The word ‘hypertrophic’ is generally used to refer to an increase or a gain. So, an hypertrophic acne scar is one in which there is a gain of tissues during the healing process. Due to this gain, the tissue area is larger, and has extra skin than before the wound or injury. One common hypertrophic scar type is the keloid scar.

Keloid Scar

This is caused by build up of collagen. It usually occurs when there is a genetic predisposition to this, and is more common in darker skinned people.

Atrophic or Depressed Scars

Atrophy generally refers to loss or decrease of tissue. It is opposite to the hypertrophic type. Scars of this type are more common and they are:

Ice Pick Scars

These could be superficial or deep. They are usually small with steep sides, like they have been chipped by an ice pick.

Fibrotic Scars

These have steep sharp edges and sharp margins that are reminiscent of chicken pox scars.

Rolling Scars

They are characterized by wide, deep and round edges with irregular rolling appearance.

Dark Spots

These are simple pigment discolorations. They appear as red, brown or purple, and often fade on their own.

Patience and Active Skin Care is Essential to Clear Acne Scars

The truth is that acne scars are a nightmare, whichever type it is. Sometimes, they are almost impossible to remove. Though most of them clear off with time, some will not even go away completely if you do not take steps to treat them. They really do take their time to clear off.

However, if it’s your face that is in question here, that time might seem like an eternity. You get disheartened each time you look in the mirror to find that the scar is still there.

First Handle the Skin Breakouts and then Remove the Acne Scars

Needless to say, it is unreasonable to attempt taking care of acne scars if the acne outbreak hasn’t been first taken care off. For one, some regimens that may be proposed for taking care of the scars might conflict with the treatment for the actual acne.

Besides this, if you go ahead and take care of the scars, with the underlying cause of acne breakouts not yet treated, then the acne will just come back next time, and then you’ll have more scars to worry about.

Conventional Methods to Clear Acne Scars

Selection of the method to clear acne scars, should depend on following factors:

• The type of acne
• The type of the scar
• The skin type of the person.

There are many conventional means out there for your skin to be free from acne, but also to get rid of acne scars. Some of the methods are presented below.

Use of Chemical Peels

Chemical peels can remove the smaller depressions, but are not effective for scars that are really deep. Aside that, this method is expensive, and to top it all off, it removes the epidermal layer of your skin completely, depriving you of that valuable line of defense against microbes.

Dermabrasion

This is more suitable for the deeper scars that chemical peels cannot reach. However, this method removes pigments from the skin, leading to depigmentation.

Laser Treatment

This is useful for particularly complex scar tissues. It costs a lot of energy though, and this high energy has to be delicately guided to the areas of skin it is to be applied on. Now, while dermabrasion causes depigmentation, Laser Treatment leaves you with hyperpigmentation spots.

Soft-Tissue Augmentation

Collagen is injected around the scar tissue to raise the depressed levels to an even level with the other skin in the area. Steroid Injection also works similarly, but with the use of steroids instead of collagen.

Microneedling

Here, a needle-studded roller is rolled over the scar, causing many tiny pricks on the skin. As the skin tries to heal these pricked spots, it naturally produces collagen to help it along in the process. The produced collagen then helps fill in the scar.

Alpha-Hydroxy Acids (AHA)

AHA and its variations can also work effectively, however they leave the skin highly dehydrated.

Effective Ayurvedic Remedies to get rid of Acne Scars

Nothing beats the natural healing processes that don’t break one body system to heal another. With Ayurveda, you can have holistic solutions to acne scars once and for all and heal your body of other alternative disorders as well.

An Ayurvedic solution comes as a full package with topical solutions, mindfulness, and a lifestyle and diet that would balance your body and mind. These topical remedies are highly effective and inexpensive. You can make these topical solutions at home for yourself.

Before you start looking for acne scar removal creams that cost you lots of money, you should try these first.

Face mask for acne scars

What you need:

• 4 tablespoons Manuka honey
• 4 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3 teaspoons plain yogurt
• 1 egg white

Directions to use:

• In a glass mixing bowl, combine all of the above ingredients.
• Mix with a fork until everything is well combined.
• Dip a clean rag into the mixture.

Place the rag over your face for about fifteen minutes. Rinse your face with lukewarm water.

Manuka and parsley mask

This homemade mask is beneficial for oily and acne-prone skin types. Honey helps moisturize and fight bacteria, while Parsley has properties to help fade acne scars.

What you need

• 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon raw honey
• 2 teaspoons kaolin

Directions

• Put the parsley, lemon juice and honey into your food processor or a blender. Blend until uniform and smooth.
• Add the kaolin, a little at a time, until you have a spreadable paste. For the best results, use this mask weekly.

Other useful remedies to get rid of Acne Scars

1. Rosehip seed oil/Aloe vera juice- apply to scar then moisturize. You can drink aloe vera juice too. These ingredients contain antioxidants and collagen promoters that help repair the damaged skin.
2. Peppermint essential oil.
3. Apple Cider Vinegar.

There are some things you shouldn’t do so you don’t worsen the scarring

1. Do not prick, pop or squeeze acne. It is the best way to give yourself a nice good scar afterwards.
2. Stay away from devices that ‘zap zits.’ In most cases, they are only useful for mild cases of pimples, not full-blown acne outbreaks. They use heat to kill the acne bacteria, and the heat will not help your inflammation.
3. Skin lightening lotions don’t work effectively. They cannot restore the collagen.
4. Do not spend long periods in the sun. If you must, please use natural sunscreens to protect your skin from sun damage.
5. Don’t run away from exercising. When you exercise, sweat comes out through the skin pores,. In the process, it cleans the skin from the inside out.
6. Finally, the best way to prevent scaring is to not do anything to make it worse.

Try the Acne-free diet

You can see tips on healthy eating and living here to cure acne and to prevent scars, but generally, you want to;

1. Stick to pitta-pacifying diet to prevent acne in the first place.
2. Embrace aloe-vera juice. Take 1 tbsp diluted aloe vera gel or aloe juice with warm water every morning.

Remember, your body is a microcosm of the universe, and like the universe, it was made to self-regulate, to take care of itself.