The truth is that acne scar removal has really come a long way from back in the days of just letting the complexion heal and correct on its own. Now, we have an entire billion-dollar industry that is dedicated to helping people get past the skin trauma of debilitating breakouts, burns, chickenpox, accidents and skin stretching. As a result of this, treating acne and other related scars has gotten easier and less invasive with time. You no longer have to endure painful abrasive procedures designed to chip away acne scars and stimulate regrowth and regeneration of smooth skin.

Having said that, the key to getting rid of acne scars is to commence treatment as soon as you have recovered from a breakout or injury. Letting the scars sit for longer only makes it incredibly difficult to get rid of them when you finally decide to start working on minimizing the scarring. Speaking of which, the scars typically come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors; right from pinkish and light scars to box car and deep scars left over from an aftermath of cystic acne.

While there are some popular scar treatments and creams out there that dermatologists may recommend to help you diminish the scars, the best of them often share a collection of medical ingredients, as a trademark and highlight of their legendary effectiveness. Here are some of them, and how they are adapted to clearing different types of acne scars.

1. Silicone for Oily Foreheads and Keloid Scars

It  is virtually almost impossible to come across an effective acne scar fading cream that does not have silicon as one of the active ingredients. You see, the essence of having silicon feature in any acne spot treatment or scar remover  product is to create an optimum environment for the healing of the marks and blemishes.

What’s more, silicone can also be used as a topical treatment, either by itself or in the form of a gel. It is not uncommon, after all, for silicon sheets to be pressed on injuries to speed up recovery and closing up of the skin.

As far as acne scars go, however, silicone is best adapted to clearing scarring from  deep, visible and angry-looking scars. It is also excellent at smoothing and reducing redness of an uneven textured face by plumping it out to minimize the rippling effect left behind by a standard acne breakout. Besides, silicone also supports the reduction of redness by creating a  smooth ‘film-like ensemble’ over the scarred skin which explains why you will find in most effective microdermabrasion primers.

Silicone-based acne scar removers and creams are best designed for hypertrophic and keloid scars that can prove a tad too stubborn and aggressive for other non-invasive procedures.

2.  Rose Hip for Scars and Marks Left Behind by Whiteheads

It is a natural scar healer that has been used in folk dermatologica circles for centuries now. It’s also not surprising that it is present in most moisturizers and facial oils that are committed to offering an organic, chemical-free and sustainable solution for getting rid of acne marks and scars.

Extracted by pressing rose hip seed, the oil is usually infused with a host of other ingredients to come up with a skin perfect product that is as close to the goodness of nature as you can get. There’s also no denying that this is one of the most potent home remedies for promoting scar healing thanks to its richness in a variety of essential fatty acids such as omega-3 and omega-6. These two organic fatty acids work as an important media for delivering important nutrients to the skin to promote fast healing and clearing up of the scars.

In addition to this, the fatty acid component of Rose Hip is critical for rebuilding broken collagen and repairing the plumping factors that could have been lost through the scars. Apart from being a relatively easily absorbable solution, rosehip oil is able to replace moisture from the skin at a record rate thereby allowing the creation of a [protective barrier that can prevent progressive dehydration.

3. Reduce Dry Skin on Face Using Vitamin E     

At this stage, you probably already know that vitamin E is an essential vitamin that plays a huge role as a reliable antioxidant in the body. Tocopherol, as it is also known, is also crucial for a number of biochemical reactions, most of which are involved in the healing process of acne scars. Besides, its presence in the best scar creams is also due to its legendary gene expression effect. In short, it is believed to boost the regeneration of damaged skin cells and oversee the repairing of wounds.

Speaking of which, vitamin E as an active ingredient is often paired up with vitamin C since the two work fabulously together in encouraging the fast clearing up of scars. Speaking of which, it is no wonder that dermatologists prescribe vitamin E as one of the follow-up key healing activators after a minimally invasive procedure such as  dermabrasion or laser skin resurfacing.

Although it can work for different types of skin defects, vitamin E is best tailored for correcting pigmentation, acne scars and stretch marks.

4. Kojic Acid for Lightening up Blackhead Scars

A natural skin lightener, Kojic acid, which is chiefly extracted from wild-growing mushrooms, is famous for its renowned lightening effects. And this explains why you are likely to chance upon it in most common brightening and whitening skin care products. And it can be a brilliant ingredient if you are looking for an agent to fade badly sun-damaged spots or dark acne scars within a relatively short time frame. It cannot, nonetheless, change the general texture of the skin. You will still have to rely on other advanced procedures such as micro-needling to get that smooth skin tone. 

That being said, Kojic acid or acne products that contain it are best for use just after a large blown up blackhead breakout. If used promptly in this manner, it can go a long way in preventing the acne scars left in the aftermath from deepening or setting in.

5. Vitamin C Paired with the Best Moisturizer

As described before, vitamin C is one of the best natural skin brighteners that nature gives us for free. It can lighten the skin extensively without imparting potentially dangerous side effects as you would experience with other industrial skin whitening agents and steroids. If anything, leading dermatologists will always recommend vitamin C over other artificially-produced agents that claim to instantly whiten and lighten one’s skin, sometimes even twice as fast as ascorbic acid. 

On the upside, though, the skin lightening effects of vitamin C are not just organically sound but also permanent and the discoloured skin receives a new redefined texture as part and parcel of the treatment package.

Finally, vitamin C is not an excellent healer but also a revered pigment lifter and antioxidant that is significantly useful in fading scars.

6. Lemon Extract Face Moisturizer

Lemon is a natural bleaching and whitening agent. It also packs some mild skin exfoliating properties that can really come in handy when getting rid of dead skin cells, thanks to its slight acidic nature. Thus, it may be just what you need especially if your scars are a bit thickened or appear darker than the immediate surrounding skin. Besides, it is non-abrasive and can mix easily with other natural ingredients to be gentle enough for use as a face moisturizer. Otherwise, you can still use it as a blemish face wash to rub out those pesky-looking scars via the lemon peel extract packed in most body polishes. 

7. Men’s Skin Care Using Petroleum Jelly

Oldie-but-goodie Vaseline is ideal in jump-starting the healing process of acne scars and initiating the first steps of wound healing to minimize scarring. You cannot, however, just rely on it to get rid of old hypertrophic scars.