Acne Scars: The Drama That Follows You Past High School

Guest Written by Kelsey McGillis

Acne is traditionally seen as part of the teenage experience; simply another item on the checklist towards adulthood. However, what happens when you can’t seem to check acne off your list of worries; when your teenage years are long behind you but you’re still dealing with the costly consequences?

A large part of the population deals with acne beginning in their adult years, with damage that lasts even longer. No matter how many times you were told not to, everyone has given in, at one point or another, to the temptation of picking, prodding or scratching at their pesky acne.  The scars left behind from teenage and adult acne can be long lasting and take a huge toll on your self-confidence.

Equally overwhelming as the scars themselves are the available treatment options. As in most facets of life, if it seems too good to be true… it probably is. The same goes for your skin, with every lotion, potion and elixir on the shelf claiming to be the be-all, end-all to your acne scarring. As Dermatologist Dr. Lisa Kellett said in a recent appearance on The Marilyn Denis Show, your solution should include “no creams, no lotions, no oils, no liquid foundations”.  You might be thinking, now what? The two most important things to regaining your ideal skin and your confidence are 1) prevention (of further scarring) and 2) treatment (of existing ones).

Prevention comes in a two part solution of cleansing and topical treatment. In terms of cleansing daily or even twice daily exfoliation is key to removing excess skin cells, Dr. Kellett recommending an gel-based formula with beads. The major points in terms of topical treatment to keep in mind are to avoid spot treatment and instead opt for an all-over, moderate application of benzoyl peroxide.

Prevention is a nice idea, but if the damage has already been done it might seem like a hopeless task. Treatment of existing acne scars can take time and energy depending on the severity of your scars, but is worth saving your confidence in the long run.

As part of the show, Dr. Kellett treated Christi, a viewer of the show, who shared her long term struggles with self-confidence as a result of her adult acne and subsequent scarring. Christi felt hopeless after trying nearly every drug store product available to her. However, she saw effective results following a few sessions of eDermaStamp treatments and Skinboosters injections at Dr. Kellett’s Toronto’s dermatology clinic, DLK on Avenue.

The lesson here, although daunting, acne scars can be effectively treated and your self-confidence regained with the proper advice and professional treatment.

To view the original TV segment and Christie’s full story please click here