Ask anybody who has ever suffered from acne what was the least enjoyable part of the whole experience and probably the most possible answer will be the scars - acne scars that remain long after acne is gone. If having acne is considered bad, then what about having acne scars for several years more? 

If your acne has already progressed beyond the initial stage of whiteheads and blackheads and you now have pimples and scars on your face, then you have to do two things at the same time - get rid of pimples and get rid of acne scars. 

Before discussing how to eliminate acne scars, you may want to know... 

What are acne scars? 

Acne scars are caused when pimples either get inflamed or do not heal fully. Acne scars are formed when at least one of the layers of healthy skin is injured. When the skin is damaged and bleeding, the body forms new tissue fibres at the place to heal the wound and stop the bleeding. It is these tissues that may appear as a scar. 

So, getting rid of scars requires that the scar tissue be replaced by healthy tissue by some process or method. 

There are several methods to help acne scars but in practice very few of them may be very effective. And some methods may have side effects that you may want to be aware of before you start such a program. 

Laser Resurfacing: A carbon dioxide laser burns away the damaged skin, layer by layer. The depth of penetration is controlled. As the outer layers of damaged skin is removed, new skin cells begin to form as the healing process starts and, in a few weeks, a younger looking smoother skin surface begins to appear. 

Dermabrasion: This uses a spinning diamond instrument or a rotating wire brush to wear down the outer layers of the skin that have been damaged. And when the skin starts healing, younger and smoother skin will replace the old skin removed by abrasion. 

Chemical peels for acne scars: Acidic solutions are applied to the skin to peel away the damaged layers and the new skin that is formed is usually smoother. Chemical peels range from mild to deep penetration. Though chemical peels can be applied at home, it would be advisable to get a dermatologist to apply it. 

Punch grafts: More suitable for deep and pitted acne scars, this method involves punching a hole to remove the scar and then removing a small piece of undamaged skin. 

But the question you may want to ask is... do they work? 

All of the treatments mentioned above seem to have a moderate success rate - while they seem to work well for others, some are less than delighted with their treatments. While results like these may be expected with any medical procedure, your face is a very important part of your life and you will want to be absolutely certain that any treatment will be beneficial to your sense of well-being. 

Note: The treatments as above will be suggested by your doctor based on their assessment of your condition.