I hope you are all well. Today I am participating in the "Acne Scars" contest organized by @abdullahw2. Actually I just found out about this contest. There are only about 8 hours left until the contest ends. So I will be entering this contest soon. I have a lot of experience with acne and acne scars. That is why I thought of participating in this contest.

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What do you know about acne scars? When they occurs?

Acne scars are a common problem that many young people, especially women, suffer from in today's society. Acne scars or dark spots occur after the acne heals. Acne mainly occurs on the face, so acne scars are most often seen in the area around the face. All women want to look beautiful. So women suffer a lot due to acne, acne scars and dark spots. Acne scars that occur in this way are a reason to lose the beauty of the face and are a very stressful condition that causes mental and emotional pain.

For me, getting a pimple on my face is the biggest problem. Until that pimple heals, I always look at it in the mirror and suffer. It's very ugly when you have pimples on your face. And scars. Pimples come and heal in two or three days. But acne scars caused by acne do not go away easily. They can sometimes remain on the face for years. These acne scars are something that directly affects the beauty of the face. Therefore, these scars are not something that can be ignored and definitely require treatment.

Have you ever experienced acne scars? How did it affect confidence and self-esteem?

Actually, I am still a person who suffers from acne and acne scars. I have had acne and acne scars on my face since I was in school. And always I have one or two acnes on my face. I really like to keep my face acne-free. But unfortunately, for some reason, acne occurs on my face frequency. I have combination skin with a bit of oiliness. So, acne occurs on my face all the time. Due to this continuous acne, I have very deep acne scars and brown spots on my face. This is really stressful for me. I always think about this and worry about how to get rid of this condition.

I really believe that acne is something that reduces one's personality. With acne and scars on one's face, one cannot go anywhere, or even talk to anyone. Because everyone who sees face asks questions about it. Asks questions like how did these acne come about and whether or not they are being treated. In the past, I was fed up with people asking me these kinds of questions. I even felt reluctant to leave the house because of these reasons. This is truly a mind-bogglingly stressful situation.

I have tried various types of creams and natural treatments for acne. But none of them could stop the acne. But I was able to control the acne as much as possible. About two months ago, I went to an aesthetic clinic and showed my face to a doctor. There, the doctor examined my face thoroughly and prescribed me a treatments. There, he said that acne caused by women's hormones cannot be stop and eliminated, but that it can be controlled. So, I am currently undergoing the treatments he prescribed. He told me to come back in about a month and a half.

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What are some effective ways to reduce or treat acne scars?

There are natural treatments that we can do to get rid of and minimize acne scars, as well as Western medical treatments that can be done as per the advice of a doctor.

1️⃣ Easy natural ways to reduce scars are,

• Apply a little aloe vera gel to the face twice a day, i.e. morning and evening.

• Lemon juice – It contains antioxidants like vitamin C, which helps in even skin tone. This also helps in lightening dark spots on the skin.

• Mixing turmeric, a natural antibiotic, with water and applying it on the face helps in minimizing scars.

2️⃣ Treatments that should be done as per the advice of a doctor,

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• Chemical peels – This treatment is especially important to get rid of acne and dark spots on the face or body. In addition, it removes dead skin cells and helps in growing new skin.

• Microneedling – A treatment that helps reduce acne scars and accelerate the growth of collagen in the skin.

• Laser Treatment – ​​A powerful solution for dark spots and deep acne scars.

• PRP treatment for acne scars – This treatment is done to get rid of acne scars on the face and before doing this, the face must be free of acne. Because a face that currently has acne and small blisters cannot be treated with PRP treatment. This treatment accelerates the growth of collagen in the skin of the face, allowing the scars to heal.

Do you think acne scars should be embraced as part of self-acceptance, or should people focus on treatments? Why?

Acne scars actually affect our personality. I have already explained about it in the second part. Also, if someone is suffering from acne scars, he or she should take treatments for it. But it is not mandatory to take treatments. Treatments can be taken according to the wishes of each person. However, I am very confident that if you are suffering from acne scars, you will definitely resort to treatments to cure it.

I initially said that I went to an aesthetic clinic to get treatment for acne scars. So the doctor who examined me there gave me Cerave brand cleanser, its acne control gel, and adapalene gel and told me to use it for 2 weeks and come back. He said to use the adapalene gel only when a pimple appeared. So I used these products for two weeks as per the doctor's advice. This cost me about 15,000 Sri Lankan rupees ( 50$ )

When I went back after 3 weeks, the doctor gave me a chemical peeling treatment. It cost me another 15,000 Sri Lankan rupees. He treat me a salicylic peel. I felt a burning sensation when I applied the salicylic acid to my face, but the doctor said it was normal. So I tolerated it for a few minutes. Then the doctor gave me two other medicines and instructed me to apply them twice a day for 3 days. He also advised me to avoid using any other cosmetics on my face for 2 weeks. So I followed his advice. During those two weeks, the skin on my face gradually peeled off.

_{These are the two medications the doctor gave me to apply to my face for 3 days after the chemical peel treatment.}

Two weeks later, I went back to see the doctor and he said that I should get PRP treatment and Microneedling treatment to remove the acne scars on my face. He also said that in order to do those treatments, my face should be free of acne. But I haven't gone for those treatments yet.

_{(I have shared 3 types of medicines here, and please note that it is not my recommendation to anyone else. I just wanted to share my experience.)}

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Finally I would like to invite my some of friends @dilesha, @arshani and @isha-rehman to participate this contest.

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🌼Thanks for reading🌼

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