Does Botox Help Acne Scars?

Portrait of young girl with skin problem
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Botox has been used for years to hide wrinkles, reduce signs of aging, and enhance facial beauty.

Through the use of regular Botox injections, you can rejuvenate your skin. You can also tackle pesky acne scars (and acne breakouts!) while you’re at it! As a result, you’ll continue to have a youthful appearance and healthy skin.

This article will answer the question “Does Botox Help Acne Scars?”. Throughout the article, we’ll explain how Botox can treat acne scars, what types of acne scars are, and provide a few tips to protect your skin from scarring.


Contents

Does Botox Help Acne Scars?

acne breakout

Does Botox Help Acne Scars? The short answer: yes, it can! But it’s probably not a first stop choice among dermatologists and medical professionals. Still, if you were thinking of getting Botox injections anyway… it’s certainly a nice benefit!

When you pop existing acne breakouts on your skin, you’re potentially creating inflamed blemishes on your skin.

When the muscles surrounding the wounds are pulled or stretched, it will lead to acne scarring.

Botox relaxes the facial muscles and reduces the pain from the wound. 

Since you’ll lose a bit of collagen, there is a possibility that the scar is visible. Doctors use dermal fillers made from hyaluronic acid or collagen to clean the scars completely to solve this problem. 


Does Botox Help Acne Scars? – Explanation 

Acne scarring can be mentally and physically demanding for some people. It can lead to a loss of confidence and self-esteem.

Seeing the firming effects of Botox from other treatments, many people would wonder if Botox will reduce the appearance of scarring. 

Severe acne scars are caused by nodules or painful acne cysts that are aggravated by picking or popping. Doing so will increase the chance of scarring. The muscles contract and make pitted marks that never disappear. 

Professional injectors are good at using different injection techniques and selecting the right dermal filter based on your needs.

For example, your doctor might use the microdroplet technique to provide a minimal amount of filler to an acne scar. It produces subtle results and has no downtime after the procedure. 

Sweet!


Is Botox Safe for Acne Scar Removal?

Botox is an injectable cosmetic treatment that has been FDA approved for quite a while. It has been useful for many applications since its origin in the 2000s. 

Botox is an effective office procedure that lasts for 10-15 minutes. You might notice redness on your skin, but it will subside minutes later. Once you step out of the Botox office, you can head back to your workplace or meet your friends. 

Note: Botox should only be administered by cosmetic nurses, aestheticians, or dermatologists. 

It’s not a cheap treatment! Typically cosmetic nurses will be cheaper than dermatologists, but there are a lot of variables at play, including the number of units you use each treatment.


What Are Acne Scars?

Your skin is composed of three different parts: hypodermis, dermis, and epidermis. The layers protect your insides from UV rays, bacteria, and other elements, and they help create Vitamin D due to sunlight. 

Acne scars are inflamed acne blemishes. The acne pores will start to swell, and the breakdown occurs in the pore walls. The acne blemishes are small, and the made scars can heal quickly. 

Sometimes the blemishes will spill into the tissue and create deeper scars. Your skin will respond to this by creating new collagen fibers to repair the scars. 

Your Acne scars come in two forms: a scar develops on a raised surface on your skin. This scar means that your skin is doing its part to recover it. While it uses collagen to heal the acne wound, too much collagen will result in raised scars. 

Remember, just because you have acne doesn’t mean you’ll have scars. If you do obtain scars, they are not permanent! There are treatments available, and some of them will help your skin repair itself with collagen.  


Types of Acne Scars

Cosmetic injectables are a good option to treat acne scarring. However, there are multiple factors to consider, such as the severity of the scarring or how long the patient had the scar: the type, size, and shape of acne matter. 

Hypertrophic Acne scars are scars made by excess collagen due to skin trauma. They are more difficult to treat than atrophic acne scars. 

Atrophic acne scars such as rolling scars respond well with Botox for acne treatment. However, ice pack scars and box scars are more challenging because they have irregular shapes. 

We suggest speaking with a professional cosmetic surgeon who can thoroughly diagnose your skin. They’ll give you their expert opinion on the best acne treatment plans for you. That’s why you need to work with a  practitioner that has the experience, expertise, and an expert understanding of Botox for multiple treatment applications. 


How Long Will Botox Last?

Botox has a temporary effect on your acne scars. The Botox will remain in your system for 4-6 months, depending on your body’s metabolism. Since Botox is used in conjunction with dermal fillers, it may take longer for the effect to wear off. 

Your plastic surgeon or dermatologist might recommend getting Botox for 1-year to treat acne scarring. By doing so, you’ll have clean and flawless skin. 

See also:


How to Prevent Acne Scars?

Here are some ways to protect your skin from acne scarring.

Don’t Touch Your Acne

While it may sound tempting, you’re doing more damage to your skin when picking out your acne spots. Squeezing the pimple can place bacteria inside your epidermis and increase swelling.

After the blemish is stopped and creates a scab, avoid picking it so it can heal properly. 

Avoid Too Much Sun Exposure

While it may seem like tanning would help with acne scars, unfortunately, the opposite seems to be true. It’s best to avoid too much sunlight when you’ve got acne scarring, as UV light can gradually inflame those scars.

Acne Treatment Immediately

Acne breakouts can become severe without proper medical treatment. You should manage the painful and inflammatory symptoms if you currently have acne right away. 

You can schedule an appointment with your doctor if over-the-counter medications don’t work. Giving your acne immediate topical treatment will prevent it from growing into a scar. 

Try a Chemical Peel

Some have success tackling acne scars with a chemical peel, either done by an aesthetician or a home treatment.

Speak To Your Treatment Specialist

One botox specialist’s office visit can treat years of acne scars. Some acne can use a cortisone shot to reduce the risk of acne scarring and minimize the pimple size. When acne scars do appear, doctors can use Botox or laser technology to reduce the scars on your skin. 

Written by Kayla Young

Kayla is the founder of LuxeLuminous. She has worked professionally in the tanning industry for years. She has been interested in esthetics since childhood, and has tried every hair, skin, and makeup product ever produced (more or less).