How long does it usually take for an acne scar to disappear? I’m using Neospirin to treat it right now?

The main cause of scarring from acne is cyst formation, more rarely over-aggressive mechanical means of removing the lesion. "Burning with too many products" will not cause a scar unless one of the products was a strong acid or caustic — not your usual acne products. The irritating effects of acne products can delay healing of a raw area, but this is not going to cause a scar. A scar forms only if the damage to the skin goes into the dermis or subcutaneous tissue.

The likelihood of any wound becoming a scar is lessened if the wound is allowed to heal in a moist environment without formation of a scab. In order to have a moist healing environment, an antibiotic ointment must be used and covered with a bandage. I recommend Nexcare waterproof bandages because they have a pad for the ointment, stick to skin really well with the clear part, and hold moisture in as well as keep water out. Don't use copies of these, they don't work as well as the Nexcare brand and are not that much cheaper.

I would recommend bacitracin (same thing as bacitracin zinc) rather than Neosporin, triple antibiotic ointment or anything that contains neomycin. Neomycin can cause an allergic reaction with continued use that looks just like an infection, prompting continued use and progressively worse trouble (might be your problem.) Despite the advertising by Neosporin, the only bacteria that Neosporin treats that bacitracin does not are not relevant to a person with an ordinary sore and an intact immune system. Don't use hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, betadine or any other antiseptic on a cut or wound. These things kill the body's healing cells much more effectively than they kill germs.

The bacitracin and bandage should be changed twice a day and the old ointment washed off with sterile saline spray. The kind used for contacts (make sure it is non-preserved, marked "for sensitive eyes) is just as good as the kind sold for irrigating wounds and much cheaper. Cleaning the area around the wound with hydrogen peroxide, then alcohol to remove the peroxide, then allowing it to dry will help the bandage stick. If a wound is not healing well within a week, this is a sign of trouble. The final appearance of a healed injury cannot be certain for at least 9 months unless it has completely faded before that.

If the sore is still draining or red after stopping the Neosporin, apply hot, moist compresses to the area 2 to 3 times a day at least 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Avoid squeezing acne lesions as this can cause more skin damage than the original pimple and even force infection deeper. A small cut or poke with a sterile needle followed by stretching the skin and rinsing the expelled crud with saline can speed up healing if done carefully.

An acne cyst, and a forming scar can be treated by a doctor with injection of Kenalog (triamcinolone) directly into the lesion with a very fine needle. If you are forming acne cysts that scar, you definitely need to be under the care of a physician, and insurance does cover this, though it often will not cover the dermabrasion procedures needed to remove acne scars later in life.