How To Lighten Acne Marks

Effective Tips To Get Rid Of Pimples And Pimple Marks

Living with pimples can make you lose confidence. Effective Tips with Dos and donts to keep acne at bay

• Maintain Skin Hygiene
• Cleanse your face twice every day with mild soap/face wash and lukewarm water to remove excess dirt, sweat, and oil
• Dont rub face harshly
• Always moisturize the skin with moisturizer after washing

How To Get Rid Of Your Acne Scars

Acne is a common skin condition affecting about 80% of those between the ages of 11 and 30 at some point. It can be on your face, chest, back and shoulders. It may seem like the irritation will never go away, but it does. When it goes away, then you can deal with any remaining scars.

Your first line of defense is to consult a dermatologist. They will first focus on getting your acne under control. The fewer breakouts you have, the fewer scars youll get. The good news is that not all acne scars are permanent.

When your doctor turns attention to the scars your acne has left behind, they will typically explore three main treatment options:

1. Laser treatments

Vascular-specific lasers target blood vessels and can help lighten flat or raised scars that are pink or purple and help flatten raised scars. Doctors often use fractional or carbon dioxide ablative lasers to treat acne scars.

Afterward, the skin is swollen and red, and may bleed, for up to five days, says Dr. Kassouf. Also, you may need between three and five treatment sessions.

Laser treatments arent just for acne. Doctors use lasers to treat other types of scarring as well including those from burns, skin cancer and tattoo removal.

2. Chemical peels

Your dermatologist may apply a chemical solution to the skin. This causes it to blister and eventually peel off, creating new, regenerated skin thats usually smoother than the old skin.

3. Microneedling

How To Lighten/ Fade Acne Marks

Prerna Asks

Hi IMBBians

Im Prerna and Im 26 years old. I recently got married last year Nov, and after marriage I got a very bad bout of acne. The doctor said it was because of some hormonal changes etc. I was on medication and he also prescribed a cream called Deriva CMS for acne. Now, finally after 5-6 months the acne have reduced considerably, but as usual they have left behind scars on my skin. I am using Oriflame Tea trea face wash and Aroma products Mint Cleanser, Toner and Nourishing Due. Sometimes I also use Neutrogena Face wash . All this keeps the acne in check, but the marks are still there which makes my face look very dull and dark. Can anyone please suggest how I can get rid of the marks left behind by the acne. Pls help suggest products or home remediesanything!

Also Read:

Read Also: How To Cure Back Acne At Home

How To Care For Post

Its estimated that up to 90 percent of people experience some degree of acne during their life. Generally, these blemishes gradually go away on their own, leaving no trace of their existence on your skin. Occasionally, however, blemishes stick around in the form of post-acne marks. These marks are a form of discoloration and may be visible for months or even years after the initial breakouts clear up. Sometimes, post-acne marks will clear on their own, but other times, youll need the help of skincare products designed to brighten the skin and minimize the appearance of discolorations.

Thankfully, with nearly 170 years of experience, weve curated effective products that can help keep breakouts at bay and diminish the appearance of existing acne marks. Read on for more information about post-acne marks.

How Can I Fade My Acne Dark Spots At Home

You May Like: Can I Use Acne Cream While Pregnant

Effective Treatment Begins With Sunscreen

Whether youre treating the dark spots on your own or seeing a dermatologist, using sunscreen is essential when you’ll be outside. Applied daily, sunscreen can prevent new dark spots and patches. It can also help to clear existing ones.

Youll want to apply sunscreen to all skin that clothing wont cover.

To get the best result, dermatologists also recommend wearing a wide-brimmed hat when you’re outside.

Sunscreen is essential to effective treatment

To get the protection you need to prevent dark spots, use a sunscreen that offers all of the following:

• SPF 30 or higher
• One of the active ingredients titanium dioxide, zinc oxide
• Non-comedogenic formula if you have oily skin

Why Dark Spots And Patches Appear

People who have medium to darkly colored skin get dark spots and patches because something triggers their skin to make extra melanin, the substance that gives skin its color. Many everyday things can trigger extra melanin in people who have skin of color.

Dark spots and patches often appear when:

• A pimple or patch of psoriasis clears

• A wound caused by an insect bite, cut, burn, or other injury heals

• You take certain medications

• A skin or hair care product irritates your skin

• Changes due to hormones occur, such as during pregnancy

Read Also: How To Clear Up Back Acne Fast

How To Lighten Acne Scars With Vitamin C

Subcision For Pimple Scars

This procedure is also called a subcutaneous incision. Subcision involves using a surgical probe or needle to separate skin and pimple scar tissue. This treatment causes your skin to raise. It flattens depressed scars.â

The results of this treatment are almost immediate with slight bruising for 1 to 2 weeks. Follow-ups such as laser treatments can be used to relieve any leftover discoloration from scars.

You May Like: Is Antibiotic Ointment Good For Acne

What Causes Pimple Marks

Many people mistake acne and pimple as the same thing. While acne is a skin condition, pimples are a side effect of one of the symptoms of acne. Oily skin is one of the most affected skin types due to acne and pimples. The pimples and pimple spots appear, in most cases, as the natural boils on your skin. When your skin cells accumulate dirt, toxins and oil sebum, it leads to clogging of pores. These clogged pores, in result, lead to breakouts and pimples. To know how to remove pimple marks effectively, it is essential that you keep your face clean. Many people suffer from pimples due to hormonal changes. However, no matter what the case is, pimple marks are a dreaded nightmare for all of us.

What Is Acne Scarring

Acne scars are the result of breakouts caused by skin pores blocked with dead cells, excess oil, and bacteria. Blocking leads to swelling of the pores, which may cause breakage in the follicle wall. This can create deep or shallow lesions that prominently appear on the skin.

Shallow lesions are usually minor and heals faster than the deep ones. Deep breakage in the wall of the pore increases the risk of spilling out the infected material into the surrounding tissues thus creating deeper lesions. Your skin tries to repair these lesions by forming new collagen fibers. However, these repairs arent smooth compared to your original skin.

Did You Know?

Acne scars on the face, back, chest are common. About 80% of people aged between 11-30 years get acne and at least 1 out of those 5 people develop scars.

Read Also: How To Get Rid Of Hormonal Acne

Best Creams And Ingredients To Fade Acne Marks Quickly

Today, there are many effective ingredients available for fading acne marks quickly. The best ones are:

• Vitamin C or Ascorbic acid
• Hyroquinone . This product lightens and bleaches red acne marks.
• Retinol-which is a derivative of vitamin A- Retinol is a fantastic acne fading antioxidant. It also works on wrinkles. However, it can make your skin a little sensitive to the sun. So make sure you apply a sunscreen when stepping outside.
• AHA or Alpha Hydroxy Acids. These acids peel the dead layers of the skin to reveal the younger, blemish free skin underneath.
• Kojic acid-This is a product that has been used by Japanese Geishas to whiten their faces.
• Lactic acid
• Glycolic acid

You can buy these products from drugstores or consult a dermatologist who can recommend one for your particular skin type.

Dermatological Procedures To Improve Or Remove Acne Scars

But while certain measures can help prevent new scarring, what are your options for minimizing the appearance of existing scars?

Common procedures to remove or improve acne scars include:

Dermabrasion This effective scar removal treatment uses a high-speed brush or other instrument to resurface your skin and remove or reduce the depth of scars. It can take up to three weeks for skin to heal.

Microdermabrasion For this less-intensive type of dermabrasion, a dermatologist or aesthetician uses a handheld device to remove surface skin. More than one treatment may be required, but theres no downtime, according to the AAD.

Chemical peel During a chemical peel, a chemical solution is applied to the skin. It removes the outer layer of your skin, resulting in a smoother, more even appearance. You may experience redness and peeling for three to seven days after the procedure, notes the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery .

Laser Your dermatologist can use a laser resurfacing treatment to remove the outer layer of your skin, contour areas of acne scars, or lighten redness around healed acne lesions. Healing may take between 3 and 10 days.

Don’t Miss: Why Do You Get Acne

How Can You Prevent Acne Scars In The First Place

Besides not popping your pimples under any circumstances, what else can you do to prevent acne scars and marks?

It may seem like a no brainer, but the best way to prevent acne scars is by preventing the acne in the first place. Severe cases of acne might require oral antibiotics or Accutane . You might be able to treat mild cases with alternatives, said Dr. Suzanne Friedler, a dermatologist at Mt. Sinai Medical Center inNew York City.

If acne is mild then it may be controlled with topical therapies, including topical antimicrobials and retinoids, Friedler told HuffPost Finds.

Reducing inflammation of existing pimples is key because its those deeper, more cystic spots that tend to leave behind permanent scars, according to Dr. Jeremy Fenton of Schweiger Dermatology Group in New York City.

If youre sensitive to hyperpigmentation, time is of the essence when you have a pimple. Fenton recommended using a targeted dark spot lightening cream when the pimple is at its peak before the discoloration starts.

What Causes Dark Spots On Skin

Dark spots seem to be pretty self-explanatorythey’re spots that are darker than the rest of your skinbut the causes and treatments can be different. For example, that pimple that left behind a dark acne scar is a common cause for dark spots, but injuries, hormones, and sun exposure can also leave your skin with discoloration that may or may not go away on its own.

Dr. Pierre explains that post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation from acne, injuries, bug bites, or scratches can fade naturally in a few weeks or months, but things like sun damage or melasma will need topical or laser intervention, if you’re trying to get rid of them. Which, speaking of…

Don’t Miss: How To Get Rid Of Pitted Acne Scars

How Long Does It Take Acne Scars To Go Away

Acne scars do not go away entirely on their own. Depressed acne scars often become more noticeable with age as skin loses collagen. However, there are a variety of treatments that can make acne scars less noticeable.

Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation or redness may lighten on its own within several months. However, it may take years to go away without treatment for some people.

Its Never Too Late To Treat Those Scars

Although its not possible to get rid of your acne scars quickly, its never too late to treat them. Teenage patients may have to wait until their early 20s before undergoing treatment to make sure theres little risk of future acne flare-ups.

While theres no real way to get rid of acne scars naturally and at home, there are a few things you can do to reduce your risk of getting acne scars:

• Quit smoking or dont start smoking.
• Keep your hands off of your face. Resist the urge to pick or squeeze your pimples.
• Treat your acne as soon as possible to reduce the chance of scars.

Scarring can happen at any age, no matter if youre a teenager and your hormones are changing or youre an adult. Sometimes when adults lose weight or lose elasticity in their skin as they age, scarring from years past becomes more evident.

Occasionally, we will actually remove a pitted scar that we know wont heal well with standard treatment using a technique called punch excision, she says. This is where the whole scar and hair follicle are removed prior to resurfacing.

Another treatment that may be helpful before any of the lasers or peels is called subcision, a procedure that involves releasing a scar thats bound to the muscle or deeper tissues so that it can move freely again. Both of these techniques are used with deeper scars to bring them to the surface to enhance their response to the laser, chemical peel or microneedling.

You May Like: How To Clear Up Acne Naturally

What Are The Signs Of An Acne Scar

The types of scarring seen in acne include keloids or hypertrophic scars, which appear as red, firm, raised papules , Shah says. Atrophic scars appear as depressed or sunken in areas, and may be larger, broad scars , or small pits scars.

Identifying an acne scar from other types of scars isnt too difficult, because an acne scar occurs in the spot where a pimple was.

Cleanse Your Face The Right Way

I cannot stress enough how crucial it is to get the cleansing method right for the skin condition and the skin type. I get reminded of it myself still every time I suffer from stubborn pimples.

If the cleansing product you are using does not suit your skin condition or type, it will have NO effect whatsoever no matter how expensive it is. In fact, it will most likely make it WORSE.

If you want to remove acne marks fast, you need to keep the skin free of bacteriaand dirt with gentle exfoliation which encourages cellular renewal. Also, try not to touch the area with your fingers too often, so you dont add any unnecessary dirt or bacteria to the skin!! It will delay the healing process,100%!

I personally recommend avoiding oil cleansers while the skin is healing.

I found milk type cleansers and micellar water cleansers are the perfect choices when combating acne marks. My absolute favourite is the Biodermas micellar water which Ive been using for the last 15 years.

courtesy of brand

I also use the highest quality cotton pads I can find not to irritate my skin. I highly recommend Shiseidos cotton pads. They are devinely soft and gentle on the skin.

courtesy of brand

Some cotton pads are cheaply made and really rough on the skin. .

You May Like: What Oils Are Good For Acne

How Long Does Acne Marks Last

If your skin remains smooth in dark or red areas, you simply have an acne mark. Those marks are not scars they are just temporarily discolored. It usually takes 3-6 months for the marks to disappear. However, if you have a scar, youre dealing with permanent skin damage that needs treatment in order to disappear.

How To Use A Product That Can Even Out Your Skin Tone

Once you eliminate whats causing the dark spots and protect your skin from sunlight, a product that can fade dark spots tends to be more effective.

You may have success with a product that you can buy without a prescription. If you choose this option, use a product that contains one of the following ingredients:

• Azelaic acid

You May Like: Does Chocolate Give You Acne