Treating / Preventing Facial and Acne Scars

[LilyBird]

Skin Discoloration - Face

About 6 months ago, my hormones went crazay and my skin was being really mean. I broke out all the time on my forehead for about a month and then my skin went back to normal.

Now, however, I still have three slightly faded red dots on my forehead. They are very easily covered with make-up, but I really want them to go away!!!

Does anyone have any suggestions for me to fix this?


thanks

 

[foxinthesnow]

Hey Lily,
Anything that makes skin turnover faster will make it go away faster- whether it's exfoliating, using some kind of a peel or using a retinol type prodcut (retin-a etc).

I know it's super annoying when the zit goes away but some little red mark decides to stay

I hope someone can reccomend a product that will help the skin peel off and new skin come sooner that might be appropriate- or maybe you already have one (a scrub with fruit acids, glycolic acid etc?) I use retin-a which is pretty harsh so I don't really reccomend it unless you start breaking out again.

Good luck.

 

[As You Like It]

Time heals wounds, including the itty bitty ones left by breakouts. Gradually those marks will fade out and there won't be much of anything left. In the meantime, I cannot advocate pure cocoa butter as a moisturizer highly enough. It keeps your skin very supple and seems to help it recover from small injuries like scrapes and pimples much more quickly. I use Queen Helene brand, which comes in a chapstick tube and can be had from Family Dollar for $2.50.

I also like Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque, used as a spot treatment on pimples at night. Just a tiny dab, directly on the spot, helps to dry it up and shrink the spot much quicker than it would normally go away. Sometimes it even takes care of it before it comes to a head and gets all raw and sore.

A drop of sesame oil put directly on the scars can help fade them.

There is also Mederma, which is used for fading scars and skin discolorations. I have never tried it, but I know several people who swear by it.

Gee, can you tell I have been coping with crappy skin for a long time. I still have really bad back acne, and nothing seems to ever take care of it completely, but I have finally got my face and chest mostly under control. Except during PMS time, then all bets are off. *grumble*

 

[longlegsue]

I would suggest Alpha Hydrox Enhanced Creme. I have heard lots of rave reviews about it on a beauty board I frequent for getting rid of blotchiness and red spots quickly. I picked up a jar myself at WalMart, but it was on the clearance rack, so perhaps you could find it online? I only use a tiny dab of it at night, and I have been pretty pleased so far.

Hope I helped a bit.

 

[Orochian]

Retin-A isn't necessarily harsh on your skin - it comes in different concentrations, with 0.05% being the lowest I believe. You can also mix it with a product by Obagi called the Blender (sold through dermatologists, and online stores) to increase its effectiveness as it simultaneously bleaches your skin and speeds up its renewal process.

Red marks are caused by broken blood vessels after a skin trauma like acne, and I personally find that retin-A works best to correct them.

 

[tgp]

Turnaround Cream from Clinique exfoliates/increases turnover of skin cells. That may help.

 

[twilight fairy]

Originally posted by tgp@Mar 29th, 2004 - 10:08 am
Turnaround Cream from Clinique exfoliates/increases turnover of skin cells. That may help.

yes!
i had the same problem..and its almost gone now..

im a professional in these things trust me i have been battling with my skin for ages..
basically, buy any prodcut (recs; la prairie retexturising booster) that has AHA (glycolic acid) which helps with fading these.
a BHA (salicylic acid) treatment can also increase the speed of the process, such as total turnaround that tgp has mentioned.
good luck (i know its a pain in the ****, i had to deal with it too..)

 

[LilyBird]

thanks guys!!!

I am definitely going to try some of these things out, plus if one is sold in Wal-Mart I am so there!

 

[HBoogie]

Originally posted by As You Like It@Mar 28th, 2004 - 10:56 pm
I also like Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque, used as a spot treatment on pimples at night. Just a tiny dab, directly on the spot, helps to dry it up and shrink the spot much quicker than it would normally go away. Sometimes it even takes care of it before it comes to a head and gets all raw and sore.

I use that as a spot treatment, too! I like it because it doesn't irritate my skin at all--my skin is too sensitive and I'm safely out of the crazy hormonal pubescent years, so I can't use something as harsh as all those benzoyl peroxide treatments on the shelf.

Oh, and I like it 'cause it's cheap.

As for the red splotches left behind, I get those, too, and they're quite noticable since I'm quite fair-complected. I just dab 'em with concealer and let 'em fade. Sorry, I know that wasn't quite the advice you were looking for.

 

[Alina]

Skin Discoloration

this is almost embarassing for me.
i have skin discoloration all over my body, nothing majorly noticeable but i hate it. it matters to me since at the end of the day i'm the only one who has to live in my skin!
do any of you have any advice to combat this problem? i don't want anything drastic like laser and surgery stuff! anything in a bottle or natural remedies would be wonderful.
love u all for being so understanding!

 

[Naimah]

Vit. C topical creams have been working for me. Jason has a line out theres a serum for your face and a lotion for your body... Now, I've only had issues with my face but it's really made a huge difference.
1-877-JASON- 01 That's the hotline... I searched for a website but didn't come up with anything. Hope that helps a bit.

 

[Alina]

thanks so much

 

[marsmars]

I have blemishes from acne and a scarr. If I wear a very sheer base/foundation it all goes away, but I don't like the idea of doing that because it requires me to avoid water, and having blemishes/scars isn't exactly a plus on a model's resume. What are some ideas? I heard that dermabrasion works really well, and microdermabrasion, laser resurfacing. If anyone has more details please do tell!

 

[Von]

I have blemishes from acne and a scarr. If I wear a very sheer base/foundation it all goes away, but I don't like the idea of doing that because it requires me to avoid water, and having blemishes/scars isn't exactly a plus on a model's resume. What are some ideas? I heard that dermabrasion works really well, and microdermabrasion, laser resurfacing. If anyone has more details please do tell!

The healing process of hyperpigmination (the dark spot left after a zit) can be sped up by putting vitamin E directly on your face. Just break open a capsule and apply it all over the area. Or you can go to Wal-Mart and get a higher potency oil, up to 150,000IUs (normal capsules are 200-400IUs)

It worked 100% for me.

But all the agencies I've been to don't mind the blemishes so much as active acne.

Jojoba and Neem oil apparently also work for blemishes and discoloration.

 

[FaNcY-ScHmAnCy]

yeah i totally agree with that. the vitamin E works really well as a remedy for scar treatment anywhere. you can also try using Mederma, but it takes around 3 months for the scar to drastically fade.

 

[Eurasian Mélange]

I have some discolouration from spots, but vitamin E oil did not work very well for me. I did buy this product called Skin Doctors Fade Away that works quite well. If only I didn't keep getting one or two spots that leave dark patches on my face. ¬_¬

 

[Golden_butterfly]

My friend has some acne scars and microdermabrasion helped her

 

[BronzedGoddess]

DDF fade gel 4 works well but I'm using it with retin A micro .1% so I'm sure thats also helping.

 

[Armanisilk]

Well Guys Seriously I found that Neutrogena's advanced solution acne fade cream actually gets rid of dark blemishes left from acne, even very dark ones just wash right away (after time of course) I love it, it works.

 

[DriversHigh]

Well Guys Seriously I found that Neutrogena's advanced solution acne fade cream actually gets rid of dark blemishes left from acne, even very dark ones just wash right away (after time of course) I love it, it works.

I'm using the same thing! Although expensive (for over the counter) I've been seeing some results. Every now and then when I break out I don't fear the zit itself but the mark it leaves afterwards. =[ I've read though that it should be used for up to 8 weeks for maximum results and consistently over time after that.

My tips would be:

-Get used to getting some sort of peel or use Neutrogena's Advanced Soultions acne mark fading peel
-Apply Vitamin E (as mentioned before) you can even find it in the form of a cream also)
-Apply sufficent SPF. I've heard that not having protection against the sun is what aggravates these marks.