Right now, your acne is beginning to finally clear up, and your skin is starting to look better. Unfortunately, you are also beginning to notice dark spots underneath and around the healed areas. You are not sure if they are scars or not, but it looks like you have something new to worry about. Now you are wondering what options you have to make these acne scars fade away, and that is something we can definitely help you with.
What you may be experiencing is a condition known as post inflammatory hyper pigmentation, or PIH. This is common among acne sufferers, and the good news is that it is a natural response to the acne inflammation you had suffered in the past. It often presents itself as dark spots resembling a scar, and is caused by the skin developing too much melanin in an inflamed area. The melanin discolors the skin, and remains behind even after the zits are healed. There are a host of treatment options available that are quick, effective, and can remove any blemish or mark left behind by your acne.
Over The Counter Treatments To Make Acne Scars Fade
Even the mildest cases of PIH respond well to over the counter treatments available in your local drugstore. Most of these products are cream based "brighteners" that aid in the removal of the darker spots on your skin by a combination of alpha and beta hydroxy acids, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C to exfoliate the skin. Still others incorporate lightening agents to safely bleach the discolorations.
Hydroquinone cream is one of the more popular over the counter treatments used to make acne scars fade. It works by blocking the enzyme that is responsible for creating melanin, causing the melanin to fade from the skin over time. Glycolic acid is often found in these cream treatments, as well as cleansers, gels and lotions. It acts as an effective exfoliate, leaving the skin softer as it slowly fades away the dark spots. That also makes it an effective tool for removing the age spots that crop up in older women, from time to time.
Popular Prescription Methods For Quick Blemish Removal
Topical retinoid solutions, like those using tretinoin and tazarotene, are often prescribed to acne patients while the inflamed areas are still healing over. The retinoid helps to clear up acne by speeding up skin cell turnover rates, increasing skin regeneration rates so that new skin is growing faster as the dead skin cells are exfoliated away. This can also help with any PIH mark, because it lessens their effect even as they help to heal the acne inflammation. The downside is that this cream treatment can also cause excessive dryness, redness and irritation, which may cancel out the beneficial reduction in PIH.
Azelaic acid is another prescription only treatment, available in gel and cream forms, and is often used in conjunction with either glycolic acid or topical retinoid treatments. Just like with the retinoid cream, you have to keep an eye out for excessive redness or dryness, and report the presence of it to your dermatologist immediately.
A Word Of Advice About Spa And Procedural Treatments
There has been a rise in popularity of late in the opening of skin centers and spas in shopping malls and other venues. They all claim to have the best treatments available to make acne scars fade permanently, but the truth is that what they are actually doing are chemical procedural treatments that may do more harm than good. The proprietors of these centers may not actually be licensed or certified to do these kinds of treatments, so to be safe and protect your skin from damage, only accept these types of treatments from your dermatologist, and only if he offers it as an option that is right for you.
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