Tips on how to get rid of acne scars

This can be a complicated topic as there are different types of scars post acne that require different ways to correct, and also involves the lengthy topic of wound healing.  But for the most part, in general, all acne scars can be improved with some basic things.

Get Clear

In some clients I noticed, they are more concerned with their scarring than active breakouts.  The problem is if we don't address the active breakouts first, than they will continue to get new signs of scarring.

Fortunately though, often in the process of getting clear, the products I put clients on to clear will ALSO help improve the signs of scarring and help stimulate collagen and elastin.  For example, the below images are from a client who saw improvements in both acne and scarring just within the first 2 weeks:

I put her on my Clear Age Bundle set.  Some of the active ingredients in the set that helped her with scarring and healing are lactic acid, pumpkin (which converts into retinol in the skin), l-mandelic acid, and lilac stem-cells which all have collagen stimulating benefits along with their clarifying properties.

Brighten up

A lot of post acne scarring is also something called "post inflammatory hyperpigmentation", which basically means darker spots on the skin after inflammation.  This hyperpigmentation is generally shown as darker brownish spots or this can also show up as redish/pink spots or a combo of the two.

The best things to prevent and brighten these areas are with brightening serums that contain ingredients called "tyrosinase inhibitors".  These are not bleaching products.  Tyrosinase inhibitors are ingredients that block the enzyme process that leads to your skin over producing melanin (pigment cells), which then creates an over all evening out/brightening effect in the skin.  Many of these ingredients contain clarifying and antioxidant properties too.

For example my Aza-Bright serum is made exactly for this.  It contains azaleic acid, licorice and kojic acid which are all antioxidants with clarifying properties and potent tyrosinase inhibitors (skin brighteners).

Stimulate Collagen/Elastin

There are many ways to stimulate the skin to produce collagen and elastin.  In office med/spa treatments often involved "controlled" wound creation services like microneedling, lasers, IPL, chemical peels and all kinds of intense resurfacing procedures.

Since I like to care for the integrity of the barrier of the skin and not compromise it too much, I definitely take a gentler approach in office and at home that also works.  Since we're doing so much more at home these days with the pandemic, I recommend a few things for home.  

Retinoids and acids are powerful collagen-elastin stimulators and can be used in a way with guidance at home to correct acne scarring and signs of aging. I have clients use a combination of my Meta-A serum and L-Mandelic acid serums to correct scarring at home. 

They will also often happily report a decrease in signs of sun damage and aging at the same time too!

Heal and Repair

This is an essential and often overlooked step when it comes to scarring.  Helping prevent more serious scarring  and getting better results from corrective yet sometimes harsh ingredients like retinoids and acids requires care! 

I love the gentle wound healing benefits of certain plant stemcells and botanicals.  In Korea (the current international leader in skincare tech) Cica aka Centella which comes from the Gotu Kola herb has been shown to have great anti-inflammatory and wound healing benefits.  You will see this ingredient in most Korean skincare products made for healing the skin for after invasive services like laser or peels, and for sensitive skin.  I took it a step further and use the stem-cells from Centella as an extra oomf.  This amongst other plant stem-cells and peptides are in my Fibroblast serum, and is almost always why I will put clients with scarring on this product as well.

So there you have it, some ingredients and products that will help most see improvement in acne scarring.  For more in depth help on acne scarring you can book a consult with me here. Otherwise, take my skin quiz here to see what products are best for you!