Deep acne scars

[shayepham]

I have had super bad acne since I was a teenage and now that it's mostly cleared up, I have so much scarring and deep craters on my face due to picking the acne (I know, I regret it so much too!!) what can help with the heavy scarring? And what could help with evening out the layer of skin so there's not holes all over my face?? Thanks!!! ❤️

[beachyt]

I second consulting a dermatologist and Vitamin C. I use the Paula's Choice vitamin C serum (I know, cue some of the groans, but it works!), but I believe Dennis Gross has some good ones in their lineup.

[Anonymous]

I really recommend Bio Oil!

[myumew]

@shayepham I've dealt with acne my entire teenage life (and even now t_t) but last year, my scars faded tremendously after focusing more on skincare. Looking back, I honestly think it was thanks to Sunday Riley's Luna oil. I applied it every night over my moisturizer.

In the day time, I didn't even wear vitamin C every day, and sometimes I even forgot to wear sunscreen. 

Oh, and I really love the Dr. Dennis Gross acid peels. They're really worth the investment!

Edit: BTW, I purchased the trial kit with the smaller bottle of Luna Oil and it lasted me MONTHS. Totally worth it.

[makeupmama2012]

I had deep scarring too. I got laser treatments done by a dermatologist ( fraxel for depressed scars and V-beam for red marks.) It was pretty expensive but I saved up for a long time to get it done and it was definitely worth it since my skin was something I was really insecure with. I know that acid peels and microneedling can help a lot as well but I haven't gotten those procedures done myself. You could also try to get a prescription for retinoids which helps to build collagen and "fill in" those depressed scars. In all honesty you should probably see a dermatologist if you haven't already done so, because no skincare product is going to make a big difference in helping you get rid of depressed scars. 

[blueviolet21]

I agree she should definitely see a dermatologist. I would disagree that no skincare product can help-- I had pretty terrible scarring and I definitely had results from skincare. I think it depends on what kind of results you expect, and the time and expense you're willing to put into it.

[makeupmama2012]

I definitely think that skincare can help a lot with pigmentation scars and a bit of uneven texture, i'm just not as convinced about its efficacy with regards to deep indentation scarring. Maybe thats just my own personal experience. I know a lot of people have good results with combining microneedling and peels but I was always afraid to try it myself at home. May I ask what products you feel have made the most difference in your skin? I'm interested in trying new products now that my major skin issues have been dealt with. I still have some more faded red marks and smaller ice pick scars and it would be great if I could fix these issues without having to make another trip to the dermatologist. 

[blueviolet21]

Yeah, I absolutely see where you are coming from there. I had good results with AHAs, vitamin C, and retinol... like surprisingly good results. My face looks much better than I ever expected and to this day I'm not really sure why it worked so well. However, some of my worst scarring was on my chest, and while it also has faded a lot-- and I think it's still continuing to fade-- if I were to have the microneedling/PRP done today I would choose my chest because my chest looks worse. I used to feel more self conscious about V-neck shirts, for example, because of it. It's weird, who knew you could get acne on your neck/chest? I sure didn't before I got it. So I've had really good results from the two Drunk Elephant serums-- the TLC glycolic and the C Firma one-- and I've been using the Skinmedica retinols, which a lot of derms sell at their offices. I also tried the Sunday Riley Good Genes and I like it okay, though not as much as the Drunk Elephant one. It doesn't seem quite as effective and it's more expensive. I've been doing this for around a year, maybe a year and a half. If I get the nerve maybe I'll put a picture up but it makes me super stressed to look back on the days before my scars started to heal...like actual physical stress. I think that using oils seemed to help me also, though whether that was because they helped fade the scars, or because I finally recognized my skin had gotten drier and I needed to stop stressing it out so much, I don't know. Marula oil twice a day seems to have helped, as stupid as that sounds. I wish you luck on your journey @makeupmama2012! I feel so much empathy for anyone else who is living with acne scarring... it's nice to read this thread and know I'm not the only one, because for several years I definitely felt like I was.

[makeupmama2012]

Thank you so much for your suggestions! I've been really interested in both of those serums you've mentioned from Drunk Elephant, so I'm excited to hear that they have been producing good results. I've only hesitated due to the price, but at this point I'm definitely willing to splurge on skincare and at least its cheaper than getting treatments done at the dermatologist. The marula oil sounds pretty intriguing as well. I've thought about trying rosehip oil from The Ordinary because I've heard it helps with people's leftover pigmentation/ acne marks. I'm a little scared of oils despite having dry skin, im super prone to clogs and closed comedones that always end up getting inflamed so I'm wary about what I put on my face. But perhaps I should try oils, maybe my skin is just super dehydrated and could use some added moisture to help heal it a lot faster. I totally understand how you feel, I still don't think I could post a photo of my bare skin yet despite it being vastly improved from where I started. I feel like I've been battling my skin for years, and I agree that it really takes a toll on your mental and physical health. I was terrified for a long time for anyone to see my bare skin and refused to let anyone see me without makeup. It still feels really uncomfortable even now to let people see me without face makeup, but I'm slowly beginning to feel less anxious about it the more I got out bare faced. Sorry for all the rambling lol, it does really feel good to know there are people out there who are also dealing with the same issues. Thank you very much for your well-wishes and I wish you good luck on your skin journey as well! I'm happy that you've had some good results so far and I hope you skin continues to get even better 🙂

[blueviolet21]

Hi @shayepham, I'd recommend a few things: 1) seeing a dermatologist as a first step. They can help identify the type of scarring you have and give you both long and short term options for working on it. 2) Products: I would recommend using vitamin C and AHAs (like glycolic and lactic acid) to help in fading and resurfacing the scarring. I was in your position-- I had acne, had been on Accutane, and had also picked my acne-- and was left with quite a bit of scarring. I've found that sustained usage of vitamin C + AHAs has made a substantial difference in my scarring and will save me money when I do have any future treatment down the line. I used the Drunk Elephant C Firma and TLC Glycolic serums but there are tons of others available from Sephora and other places. If you are prone to acne still, it might be useful to work in some kind of salicylic acid (BHA) product to keep you from breaking out further-- Paula's Choice 2% BHA has been a lifesaver for me in this regard and I still use it even though my skin is on the dry side now. If you're going to use AHAs and vitamin C, you need a sunscreen during the day. You'll probably also need a moisturizer appropriate for your skin. Give everything time-- it takes months, not days-- but you can get results from skincare.

In terms of options from the dermatologist-- what I was recommended was microneedling plus PRP. This was really pricy so I wanted to give my skincare some time to work first and I'm glad I did. Obviously this might not be what you'd be recommended so I encourage you to talk to a good dermatologist-- maybe even more than one (I saw a few that made me feel kind of sketchy before I found one I liked). Hope that helps and good luck!!

[GeoRay]

You can try chemical exfoliator, like AHA (good for dry skin) & BHA (good for oily skin). Just pls remember to wear sunscreen during daytime, otherwise your scars could be deepen by UV rays ❤

[Danyeezy]

You can use fresh lemon juice and put it on your dark spots. Sticking a Q-tip into a lemon and rubbing it on your dark spots twice a day truly does work. Lemon is a natural bleaching agent. You can also follow that up with a toner to even out your skin tone. Witch hazel is a great toner. As far as the \"craters\" chemical peels could gradually help with that. Peter Thomas Roth has some glycolic swabs which could help with that along with skin tone and acne. But dermatologists also do chemical peels in office as well.

[Riverleighsmom]

Have you tried a chemical peel before? I have been interested in getting one but have heard mixed opinions.

[Danyeezy]

I have. I was super red for like weeks because I didn't need a chemical peel I just wanted to try it. And my skin is super sensitive so it was dumb idea for me. Lol. Smh. But for people I know with troubled skin they all rave about it.