How can you get rid of old pigmentation on your face? What about left over acne scars?

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Pigmentation can be very tough to get rid of, especially when it lies in the dermis and not just the epidermis. People with darker skin tone are prone to getting post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (after pimples, bug bites) that last a long time. When it's dermal, it will require lots of time to come up to the surface. You should step up your exfoliation routine and use products that can block more melanin from forming. Getting a professional peel can help but will take a few sessions. Also prescription retinoids may help. These will increase cell turnover, making the spots come up faster. Make sure it's not too harsh, as this can cause even more pigmentation or even hypopigmentation. Use a high % of Vitamin C and other ingredients daily like kojic acid, licorice, asian mushroom extracts, resorcinol and peptides to help clear pigmentation faster. Of course broad-spectrum SPF 30+ is a must. Good luck!

The fastest way is to use the Retina-A/ sunscreen combo. Retina-A promotes cell turnover and sunscreen prevents future build up of excess melanin. This can be irritating to some people and Retina-A can't be used during pregnancy so ask your doctor for advice. a very effective OTC way is to use lactic acid masks. Lactic acid can be bought on the net and a mask of about a 15-20% strength can be applied for about 10 minutes. Wash off thoroughly and use sunscreen. Lactic acid is VERY efficetive at disembedding dead skin to reveal a fresh layer and speed cell turover. Lastly, cut out any products that might be irritating your skin. Minimize your routine and keep at the regimen. Results with either method can be seen within a month.

My personal recommendation is: http://www.amazon.com/Omiera-Corrector-Anti-Wrinkle-Whitening-Anti-Aging/dp/B00WXXUPIE%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAIMTWWKRZFUC5Q3MQ%26tag%3Dbeautynatur02-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB00WXXUPIEread bellow why: Post http://www.skinacea.com/faq/acne/a09-acne-scars-vs-marks.html, or macules, are commonly referred to as “acne scars." Real http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acne_scars#Scars, however, are the indentations or protrusions left behind by acne. Acne marks, on the other hand, are the flat red or brown dots left behind by pimples. They are also a type of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.NOTE: Treatment for acne macules is different from treatment for acne scars. We will be covering post-acne marks and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) here. To learn more about acne scars and their treatment options, check out http://www.skincarephysicians.com/acnenet/scarring.html very informative site.http://www.skinacea.com/acne/acne.html isn't the only thing that can cause discolored skin marks. Other dark spots and types of skin hyperpigmentation can come from http://www.skinacea.com/skincare/anti-aging.html, sun damage, and even using http://www.skinacea.com/acne/acne-treatment-bcp.html.Most of the time, acne marks and dark marks that you get from skin wounds will go away on their own. However, for some people, it can take anywhere from six months to many years for them to lighten completely. Other forms of http://www.skinacea.com/how-to/fade-melasma-hyperpigmentation.html (ones from aging, allergies, etc.) don't fade on their own and may even get darker as time goes on.To treat these red marks and pigmentation issues, consider the following options: SunscreenWearing http://www.skinacea.com/sunscreen/sunscreen.html is essential, whether you are trying to fade marks or have no marks to fade whatsoever. It should be a part of your http://www.skinacea.com/skincare/good-skincare-routine-part-one.html because it protects your skin against the sun's harmful UV rays and prevents cancerous lesions. If you want to speed up the fading of your hyperpigmentation, it is extraimportant to http://www.skinacea.com/sunscreen/wear-sunscreen-right.html. Sunscreen not only prevents sun damage, it helps prevent existing acne macules and other dark spots from getting even darker. ExfoliationExfoliating helps fade your acne marks faster by shedding old skin and bringing new skin to the surface. There are lots of options for exfoliation, such as scrubs and washcloths. I personally prefer http://www.skinacea.com/faq/general/g11-manual-vs-chemical-exfoliation.html because I feel it penetrates deeper, works faster, and is less physically irritating than manual exfoliation. To get rid of red acne marks or hyperpigmentation, you can also consider using http://www.skinacea.com/retinoids/retinoids.html, like Differin, Retin-A, or Tazorac. Prescription http://www.skinacea.com/acne/acne-treatment-azelaic-acid.html, like Finacea, is also known for lightening skin. On the other hand, if you don’t want to use prescription products, you can try over-the-counter products withhttp://www.skinacea.com/acne/acne-treatment-aha.html as the active ingredient. (I've had good results with using an AHA serum to fade old acne marks.) Though exfoliation is one way to fade dark marks faster, be aware that these types of topical exfoliating products and treatments can cause http://www.skinacea.com/retinoids/side-effects-retinoids.html such as redness, peeling, and dryness. They can also make your skin more sensitive to sunlight, which makes wearing a good sunscreen that much more important. Skin LightenersAside from exfoliating to help skin renew itself faster, you can attack dark spots with skin lighteners such as kojic acid, licorice extract, arbutin, mulberry extract, and http://www.skinacea.com/faq/treatments/t01-vitamin-c.html. http://www.skinacea.com/faq/treatments/t10-why-hydroquinone-is-bad.html is also a skin lightener. However, because there are cancerous risks associated with this ingredient, it has been banned in Europe and Asia. Over-the-counter hydroquinone products are still available in the US market, but anything over 2% requires a doctor's prescription. Many Asian skin care products target the lightening and whitening of skin as well. However, before purchasing any of these products, make sure to check the ingredients to see if there are actually effective skin lighteners in the product. Some people recommend applying vitamin E (either a vitamin E product, 100% vitamin E oil, or vitamin E poked from a gel capsule) on dark marks but in my experience, vitamin E oil can be very irritating when used on its own. In the past, I thought vitamin E would help with scars, marks, and overall http://www.skinacea.com/faq/acne/a07-red-and-raw-skin.html, so I slathered it all over my face, only to wake up the next morning to lots of tiny red bumps. It took 2 days of cortisone cream to calm my skin down. So, just keep in mind that while vitamin E oil is healing, it can also cause irritation for some people!When should you treat dark marks?The fresher the post-acne mark, the brighter color red it will be. Acne macules usually go from bright red to a dark brownish color before fading completely. The earlier you use treatments (i.e. exfoliation, retinoids, AHAs, etc.) to fade marks, the better results you will have. However, you shouldn't use treatment products too early either.The best time to start using active treatments on dark marks is when the marks are no longer an open injury. If the post-acne mark still looks moist or has a scab, wait for it to dry up and for the scab to fall off on its own before you start any dark mark fading treatments. Exfoliating or using an aggressive treatment while your skin is still repairing itself will only prolong the healing process.Think about it this way: if you had a cut on your arm and you wanted the cut to go away faster, you wouldn't apply an acid (like an AHA) to the cut. Applying an acid would probably re-injure your skin and keep it red longer. The same line of thinking applies to any injuries (post-acne spots or not) on your face. While your skin is still red and raw, use http://www.skinacea.com/products/healing-products.html to speed up its recovery. Once some of the bright red fades from the acne mark, you can then start using an exfoliating treatment.How long does it take for dark marks to fade?Exfoliating or using topical products helps shorten the amount of time it takes for red marks to fade, but any product you use will still take time to work. Even if you are exfoliating every day or using the right products, dark marks won't fade immediately. Everyone's skin is different, but with consistent and long term use, you should see results in around two to three months. Depending on how fresh your acne marks are and how fast your skin naturally heals, you may even see results sooner.While your marks are fading, you may notice some dry skin flakes around the mark or even a dead layer of skin forming over the mark. If this happens, do not pick it off. Let your skin shed on its own when it's good and ready - it's all part of the process of your skin healing itself and you don't want to disrupt it or you'll just make it take longer for your skin to recover. The good news is, most post-acne marks will fade with time. You just have to be patient!However, if you are really impatient, you can opt for http://www.skinacea.com/facials/facials.html such ashttp://www.skinacea.com/facials/peels/chemical.html, http://www.skinacea.com/facials/lasers/lasers.html, and/or http://www.skinacea.com/facials/microdermabrasion.html for faster results. Facial procedures do not perform miracles either because they also take at least two to three treatment sessions spaced several months apart for you to start seeing your desired results.Good things come with timeIf you want a quick fix for any dark spots, a good concealer will do the trick. Otherwise, the best way to fade acne marks is to: 1) prevent the marks from getting darker by wearing a good sunscreen, 2) help your skin's renewal process by using exfoliators or skin lighteners, and 3) be patient! source: http://www.skinacea.com/how-to/fade-acne-marks.html#.Vz9xkPl96idEnjoy

I can interpret that four main issues on your face are to be addresses: Acne scars- these are depressed craters left after healing of acne. They would respond to LASERS only. Dark brown spots left after healing of pimples termed as "post-inflammatory pigmentation" would require sun protection and skin lightening creams prescribed by dermatologist. Red spots again left after healing of red pimples- these would usually fade with time but do protect them from sun so that they do not leave behind brown spots. Pigmentation and uneven skin tone- again skin lightening creams and exfoliation would help. One cost effective solution is Chemical peels at Dermatologist clinic with exception of first one all would improve considerably with series of medium depth peels like TCA. For more details read: http://www.dermatocare.com/blog_category.php?subcategory_name=darkspots-patches

@I have had excellent results with @http://www.bareskincare.com/products/bare-skin-care-program-for-hyperpigmentation, which is my own product. It contains both retinol, alpha-hydroxy acids and bleaching agents, along with many natural ingredients. To get rid of skin pigment, bleaching agents alone will not work. One must turn the skin over as well, thus the other ingredients are necessary, especially the retinol. If this is not satisfactory, then IPL treatments or some chemical peels will work. It might be necessary to repeat a peel or IPL.This answer is not a substitute for professional medical advic...

You're correct with the sunscreen. Scars get made and are made worse by sun, so wearing it is important. If you're just interested in getting rid of the pigmentation and are already using a sunscreen, you could try prescription based sunscreen by Obagi. Here is a http://www.spaonemedspa.com/skin-care/sun-protection.cfm. They are commonly recommended by doctors for treating pigmentation. If you want to get rid of the scars you'll need to try something like dermal fillers, microdermabrasion, chemical peel, laser treatment, or maybe even light therapy. Finding a moisturizer that boosts collagen production may also help do the trick.

Hi PhilipFirst, I have to tell you it would be very helpful not only for your overall health but also healthy skin, , if you were taking vitamins that promote healthy skin. A,C,D,E.In a matter of a few weeks or sooner you will see the difference.Here is a link to my blog on the best skin care ever. All natural and very affordable things to get your new skin growth started.Link to blog on all natural skin carehttps://healthyskin.quora.comHere is a link to my google plus, you can see my before and after skin care pics.https://plus.google.com/u/1/101529214239701741888/postsAlso there is an oil (tree tea oil) depending on where you buy it it’s pretty affordable for the usage. I m in N.Y. so the cost here is $9.99Dilute the oil with water. I usually buy the q-tips that are thick, wet a q-tip with warm water then one drop of oil on it. Rub gently on troubled area.**DO NOT** use a lot of oil because it will burn,(not like acid but it’s an uncomfortable feeling). One drop of oil is all you will need, you can even pass the q-tip through the water quickly once you add the oil. It will give you a fresh clean feeling and within a day or two you will notice a difference. The bottle of tree tea oil will last for some time.I hope this was helpful along with the blog.

Baking soda is a common household item with literally hundreds of uses, including the ability to help heal scars. Baking soda is composed of sodium bicarbonate crystals which gently exfoliate skin when used as a cleansing scrub. Just mix a few teaspoons of baking soda with enough water to form a thick paste then massage into skin where scars are present. Once applied, you should leave the mixture on for a minute or two. This will allow the soda to cleanse pores and help prevent further blemishes. After a couple of minutes, wash your face in lukewarm water and apply a good natural moisturizer like rose hip seed, jojoba, coconut, or olive oil.Do this about once every other day for great results!Learn more about face scar removal here: http://www.howtogetridofscarsonface.net/