Reader question: Getting rid of blemishes
Wednesday, August 15, 2012 at 8:05AM Hi Miss Liz,
Can you suggest some good blemish removers? I have these acne marks/scars and it takes a while to lighten them. I just rely on my whitening moisturizer (Olay's) but i don't know if that works. Any suggestions from affordable to high-end products are welcome in my book, since when it comes to my skin care I'm willing to spend. But if it's affordable and works that'll be great! :) - Diana
Hi Diana! What you can do to lighten your blemishes faster is to use sunscreen everyday, preferably something with SPF30 above. Why? Because blemishes are basically caused by hyperpigmentation or too much melanin in the area. That happens when skin is wounded or scarred - the skin tries to repair the damaged spot by producing more melanin.
To keep the area from darkening more, use a broad spectrum sunscreen that protects against UVA and UVB rays. The sun triggers our skin to produce pigment so we need to deflect its damaging rays with SPF products. Here are sunscreens I like:
Clinique Derma White City Block Anti-Pollution SPF40 PA+++
VMV Hypoallergenics Armada Face Cover 30
Kiehl's Ultra Light Daily UV Defense SPF 50
You should also exfoliate your skin regularly to cleanse the dead, dark skin away. Three times a week max is enough! Any drugstore exfoliator will do as long as it's not too abrasive. Well, personally I'm not into bead exfoliators as I find them too harsh. I prefer using a clay mask, then massaging it off my skin with a vegetable sponge soaked in warm water. This cleans pores nicely, too! I do this twice a week.
Etude House Wonder Pore Clay Clear Mask
As for creams/serums, I haven't found anything that makes blemishes lighten CONSIDERABLY faster. That said, I do like the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair. Documented my use in four weeks with photos and it did lighten the milder-looking blemishes.
UPDATE: try also the Rave: Shu Uemura TSUYA Skin Serum or Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution - they are amazing! Read the reviews. :)
You can also try some natural remedies. Pure lemon juice (applied on problem spots) is said to help bleach blemishes. Cider vinegar is also another DIY solution.
Do note I'm not a professional so I can't really share more than what I've experienced for myself. The best route is to talk to a dermatologist who can recommend products and treatments which can bleach the blemishes effectively! It's safer because she can make her recommendation according to your skin type and condition. :)
Hope this helps, Diana! Guys, are you using any products to combat post-acne pigmentation? How are they working for you?
Reader Comments (8)
You can also use tea tree oil for spot treatment. I use Zen Zest Tea Tree Oil cause it’s cheaper than the Body Shop :)
I use products with whitening ingredients in them or hydroquinone when I get blemishes and also use sunblocks to prevent it from darkening again since using skin lightening products actually make your skin more prone to burning and darkening. :)
Wow! VMV and Estee. I wonder when I can try them too :D I use 24K Gold Scrub to slough off dead skin twice a week. For blemishes I use 24K Gold Age defying serum. Sometimes I also use clay mask from Snoe and 24K. I want to try Kiehls and clinique but they are expensive for me. Hopefully someday when I have enough money, I'll definitely try. I'm so curious with your Etude Wonder Pore clay mask, I'll give it a try too! :)
I have tried The Body Shop's tea tree oil and it dries up pimples fast. But it has this strong medicine like odor so it lessens the appeal for me. I like Kiehls too and VMV, both yet I have got to try.
Genetics plays some role here; some people have quick cell turnover, some don't, that's why for some people, post-acne marks take forever to fade. I'm one of those people. Of all the products I tried, only time has proven to be effective--yes, those marks will fade eventually. In the meantime, use a good concealer and take good care of your skin so that the occurrence of pimples (and thus, pimple marks) is minimized.
hello miss liz,im new to your blog :) same here, i have problems with blemishes. right now, im using kiehl's clearly corrective concentrate and i must say that it works! it made my face brighter, now i want to try estee lauder ANR because of your recommendation pati yung kiehls sunblock bcoz i had breakouts with vmv..
I'm currently not using any products to treat post-acne pigmentation. I've tried a couple of things like whitening serums from low- to high-end brands but they never seem to work. So I just leave it to Mother Nature and just make sure I continue cleansing, toning and moisturizing. I didn't exfoliate regularly though so that's a good tip. Also, I guess I could try Estee Lauder's since my acne scars aren't that pigmented. Thanks for the tips--especially the natural remedies. :)
I also have a similar problem. I used to have a lot of pimples which I thought were brought about by lack of sleep, stress and nutritional deficits but recently, I learned that I have a hormonal imbalance. Dealing with acne is already difficult, but the more difficult phase was removing the blemishes and post-acne scars. Even though I know that salicylic acid works best with pimples, I tend to avoid them as it darkens the pimple spots and scars making it more difficult to conceal and remove. After learning about the root cause of my pimples, I subjected myself to treatment and miraculously, my pimples are gone save for the occasional 1-2 which pops out during my time of the month. My hormonal treatment also unusually lightened up my scars, and all I have to deal with now are those post-acne craters and big pores which I manage with diamond peel. So to girls who have been experiencing breakouts, try to discover the root cause of your problems. Who knows, it might be something which is not caused externally, similar to my situation. :)