Acne Scarring

Hi,

Am new to this and would like some help. African American woman here wanting to know what others of medium to dark complexions use to lighten acne scarring. I have some scarring that began a few years ago. And id like to find a natural way to lighten some of the dark marks. Any suggestions?

Hello! These are things that I have heard work and been told by others that they work. I have never tried these myself. Make a paste of lemon juice and sugar and let it sit on your acne scar for about 10-15 minutes, then wash off. You are supposed to see results in about a month. You can also use the lemon juice by itself. All the other things I have heard of that work are not natural, such as ambi fade cream and proactive.

Some preventitive measures and what has personally worked for me is using peroxide as a toner after I wash my face and a change in diet. I stopped drinking pop and drinking way more water. I also use aloe vera juice and tee tree oil. These are both healing for your skin and natural. I saw a big difference doing these things. I hope this helps!

Before trying anything, I recommend that you have some sun protection of some kind on hand such as sunscreen with at least spf 15 and/or protective clothing. Limit sun exposure whenever possible while and after using any treatments as they make your skin very sensitive to sunlight. Failing to do so might result on further darkening of the skin and all of your progress will become undone.

For natural remedies, use lemon (diluted with water) and a cotton swab and *spot treat* the scars. The glycolic acid in lemons will 'bleach' the scars. You can also use yogurt in conjunction with the lemon to incorporate some lactic acid in your regimen for a boost. 😉

I also agree with sugaries, mandelic acid is great for beginners who has never used peels before but remember to be cautious. While the acid is natural (naturally derived), it is still an ACID and it will BURN if the solution is too strong for your skin or left on for too long and cause further, deeper scarring. Find the right strength by starting with the weakest solution to see how your skin takes it, it shouldn't burn. I'm not trying to scare you, when done in moderation, peels can help achieve great results!

Another thing to keep in mind is since mandelic acid doesn't penetrate as deeply as the other acids, it may take longer to show the desired results. It doesn't mean that it won't work, it just take a bit longer. Try to give your skin a break of at least 2 weeks when using peels so it can give your skin some time to rejuvenate and grow some dead (but very necessary) skin for protection.

hth

Lemon juice helps me, but I'm not black. I hear that black people's skin can be prone to worse discoloration than anyone else, so I wouldn't recommend messing around with over the counter/DIY stuff. Best to see a derm who knows what they're doing.