1 reply to this topic

[soccer27]

Hi,

I've been suffering from acne for around 4 years now and although its not as bad as it used to be, there are still a lot of red marks that have accumulated on my face. I use a mild cleanser in the morning (and sunscreen) and after cleaning my face at night I use tazorac.
I have lots of questions and any help would be truly appreciated!



1. Is this inflammation or is it Post Inflammatory Hyper-pigmentation (PIH)? If it's PIH, what can I do to naturally reduce it and make it fade away?
2. Are there any foods that I should eat (or stay away from) to help reduce the redness?
3. Is it alright to apply lemon on my face (for 15 minutes) around 3 times a week if I'm currently applying tazorac to my face every night, or should I only use one or the other?

[Vanbelle]

Even though you've had acne for around 4 years, you didn't specify how long you've had the red marks for. If the marks persist for years (meaning 1 mark stays there for years), then I would say it's PIH. If it stays for about a month, it's PIE.

Regardless, PIH and PIE might as well be considered temporary scars, that will go away once it is overturned and shedded. Think of it like a scab. You have to wait for the skin underneath to heal and mature, and then the scab flakes off. Same idea.

You can encourage the spots to go away by applying exfoliants, which increases the rate of skin cell turnover. Lemon is one way of doing this, due to the natural acids in the lemon juice. Any other acid or retinoid/retinol product will similarly work.

To stop the red marks from forming, you need to stop the acne from forming. Otherwise you'll constantly be getting new ones. If it's PIE (post-inflammatory erythema), please do not pick your pimples! That will cause even redder marks.

Good luck.

Edited by Vanbelle, 29 February 2012 - 12:11 AM.