Well acne.org sells an AHA otherwise you can get this one at the store http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/alpha-hydrox-enhanced-anti-wrinkle-lotion/ID=prod6015632-product?ext=gooBeauty_PLA_Creams_ampersand_Lotions__-_Rejuvenating_prod6015632_pla&adtype=%7Badtype%7D&kpid=prod6015632&sst=6763d3e9-831d-2b28-bb21-000063081b8f
Honey dose, use it as a face mask for 20 minutes once a day for 4 days out of the week.
What do you have to loose ? nothing exactly, I say you should try it and give it 2 weeks if you don't see improvement then it's not for you,
I know you must be like, honey ? on my face ? but it can promote healing and prevent infection due to its natural antimicrobial properties. Honey as the benefits to help your acne scars fade away,
Give it a try
Here's what I've got so far for topicals that claim or that people have claimed help red marks (in the same boat as you so researching the shit out of it):
5-10% AHA
Aloe Vera (100% pure liquid/gel)
Rosehip Seed Oil
Lavender Essential Oil
Jojoba Oil
Emu oil
BHA (not sure how much it helps with red marks but there have been CLAIMS as such) i.e. salicylic acid 2%+
Hydroquinone (2% available otc, 4%+ available via perscription)
And yes of course retin A
There is also exfoliation, which is quite simple really. Basically you just press something lightly against your skin (beads, sand, wash cloth, brush) to remove dead skin. The skin then proceeds to regenerate. Best method currently in existence I have seen with which people have ACTUALLY gotten results is the baby brush method. As far as frequency I have heard people say once a week and some say every day or every other day. The success story below did it 3-4 times a week so based on that I'd probably say do it every other day. Also do not apply the brush to your face without having cleaned it (run it over hot water for a bit to eliminate bacteria) and make sure it has been wetted so application is smoother (it is quite rough without being wetted). Those are basically the main points of the method which unfortunately took me quite a bit of time to extract from 40+ pages of crap.
The method:
Best results I've ever seen with the method (backed up with pics):
Unfortunately no one I know of besides heitea has posted an actual pic journal of their results JUST using topical methods to remove PIH, which is extremely unfortunate. I hope to break that habit on this forum myself, because I want the information and PROOF (we can't just say xyz happened and expect people to believe us in such a subjective field) to be out there for those having problems currently and in the future. Unfortunately I cannot do anything with my skin for another 3-4 months due to just having finished accutane about 2.5 months ago so I have to wait on any actual treatment, even topicals.
All the best to you man. Just keep researching.
More aggressive treatments you might want to look into:
IPL (intense pulsed laser)
VI Beam
Chemical peels (particularly TCA, lactic, and vitalize) - there can be significant downtime with these, talking almost a week of dontlookatme
By the way I've been looking into IPL a bit for the past couple hours and here are some of my notes
"If you have a lot of visible veins and vein-related redness, go for Vbeam.
If you just have spots, go IPL." - GreenGables, veteran member
Mixed reviews on IPL - some love, some hate
-more effective the more fair you are
-Scars need to be gone over multiple times
-Must be on a high enough setting BUT start at low setting first so as not to injure the skin
-FURTHER HYPERPIGMENTATION IS POSSIBLE IF TOO HIGH OF A SETTING IS USED
-Really need to doctor shop on this one; don't take the first guy who says he can do it you need someone REALLY COMPETENT or either you will not see results or you will end up with even more hyperpigmentation than before. Plenty of people have reported on this being the exact case with their treatments
-Should not be paying more than $200 for this procedure. Any more than that and they are probably just moneyhungry assholes who dgaf about you no matter if you get results from the procedure or not.
Hope this helped man all the things I have mentioned are the result of my own research on this problem and I don't even feel I have scratched the surface yet in my own improvement. I'm going to personally try EVERYTHING on this list that I feel would be beneficial and will be reporting back with progress and of course pics. Do your research, go over every possible thread you can. Hear every single testimony you can. Know the ins and outs of each little thing you're thinking about trying because guess what? Shit happens. Maybe that topical you're thinking of using can cause a breakout. Maybe people have reported even more problems from using something than not using it, and you just read one single review that said it was a good procedure.
Over and above all this is the best advice I can give you, which I think many members on this forum would disagree with but is something I have come to KNOW from all of the readings I have done on this subject: do not trust anyone here, and definitely do not trust anyone who is charging you for any procedure. That includes every doctor in existence. Every doctor you meet should have to prove himself to you before he can even think about doing anything to your face or recommending anything to you. Always be careful with these guys, because in my experience and in the experience of TONS of others (you need only do a google search and check forum posts), doctors can seriously screw up your whole face simply because they want the money and don't give a damn. DON'T let yourself be a victim. Research everything YOURSELF, and have a clear idea from patient testimonies of what you want done to your face, and even HOW you want it done to your face. You should even be quizzing the doc on HOW exactly he plans to do what he's going to do. If what he says goes against the conventional knowledge, or if it is something you KNOW is the wrong thing to do, or if he just plain has no idea, finish the conversation, leave, and never return. Go to a better one who has done thousands of the same procedure that you want to get done.
Sorry for the mini ramble but I think it is important we stop bullshitting each other and start working to help each other. I'm not going to tell you "hey man maybe you should do this I think it works" because you know what? Then I'd be contributing to the problem. Everyone is recommending things they themselves haven't even tried, or if they did, they cannot provide you with pic proof of what it did to them. Here is the skinny on pigmentation: in some people, it doesn't go away, straight up. That's just the truth. Now whether or not this is because those people don't take sun care seriously, don't take care of their faces, have never tried any aggressive treatments, exfoliation or topicals, I could never know (really unfortunately, because no one wants to record anything). But that's just a fact. A lot of people have not fixed their pigmentation problem. For some, it has gone away over time. Like everything in this whole world of healthcare, different people react differently to different problems - there are no 100% solutions that work for 100% of people. And there are thousands of possible variables that can affect treatment - think diet, topical regimen, doctor experience and technique, vitamin intake, sun exposure, current acne condition, time elapsed since pih became present, general hygiene, etc.etc. etc.
Just do your best to give your skin the best possible chance of recovering and hopefully it will. This post should hopefully get you started on doing some serious research because guys like myself are few and far between and there really aren't a lot of people on this forum who have gone through the whole hell and back procedure and are coming back to tell you what worked for them. It's a damn shame but it's true. We as the people currently struggling with these issues need to help each other help ourselves, so hopefully this has helped you. Stay strong, stay CONSISTENT (best thing you can do with any regimen to know it's working), and keep fighting it until it's gone. Good luck.
Hi! Back again. I noticed my name mentioned, so I wanted to chime in once more. I ordered a stronger lactic acid/glycolic acid from Amazon and I'm going to use it next week. I'll let you know how it goes on the rest of my existing marks.
Here's that before and after that was talked about-- the first set of pictures is my horrible, terrible awful breakout this summer (and it had already started healing), and the second was this morning. Obviously I'm still working on it!
i really recommend retin a , i tried 10% glycolic acid but it didnt help my hyperpigmentation scars or red marks at all unlike retin a i only been using it for almost 2 weeks and the results are amazingggg my scars are almost gone i can feel it maybe in couple more weeks but im def gonna use it long term for sure
i really recommend retin a , i tried 10% glycolic acid but it didnt help my hyperpigmentation scars or red marks at all unlike retin a i only been using it for almost 2 weeks and the results are amazingggg my scars are almost gone i can feel it maybe in couple more weeks but im def gonna use it long term for sure
That remains to be seen, LF. Be careful about recommending something you are not yet finished with. I'm rooting for you, though, man. I expect to see those weekly pics >