so i used this acne cream called 'Benzac 5' (5% BP). it's an australian product. i used it last year and it worked great. recently i increased my dosage and applied for full face coverage, and afterwards, applied a Clean and Clear moisturizer. I felt a burning sensation but i thought it was because it was absorbing it in and actually working.
however, it turned my face tomato red, incredibly tight and dry.
some days later, the skin started to peel off and i picked at it with my fingers, the bleached skin (don't know what to call it) revealed a light shade which was that of my normal skin color. i should've let it happen naturally as i guess it took my own skin with it.
im so scared and i dont know what to do. im so afraid that these scars will remain forever. im constantly depressed and cant remember the last time i smiled. please tell me the steps i should take to improve my condition as i'm at a loss.
school is starting soon and i feel like i cant walk the halls with these scars. ive been wearing foundation at home so my parents wont see, but a close face to face conversation will be the end of me.
You should just let your skin heal and stop using any harsh products. The brown hyperpigmentation will fade away. They don't look indented in the pictures (i.e. they look like they're going to heal completely with time), but if they really are indented, it's harder to say whether they'll leave marks or not. Consulting dermatologist would be a good idea.
Couldn't you just let it heal on its own? You got the damage in the first place from applying strong chemicals on your skin, I think it would be wisest to let your body heal itself and not try to speed up the process by applying acidic juice on it. If you do decide to use lime juice, please research it first and try it on a small area to see how your skin reacts. You don't need any chemicals for the hyper pigmentation to fade, it will go on its own as well.
hi again! im very happy to say the brown patches are indeed just patches and have come off. im left with my natural skin. there is some pink skin like that you may find under a scab, but in due time it'll go.
Austra, thank you very much for being the only one who commented.
The red marks are not scars. They're pigmentation issues that have been caused by the chemicals you used. A chemical burn. Just like any burn you need to let your skin heal naturally. Be gentle with your skin, keep sunscreen on it during the day and let it heal. You'll be okay!
xx
Edit: Just saw your last post. Glad your skin has exfoliated nicely.
Probably a bit late but I thought I'd just add this in case it helps anyone else comes across this thread
I'd say it was the reaction of the BP and clean and clear moisturiser. I've used both benzac and clean and clear and have always hated the clean and clear moisturisers - I think there's something in them that irritates my skin. If I used it while on BP it made my skin sting heaps too. I always washed it off because it would hurt too much. Usually this only happened if I'd used more BP than normal for me - which I suppose makes sense seeing as BP makes your skin quite sensitive and irritated/dry. So, anyway, I think it's better to use a more natural moisturiser if you decide to use BP again.
Hope it's all healing well now!