It looks like there are a lot of scabs, which is good because it means that your skin is healing. Try taking some vitamin C (powder form or from juice) and vitamin E (either as supplement or topical oil, mixed into your moisturizer) to aid the healing process. A chemical peel is too harsh for your skin at this stage, it's best to do it when the scabs and active acne are gone. Your scarring seems very superficial. It should heal nicely if you don't pick at your skin. Maybe for now try some pure aloe vera gel at night and when your active acne subsides visit a dermatologist to see if you can start on peels.

I know how you feel. At such a young age we already have this kind of acne and after that it leaves a mark AND an indent.

I, like you, can't even look at people in the face. Especially attractive people.

Anyways,

From all my research, i've been focusing on stuff that heals the skin and exfoliates GENTLY. Im not a big fan of putting chemicals on my skin.

Try to use oatmeal mask everyday. It has beta glucan which aids healing from the atomic level according to a member here. (aquasea) ALso oatmeal exfoliates gently BUT effectively. Trust me.

I also take 1000mg of vitamin c everyday and 1000 mg of omega 3 everyday as well.

I use organic apple cider vinegar as a toner.

ALso drinking green smoothies will help your whole body. It will give you nutrients therefore making your body healthier and able to heal faster.

I drink green smoothies once a day. I just put a lot of spinach, plain yogurt, bananas, kiwis, and honey. There are different recipes. THey dont taste bad at all. THey actually taste good. TRY IT. Even if it doesnt help your acne/scars visually ( THough im sure it'll help ) you'll be doing your body a favor.

I've been doing this everyday. Im sure it'll help to heal your skin and make it "newer".

I just want to help you even if just a little bit. I can see myself from you and I am 16.

Hello Lemons222,

You are very young & your skin WILL heal beautifully. It will just take time. I would advise against any aggressive therapy, especially no peels. Your issues are very superficial & will heal naturally. What you could consider to do/ use in interim are as follows:

A) Take a quality multivitamin/ mineral daily, like Deva nutrition

B) Take quality essential fatty acids daily i.e. 2 tablespoons of organic flaxseed oil daily or a DHA/ EPA supplement by DEVA nutrition

C) Take a scoop of supergreen powder (containing chlorella/ spirulina/ barley grass/ wheat grass) daily with a liver cleansing fresh juice i.e. beetroot/ green apple/ cilantro/ carrot/ berries/ kiwifruit/ kale/ chia seeds etc

D) Avoid ALL processed, canned, junk, fast foods, GMO, fried foods, plastic containers (seek glass or paper packages only), microwaves, sodas, vinegars, tomato sauce, artificial foods/ flavoring, coffee, teas, dairy, tap water, sports drinks/ energy drinks, gluten foods like pasta and too much bread etc

E) Learn to eat pure, mostly raw, organic wholefoods and lots of super foods & lots of green salad with lemon juice/ flaxseed oil or grapeseed oil/ salt/ pepper, raw kale in salads, spinach salad leaves, avocado, garlic, shallots, raw herbs like cilantro/ mint/ flat parsley etc, turmeric, red onion, cabbage/ broccoli, brown rice, quinoa, tomato, sprouted foods like alfalfa, lentils, chickpeas, banana, peas, beans, french beans, healthy wholegrain flat vegan breads/ wraps like pita or lebanese etc on occasion, tempeh, coconut water/ milk, kiwifruit, apples, sea vegetables, carrot, baked sweet potato/ potato with jackets, hummus, unhulled tahini, mixed nuts (if you don't have an allergy to them), mixed seeds like pumpkin/ sunflower/ chia seeds etc, cayenne pepper, capsicum, LSA on gluten free muesli with almond milk, berries, nectarines, apricots, etc

E) For snacks, you can have non GMO air popped pop corn with sea salt & fresh lemon juice (and cayenne pepper for added zing or curry powder - but not too much curry powder, it can flare acne on some people); 85% dark vegan chocolate; raw vegan chocolate mousse - research the recipe using avocado & raw cacao, baked kale with sea salt & grapeseed oil; olives, semi-sundried tomatoes, domaldes, 100% natural non-alcoholic organic ginger beer, dried fruit without sulphites and bhuja (a spicy snack).

F) Consider taking a quality non-dairy probiotic daily, perhaps even a quality fiber supplement too.

G) Look into Benoite clay masks or proper clay drinks for a detox once a month until you heal...you can also try dandelion greens and dandelion tisane etc.

H) Consider taking beta glucan supplements & use beta glucan liquid topically (see Garden of Wisdom brand).

I) Later on, for general skincare, consider the The Body Deli range/ Jes Organics or another 100% natural organic skin care range.

J) If your skin lacks moisture, look into 100% aloe vera or try a hydrating facial mist.

K) Consider applying fresh lemon juice to your skin every month for 30 minutes to 24-hours...but you must not do this unless you have stopped using retin a for at least 7 days....Just do test a patch first to ensure you don't have an allergic reaction...

L) Do gentle exercises daily or go for a power walk for 10 minutes to 30 minutes daily

M) Get direct sunlight on exposed skin daily but don't burn your skin...NB don't wear sunscreen, but you can wear a hat as your using retin a.

N) Swim at the beach with mature friends (safely please!), salt water is very beneficial for the skin, just ensure the beach is super clean & pristine & safe/ patrolled.

O) Get at least 7.5 hours of sleep at night, and get to bed before 10pm. Sleep in a dark, cool, well ventilated room. Make sure your room is clean, tidy & aesthetically pleasing to you. It should be an inviting sanctury for you.

P) Read uplifting/ positive books to distress or go for a nature walk with friends.

Q) Enjoy life, love yourself, keep positive, surround yourself with positive friends/ family/ pets. Focus on attaining your life goals, the rest will fall into place...

Lastly, give your skin 1 to 2 years to heal naturally & let the retin a work its 'magic'. However, If you need more help later on, consider dermarolling with a 0.25mm needle + copper peptides or hyaluronic acid by http://clearskincareclinics.com.au/ . But not yet, as your skin is now too thinned by the retin a and it will damage your fragile skin.

Hope this info helps.

All the best

NB I substituted evoo for grapeseed oil...apparently it's better that we eat oils high in omega 3 (like flaxseed oil) & linoleic acid omega 6 (like grapeseed oil...saflower is another one).

PS Cold pressed organic virgin coconut oil is also very beneficial for overall health - you can add a tablespoon in a herbal tisane like chamomile/ rosehip etc or organic hot chocolate with filtered/ spring water...this helps keep your internal system healthy and your skin supple...you can have this twice a day...

PPS I would advise against using vitamin e on your inflamed skin right now (unless to use under your eyes to prevent wrinkles), vitamin e can prevent new scars/ wounds from healing - please research...I also know this from personal experience...however, vitamin e is very helpful if your skin is already healed and you just want to maintain the existing healthy skin...so perhaps consider vitamin e at a much later stage in your healing process....

Take a deep breath and accept the fact that you will not be able to asses the extent of your scars until the redness is gone. AquaSea makes a good point of establishing a healthy natural diet, this is something everyone should do whether they have acne or not. I would kill to be 17 again and know what I know now. You will beat the redness, the acne and yes even the scars. Your problems today seem enormous to you, but with dedication when you are 30 with that good paying job, this period can be part of what forms your future and makes you the man you can be. Your problems do not appear to be insurmountable by any means.

I feel for you man. i have moderate hyperpigmentation on my chin and the red marks after a pimple heals take forever to go away. don't listen to any of these health nuts telling you to go "all natural, eat this, put this natural stuff on" cuz it simply isn't good enough. harsh peels/dermabrasions idk much about, but ur best bet is asking a derm... btw, retinol speeds up skin cell regeneration, which will eventually reveal the clear skin underneath the red. takes a loooong time though so be patient

namyo, I did not agree with any of the topical applications, only the need to get to a natural diet, and that has implications far reaching beyond acne. I advocate Fraxel Re:pair if he is a candidate, and that will only be known once the redness subsides. Looking at my signature do you really think I take a moderate approach to treating scars? I advocate a very aggressive approach to treating scars. My Re:Pair treatments were all done at 70mj-60%, which is the highest level that I have heard of a doctor using. Most of you might not fully appreciate this video now, but if you apply his teachings you will thank me when you are 100.

http://www3.mdanderson.org/streams/FullVideoPlayer.cfm?xml=publicEd/config/Diet-Exercise-Ornish--cfg

To all of you, thank you so much for the encouragement and the help! Since I'm already a flexitarian (vegetarian who occasionally eats meat), I wouldn't mind considering changing into an all natural diet, even if it helps or doesn't help my acne. I'm still just a high school student, so I'll show these posts to my parents and see if they approve .

And @DudleyDoRight, I'll watch the video after I sleep . Seems very informative !

Thanks again for the help, guys! Appreciate it.

Good luck! Another thing that may help is a honey mask, using pure honey. Do a patch test and see how your skin reacts for a few days, and if there's no irritation then start using it on your scars to help them heal faster. That has helped me way more than any acne potions out there.

A new study came out that shows Vitamin E impedes healing. I don't remember where I read it but it was an actual study. Someone else posted about it too...I'll have to look for that post.

I don't have time to read all the other posts but will later. I have had red marks in the past and microdermabrasion helped get rid of all of them but it took 3 treatments for 85.00 each. I might take longer for yours to go away....

If you do get micro, you should be acne free, no scabs or cuts on your face.

A new study came out that shows Vitamin E impedes healing. I don't remember where I read it but it was an actual study. Someone else posted about it too...I'll have to look for that post.

I don't have time to read all the other posts but will later. I have had red marks in the past and microdermabrasion helped get rid of all of them but it took 3 treatments for 85.00 each. I might take longer for yours to go away....

If you do get micro, you should be acne free, no scabs or cuts on your face.

Vitamin E is becoming a bit controversial, but only in very high doses, which is true for any vitamin. Studies that investigate its healing properties are far more numerous than ones that show the opposite, so the verdict is still out. Microdermabrasion is debatable too...I know people whose skin got worse from it, and others who had success with it.