Behold! My poor face that has not known unblemished bliss since age 14.
I realized the other day that as bad as my face looks, probably 70% of the yuck on my face is actually red/dark marks as opposed to active acne. I've never found a good solution to outbreaks or whatever (I tried desperately as a teen but everything seemed to do more harm than good and really dried out/irritated my skin) but if my evaluation of the percentage of red scars or whatever is correct, it'd be a HECK of a huge improvement to tackle that stuff if possible.
I want to go to a dermatologist (I've never been; our insurance never covered it) but in the mean time what are things you've tried/have heard of that have been met with success?
Wild tumeric and sandalwood.
Wild tumeric will not stain yur skin yellow it is also known as kasthuri manjal. You can find it in asian covenience stores the other tumeric root will.
Use red sandalwood order sandalwood c chips from ebay then you can avoid potential fillers in sandalwood powder
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leave overnight or whenever your at home leave it on.
During the day or when your out try apple cider vinegar and dilute it before use
I am only just trying this its been a day. just use google map to find indian groceries near you and look up the hindi and tamil name for wild tumeric otherwise they wont be able t help yu.
I'm not as worried about the scars (which I know are there also, sadly ) as I am about the red/brown marks. Does anyone have first-hand experience with something that works?
Since posting the photos above I've been trying something new.
I started putting vitamin C on my face at night since I've heard people have some success with toners/masks (both professional and DIY). Mine is 1/4 vitamin C powder, 3/4 aloe vera gel mixed together (made fresh every night). I put it on generously and let it dry before I go to bed and sleep with it on. It stings initially and my face gets a little pink but that's what I've read can be typical for other products so I'm not sweating it.
In the morning I rinse off the vitamin C stuff. Since starting this I've consistently had a light layer of dead skin first thing in the morning on my cheeks/chin, so I gently exfoliate that off, rinse my face, and moisturize with a small amount of coconut oil.
Today I did a really thorough exfoliation (baking soda and coffee grounds), followed by a honey mask, followed by moisturizing with coconut oil.
I try to keep things 'natural' if you couldn't tell, BUT I also don't want to be doing stupid stuff that doesn't work and just believe everything I read online.
So does anyone have suggestions for what else I could do/what I should be doing instead?
Has anyone out there successfully reduced their red/brown marks? What have you found to help?
Your scarring and hyperpigmentation is exactly like mine a few years ago! You said you're not worried about the scars but that's exactly what you should be worried about. Red marks will fade in time but scars are more than difficult to get rid of. If you still break out regularly I'd recommend you to go on Accutane; lowest dose and twice a day for three months. I wish I had gone on it earlier so I wouldn't have all these scars to deal with in the first place.
During the last 5 years, I've realized that moisturizing the skin is really important. In the end, moisturizing and dermastamping with copper peptides+L-ascorbic acid (pure vitamin C) has helped me the most when it comes to scars and red marks. I. of course, speak from my experience. If you have any questions about my post, I'll be glad to answer.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not take Accutane or any of its other branded name versions (Roaccutane, Isotretinol, etc) before looking into what this drug is actually all about. It was originally created for cancer patients after they received chemotherapy. This alone should tell you how corrosive it is to every single living cell in your body. Accutane actually changes the building blocks of your cells FOREVER. It has over 180 side effects, some of which can be permanent which include impotence, anal bleeding and severe depression. This drug has been a saviour for some people but its a double edged sword and some people lives are ruined forever from it. Some people have had serious depression that they have actually committed suicide and left evidence to prove this drug was the cause behind the depression.
There is a lot more that you can do for your skin. I have been cleaning my skin with oatmeal/cold water then moisturising with argan oil and then pure shea butter to finish with. All these products are non comongenic (non-clogging) and have changing my skin around. Please message me if you wish to have more information.
I link you to a British programme which is about an hour long and speaks about real peoples experiences with Accutane.
Please do watch this video as an hour just now is better than a life of regret.
Regards,
aFantastic
I know Ive just written regarding Accutane on here but I forgot to speak to you regarding the Vitmain C that you are putting on your face. The reason the dead skin is there is because Vit C is a natural acid. I think that using this on a nightly basis will be causing harm to your epidermis and not letting the outer layer heal and the redness reduce. I think swap for ingesting Vitamin C through fruit or supplement. I cleanse with Oatmeal which has several benefits for the skin like antibacterial, non comogenic (non clogging) and moisturising.
I link you to a girl who posted about the use of this - she has a full face of red marks and eventually cleaned it up with this method.
Of course everyone is different but I would definitely say that using less harsh natural ingredients that dont sting will give you better results.
Good Luck,
Here is the list of what i use. Most of them at the same time( one over another). Lavender and geranium essential oil, snail cream, apple cider vinegar, contractubex gel, turmeric and sandalwood cream, sulfur cream, eggwhite mask with lemon, baking soda peeling, pumpkin enzyme mask( rich in aha) and lactic acid peeling mask. On small bumps i apply desitin or sudocrem and vicks vaporub overnight. Too much, ha...!
Unfortunately there isn't a quick fix for marks/scars they take their time regardless of what products you're using. But exfoliation is a key to help them go quicker. I would recommend something with salisylic acid since it also helps with the break outs. Paula's choice has a good product for that. It has the right ph to actually work.
You can also add a serum that helps with skin rejuvenating. I've been using this. It's really expensive but the bottle lasts for a year.
http://www.esteelauder.com/media/boutiques/advanced-night-repair/index.tmpl#!/anr/1
Oh and I recommend taking the vitamin C internally rather than putting it on your skin. Your body needs vitamin C for collagen production so it can repair your skin. Other good supplements to take would be zinc and msm.
try the lemon and vinegar method I have seen an improvement with just using the vinegar for a week
Apply diluted apple cider vinegar- 1:2 ratio reduce for sensitive skin 3 times a day
You drink a teaspoon of lemon juice in each cup so half a lemon a day
Eat vitamin c rich foods- yellow bell pepper
I used that aloe vera amazing improvement but then my mum stopped me from cutting the leaves.
So use aloe vera plant at night acv during the day and vitamin c - dont bother with the capsules the capsule broke mee out in cysts
hello i had this really dark brown marks as well as the red ones. Anyway i applied acv then ground tumeric and sandalwood for three days. I did not go out for a whole week cuz i looked like the simpsons and this is someone with a honey brown to dark brown skin tone already. after three days i noticed these brown specks- these were just bits of skin- it was peeling. The brown marks has improved by 80 percent. I am going to do this next week.
HOWEVER - the tumeric i used is different from tumeric in curry - there are five/ 6 species of tumeric. I went to a indian puja store called little india - check out hindu items seling stores near you on google maps. I asked for kasturi manjal - this is a shop that sold me fake sandalwood as well- lying bastards. anwyay then i grounded the smashed the tumeric with the pestle it was red/fiery orange inside. Not the normal pale yelllow tumeric you find. I know its is pretty stupid to buy from a store that has previousy lied to u.
I have no idea what specie of tumeric this was but i think this is what the made biggest difference- it cant have been wild tumeric/kasturi manjal because it stained me. I asked for tumeric in root form because i have no trust in that stupid shop after they gave no refund for the fake sandalwood. Real sandalwood does not leave a stain on your skin after you wash it off. The sandalwood i have now is in its chip form so i dont have to worry about fillers and is from ebay
But anyway guys i seriously recommend checking out wild tumeric- oh and buy it in root form so you dont have to worry about fillers - you can get if off ebay
Also does anyway know a faster way to get rid of red marks - on the lighter areas of my skin tone i have red marks
I'm not as worried about the scars (which I know are there also, sadly ) as I am about the red/brown marks. Does anyone have first-hand experience with something that works?
Since posting the photos above I've been trying something new.
I started putting vitamin C on my face at night since I've heard people have some success with toners/masks (both professional and DIY). Mine is 1/4 vitamin C powder, 3/4 aloe vera gel mixed together (made fresh every night). I put it on generously and let it dry before I go to bed and sleep with it on. It stings initially and my face gets a little pink but that's what I've read can be typical for other products so I'm not sweating it.
In the morning I rinse off the vitamin C stuff. Since starting this I've consistently had a light layer of dead skin first thing in the morning on my cheeks/chin, so I gently exfoliate that off, rinse my face, and moisturize with a small amount of coconut oil.
Today I did a really thorough exfoliation (baking soda and coffee grounds), followed by a honey mask, followed by moisturizing with coconut oil.
I try to keep things 'natural' if you couldn't tell, BUT I also don't want to be doing stupid stuff that doesn't work and just believe everything I read online.
So does anyone have suggestions for what else I could do/what I should be doing instead?
Has anyone out there successfully reduced their red/brown marks? What have you found to help?
Try what i posted with the wild tumeric/red sandalwood/ acv this is helps with brown marks especially. I applied acv diluted first , acv is apple cider vinegar btw. I let it dry and then added the sandalwood and tumeric mix on. I did not go out for a week though - staying indoors might drive you mad.