Okay, I’ll admit it. I am a picker. I pick at my black heads and white heads, it’s a horrible habit, which leads to no good, because I end up with unsightly dark spots on my skin.
Even if you’re not a picker, some people experience dark acne scars after having cystic acne because there was so much trauma under the skin.
I am one of those people that gets scars and bruises easily, so I really should stop the pimple picking habit!
Here are some tips on how to fade those scars
Apple Cider Vinegar
If you can put up with the smell, ACV makes an awesome toner. It restores your skin’s PH balance, and helps slough off the dead skin cells sitting on the top layer of your skin, which, in turn, reveals new skin.
To use, get some organic apple cider vinegar (with ‘The Mother’, like this one). Mix 1 part ACV and 1 part distilled water, or even tea water. If you are more sensitive, try 1 part ACV to 3 parts water, and work your way up from there.
Lemon Juice
Lemon is known for its natural skin renewing properties, and it smells better than ACV. Use this as a toner, make sure you dilute it! I find this a bit stronger than ACV, so I start with 1 part lemon juice to 4 parts distilled water. I find it also helps with black heads and other clogged pores! Also, once a week, you can try making this easy DIY lemon face scrub!
Gentle Daily Exfoliation
The main idea to get rid of these scars is to basically get rid of the dead skin on top, to reveal the new skin underneath. Gently exfoliate in the shower every day with a soft facecloth. Not only will this help prime your skin for any treatments you put on it after, but it will get rid of the old skin cells that could also be causing clogged pores.
If you want some extra exfoliation power, try something like Juice Beauty’s exfoliation spray. See what I thought of it here.
Specialty Products
If you’ve got some serious scarring and spots, perhaps getting a product made to fade unwanted pigmentation is the answer.
I’ve been using Meladerm with great results. Read my review here.
Use Sunscreen!
The sun does more damage than good to our skin. If you’ve got scars, make sure to slather on the SPF every day, whether it’s sunny OR cloudy out! The sun causes more pigmentation in your skin (ummm hello… tanning!!!) and that is what we want to avoid if we’re trying to get rid of our dark spots!
These are some of my favourite ways to help get rid of my spots. I’ve noticed a vast difference since implementing these into my routine.
If you’ve got deep scars, you may want to consider trying a product that camouflages them by levelling out the texture of the skin.
If you are looking for a great skincare routine, check out my review on Exposed’s products.
Do you have any tips on how to fade acne scars?