If there’s is one thing I hate more than acne, it’s acne scars. Acne is already sucky. Pimples always pop up at the most inconvenient times, sometimes they hurt, and if you suffer from cystic acne like me (thanks to stress from school) they literally never go away. But when they do, it leaves you with the lovely parting gift of a red, and sometimes even indented mark. I can apply masks all I want, but they never get rid of my scars (and here’s a super cute and low res picture of me looking ridiculous in a mask. You gotta do what you gotta do when you have acne. You’re all welcome).
So, for the past year I have been trying inexpensive ways to try and get rid of these stupid scars and here is what I’ve found!
Aloe Vera
This stuff smells good and is nice to put on the face. It’s cooling and smells good but I didn’t notice a ton of difference. I used it for a few months and didn’t notice any improvement really, but that may be because I didn’t get an actual plant and harvest the aloe vera myself. That could be the reason it didn’t work, but it was still a nice moisturizer for my oily skin and it didn’t break me out which was a big plus.
Vitamin C Serum
I never used to do serums because I never understood how they could help, but word on the street is that vitamin C is bomb for acne scars. Why? Because it increases collagen and elastin production which are two essential proteins that generate healthy new skin. I found a serum I liked, which I used in conjunction with something else (I’ll talk about that next), but the problem was it was so expensive. I’m in college and can’t be shelling out $40 for a skin serum that’s uber tiny. Did it work by itself too? That’s up for debate I think. I did notice some scars fading but I’m not sure if it was the serum itself or the other product I used it with. Which speaking of…
Derma Rolling
Okay, so this isn’t as much a product per say as a technique, but let’s just forget about that. Derma rolling is taking this tool with needles on it (they’re tiny, don’t worry) and rolling it on your face. This creates tiny punctures in the skin that allows whatever you put on after the rolling to really get into your skin and work its magic. Does it hurt? Eh, I’m not going to lie, it sort of does. It also makes your skin very red right after and you cannot put makeup on right after or it will definitely screw your skin up. I derma rolled once every week or every other week and use the vitamin C serum right after, patting it into my face. I did this for several months and I did notice a difference. The only problem? You can’t use this while you have active acne. If you do, it can puncture your active acne and then when you roll it on the rest of your face, it’ll spread that acne everywhere else. Since my acne scars are focused on my cheeks and my cystic acne likes to hang out there too, it made it impossible to derma roll. If your acne is totally gone though, I suggest giving this a shot.
Glycolic Acid
The next thing I tried after derma rolling was glycolic acid. Acids help to remove the top layer of skin and increase that new skin turnover. Since I wasn’t about to go and get an acid peel (those are expensive, but do work really well so I’ve researched) I found a glycolic acid toner for eight bucks on Sephora by the brand The Ordinary. I couldn’t pass it up and use it once every few nights. I’ve only been using it for a month or two but I think this is working the best so far. I have noticed that my extremely dark acne scars are the only ones I’ve noticed left on my face, opposed to my cheeks being spotted with scars at the end of last year. Since it’s only eight dollars too, I love that this is such an affordable skin care product that I can keep repurchasing when I run out (which is probably going to be awhile, so another plus there too).
Rose Hip Oil
I’ve recently added this to my routine but thought I would mention it. Rosehip oil is all natural and supposedly helps with both acne and acne scars, and I love a product that can tackle both. I use it at night as a moisturizer and while I haven’t noticed any fading yet, my acne hasn’t flared up so this might be a good try for those who want to stick to all natural products. Keep in mind if you buy this, rose hip oil should not smell like roses and should not be any color other than a yellow/gold color. If it’s colored differently or has a strong scent, it may have additives and isn’t all natural rosehip oil.
Acne scars suck. I’ve been dealing with mine since high school and sometimes it’s hard to feel confident in the skin you’re in when it has red marks on it. Know that you aren’t alone though. And hopefully, some these products will help you banish those scars!