Red marks/ brown marks help

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Wow, there has definitely been several different solutions suggested. I was having the same problem as you and have finally found some products that work! As far as what everyone else has recommended, there are some good ideas. I would agree that chemical peels/laser treatments are too harsh - as well as spendy! Especially since your skin didn't respond well when you tried it.

What you need is something gentle that will speed up/assist with cell turnover, as well as be a skin brightener/lightener. AHA does do this, as it is a brightener and chemical exfoliant, but it is harsh, and there are other products out there that accomplish the same thing. I think you should stop using the AHA 12% souffle. The MaMa lotion that someone recommended would be worse in your situation, as it is 20% AHA! in this same vein, glycolic acid, lactic acid, and aspirin are all AHAs (aspirin has it in it), so while they're not as concentrated, I'd stay away from them for now.

From what I've heard and experienced, Retinol is the most effective ingredient. It is the animal form of vitamin A, and is good for cell turnover. It does not require a prescription. Retin A, however, is the acidic form of vitamin A, does require a prescription, is used for treating acne, and is harsh and irritating.

As far as all the other recommendations: yes - be gentle, try microdermabrasion as it is a gentle/light scrub/exfoliation. Arbutin and soy are also good skin brighteners. Vitamin E oil and Coconut oil are supposed to be good for your skin in general, not sure about discoloration. Emu oil is supposed to be GREAT for discoloration/acne scars! Lumiere talks about it and sells it in their skin care section, or you can find it at any all-natural place, such as here at Garden of Wisdom. Bio Oil also seems like it would be great, as it's gotten such faublous reviews, and has good ingredients. (Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Calendula oil, Lavender oil, Chammomile oil, and Rosemary oil.) As far as the Lumedia, Peter Thomas Roth, and DDF lightening creams, I'm sure they work just fine, but if I've learned anything from all the products I've tried, it's that higher price does not equal better results. (Check out Paula Begoun's book, The Beauty Bible, or her website, The Cosmetics Cop, for very informative discussion on this.)

Also, YES, YES, YES, DEFINITELY USE SUNSCREEN! Even if you had normal, perfect skin that required no other maintenance, sunscreen is a must. Either get a moisturizer with SPF (minimum 15, more depending on the average time you spend outside), or add sunscreen to your routine if you don't mind the second step. (See the quote I included at the bottom.)

For acne in general, I've never heard of benzoyl peroxide making red marks stay longer; it's actually one of the best acne medications around, unless you have sensitive skin. (I use Acne Free - a less expensive dupe of Proactiv, with slightly higher percentage of BP - and it's worked miracles for me!!) If you do have sensitive skin, Murad has a BP-free acne treatment set that is supposed to be pretty good. OHappyDaye is trying it out right now. Check out her thread here for her continuing updates on how it's working for her.

Whew! So all that said, what has actually worked for me?

For microdermabrasion, I use The Body Shop's Vitamin C Micro Refiner. It's not as spendy as most ($21 for a whopping 2.5 oz.!), and it does just as well as the others. Plus, the Vitamin C is a good skin brightener, which will help with your issue. Also, it just smells and feels so good - I LOVE this stuff! You're supposed to use it once a week after washing your face (am or pm, whichever you prefer), but sometimes I just can't resist and use it twice, lol. But don't do this if your skin is easily irritated - mine isn't.

I also use Neutrogena's Healthy Skin Visibly Even Skin-Polishing Enzyme Treatment. It's a twice-weekly gentle mask with an enzyme that helps to not only brighten the skin, but also even out the tone. If microdermabrasion is too harsh for your skin, you still get less abrasive, gentle micro-exfoliation from this product.

The one I swear by, however, is Neutrogena's Healthy Skin Visibly Even Night Concentrate. It is a night-time cream formulated specifically for blotchiness/redness and dark spots. This, I believe has been the most help to me, and if you get nothing else, I'd get this. It has Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Soy, and Retinol. IMO, this is great because it combines all the best products for this problem in one easy cream.

Neutrogena also has a couple other products in their Healthy Skin Visibly Even line: there's a daytime SPF 15 moisturizer, which has Vitamin C and Soy, as well as a foaming cleanser, also with Vitamin C and Soy.

I would definitely recommend using another moisturizer besides the Aloe Vera Gel, because while it is great as a moisturizer, it doesn't do anything (as far as I know) to address your specific problem. Cleanser, however, rinses off of your skin (obviously, lol), so what's in it doesn't actually absorb into your skin, and therefore doesn't matter. (But companies will swear up and down this isn't so, just to market more "needed" products to you.) What really matters is that is an effective cleanser w/out drying or stripping your skin. The one you're using now sounds perfect!!

Wow, that was a lot, but I really hope it helps! I understand how aggravating it is to have those marks, and am glad to have finally figured out something that works!! Hope my success helps you. :smile:

Here's that quote I mentioned earlier:

:hugss:

 
Aw, thanks, happydaye! :icon_redf Yeah, it did take quite awhile, lol, but I'm just HTH anybody. :patches:

:huggies:

 
go to your local health store and see if they sell vitamin e oil but because there not always pure vitamin e, buy the vitamin e capsules and break them open.

 
I'm just curious - what routine did your dermatologist recommend for you?

Have you tried ALL the products he/she has recommended?

I would stop using glycolic AHA products because they can be irritating to the skin. These are chemical exfoliants.

If you are trying to remove the spots from acne, exfoliate with a VERY gently exfoliate twice a week. I mix baking soda with cleanser - cheap, effective, non-irritating, and will help remove the dead cells/spots that are accumulating are your face.

I agree that it will take time for the spots to fade.

As your dead cells are shed every month, new healthy ones will emerge.

It may take several cycles for the spots to be completly shed away.

Some people have a cycle every 4 weeks and others have one every 8 weeks.

Sounds like your skin just takes a long time to go through one cycle - maybe 7-8 weeks, and that's why you still have spots from several months ago.

 
Hmmm, never used it myself, but it does have good skin brighteners in it (Arbutin, Uva Ursi extract, and Kojic acid). I didn't notice an exfoliation/cell turnover ingredient, though, so if you want to see faster results with this product, you would want to make sure you're using another product that satisfies this step. That's why I like the Neutrogena night-time Visibly Even cream, because the Retinol helps with the cell turnover, and the Vitamin C and Soy brighten. One product for everything. But I certainly don't see why this product wouldn't work for you, so give it a try! And let us know what you think if you do! :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

YES, I second EVERYTHING! Excellent info, Carolyn!!

 
Well i went to derm last year and they give really bad advice to tell you the truth. People on acne.org say derms don't know much. For instance, they said i have hypigmentaiton and prescribed me 2 things. One was a foaming face wash which made my skin real red and the other was a 5 percent benzoyl peroxide face wash.

I know BP helps acne but it also makes red marks last longer according to the majority of ppl on acne.org. I used a lot of BP these years which is why all my marks take forever to fade. I pretty much used everymethod you can think of. AHA, ACV, chemical peel, lemon juice.

 
I've tried several of the high end lighteners. They tend to have glycolic and irritate my skin, even burn it. Vitamin C made me red. I think stick with soy products. Try products from Aveeno. There is no set fast way to cure the spots, at this point I think the cycle that renews it will fade it naturally.

 
Yes, Chinadoll is right - if your skin is sensitive even to vitamin C, definitely stick to soy. And yes, Aveeno makes great soy products. Check out their Positively Radiant line for skin brightening - there are cleansers, SPF moisturizers, nighttime moisturizers, etc. As for the BP, 5% wash is a little strong. Try something less concentrated, like Proactiv, Klear Action, or Acne Free, (Both Klear Action & Acne free available in drugstores) or something without BP at all, such as Murad.

But remember, whatever you do, you are basically looking to gently stimulate cell turnover, and gently brighten/lighten your skin. So definitely start laying off the harsh stuff (AHA, chemical peels, etc.)!!! :eusa_naughty:

And let us know if you try any of these suggestions so many ladies have given, and if you see progress! MUTers are always HTH, and love hearing if the ideas worked for you or not. :tee:

Also, don't forget this note from Carolyn:

Especially since your skin seems to need gentler products that won't work as quickly as the harsher ones. As Chinadoll said too, it's probably just going to take some time.

:huggies:

 
I agree with the poster who said that you must use sunscreen because the sun makes the marks darker.

What has helped me is silkia camiella oil. I use it twice a day and it has really helped to fade my acne scars. It took some time for them to fade. I also use sunscreen every day rain or shine. I like Olay complete defense spf 30 sensitive skin. You can get it any drugstore. The silkia camiella oil you can get on goldportbeauty.com. HTH

 
would you say sunscreen is necessary even when staying inside the house in the summer? I have curtains on my windows but those curtains are sort of see through transparent ones.... like its not really solid so i still see the light through it.

Would you say to always use sunscreen even at home then?

 
Well I guess if you are inside all day then you wouldn't need sunscreen. I automatically put it on in the morning, but I go outside everyday so it is different.

 
good morning blahblah900. Glycolic acids works well, along with peels, and BPO. I would advise you wearing a non-comedogenic (non-acne causing) spf daily not in your make-up. By wearing a spf daily it will help keep discoloration and help the healed blemishes to clear up faster on your face. It might take three months or less. They are alot of skin care companies that sell peels that you do in the privicy of your home for a third of the cost and really work. You might want to check out the forum market place.

Shar

 
hmm..what about gylcolic acid and vitamin c? i use both two and they really helped my skin get even/smooth. i have a retional cream but i only use in on my neck area. i wanna try it for some fine lines i have (eek)

 
I had the same problem. Exfoliating with baking soda helps to remove the top layer of the skin and increases cell turnover. I squeeze the juice from a fresh lemon and use with the baking soda. Lemon helps to brighten the skin and this is helping me rid all of my old dark spots. I also use this cream called Movate which is also helping me get an even skin tone.

HTH

 

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