Can
you suggest something regarding scars (dark spots) that have been left
by past pimples? I was thinking about either microdermabrasion or using
products containing kojic acid* that promises to lighten scars. Any
thoughts on these?
*Kojic acid is a skin lightening ingredient. It can inhibit the formation of melanin.
You
could try microdermabrasion. It is expensive, but it may work for you.
You could try kojic acid products and see for yourself if their promises
are well-founded. As I have said, no product or procedure is for
everyone. And many things out on the market may work for you. My belief,
however, is that many will not.
True
scarring from blemishes is a tissue-related problem. I think the
scarring this reader is talking about is really post-inflammatory
hyperpigmentation. Because the dark spots never seem to go away, it
probably seems like a scar, but in reality it is an overaccumulation of
melanin at the site of the blemish. This caused the dark spot and sun-
light is helping it to remain there. What I know is that if you become
diligent and hyperaware about sun exposure, your “scars” will lighten
and go away—as long as you keep sun off your face.
I
am in need of a spot lightener. Basically I suffered from acne when I
was pregnant, and the blemishes caused dark spots on my face. I need
something to make the spots lighten up. Do you have a product that will
reduce the darkness? PS: Why did these dark spots appear in the first
place?
When
you have breakout, especially deep cysts or pustules loaded with
infection, the spots are like tiny wounds, and this wounded tissue is
subject to variations in pigmentation. For example: One summer I tripped
on my office patio as I was leaving work. My right foot caught the
fall, but I ended up deeply scraping the top of it. Once a scab had
formed, I stopped wearing Band-Aids; when the scab came off, scar tissue
was left in its wake. Since it was summer, the area received all kinds
of sun exposure due to wearing flip flops and sandals, leaving the
injured tissue full-on exposed to sunlight. When I thought about it, I
would put sunscreen there, but for the most part I was a “bad client”
and just forgot about protecting it from UV light.
Due
to the amount of sun that area received, and the extent of the injury
with its resulting scar tissue, a large dark spot existed where the
scrape occurred. Some people even thought it was a tattoo! But in
actuality it was hyperpigmentation around the outside edge of the injury
along with pigmentless scar tissue inside. Had it been winter, the area
would have received little or no exposure to the sun, and no doubt it
would be less discolored. Now the scar is barely noticeable, but when
summer rolls around the darkness will probably reappear and then fade
again in the winter. This example is of a foot; imagine how much sun
your face is getting in the summer (or winter), subjecting your
“injuries” to the potential for hyperpigmentation.
One way to avoid some of the darkness of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is to
stop picking at your skin!
It’s a bad habit and can cause damage to the area. With that said, a
picker is going to pick. I can’t change your predilection for doing
this; you believe you are helping your skin by picking. Perhaps when you
can install a different belief, you can change your behavior. Try the
belief: “When I pick at my skin, I am causing further damage. And it
will take my skin
longer to heal. Picking does not help.” Adopt this, and you are on the road to recovery.
I
am not saying that extracting the infected mass from a spot isn’t
advantageous. It is. However, in my experience, most people have little
or no restraint when it comes to self-extraction. And sometimes tools
are needed to properly get to a plug; the use of which is best left to
an aesthetician in the course of a facial treatment. If you can’t get a
facial, at least put healing products on the blemishes (geranium, for
instance) and know this will go a long way to getting rid of the spots
faster. Picking will only prolong the healing process and create the
potential for post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
In
conclusion, as long as you are experiencing breakout and receiving sun
exposure (even limited amounts), you have the potential for causing dark
spots where the blemishes are located. So,
don’t pick at your skin,
always wear sunscreen when you are out, and find ways to
heal the blemishes without causing further damage. Many tools for having healthy skin are listed throughout this blog.
For more information, see:
