How To See Off Acne Scars For Good

Huzzah! You’ve said ‘see ya later’ to acne and you’re officially zit free. Except those pesky old zits have left dark spots and crater sized marks on your skin, and they just won’t freakin’ fade. #GRR. So how do you get rid of them?

Dr Naomi Mackle, a skin specialist at Adare Cosmetics, recommends first looking for products that contain a combination of salicylic acid and sulphur lotion to prevent future flare ups.

“Over the counter Clearogen products are very effective. The sulphur lotion prevents the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone and thus tackles hormonal acne,” she explains.

Next up, you’ll need a decent exfoliator to slough off those pigmented skin cells. Look out for formulas containing beta hydroxy acid which will stimulate cell renewal.

Once you’ve scrubbed away any raised scarring, you’ll need to lighten dark pigmentation, so think of brightening products as your new bestie.

A dark spot corrector like Clinque Even Better Dark Spot Corrector, €56, used alongside Estee Lauder’s CyberWhite EX Extra Brightening Mask, €64, will brighten the skin and make your scars a lot less visible.

To fade them super fast, Naomi recommends, “home derma-rolling with a MTS vitapep serum, hyaluronic acid and an application of 20% Vitamin C.”

If over the counter products just aren’t cutting it and you have severe, raised marks on the skin, “the best treatment by far is a phenol peel,” explains Naomi. It’s a deep-down peel that rejuvenates the skin’s texture and removes surface scarring. At €3,500 it’s pretty pricey, but the re-surfacing effects last for 20 years.

If that’s way out of your price range, “the next best thing would be scarlet radio frequency,” she recommends. “It’s a machine that releases radio frequency to contract the scar and needles into the dermis to stimulate collagen.” That means a reduction in scar size and a more even skin surface.

• acne
• Beauty
• Scars
• skincare