[sagluva]

I have a lot of acne scars all over my face and it has made me really uncomfortable and I was wondering of any products I could use to lighten the scars and my face.. thanks

[Golden_Girl]

Retin-A (aka tretinoin) will help to lighten your acne scars and clear your acne. It's the acid form from vitamin A, so you will have a lot of peeling and eventually you'll begin to see difference. Also AHA peels (glycolic or lactic are good) help with this as well, you can start with a low concentration and slowly increase as you build tolerance.

Using a good exfoliating soap is also a plus, like Likas papaya soap or Diana Stalder papaya kojic soap. Or if you want to use something milder, authenic black soap will help to lighten acne spots. The soap really isn't "black", but it is different shades of brown and has a softer texture. Fake black soap is dyed black and is hard, not effective and made my skin breakout.

A good skin lightener will help the spots to lighten well. I have heard good reviews from the Fair & White Exclusive Gel Crème Whitenizer (it contains Hq), 55H+ CRISTALINE Strong Lightening Fine Glycerin, Nadinola (Hq), to name a name a few and are not overpriced. If you are just interested in lightening the spots then you can try just applying the product to the dark areas. Right now I'm trying a different regimine, but if it doesn't work then I'll switch to these.

Be sure to always use a good sunblock high in spf at all times and reapply when necessary. I like the Neutrogena spf 70 and the spf 85.

[lilgreg1]

I think Golden_Girl has summed it up pretty good. If you have deep acne scars, hyper-pigmentation or craters, consider visiting a dermatologist. Laser Acne scar treatment and (micro)dermabrasion are proven and fast methods to renew skin and remove nearly all blemishes or scars that may have occurred.

The prices are generally between $100-400, depending on various insurance policies.

[Golden_Girl]

How do craters come about Lil'greg, are they enlarged pores that were never treated? I have seen these before and hope I'll never get them... but I sometimes have large pores. I may have to opt for professional microderm abrasion, as my at-home kit is not so effective as I had expected.

[beautifulskin]

I think Golden_Girl has summed it up pretty good. If you have deep acne scars, hyper-pigmentation or craters, consider visiting a dermatologist. Laser Acne scar treatment and (micro)dermabrasion are proven and fast methods to renew skin and remove nearly all blemishes or scars that may have occurred.

The prices are generally between $100-400, depending on various insurance policies.

Lilgreg I have always been curious about microdermabrasion. How does it work? Does it peel off a certain number of layers of the skin all at once?

[lilgreg1]

Acne craters usually appear from major or larger scars based off cystic acne. (Cysts; highly infected pimples that enlarge and become red with no head). You can't really pop these types of pimples, and you end up having to wait for the swelling to stop, have it treated by a dermatologist, or eventually bursting in a certain area. Of course, it's a pretty rare form of acne in general.

Microdermabrasion uses a small vacuum 'wand' with micro-tipped beads or crystals (such as aluminum oxide) that are sprayed and slowly rubbed across the skin. The crystals perform a deep exfoliation (using the micro-crystals) process of removing the outermost layer of dead skin cells while the vacuum sucks up all dead cells removed. Over the course of 2-3 treatments, an entire scar can be removed.

Microdermabrasion can be used for general exfoliating of course; it's proven to help prevent acne by clearing out pores completely, and even remove deep wrinkles and stimulate collagen and new skin renewal.

[Golden_Girl]

The micordermabrasion kit I have does not seem to be doing an excellent job as getting it done professionally. It did even my skin out a bit, but nothing very noticeable as I have been using it for a couple of months now.

[lilgreg1]

Yes, home dermabrasion kits don't provide as much strength as professional grade ones. They generally require between 10-12 uses (maximum 3-4 applications per month to allow the recovery of dermabrated skin) in comparison to 2 professional grade applications within 2-3 months.

Home kits can cost anywhere between $20-70 for lifetime usage and a mere replacement of crystals or heads, while professional dermabrasions may cost much more. If you think about it, home kits seem to be all right for extended use or if you have minor scars; some kits have had mixed reviews concerning how well they work. Some manage to remove scars and exfoliate well, while others were only good exfoliates.

[Klaas]

Zenmed Scar Treatment Kit worked well for me right now.

[Golden_Girl]

Klaas does the Zenmed Scar Treatment Kit help reduce acne spots and shrink pores?

Lilgreg my kit cost about $30 plus s&h from Avon. I think it might work for some people but not a big difference with me. My skin is OK, but would like it to be back to the way it was when I was in high school.