Taking care of your skin doesn’t mean you only have to wash it every morning and every evening. There are a few steps in between, that may include putting a few layers of serums and active treatments, especially for those who have or had problems with acne, and now have to deal with scars. Last year, as the pandemic started, many of us decided it’s the right time to pay more attention to our skincare routine, and include more active ingredients, for a custom skin treatment. As we all know, Korean beauty products are on a rise, but also the standalone active ingredients in a form of serums, oils, and treatments.
One of the most anticipated treatments is the scar treatment, which can be used on the face, neck, and cleavage, to reduce the visibility of acne spots. According to The Skin Spot, no one should allow these spots to define their life, and instead of hiding the scars, you have to treat them with appropriate ingredients for your skin, including:
Table of Contents
1. Chemical exfoliation with direct acids
You can use AHA and BHA acids to treat acne spots. The best example is salicyl acid, which is a type of BHA, and it’s usually derived from plants. It helps the skin to heal, and free up from the excess sebum and dirt in the pores. On the other hand, AHA acids are good to minimize acne scars. In the beginning, you can use lactic or glycolic acid, and when your skin adapts to it, you can move to higher concentrations. There are some products that combine both types of acids, for better performance. You can use them 2-3 times a week, and wear an SPF in the next few days.
2. Retinoids
This is an active form of vitamin A and it’s widely used to regulate the epithelial tissue and stimulate cell rejuvenation. Also, it’s one of the most popular acne treatments. But, don’t combine it with the direct acids. Another important thing is to use it in the evenings, because the daylight may affect the effectiveness, or cause skin irritations. Use an SPF in the next few days after you use any type of retinoid.
3. Vitamin C serum
It stimulates the natural cycle of collagen production in the deeper skin layers, but at the same time prevents pigmentation, and brightens up the existing spots on the skin. When you use it regularly, it will protect the damages caused by the free radicals, and other environmental triggers.
4. Niacinamide
This is a form of vitamin B3 and helps the skin release toxins. It doesn’t have a lot of influence over the existing scars, but surely it will help with the acne, without letting them leave new scars all over your face. After a few weeks of use, you will see that your skin looks better, shiny, bright, and silky.
5. Panthenol
Panthenol is sometimes referred to as pro-vitamin B5, and it helps the skin hold moisture, which is also good for cell rejuvenation. You can use it as a spot treatment, or when you have some issue with redness and itching. In most cases, it doesn’t have side effects, but surely you should perform patch testing before you use it all over your face.
6. Centella Asiatica
This is a very common ingredient in Korean beauty products, and it helps in improving the skin barrier. What does that mean? When you have a healthy barrier, the environmental factors won’t affect your skin much worse. As we said, it’s very common among the Korean beauty serums and toners, and when you use it regularly, you can be sure the skin is always disinfected, and the risk for acne scars is low.
7. Tea tree serum
This serum or spot treatment will reduce the acne scars, even the existing ones. When you use it as a spot treatment, it dries up the acne, and thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties, you won’t have any problems with skin damage.
8. Hyaluronic acid
This is maybe the most popular skincare ingredient that is responsible for preventing your youth. It doesn’t affect the scars directly, but surely it helps the skin to stay moisturized. The trick is to put the hyaluronic acid serum over damp skin, to prevent drying and dry patches.
9. Mugwort essence
This is another favorite skincare product. It’s a natural ingredient that is used to soothe inflammation and irritations. It’s soft and mild, but very powerful at the same time. It’s also commonly used in Korean skincare products, and it’s recognized by the detox effects, but also for calming down acne.
10. SPF treatment
Finally, we came to the most important one – the sun protection factor. Many of our skin problems come from the direct effect of the sun on our skin. But, once we start using it every day, we can be sure our skin will be protected from the UV-rays, that are responsible for many skin damages, including acne and fine lines on the forehead and around the eyes.
Even though we mentioned ten of them, it doesn’t mean you have to use all these ingredients to prevent or treat scars of any type. You can ask your dermatologist or aesthetician what to use regularly, but even if you choose a drugstore option, try to include some of these ingredients or products in your skincare routine.
Read the instructions, so you can know how to combine them. But, if we need to simplify the whole process, we can say that you only need three products – a nice cleanser to remove the dirt from your face, a moisturizer to maintain the moisture balance, and of course, an SPR cream or lotion that will protect your skin from UV damages.
There are a lot of products that are effective in skin damage treatment. You only need to find the right ones for your skin type. Practice a proper routine every morning and evening, and you will see great progress even in a few weeks after the initial use of some of these products.
