Whenever a person gets a pimple, the first thing that comes to mind is how quickly is it going to heal but the suffering does not always end there because, in the case of most acne blemishes, they leave dark spots on the skin after they are healed. It is very frustrating because they are very difficult to remove and are very common
The first app to reducing the appearance of those dark spots to understand what causes them. When a pimple appears on your skin, it forms a kind of inflammation and when your body fights with inflammation, it kills the old cells and new cells are formed during the process. The new cells may contain an excessive amount of melanin to make your skin smooth again. Now your skin becomes smooth but due to the excess melanin, there is a spot.
The bottom line is as the pimple heals, your body releases a lot of cells to cure the damaged skin cells while doing it, those cells contain an excess amount of melanin which results in post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation that appears as a dark spot and we also called a dark spot. There are home remedies, OTC options if home remedies do not work and if nothing else works the best option is to visit a dermatologist and come up with the professional treatment plan.
Another reason is that if the inflammation lasts longer, the chances of having an acne increase. It is also a type of hyperpigmentation and people with naturally more dark skin tones are more likely to be on the bad side of this condition.
Scars v/s Dark Spots
Although they might look similar, there is a huge difference in treating dark spots from treating scars. Scars are very difficult to remove completely and the appearance may reduce over time but they are still visible. In the case of dark spots, they appear when acne is healed and does not stay there for a long period. They can be comparatively easily cured within 3 months to 4 months using home remedies or over the counter products.
Home remedies
To treat hyperpigmentation post-inflammatory there are certain home remedies that you can try.
Vitamin C
It has been proved several times that vitamin C is very effective in reducing melanin formation. To increase the consumption of vitamin C you can consume lemon juice which is very rich in vitamin C and will also even the skin tone and brighten it.
Aloe vera
There is a huge number of people that admire the fact that aloe vera can treat a lot of different types of diseases. In the case of acne spots, aloe vera is a brilliant healing agent. Apart from treating acne dark spots, it is also a great product for many skin-related conditions.
Grape Seed Extract
You can try grape seed extract to reduce the appearance of dark spots. It is yet another natural product like aloe vera but there are no studies that prove the fact that they can be efficient in healing dark spots like aloe vera.
Sun protection
If you wear sunscreen with at least 30 SPF every day, there is a great chance that the dark spots will lighten, this has been proved by many researchers.
Other products that can help
Apart from the above-mentioned home remedies, you can try OTC treatments for healing the dark spots. There are a large number of products that are in the market which can help heal the dark spots very quickly and have been proved to be effective if home remedies do not work. We recommend you that you must speak to your dermatologist before consuming any of the OTC product and if the doctor approves the usage of OTC products, then you can go ahead and try some medications that contain the following ingredients:
- Azelaic acid
- Kojic acid
- Alpha hydroxy acids
- Hydroquinone
- Vitamin E
- Retinoids (vitamin A)
Stay cautious
We understand that it is very important for some people to treat their acne and dark spots that follow very quickly. There is an emotional attachment to it because some people find it emotionally upsetting to have this type of dark spots on their faces but we highly recommend you to be careful when using some of these products because some of them may leave you more vulnerable to other types of skin conditions that are much worse than a dark spot or acne.
Some of the things you should keep in mind is that not all the ingredients that are included in medicine may be listed on the back, like some of the OTC uses Mercury which is very harmful for the skin. So, we recommend you to ask your doctor before consuming the OTC product and buy the product only from a vendor that you trust. You should also apply sunscreen every day and make it a part of your routine. Also, you must be aware that not all the cosmetic products that you encounter would be regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
When to See the Doctor
If you find that the condition related to dark spot is not going away and you are experiencing them more frequently than normal, then maybe it is the time to talk to your dermatologist.
Doing so can get rid of the frequent occurrence of the dark spots and can give you a realistic perspective about them. You might or might not know this, that frequent occurrence of acne or another type of blemish can also be the reason of a much deeper disease like skin cancer. If you find out that your blemish for acne is changing colors, shapes, and sizes and is not going away, that it can be a really important thing for you to visit a health care provider to avoid any doubt.
