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Red Marks caused by Acne
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Is there anything out there that actually works to get rid of red marks caused by acne (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation)? I am currently using benzoyl peroxide to stay clear and it seems to be working great but my red marks persist! I need to find something that fits into my regimen of using BP 2x a day so it must be compatible with BP. Thanks in advance!
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vananners,
This sounds more like what you see during the normal wound healing process. You can increase the healing process timeframe by exfolliation, however, there are some things that you have to be careful of. The object is to increase the turnover rate of skincells. The drawback is that too much can stimulate more cell retention within the pores and can trigger more breakouts.
The two forms of exfolliation used for this is the use of acids and microdermabrasion. I prefer non-particle MDA. Here's why. If you look closely at the lesion you will find that it is slightly depressed to the surrounding tissue. The tissue (the pink area) is new healing skin with little or no pigment formed as yet. The tissue is thin enough to have the small capillaries formed through the healing tissue to be seen.
When you use acid peels, you are not only exfolliating the surounding tissue on the surface, but also part of the newly formed tissue at the repairing lesion site. By using a non-particle exfolliation you accomplish exfolliation on the surface, however, you pass over the depressed redened tissue where the tissue is the thinnest but, you are still creating a sympathic wound reaction cell renewal. This eventually results in the thickness of the tissue to return to normal and the two areas to level out.
This, of course, relates to smaller lesions. There are those where the infection has destroyed large volumes of supportive tissue which results in "ice pick" scars or depressions which can not smooth out and must be raised with filler injections when possible.
Alla,
red/maroon then it goes purple/blue sounds more like blood trapped under the skin. -
BTW If you decide to excellorate the healing process, you had best to stay on BP. As the root of the breakouts is caused from cells deep in the pore growing and sticking together faster than they can be eliminated and that is what you are doing. As for acids, both AHA's and SA are used. However AHA's work on disolving the "glue" which holds the cells together. SA works on the cells themself and is lipolitic which means they work better inside the pore where oil acculates.
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What is non-particle microdermabrasion?
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Thank you soooo much! I was slightly scared to use an AHA because I didn't want to overdo it since I'm already on the BP. I will look into a good AHA product. Anyone have any ideas? I've never had good luck with SA/BHA, it seems to irritate my skin too much and makes it itch like crazy (possible allergy/sensitivity).
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There are basically three forms of MDA tools.
1. Crystal
http://www.dermasante.com/
2. Diamond Tip
http://www.diamondtome.com/systeminfo/index.html
3. Derma File
http://www.dermafile.com/at-home-microdermabrasion.html
The last two are considered non-particle.
To smooth out what you described, my choice is #3
Jeff -
So I decided to go with a mild BHA product and ended of getting Stridex alcohol-free pads. They contain 2% salicylic and worked great! My skin looks better already. It took away all the flakies caused by my BP in just one night! My last question is this: How often to exfoliate? I used to do it every day but I think that was WAY too much for my skin and seemed to break me out worse. I'm thinking twice a week? It's so hard not to over-exfoliate when I get such great results!
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