I realized I haven’t done a routine video [ever] for you guys, and I know a lot of you message me asking for my exact routine.

Last night I was getting ready for bed and decided I would film a quick video showing you my exact routine.

I find when I stick to my routine on a weekly or monthly basis, I see my skin continually heal and improve, and I feel and look my best.

Over the past few years, this is the routine I’ve seen the best results from, as my skin turns over and heals.

My weekly / monthly routine

One note is since skin takes time to regenerate, turnover and heal, you shouldn’t derma-pen or microneedle more than 1X week lightly, or 1X a month depending on your goals, how deep you go, and your skin sensitivity.

**This is something to start very lightly with and test on your own skin. It is not something to be rushed into and you always have to test lightly with your skin and act with care.

One note is I only do my routine when I know I don’t have any important event within 3-5 days as the first few days my skin is a bit red and healing.

Always start very lightly with both the derma-pen and copper peptides, as all our skins are different and you don’t want to overdo it in any way. A little goes a long way.

My specific routine

1) 1X a week, or 1X a month, I lightly wash my face and rub a light layer of avocado oil onto it.

2) I take a new derma-pen and lightly press the dermapen over the scarred areas in 5 or so different directions

3) Then I take a light layer of copper peptides and use my finger to gently place them on the scarred areas (and over the rest of my face as I desire like a face-mask for the healing benefits).

4) I then put a light layer of derma-e gel over the peptides to lock in the moisture and allow for the full healing under a layer of moisture.

4) In the morning I use ice-cubes to wash the copper peptides off my face as they are a bright blue

5) Each night after I put a light layer of copper peptides + derma-e gel on the area

6) After a few days there is no more redness, and I can continue to layer copper peptides on the skin and allow it to continue to regenerate for the next week or 30 days.

After each process I see substantial improvement in my skin and scarred areas. I see the healing process after each derma-pen + copper peptide session.

I find it is best when I allow my skin a full 30 days inbetween to fully regenerate and heal, which matches with the time it takes to allow the skin to regenerate a full new layer of skin.

The skin takes time to heal

It takes time (!) skin does not magically go from deeply scarred to perfect with one round of derma pen + copper peptides, but I see improvement after each time.

For me, I see the derma pen break up my damaged skin, and allow for deeper penetration of the copper peptides.

The derma pen + the copper peptides kickstart the healing process, and speed up the cell turnover.

Each session I see my skin improve, the dead, damaged scarred skin flake off, and my new skin grow in plumper and smoother.

Over time I’ve seen my scarring go from super deep to smooth and plump, and for the past few years I have been able to put a light moisturizer on and walk outside each day (instead of slathering on makeup and oils to try to hide my scarring as I used to).

Send me a note if you have any questions about my weekly / monthly routine, and I am always happy to help.

Warmly,

Stacy

Many people think getting acne is the worst thing for their skin and their self-esteem, even staying home instead of going out with friends because of pimples and fear of social judgement.

Then, their acne goes away, and many are left with acne scarring in its place. It’s then they realize that acne scarring is more permanent and can be even worse than the original acne itself.

At this point, people are usually wondering why their acne scars formed in the first place.

The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery explains how acne scars form:

“Acne scars are usually the result of inflamed blemishes caused by skin pores engorged with excess oil, dead skin cells and bacteria. The pore swells, causing a break in the follicle wall. Shallow lesions are usually minor and heal quickly. But if there is a deep break in the wall of the pore, infected material can spill out into surrounding tissue, creating deeper lesions. The skin attempts to repair these lesions by forming new collagen fibers. These repairs usually aren’t as smooth and flawless as the original skin.”

Acne is caused by oil, dead skin cells and bacteria, which cause the skin pore enlarge with the bacteria and dead skin which appears on the skin as acne. When the acne is deep it spills out into more skin than the wall of the pore, which causes the skin to have to try to repair itself. Often the skin rushes the repair and either produces too much or too little collagen too quickly which leads to the skin not healing as smoothly as the original skin, creating an acne scar.

Acne is an open wound in the body, and the body usually rushes healing open wounds so it can help the body avoid a bacterial infection, which is what causes the imperfect textural changes that mark acne scars.

The 3 Main Types of Acne Scarring:

• Indented acne scarring: Forms when too little collagen is produced during acne healing.
• Raised acne scarring: Forms when too much collagen is produced during acne healing.
• Red or Discolored Acne Scarring: Technically not classified as a scar because and will often start to heal on its own, but often forms as discoloration on the skin after acne has healed.

What Fades Acne Scars?

Fading Acne Red Marks:

Red acne marks often form on the skin after acne has healed. Getting rid of red acne scarring is not impossible. You can use collagen inducing serums such as a Vitamin C serum, or products that work to help skin turnover such as Salicylic acid or Exfoliation creams to help reduce the appearance of red acne marks on the skin:

• Vitamin C: Vitamin C serum Allure quotes Dr. Patricia Wexler to explain Vitamin C’s benefits in skin repair and the collagen formation process,”As far as your skin is concerned, Vitamin C is “a potent antioxidant that can neutralize free radicals,” explains board-certified dermatologist Patricia Wexler. “Because of its antioxidant properties, vitamin C aids in your skin’s natural regeneration process, which helps your body repair damaged skin cells.”
  is an ingredient found naturally in the skin and is part of the collagen production process, accelerating skin repair and healing. This is why it is so helpful in helping skin repair and heal acne scarring, particularly discolored scarring, but can also be used in combination with micro-needling to help heal indented acne scarring.” Vitamin C is a great ingredient to include in any acne mark or scar healing routine due to its collagen and skin reparation aiding qualities.
• Exfoliation creams: Exfoliation creams such as theLacSal cream are great to wear daily on the skin as a way to loosen the dead damaged acne scar skin cells so they can come off skin to reveal healthy new skin underneath. Elle.com quotes Dr. Gross, M.D. and creator of Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare, as he explains how exfoliant creams help improve acne scarring, “Incorporating a gentle, daily chemical exfoliant helps improve overall texture and treat acne scars, but this two-step peel takes it a step further,” Dr. Gross explains. “The alpha and beta hydroxy acids in step one loosen the glue that binds dead skin cells to the new, radiant ones underneath and also prevent dead skin cells from clogging pores. The second step is a neutralizer that is jam packed with amazing active ingredients like retinol, which helps smooth fine lines and wrinkles, and green tea extract.”
  work to loosen and remove the utmost top layer of damaged acne scarred skin so it can come off to reveal new non-discolored skin underneath and are great to use to assist skin turnover and see improvement over time.
• Salicylic acid: Salicylic acid is a great product to help red acne scarring because it can help treat active acne and it helps skin turnover to aid acne red marks in going away more quickly.
• Natural oils: Using natural oils as moisturizing agents is great for skin. My favorites are argan oil and coocnut oil. These help give the skin moisture so it can facilitate its own repair processes and improve skin appearance.

Fading Deeper Acne Scars:

Acne scars that are deeper and pitted are affecting more than the top layer of skin, which means they will take more time to heal to remove all the damaged layers to get past root of the scar where healthy skin can re-appear.

To start to see deeper scars fade you can use treatments that reach more deeply into the skin including micro-needling that opens up the skin so deeper layers can receive healing ingredients as well as stimulates deeper layers of the skin’s healing processes to start repairing skin on its own:

• Microneedling:

  The Derma Health Institute explains how microneedling works to help acne scarring heal,”Doctors and aestheticians use a small device that is comprised of several small needles, set to different depths to penetrate the top layer of skin. The tiny needles remove the top layer of skin, allowing healing, collagen production and new skin cell development to reveal healthy, glowing skin.” It is possible to do micro-needling at home with an at-home derma roller, and you can also go into a dermatology clinic to have it done professionally.

  The reason micro-needling is so effective at healing deeper indented scarring is because it penetrates the skin to stimulate healing at a deeper level, something you can’t do by simply smearing a cream on top of your skin. It also opens your skin up to better receive healing ingredients from creams at a deeper level so is great to pair with healing serums including copper peptides.

• Copper Peptides: Super Cop 2Xis a great copper peptide cream that helps heal acne scarring. Copper peptides, also known as GHK, is able to increase nerve growth, collagen growth, elastin, and has been shown to improve tissue repair. This means you can use Copper Peptides to stimulate your own skin’s repair to improve your acne scarring at the deepest level. Copper peptides are bright blue which means it is best to use them at night unless you want to walk around with bright blue cream on your face during the day.
• Vitamin C: Vitamin C serum can be used in a skincare routine with copper peptides, but they can’t be used at the same exact time layered on top of each other because the copper peptides will oxidize the Vitamin C and cancel out its efficacy. Instead you can use copper peptides as part of the nighttime routine and Vitamin C as part of the morning routine to get the full benefits of both. Vitamin C helps the skin in the collagen and skin repair processes, making it a great skincare ingredient to assist the skin when repairing acne scarring.
• Exfoliation Cream: Exfoliation creams not only can help with red acne scarring, but also indented scarring, especially when used in conjunction with deeper-reaching treatments including micro-needling or other in-clinic professional dermatology treatments. The exfoliation creams help loosen damaged skin including acne scarred skin, which helps it come off more quickly so the new skin underneath can shine through.

Professional Dermatologist In-Office Treatments to Fade Indented Acne Scars:
In addition to at-home treatments you can also go to a professional dermatologist and have any of the following treatments done to help with deeper acne scarring:

• Professionally Dermatologist Microneedling: Microneedling can be done in a professional dermatologist’s office as well as at home, and they can tailor the treatment to you even using deeper needles. It works using the same principles as at-home micro-needling to remove the top layers of damaged skin and stimulate skin repair at a deeper level.
• Acne Scar FillersFillers can be injected into the face by a professional to give the acne scarring a lesser appearance, which is temporary and needs to be redone every few months.
• Subcision, Subcision can be done by a professional dermatologist in an attempt to release scarring at the root to improve its appearance.
• Lasers, Lasers such as Fraxel and other types can be done to remove damaged skin on the top layers and stiulate healing, much like micro-needling but in a different fashion. There are side effects from using lasers including very red skin to take into account.
• Chemical Peels, Chemical peels in a professional office are a more concentrated way to encourage damaged skin to come off which can help deeper acne scarring come off faster.

Acne Scar Before and After Photos

Here is a before and after picture of my progress over a year that shows how it is possible for acne scars to fade when you take care of your skin using at-home treatments to treat the scarring:

Acne scars come in two main forms, depressed scarring, and raised scarring. Both of these types are permanent skin structure changes that don’t go away on their own over time unless treatment is used.

Additionally, some people get discoloration and red marks on their face after acne, which is another form of acne scarring, although it is not technically classified as “scarring”, and is more likely to fade on its own without treatment. One of the easiest forms of acne scarring to get rid of is red acne scarring, since it usually only affects the top layer of skin.

Treatment will help both types of scarring. This post focuses on how to help depressed, indented scarring as well as acne scar discoloration. To treat raised acne scarring you can go into your dermatologist and ask for their recommendations, as the below methods are effective on indented and discoloration scarring, not raised acne scarring.

The process of fading acne scars can be speeded along with various products and treatment types.

All three types of acne scarring can be treated by a professional dermatologist as well, so making time to get a professional opinion and recommendations is always a good idea.

Why do Acne Scars form?

Acne scars form when deep or cystic acne is healing and the body makes either too much collagen to form a raised scar, or too little collagen to form an indented scar.

The body rushes healing acne wounds because it is trying to avoid bacteria or an infection forming in the skin, which is why the skin heals less smoothly than your original healthy skin. This textural change in the skin that results from acne healing is what is known as an acne scar.

Indented acne scarring:

When too little collagen is produced by the body, the acne scar is indented and depressed into the skin, looking like a little indent or hole in the skin, or a collection of indents next to each other.

Raised acne scarring:

Raised scarring forms when the body produces more collagen than necessary during acne healing, and this type of acne scar is more common for African American, Hispanic and Asian skin types.

Red or Discolored Acne Scarring:

When some acne heals it leaves behind a red mark or discoloration, which is the easiest type of acne scarring to treat and often fades on its own over time, but can be helped to fade more quickly with treatment.

How to Fade Acne Scars Fast

How to Fade Discolored Acne Scars Fast:

There are several ways to fade discolored acne scarring with at-home treatments including:

• Vitamin C serums: Vitamin C is an ingredient found naturally in the skin and is part of the collagen production process, accelerating skin repair and healing. This is why it is so helpful in helping skin repair and heal acne scarring, particularly discolored scarring, but can also be used in combination with micro-needling to help heal indented acne scarring.
• Salicylic acid: Products that contain salicylic acid helps surface level dead skin slough off which helps improve the appearance of discolored scarring by assisting in taking off the top layers of discolored skin so the newer healthy, non-discolored skin can start to emerge underneath. This method is best used in combination with other methods as it is not strong or fast on its own.
• Exfoliation creams: Exfoliation creams work to loosen and remove the utmost top layer of damaged acne scarred skin so it can come off to reveal new non-discolored skin underneath and are great to use to assist skin turnover and see improvement over time.
• Natural oils: Oils including argan oil and coconut oil can help moisturize the skin so it has the moisture it needs to use its own natural repair processes and will help improve the appearance of skin over time, especially when used in conjunction with exfoliation and Vitamin C serum methods.

How to Fade Indented Acne Scars Fast:

Indented acne scars take longer to heal and deeper treatments to see improvement, since they have changed the skin more deeply at a structural level and affect more layers of skin than a superficial top layer discoloration mark.

The good news is there are at-home and in-clinic methods to fade indented acne scarring quickly including the following methods:

At-Home Treatments to Fade Indented Acne Scars Fast:

There are several home remedies for acne scars that work quite well:

• Microneedling: Microneedling has been found effective in numerous skincare studies in helping stimulate skin repair in regard to acne scarring. It can be done professionally in-clinic or at home with shorter needles using a 1mm or 1.5mm derma-roller or a .5mm derma-pen.

  Microneedling is one of the best ways to help fade indented acne scarring fast because it goes past the top layer of skin to stimulate the body’s natural healing process in the deeper layers of the scarring. This allows the body to have another chance to heal the scarred area, this time leaving the skin smoother. Microneedling also helps the body remove the top damaged layers of skin more quickly while also stimulating the skin’s healing process at the same time.

  The last benefit of at-home microneedling is it opens the skin up to receive healing product ingredients deeper into the skin so they can work at a deeper layer and be more effective to speed up the healing process.

• Copper Peptide Cream: Copper peptide cream is one of the building blocks of skin and assists the skin in the healing process. It has been found in many studies to help the healing process of skin, and is great to use on its own, and especially in combination with microneedling so it can go deeper into the skin for maximum effectiveness, to help indented acne scarring heal. It is best used at nighttime due to its bright blue color.
• Vitamin C Serum: Vitamin C can’t be used layered on top of copper peptide cream because the copper peptides would oxidize the Vitamin C and take away its effectiveness. Instead, the most effective way to use the Vitamin C to heal indented scarring is to apply it directly after microneedling as well as in the morning, or apply copper peptides at night after microneedling as your nightly skincare routine, then in the morning apply Vitamin C as part of your daily morning skincare routine. Vitamin C is great for boosting collagen and skin repair so it is also helpful in improving the appearance of indented scarring, especially when paired with microneedling.
• Exfoliation Cream: Exfoliation creams can also help with indented scar improvement, when applied as part of the morning skincare routine, it helps damaged skin turnover and come off more quickly. The skin heals layer by layer, so the more damaged layers that come off, the more the skin fades acne scarring and starts to show the healthy new skin underneath.

In-Clinic Only Treatments to Fade Indented Acne Scars:

• In-Clinic Microneedling: To remove the top layer of damaged skin and stimulate skin healing underneath using deeper needle tools in a professional clinic setting.
• Fillers, a filler is where a dermatologist injects your skin with collagen to lift indented skin, however the effects are only cosmetic and temporary.
• Subcision, subcision is where a trained punctures your skin with a needle to release the tether in your scarred skin for an attempt to heal it at the root.
• Lasers, including Fraxel and others, are where a professional uses a laser to remove the top layer of your scarred skin which can removed damaged scarring as well as encourage new tissue growth in the days to come.
• Chemical Peels, chemical peels work similarly to lasers in that they remove the top layer of damaged skin which also encourages new healthier skin growth underneath

Fading Acne Scars Fast with Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a great topical serum you can use daily either alone, or in conjunction with micro-needling to fade acne scarring.

Studies have found Vitamin C to be a “potent antioxidant drug that can be used topically in dermatology to treat and prevent changes associated with photoageing. It can also be used for the treatment of hyperpigmentation.”

Vitamin C is a natural antioxidant that is also already found in plentiful supply in your skin and is an important part of your body’s collagen production process.

It’s important role in skin repair is part of why it is so great at fading discoloration including acne scars, and at treating other skin discoloration issues such as hyperpigmentation.

Vitamin C serums that contain Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Ferulic Acid, have been found to be the most effective, so choose a serum that contains all three ingredients to get the maximum effects.

Copper Peptides & Fading Acne Scars

Copper Peptides are skin building blocks, and have been shown to help the skin heal in several wound-healing studies. They also support the production of collagen and elastin in the body, two necessary skin reparation elements.

Studies, including the Pickhart Margolina study found Copper Peptides to possess these properties that help with skin healing:

• Tighten skin that is loose
• Reverse thinning of aged skin
• Repair protective skin barrier proteins
• Increase skin firmness, elasticity, and clarity
• Decrease fine lines, depth of wrinkles, and improve structure of aged skin
• Smooth rough skin
• Decrease photodamage, mottled hyperpigmentation, skin spots and lesions
• Improve overall skin appearance and look
• Help stimulate wound healing
• Protect skin cells from UV radiation
• Decrease inflammation and free radical damage
• Increase hair growth and thickness, enlarge hair follicle size

Copper peptides help the skin repair itself, and can be used to help with wrinkles and aging skin, as well as help with wound healing and fading acne scarring.

The Pickhart study explains that “The human peptide GHK (glycyl-l-histidyl-l-lysine) has multiple biological actions […] It stimulates blood vessel and nerve outgrowth, increases collagen, elastin, and glycosaminoglycan synthesis, as well as supports the function of dermal fibroblasts. GHK’s ability to improve tissue repair has been demonstrated for skin, lung connective tissue, boney tissue, liver, and stomach lining.”

GHK copper peptides have been proven to increase collagen, elastin, glycosaminoglycan synthesis, and even improve tissue repair both inside the body and on the body’s skin.

Due to its powerful ability to stimulate skin repair, it is a useful cream to include into your acne scar healing and fading routine, especially when used alongside micro-needling to help give your skin what it needs to repair at the root of your scarring and remove damaged layers over time.

The Skin Biology copper peptide study site explains specifically how copper peptides work to promote skin healing:

“Studies have shown that copper peptide promotes the production of collagen and elastin in your skin. It also acts as an antioxidant and promotes production of glycosaminoglycans (such as hyaluronic acid).

Studies have also shown that copper-dependent enzymes help firm, smooth, and soften the skin quicker than most other anti-aging skin care products. In addition, copper peptides have been shown to remove damaged collagen and elastin from the skin and scar tissue.”

They promote collagen and elastin growth in skin and help to firm and smooth the skin as well as help take out damaged collagen and elastin from the skin’s scar tissue.

The Regene Pure site explains that copper peptides help increase oxygen in blood vessels so they can produce new blood vessels to aid in the skin healing process, something that is also associated with aerobic exercise, which when done leads to better circulation and bodily healing:

“Copper peptides assist in this increase of oxygen with their ability to produce new blood vessels from previous vessels. This process is known as angiogenesis and is often associated with certain forms of exercise. Similarly to our bodies when we perform aerobic and endurance exercises, when copper peptides increase the amount of blood vessels in our hair follicles, the amount of nutrients and oxygen is also increased, ultimately leading to healthier circulation and hair growth.”

Copper peptides effect on oxygen and blood vessels help increase circulation which help hair and skin be able to grow and repair which is helpful for those who want to help their body repair acne scar damaged skin.

“Copper peptides are also popularly known for repairing skin. Not only are copper peptides supposed to assist with hair growth and microcirculation, but they have also been shown to encourage the production of collagen and elastin. Collagen and elastin are both structural proteins that can be found in connective tissue. As we age, we start to lose both of these which results in saggy skin and wrinkles. This is probably one of the main reasons why you will be able to find copper peptides on the ingredient list on many anti-aging products.”

In addition to their effects on blood vessels, copper peptides are known to increase collagen and elastin production, both skin structural proteins that help the skin repair, including the repair and fading of acne scarred skin.

Fading Acne Scars with Micro-needling

The Derma Health Institute explains that micro-needling is effective in part because it helps the skin remove its top layer, and at the same time stimulates collagen production and new skin cell development.

Even when used on its own, micro-needling can be a powerful acne scar fading and healing tool. You can only micro-needle once every 3 weeks or so because you need to give the skin time to heal and produce new skin cells in-between each session.

It is even more effective when you microneedle, and then put a copper peptide healing serum on as your nighttime routine and use a Vitamin C serum as part of your morning routine, so you are giving your skin what extra ingredients that promote healing so you can see the best results from your micro-needling.

The Health Institute goes on to talk about how you see the benefits of micro-needling over time as the skin heals and collagen begins to build in the skin. The Institute explains that when you combine that with good sun protection and exfoliation, you’ll start to see the best results.

Micro-needling is a great tool to help skin heal from and fade the appearance of acne scarring because it is able to stimulate your skin’s healing and collagen production response, kickstarting a process into gear that will continue healing and improving skin texture for months after you do your at-home or in-clinic treatment.

It’s a great acne scar healing tool, and the one shown to be most effective in many acne scar skin healing studies. It’s also my personal favorite acne scar healing tool.

One study, Phuong Pham Thi Minh et al study, found derma-rolling improved the appearance of indented acne scars in all 31 people included in the study who derma-rolled each week for a three month time period.

My experience combining at-home micro-needling and copper peptides has changed my entire face and skin texture for the better. Here is a before, process, and after picture that illustrates how the two have helped my skin:

The left images shows my scarring, the top shows the bright blue copper peptide cream which I apply after micro-needling, and as part of my nighttime routine, and the after photos show how my skin has improved throughout the process. More acne scar before/after photos can be viewed here.

Note: it is important to keep inflammation as low as possible during the acne and acne scar healing process. This is why occasionally I like to ice on my inflamed active acne to calm its inflammtion, as well as ice my acne scarring to keep inflammation down during the healing process. I know some of you have asked, is ice good for acne scars? The answer is yes, in the sense you will see a temporary reduction in acne scar size when you ice it and for a bit after, and it helps keep inflammation down which does help during the healing process. It is not a permanent solution, and is best used in combination with other types of treatment.

Fading Acne Scars with Exfoliation

In addition to micro-needling once every few weeks, applying copper peptides at night, and Vitamin C during the day, using an exfoliating cream daily and lightly exfoliating once every few days can do a lot to help fade acne scarring.

Damaged skin will come off faster when you put on a light layer of exfoliation cream, such as LacSal cream, daily to help it loosen.

Putting a layer of exfoliating cream on skin and letting it sit is the least abrasive exfoliation method and will encourage damaged scar tissue and skin to come off faster over time, resulting in the fading appearance of acne scarring, especially when used in conjunction with the other methods mentioned above.

The Skin Biology site talks about how exfoliation creams help dissolve and loosen damaged skin to expose healthy skin underneath, an important process when you’re looking to improve the appearance of skin including acne scarring:

“Hydroxy acids, such as salicylic acid and glycolic acid, are widely used as exfoliating agents and for skin peels. They remove dead skin cells and also loosen and slowly dissolve skin lesions such as acne scars, keloid scars, surgical scars, burn scars, moles, skin tags, stretch marks, age spots, and sun damage marks.”

Personally I love using exfoliation cream daily on top of my Vitamin C serum and see my damaged skin loosen and come off more quickly. The results are very apparent over time, and putting the cream on makes skin look smoother and gives your skin a healthy smooth glow immediately as well.

The Nature Science Journal talks about why exfoliation works so well to improve skin. The Journal explains that damaged skin is weaker in structure than healthy skin, which is why exfoliation works so well in removing weaker, damaged scar tissue skin, while leaving healthy smooth skin on the face.

When you use exfoliation creams and exfoliate using other methods, you’re able to more easily remove the damaged acne scar tissue skin from your face while the rest of your healthy, smooth skin stays intact, due to the weaker structure of the scarred skin.

Acne Scar Fading Pictures

I personally have used at-home microneedling, copper peptides at night, and Vitamin C + Exfoliation creams during the day for the past year, and have seen huge improvements in my acne scarring.

My scarring has faded to the point I don’t think other people even notice it now, and I finally feel comfortable in my skin again.

Here is a before and after image of my scarring and how it has faded with these at-home treatments over the past year:

Acne Scar Fading Results

Personally I have used at-home micro-needling, copper peptides at night, and Vitamin C as well as LacSal exfoliation cream during each day, and these are the acne scar fading results I’ve seen in a little over a year timeline:

Here are a few more photos that show my skin healing over this time period:

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I am very grateful to have found this at-home scar healing process that includes micro-needling, copper peptide serum, Vitamin C serum, and exfoliation cream, and my skin has benefited tremendously from following this process for over a year now.

Here are the specific acne scar fading products I’ve used this past year.

More before and after of my acne scar photos are here to look at as well.

When your acne is gone, often you still have left behind red marks or even deep rolling or pitted indents. There are many products you can buy pre-made that you can use to treat your acne scarring, and there are also DIY methods you can use to help improve it.

One of the best ways to help boost skin collagen production so skin can renew to improve the appearance of acne marks and scarring is to put a Vitamin C serum on the skin.

You can purchase Vitamin C serums pre-made and order them to be delivered to your doorstep, or, if you have extra time and want to experiment on your own, you can create your own DIY Vitamin C serum from scratch.

The Beauty Science Blog LabMuffin, run by a Chemistry PhD, created a great DIY Vitamin C serum that you can make at home and use as a DIY acne scar treatment.

Her DIY serum is simple to create, however note that it only lasts a few weeks, so once it starts to change color from clear to yellow, you’ll know it has oxidized and is past its short life span.

If you prefer to buy already formulated acne scar treatments, you can do that as well, and it can work out to be cheaper in the long run to purchase pre-made treatments, since you don’t have to buy your own ingredients to mix together, and you’ll save on time as well.

DIY Acne Scar Serum Ingredients

The LabMuffin home-made Vitamin C Serum recipe is easy to make because it only requires a few ingredients:

• L-Ascorbic acid powder:
  L-Ascorbic acid powder can be bought as a dry solid powder, and is pretty stable and inexpensive. You can order it in a supplement store or on a site like iHerb, which Michelle did in her original recipe. She says that some powders have issues dissolving, but her NutriBiotic powder didn’t have this problem. She mentions powder is better than crushed tablets for this recipe because the tablets cost more and you can end up with more random powder chunks on your face.
• Distilled water
  Michelle explains that, “Metal ions in your water can speed up the rate of LAA decomposition.” This is why you should use distilled or deionised water to make your homemade Vitamin C serum. Another option is to get a nanofilter that filters your water through a thin filter to take out metal ions. If you want you can also simply use tap water, and know you’ll need to re-make your serum more often due to a quicker expiry.
• Baking soda
  If you mix only ascorbic acid and water, the pH is too low (too acidic), which causes irritation on the skin that isn’t needed. That’s why the next ingredient is baking soda, which is alkaline, and is used to increase the pH so it is closer to skin’s natural pH for less irritation.
• pH strips
  You’ll need to get pH strips so you can measure the pH of your serum. The pH doesn’t have to be a super exact number, but you will need to measure the pH so don’t skip this step. Michelle recommends a four-square indicator because they are easier to read.
• 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon
  Michelle explains how you’ll need to measure the ingredients when mixing, “1/4 teaspoon is 1.23 or 1.48 mL (depending if it’s US or Imperial), which translates to ~1 g ascorbic acid.” She says that it is better to use a weighted scale if you have one but that you don’t need to be super exact when measuring for this recipe if you don’t have a weighted scale.
• An airtight container to put the serum in
  You’ll need an airtight container to put your finished serum into. The more airtight, the longer the serum will last. You can wash and re-use a cleaned serum bottle you have already or buy a bottle to use online.

DIY acne scar serum directions

The LabMuffin DIY acne scar Vitamin C serum is easy to make once you have the ingredients above.

1. First you’ll need to calculate how much serum will be able to fit into your container in millilitres. You can look at the packaging to determine how many millilitres fit inside.
2. Next, you will need to calculate how many grams of LAA you need:

   For a 5% serum, multiply the volume of your container in mL by 0.05 to get the LAA required in grams. (grams = mL x 0.05)
   For a 10% serum, multiply the volume of your container by 0.1 to get the LAA required in grams. (grams = mL x 0.1)
   For a 20% serum, multiply the volume of your container by 0.2 to get the LAA required in grams. (grams = mL x 0.2)

   For example, Michelle made 20 mL of a 10% vitamin C serum: grams = 20 x 0.1 = 2 grams LAA.

3. Make sure to clean your container. Wash it thoroughly then rinse it with alcohol (methylated spirits) and let it dry. After that rinse it a few times with your distilled water. If you’re short on time you can skip the alcohol wash but know this could cause the serum to yellow and expire more quickly.
4. Next put the right amount of L-Ascorbic Acid into your container. You can use a scale to weigh to the nearest 0.1 g or you can use your 1/4 teaspoon measure and assume that a level teaspoon is approximately 1.5 g. No need to be super exact – your skin won’t respond very differently to 5% ascorbic acid vs 7% ascorbic acid.
5. Dissolve the LAA powder in half the distilled water. Put the lid on the container and shake it until the powder dissolves.
6. Add all the water then shake it more to fully mix and dissolve it.
7. Next adjust the pH. Put a drop of the serum on your pH strip to check the pH. The pH will likely be too low. Add tiny bits of baking soda and check the pH each time. You want the pH to end between 3 and 4.

   Michelle used 20 mL container and wanted a 10% serum, and she ended up needing around 3 rice grains’ worth of baking soda to get her pH to ~3.5.

8. Now you need to protect the bottle from light. To do this make sure you used a dark container and now you can also wrap your container in foil to protect it from the light.

How long does this DIY acne mark serum last?

Even when you protect this serum from light by using a dark bottle or wrapping the bottle in tinfoil, Michelle explains that this serum will slightly yellow after a week, and get very noticeably yellow after 2 weeks, so she says 2 weeks is the longest the DIY serum could last.

At that point you’d need to remake the serum so you could use it agian.

Michelle explains, “The pH is low enough that most bacteria won’t be able to thrive so microbial growth isn’t a big worry, especially when you won’t be keeping the serum for very long.”

Michelle’s blog LabMuffin has a bunch of cool beauty DIY recipes and facts, so I’d recommend checking it out if that type of project interests you.

Let me know in the comments if you end up making the DIY Vitamin C serum and if you see any improvement in your acne marks after doing so! Also comment if you prefer a DIY Vitamin C serum, of if you prefer to buy one pre-made and simply have it shipped to you.

Acne scarring is the cause of too little or too much collagen production when acne is healing, and it results in permanent skin textural changes.

Luckily, there are products you can use to help aid your skin’s natural healing process and improve the appearance of scarring.

My personal acne scar journey has been a long, multi-year process, but I’ve found products that have helped me on the journey to healing, and greatly helped with the appearance of my scarring, mostly at-home microneedling tools, copper peptide serum at night, and Vitamin C serum during the day.

The 8 Best Acne Scar Removal Products

There are quite a few acne scar removal products, and most work by removing the top layer of damaged skin and/or helping the skin have the ingredients it needs to repair itself underneath.

The skin heals in layers, and regenerates a new top layer once every 27 days.

Here are the best ones you can use at home to help treat acne scarring.

1. Micro-needling Derma-Roller: The acnescar.org acne scar microneedling roller is hands-down my favorite acne scar removal and treatment product.

   The microneedling roller can only be used once every few weeks, because you have to give skin time to repair and heal inbetween each use. It works by stimulating the skin’s healing response and helping remove top layers of damaged scarred skin. It also opens the skin up to better receive healing serums and product so it works great in conjunction with nightly copper peptide use, and morning Vitamin C use to promote more effective healing.

2. Vitamin C Serum: Using Vitamin C serum as part of your morning routine, especially when you microneedled at home or in-clinic the night or few days before, is a great way to help your skin boost collagen production and help the healing process. Vitamin C is also great for helping with discoloration due to acne scarring, sun spots and other causes.
3. Super Copper Peptide Serum:Copper Peptides are great to use at night, due to their bright blue color, to give the skin healing ingredients. They are especially effective when used in conjunction with microneedling, which allows them to penetrate deeper into the skin. If you are using Copper Peptides and Vitamin C at the same time, note that you should use them separately, with the Vitamin C in the morning as part of your routine, and the Copper Peptides at night as part of your routine since the Copper Peptides oxidize the Vitamin C reducing its effectiveness when used on top of each other.
4. Moisturizing Gels: Derma E, Arnica, and other gels that provide and lock in moisture are helpful to use to keep moisture in while your skin is healing from micro-needling to ensure optimal smooth skin healing. I like to layer a moisturizing gel on top of my copper peptide cream at night, and on top of my Vitamin C serum mornings after microneedling to help lock in the ingredients and moisture to promote healing.
5. Moisturizing Oils: Using a moisturizing oil instead of a thick moisturizer is helpful for those with acne and acne scarring, and it is more natural and can even be a cheaper option than many traditional moisturizers. I like using Argan Oil as my morning moisturizer, which I apply alongside the Vitamin C each morning and after I shower. I see good results right away, and it helps my skin stay healthy and moisturized over time.

   I also don’t use harsh soap based cleansers anymore that strip the skin of natural oils and have seen a huge skin improvement. I like to use an avocado based moisturizing oil to take off makeup and clean skin at the end of each day because it doesn’t dry my skin out and strip it of essential oils like soap-based cleansers do. Instead it cleans and adds natural moisture that helps my skin stay acne and scar free

6. Coconut Oil: Coconut oil is great to use on skin before micro-needling at home, and it also works as a skin cleanser and moisturizer.
7. Exfoliating Creams: Exfoliation helps remove damaged layers of skin, and exfoliation creams including LacSal exfoliation cream can be applied each morning and sits on the skin to loosen damaged scarred skin on the top. Scarred skin has a weaker structure than healthy skin which is why exfoliation is so effective in removing damaged scarred areas while keeping healthy skin intact.
8. Acne Scar Treatment Kit: This acnescar.org kit is great for anyone unsure of where to start but wants a light intro to using a Derma-pen at-home along with Vitamin C to help boost collagen production while the skin is healing. The kit contains a Derma Pen, 70% Isopropyl alcohol for cleaning the derma pen after using each time, Vitamin C Serum to help the skin heal, as well as Derma-E scar gel to help the Vitamin C and moisture stay on the skin while it heals.

How to use the Acne Scar Removal Products

The acne scar removal products mentioned above can be used on their own, or together for maximum results. Here is a process of how the products are meant to be used:

The acne scar removal product process:

1. Before bed, lightly roll the derma-roller with an even pressure back and forth 5 times in different directions over each scarred area. Don’t roll on areas with active acne or open wounds.
2. Put the derma-roller in 70% isopropyl alcohol solution for 5 minutes after using it to clean and disinfect it for the next use.
3. After rolling the derma-roller over each area, put a light layer of copper peptide cream over each area and let it dry for a few minutes before going to sleep.
4. In the morning, rinse it off and use moisturizing oils and Vitamin C serum as part of your skincare routine.
5. Every night after put the copper peptide cream on as a thin layer.
6. Wait 2-3 weeks before using the derma-roller again, to give skin time to rebuild.
7. Only use the specific derma-roller 5 times, then you’ll want to get a new one to avoid dullness and don’t use it if you see a bent blade.

This is the routine I’ve used the past few months and years, and here are some of the before/after results I’ve seen as my skin has been able to start naturally healing over time:

Acne Scars are permanent structural changes in the skin that need treatment to improve and go away.

This is why indentation and raised acne scarring are both defined as acne scarring, but red or brown discoloration leftover from acne scars is classified as discoloration as opposed to scarring because it is less severe.

The good news is both indented and raised acne scarring can be improved with both professional in-clinic as well as at-home acne scar treatments, and so can red and brown discoloration marks and scars leftover from acne.

What are Acne Scars?

Acne scars are the result of deep acne healing and the body either producing too little or too much collagen, which creates a textural change in the skin called a scar.

Depressed acne scarring:

When the body makes too little collagen, the scar forms as an indent or pit in the skin.

Raised acne scarring:

When the body makes too much collagen while the acne is healing, the scar can become raised. This type of scar is more common for those with African American, Hispanic and Asian skin.

Acne Scar Discoloration: The last type of acne scarring is the least severe as it only affects the top layer of skin and is technically not classified as an acne scar. This is the discoloration that can be left over from acne and acne marks. This is the easiest type of scarring to heal and will also often improve in time on its own.

The good news is there are in-clinic and at-home treatments you can use to improve the appearnce of all types of acne scarring, including fading acne scar discoloration and indents.

What Fades Acne Scars?

When you have discoloration acne scars such as red marks or brown marks, these will often improve over time, and the improvement can be accelerated with a topical treatment including the following:

• Topical Vitamin C: Vitamin C serum helps the skin produce more collagen and gives the skin what it needs to fade, brighten and improve acne scars caused by discoloration of the skin.
• Salicylic acid: Salicylic acid encourages dead and damaged skin to turnover, making way for newer skin underneath which can also help the skin’s discoloration due to acne scar marks improve.
• Exfoliation creams: Exfoliation creams also help the top layer of dead and damaged skin to come off of the skin to make way for newer healthier skin underneath to fade and improve the appearance of superficial discoloration that is on the top layer of skin.
• Natural oil topical application: Applying natural oils to the face such as coconut oil and argan oil can help the skin moisturize and improve the appearance of any discolored acne scar spots

What fades acne scars? When your acne scars are more severe, deeper or indented, you may have to combine at-home topical treatments with either in-clinic treatments or at-home microneedling treatments and topical treatments to see the best results.

Vitamin C to Fade Acne Scars

Vitamin C is a natural way to protect the skin from oxidative stress and improve discoloration acne scarring on the skin’s surface.

The Pumori Telang Vitamin C study abstract states, “Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant drug that can be used topically in dermatology to treat and prevent changes associated with photoageing. It can also be used for the treatment of hyperpigmentation.”

The study found Vitamin C to be effective in treating hyperpigmentation, which is one reason it is great to use to help acne scars fade, both the less severe discolored red mark acne scarring, and the deeper indented scars when used in combination with an at-home derma-roller or derma-pen or a professional in-clinic micro-needling session.

When choosing a Vitamin C serum, try to find one that combines Vitamin E, Ferulic Acid, and Vitamin C to bring out the highest efficacy of the Vitamin C.

The Pumori study found that alone Vitamin C is still effective, but that when used in conjunction wtih Vitamin E, the action of Vitamin C potentiates four-fold. The study explains that Vitamin C and Vitamin E synergistically limit chronic UV damage by significantly reducing both cell apoptosis and thymine dimer formation.

Choosing a Vitamin C serum with both Vitamin E, and Ferulic acid is important and the study explains its findings that using .5% Ferulic acid in combinatino with 15% Vitamin C and 1% Vitamin E, can increase how effective the Vitamin C is eight-fold.

The study explains that the reason Vitamin C is effective in aiding skin reparation and healing is that it is already present in the skin and is directly impacting collagen transcription and synthesis.

This is why Vitamin C is so effective when applied topically to the skin to help fade acne scar marks fast by aiding the collagen and skin healing process.

Fading Acne Scar Before and After

My before and after using Vitamin C to fade acne scarring.

I had both indented atrophic scarring as well as discoloration from acne scarring.

For the past few years I have done at-home derma-rolling and used copper peptides to target my deepest scarred areas at night, and then applied Vitamin & an exfoliation cream on my skin in the morning. After a few years my indented scarring has improved substantially to the point it is barely noticeable in some areas and not noticeable at all in others.

At that point I noticed my skin still had some discoloration so I started using a shorter needle derma pen, and Vitamin C serum to target and fade my skin discoloration and give skin a healthy glow.

I keep getting compliments on my skin, something I never thought would happen a few years ago, and I love the way it has been improving using my at-home derma-roller and copper peptides, and now using the Vitamin C serum each morning.

Vitamin C is also a great part of an everyday skinare routine even once scarring is faded and healed, and I plan on using it everyday for many more years to come.

Here is my before and after as my acne scarring has faded over the past few months:

There are many different types of acne scarring.

What are Acne Scars?

Acne scars are textural changes and indents that happen when the skin is healing from severe acne, usually cystic acne.

Technically only indented scarring is categorized as “acne scarring”, the other discoloration or smaller changes that result after acne heals are less severe and have more of a chance of improving over time even without treatment which is why they are not categorized as “acne scars”.

This means when you have scars that are discolored and red, for example, technically they are simply categorized as “discoloration” and not “acne scarring”.

The good news is there are treatments and ways to help both discolored and red acne scarring and regular indented acne scarring improve and heal.

What causes acne scarring?

Acne scarring is caused when pus-filled acne cysts heal and skin tissue is destroyed and not replaced smoothly during the healing process. Often the healing process does not result in smooth skin over a deep acne cyst because the skin is trying to heal too quickly to avoid getting a bacterial infection from the open wound so it produces a rougher form of collagen that is indented or protruding and is not as smooth as regular skin.

Indented scarring is known as “atrophic scarring”, while raised scarring is known as “hypertrophic or keloid scarring”.

Discolored acne scarring is simply known as discoloration, which will improve over time, and you can improve more quickly with different at-home serums and treatments.

How to Lighten Acne Scars

Different ways to lighten discolored acne scars:

• Vitamin C serum: Vitamin C serum boosts collagen production in skin and helps with sun protection, brightening and improving discoloration in skin and is great for lightening discolored spots including discolored acne mark spots
• Salicylic acid: Salicylic acid helps skin turnover and exfoliation and in doing so can help improve the appearance of discolored acne marks
• Exfoliation and exfoliation creams and serums: Exfoliating using an exfoliation spray, cream, serum or wash helps skin cell turnover which helps improve discolored marks on the skin. Make sure not to over-exfoliate and wait a few days in-between each time.
• Natural oils including coconut oil, argan oil: Natural oils help skin moisturize and repair and can help improve. discolored spots

After acne, some people are left with discolored marks in the skin, most commonly red or other colors that are not the color of their normal skin.

As explained above, this type of discoloration is not as severe as an indented acne scar and has a better chance of healing even if left alone as time passes.

You can also speed up the healing process by using any of the exfoliation methods above, or serums that help your skin repair and boost collagen production including Vitamin C serum.

I personally prefer to help skin exfoliate the damaged cells as well as apply healing serums to my skin instead of trying to only cover up discolored spots with makeup since I like to go makeup free most of the time. For me, exfoliating creams including LacSal, and applying a Vitamin C serum every morning and night dramatically helped improve my acne mark skin discoloration from red marks to a glowing and smooth complexion.

Why does Vitamin C Lighten Acne Scars?

Vitamin C helps promote the synthesis of collagen, making it an ideal way to speed up the healing of acne marks on the skin.

Many studies support that applying Vitamin C serums to the skin helps promote collagen, healing as well as decrease skin redness and discoloration.

The Pumori study found that Vitamin C helps combat photoageing, hyperpigmentation, tissue inflammation and promotion of tissue healing, all of which help lighten the appearance of acne red marks, and other skin appearance issues.

The Pumori’s study focus is on L-ascorbic acid which is the most natural form of Vitamin C and was what the study looked at specifically and found to be effective. It is also the type of Vitamin C that expires most quickly when exposed to air, so it is best to use it within a few months when purchased, and make sure you keep it in a dark cool place.

The study also found that Vitamin C is the most effective when also used alongside the ingredients such as Vitamin E and Ferulic Acid:

“Although Vit. C alone can provide photoprotection, it works best in conjunction with Vitamin E, which potentiates the action of Vitamin C four-fold. Hydrophilic Vitamin C helps regenerate Vitamin E, a liphophilic antioxidant. Thus, Vitamin C and Vitamin E together protect the hydrophilic and lipophilic compartments of the cell, respectively. Vitamin C and Vitamin E synergistically limit chronic UV damage by significantly reducing both cell apoptosis and thymine dimer formation.

A combination of 0.5% Ferulic acid (a potent antioxidant of plant origin) with 15% Vitamin C and 1% Vitamin E can increase the efficacy of Vitamin C eight-fold.”

The Pumori study explains how Vitamin C directly impacts collagen transcription, collagen synthensis, and stabilizing procollagen mRNA which also helps regulate collagen synthesis.

Using Vitamin C on acne scar red marks will help lighten them by promoting the collagen repair process in the skin, and is a great way to speed up the skin’s healing process.

In addition to helping discolored skin heal, Vitamin C is a great addition to your daily skincare routine as it can help protect the skin from daily sun when used in combination with sunscreen as well, and studies have found it can help heal signs of skin discoloration caused by sun damage:

“Studies have shown that using sunscreen with Vitamin C protects the skin from further photo damage caused by ultra-violet rays,” Chang said. “This information is important because most people don’t know that you can protect your skin even further than just sunscreen.”

How to Lighten Acne Scars with Vitamin C

1. To lighten acne scars using Vitamin C, you’ll want to find one that has 20% Vitamin C to get the maximum effectiveness from the Vitamin C concentration.

   The Pumori study found that “Having a higher concentration of Vitamin From a clinical point of view, it is important to note that the efficacy of the Vitamin C serum is proportional to the concentration, but only up to 20%.”

2. Once you find your Vitamin C serum that also contains Vitamin E & Ferulic acid to bring out the maximum effectiveness of the Vitamin C, you’ll want to apply it every 8 hours regularly.

   The Pumori study explains that “The half-life in the skin after achieving maximum concentration is 4 days. A persistent reservoir of Vitamin C is important for adequate photo-protection, and can be achieved by regular 8-hourly applications.”

   This means with the 4 day half-life of Vitamin C, you’ll get the most benefit from regular 8 hour applications. Doing this will help the skin protect from the sun when you also apply it with sunscreen, and help protect from oxidants and pollution in the air, as well as aid collagen process in the skin to help repair and heal discolored acne scar marks.

Lighten Acne Scar Results

After acne, I had both indented scarring and red discoloration. The discoloration was even more visible after my indented scarring had improved so at that point I switched from using a 1.5mm dermaroller and copper peptides to using a .5-1mm derma pen and Vitamin C serum to focus on lightening my acne scar discoloration.

I’ve found I prefer using copper peptides as my nighttime skincare routine, and then Vitamin C and exfoliation cream as my morning skincare routine.

When you use a derma-pen once every week or 2 weeks, in combination with the Vitamin C every day, you allow the Vitamin C to absorb deeper into your skin and have more effectiveness for quicker healing.

I have found copper peptides to be the most effective in helping my indented scarring improve in combination with micro-needling, and Vitamin C to be the most effective to help my discolored and red acne scarring improve.

Doing this helped me personally improve the red acne marks to lighten my skin for a nice glow.

I still use Vitamin C daily in the morning in my skincare routine to protect my skin from the sun and elements, and give it a nice healthy glow while also giving it the ingredients to heal more effectively each day. Personally I’ve noticed a great difference in my skin color and appearance and don’t plan on stopping my Vitamin C use anytime soon.

Here is my derma-pen Vitamin C before and after as well:

There are quite a few overnight acne scar treatments.

Many treatments are simply applying serums onto the skin overnight and letting the serum work to help the skin heal:

1. Overnight Copper Peptide application, such as Super Cop 2X
2. Vitamin C Serum application Morning and/or Night
3. Exfoliation Creams, such as LacSal, Morning and/or Night application
4. Coconut Oil & other natural oil applications
5. Salicylic acid application

All of these serums are methods you can use to help heal acne scars due to their beneficial ingredients and effects on the skin including acne scarring, especially if the scarring is not very deep.

For deeper atrophic indented acne scarring, overnight at-home remedies will be more effective when they involve a treatment able to reach more deeply into the skin such as one that includes at-home microneedling in the form of either derma-rolling or derma-pen use, followed by one of the different types of scar healing serums.

Using a microneedling device at home before applying a copper peptide or Vitamin C serum is one of the most effective overnight acne scar remedies.

I personally use microneedling 1-2X a month, and use the Super Cop copper peptide cream each night, and then Vitamin C serum + exfoliation cream each morning. I have found that to be the most effective overnight + morning acne scar healing combination.

It works well because the microneedling device is able to help loosen the top layer of damaged skin to encourage it to come off.

Additionally, the microneedling device creates tiny micro-injuries in the skin that stimulate the skin’s healing response in an easily repairable way so it can effectively and smoothly heal the skin that currently has acne scar damage.

The last benefit of at-home micro-needling before going to bed as an acne scar home remedy is that it also opens up the skin so it can receive the serum put on it at a deeper level to more effectively treat the skin and scarring.

This means the serum is able to reach deeper into the skin and deliver its healing ingredients, being more effective on skin that has just been microneedled.

To help heal deeper acne scars overnight at home, one of the most effective options is using an at-home microneedling tool and then applying a serum that delivers healing, collagen boosting ingredients to the skin to help it heal.

Below I’ll explain the microneedling + copper peptide serum I’ve used to help my acne scarring heal at home overnight in an easily followable process.

Copper Peptide Microneedling Acne Scar Overnight Remedy How to:

Here’s how to execute the at-home microneedling and copper peptide acne scar overnight remedy process:

1. Before bed-time, use a 1mm or 1.5mm derma-roller, or a .5mm or 1mm derma pen, and start with a lower needle length if it is your first time doing it at home.

   You can only use each roller or pen a handful of times before you need to replace it, so you can purchase a longer length needle the next time you do it if you want to go deeper the next time.

   Take the derma-roller and keeping the pressure light and steady, lightly roll back and forth 5 times at different angles on the scarred areas. If you’re using the derma-pen, lightly press 5 times at different angles into the scarred areas.

   Your face will be a little red after this but remember not to overdo it. After rolling or using the derma pen your skin now has small micro-injuries that are easy for your skin to heal and that cause your skin to kickstart its own healing process, regrowing collagen to smooth over the area you used the derma-roller or derma-pen on.

2. The second benefit of the at-home derma-roller or pen use is now your skin is opened up and more receptive to healing ingredients that will go deeper into the skin and be more beneficial.

   Now is the time to put a thin layer of bright blue copper peptide cream (one reason this is better to do at night is that copper peptides are naturally bright blue so you can’t exactly walk around during the day with bright blue cream on your face), Super Cop 2X cream onto the areas you microneedled on.

   Copper peptides help the at home microneedling process because they also help break down thicker scarred skin areas so it comes off more easily, and it is a skin building block that gives the skin ingredients to repair and re-grow healthy new skin underneath.

   Here is a photo of me at night with bright blue copper peptide cream on after microneedling.

   

3. Next you need to put your used derma-roller or pen into 70% isopropyl alcohol to soak for 5 minutes to clean the bacteria from it so you can use it again. You’ll only be able to use your derma-roller or pen a handful of times, 5 maximum before it becomes dull and you need to get an new one, but it is essential to clean inbetween each use.
4. The next morning you can wash your face and continue with your normal skincare routine. You don’t want to put makeup on right after derma-rolling, but 8 hours after the next day is fine. I like to put Vitamin C serum on after washing my face the next morning because that is also an ingredient that promotes collagen production, reduces discoloration and helps skin heal.
5. Then every night for the next 2-3 weeks, keep applying copper peptide cream to the areas of your face you used the derma-roller or pen on to help the healing process continue.
6. You’ll want to wait 3-6 weeks before using the at-home microneedling roller or pen again so your skin has a chance to heal and rebuild collagen and skin turnover inbetween each use. Each time you do this you will see small improvements and after a few months the improvement will be much more noticeable.

Note: Make sure you never use a derma-roller or pen on areas with active acne or areas that are open wounds.

Overnight Acne Scar Treatment Results

Here is a result picture from following this at-home overnight acne scar remedy:



I posted more of my before and after acne scar photos here as well.

]]> https://acnescar.org/home-remedies-for-acne-scars-overnight/feed/ 0 https://acnescar.org/best-acne-scar-removal-products/ https://acnescar.org/best-acne-scar-removal-products/#respond Mon, 04 Jan 2021 23:39:10 +0000 https://acnescar.org/?p=920 Do Acne Scar Treatment Products Work?

The good news is there is hope for those who want to treat and improve their acne scarring. There are acne scar treatment products and procedures that can help take off damaged skin and spur on skin renewal.

Personally my own skin has gone from horrible acne scarring, to the point I was embarrassed to go in public and look people in the eye, to smooth and healed, with smoothness in parts where I used to have discoloration and lines unrelated to acne scarring.



It takes time for your skin to remove damaged layers and heal, although you can start to see small yet noticeable improvements each month as you go along.

Best Acne Scar Treatment Products

There are many options and products out there available for acne scar removal and treatment. I’ve personally found that products that are able to remove damaged skin layers, including derma-rollers and exfoliation creams, combined with soothing products that work with the skin’s natural processes to heal to be the most effective in improving the scar texture and appearance.

Here are the best acne scar products you can use at home to help treat your acne scarring.

• Derma-roller and Derma-Pen for Micro-needling: At homemicro-needling for acne scars is the most effective product I’ve ever used for treating acne scarring.

  Using a derma-roller or a derma pen, or going in for professional micro-needling, all work under the same basic principles, and have been found effective at improving the skin’s appearance as well as the appearance of acne scarring in numerous studies.

  Micro-needling, when done either at home or in a professional’s office, works to allow the top damaged layer of skin to come off, while at the same time using its small needles to stimulate the skin’s healing and collagen production process in a controlled way so skin can re-heal smoothly, without scarring.

  My scars were super deep so I use the 1.5mm at-home Derma-Roller as well as the 1mm Derma-Pen, to target different areas of my face and help break up and remove acne scar tissue areas as well as stimulate collagen production and regrowth underneath to help the skin heal smoothly.

  I love derma-rolling and you get a great glow after every time you do it gently.

• Vitamin C Serum : Vitamin C is a great acne scar treatment product that you can also use in a normal daily skincare routine. It is known for increasing collagen production, so it is great to use either on its own or after micro-needling, so it can penetrate deeper into the skin and have even greater effects.

  I have found Vitamin C serum most effective in treating acne scar skin discoloration such as skin redness, as well as to help treat lighter indented and rolling scarred areas in combination with a derma roller.

• Super Cop 2X:Note: You can’t use copper peptides and Vitamin C layered on each other at the same time, you need to use each on alternate days, because the two ingredients cancel each other out. I like to use copper peptides at night and Vitamin C in the morning, and as my deeper indented scarring has improved I have transitioned away from copper peptides and have been using more Vitamin C in my daily skincare routine to help with redness and give my skin a nice glow.

  Copper peptides are great to use either on their own or in combination with micro-needling to give your skin ingredients it needs to heal. Copper peptides are skin building blocks and have been shown in scientific studies to help skin heal. Personally I have seen them help my deeper scarred areas remove damaged skin, and help my skin heal after microneedling.

  I like to use them at night because they are bright blue so you can’t exactly leave the house wearing them. You can use copper peptides to help skin heal after at-home micro-needling or after professional in-clinic microneedling, as well as nightly as part of your skincare routine.

• Moisturizing Gels: Derma E gel Moisturizing gels are great to use after micro-needling as a layer on top of either copper peptide cream or Vitamin C, to help lock in the skin’s moisture so it can heal effectively. I love using Derma-E gel because it was made to help with scarring, and there are other great moisturzing gel products out there including Arnica Gel which also helps with inflammation.
• Moisturizing Oils: During the day it is great to keep your skin moisturized in addition to using a Vitamin C cream and I have found the best results come from when you use a natural moisturizing oil especially on sensitive or acne scarred areas. I personally love Argan Oil, Jojoba Oil, and Rosehip Oil as moisturizers that are natural and help calm my skin, especially while I am actively treating my acne scarring.

  I personally love putting my Vitamin C serum on each morning, because of how it gives my skin a little bit of extra natural sun and pollutant protection each day, helps lighten my acne scarring and other forms of discoloration, and over time has been a huge reason my skin has a nice healthy glow again, one I never had thought I would get back after I first got my acne scarring.

  I also use an avocado based moisturizing oil to remove my makeup at the end of each day because it doesn’t dry my skin out and strip it of essential oils like soap-based cleansers do, and it leaves my skin refreshed and moisturized. Having scarring has shown me it is even more important to take care of your skin each day so it can be as healthy and moisturized as possible each day for as long as possible.

• Coconut Oil: Coconut oil is also a great natural moisturizer I use, and I always apply a thin layer of coconut oil before at-home derma-rolling or at-home using a derma-pen. This allows the derma-roller to glide more smoothly on the skin so it is more comfortable and moisturized while performing the rolling.
• Exfoliating Creams & Serums: Scarred skin has a weaker structure than healthy, regular skin which is why tools that remove damaged skin such as exfoliation creams and sprays work so well in helping remove the top layer of damaged scarring. I personally love the LacSal cream as it is able to be applied as a thin layer on the skin each day to help loosen damaged areas so they come off to reveal healthier new skin underneath. I like to use the LacSal cream as part of my daily routine starting a week after each at-home microneedling session or when the skin is no longer red from the micro-needling as well as on weeks I don’t do microneedling so the skin has a chance to turnover and heal.
• The Acne Scar Treatment Kit: The acne scar treatment kit is a great acne scar removal product because it has everything you need in one kit to help your skin start to heal from acne scarring. It’s a great introduction to treating acne scarring to start to see your skin improve and heal using an all-in-one product kit

How to use the Acne Scar Treatment Products

You can use each product on its own or as part of a routine. I will show you what a micro-needling routine looks like below, using the best acne scar removal products I highlighted above.

Here’s my progress using the products highlighted above:



Here’s what my micro-needling copper peptide process looks like.

1. At night, use a derma-roller or a derma-pen, choosing which is a personal preference as both work to stimulate collagen production and skin healing.

   If it is your first time you can use a 1 mm, and if not, you can move up to the 1.5 mm which will help you treat deeper scarred areas.

   Put a light layer of coconut oil on your face.

   Take the derma-roller and lightly roll over each scarred area (but never over active acne or open sores), going back and forth in a new direction each time. Roll 5 times over each area with a light pressure.

   If you use the derma-pen simply press the pen lightly into each area instead of rolling.

   Your face will get a little red but don’t overdo it.

2. The rolling allows your skin to open up so it is more receptive to healing ingredients. After rolling you can now put a copper peptide serum or a Vitamin C serum lightly onto the skin.

   Then cover that with a light layer of a moisturzing gel such as Derma-E Gel or Arnica Gel.

   I personally like to derma-roll at night and then put a layer of bright blue copper peptide serum on my skin, and then in the morning wash off the copper peptides and use a Vitamin C serum as my morning skincare routine.

3. Next soak your derma-roller into a 70% isopropyl alcohol for 5 minutes to clean it so you can use it again. If any bristle becomes dull or bent stop using it and don’t use it more than 5 times because the needles dull over time and will need to be replaced with a new roller.

   Then go to bed. Your body heals most effectively at night when you’re sleeping so this is an important time to make time for.

4. The next morning I wash my face and then put on a layer of Vitamin C serum to help with collagen production and give my skin a nice glow. Then I layer Derma-E gel onto any areas that need the Vitamin C and moisture to be locked in.
5. Then each night for the next few days you can put a layer of the Super Cop 2X copper peptide cream onto your skin at night before bed to continue healing
6. Then wait a few weeks before derma-rolling again so your skin has a chance to heal. When your skin is no longer red you can put a layer of LacSal exfoliation cream on to help encourage skin to remove damaged layers on in the morning each day. Each time you derma-roll you should see a small improvement which will add up every few months.

Note: It is important you don’t have active acne on your face when you derma-roll, and don’t derma-roll on areas that are open wounds.

Here’s another of my acne scar progress pictures from using the above routine:


]]> https://acnescar.org/best-acne-scar-removal-products/feed/ 0 https://acnescar.org/pockmarks/ https://acnescar.org/pockmarks/#respond Sun, 03 Jan 2021 20:09:40 +0000 https://acnescar.org/?p=909 What are Pockmarks?

Pockmarks are a mark, pit, or depressed scar caused by a skin condition such as smallpox or acne.

Pockmarks can be caused by acne, bacterial infections, and infectious diseases such as smallpox.

Pockmarks are on of the indented types of acne scars caused by acne are categorized as atrophic, meaning indented, scarring.

Pockmarked Face

Pockmarks on the face often cause the most concern because they are visible during social interactions and can cause low self-esteem.

There are treatments available, both at-home and at a professional dermatologist office, so there are ways to improve all types of facial scarring including pockmarked scarring.

What causes Pockmarks?

Pockmarks vs Indented acne scars vs pitted acne scars

Pockmarks, Indented acne scars, and pitted acne scars: How are they different?

Pockmarks are a type of pitted acne scar, both of which are categorized as indented acne scars.

Pockmarked Skin

All types of indented acne scarring forms due to extra, rushed collagen production while acne is healing. This results in hollow, indented scarring on the skin, which has different names including pitted scarring, ice-pick scarring and pockmark scarring, all of which are types of indented scarring.

Pitted scars tend to be the deepest and widest, ice-pick tend to be the deepest and narrowest, and pockmark scarring tends to be a collection of shallower scars all across an area of the face. All three of these scar types are indented, making them an atrophic scar type.

The other scarring category is a raised scar which includes hypertrophic and keloid scars.

Pockmark Treatment

There are multiple ways to remove or lessen the appearance of pockmarks:

• Microneedling: Microneedling, also known as Collagen Induction Therapy (CIT), uses tiny, sharp needles to create hundreds of micro-channels in the skin. This needling process induces the skin to release growth factors and cytokines, producing more collagen and elastin, resulting in younger looking skin.
  Microneedling is one of the most-studied procedures that can be done both at home using a derma-roller or derma-pen, or in a professional setting at a deeper level. It has been shown to improve the appearance of acne scars, and is even done to help improve the appearance of wrinkles, skin firmness, discoloration and stretch marks, because it triggers the skin’s ability to repair itself, something needed for skin appearance improvement.

  Microneedling also creates temporary micro-holes in the skin that allow it to absorb healing product ingredients better including Vitamin C serum or copper peptide serum, both of which can be put on skin after microneedling to give the skin ingredients it needs to heal.

• Fillers: Fillers can be used in the skin, done in a professional setting, to make pockmark indents look smoother and more plump. This is dne by injecting a filler material into the skin to plump the indented area and make it appear more smooth. This is a temporary solution and needs to be re-done every few months. .
• Punch excision: Punch excision can be used on indented pockmark scarring and is most suited for boxcar pockmarked scarring. This needs to be done in a professional setting by a certified dermatologist as well.
• Chemical Peel A chemical peel is done by a professional dermatologist and works by removing the top layer of skin so healthy skin can regenerate underneath and can help improve the appearance of pockmarks.
• LaserThere are different types of laser treatments that can help with pockmark scarring. A licensed dermatogolist can tell you what would work best for your specific case.

You can read about more ways to get rid of acne scars here.

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