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

Acne scars form due to the healing of inflamed acne blemishes. When the acne is small enough, the scars are mild and heal quickly on their own. Other times, the blemish spills into the surrounding tissue and creates deeper scarring.

The two main types of acne scarring is indented and raised. Acne scars are indented when they form due to a tissue deficit, and they are raised when too much collagen is produced during the acne wound repair.

Those with darker skin are more prone to raised scarring, which is more likely to happen to darker skin types as a healing response whether that is to acne or other types of skin injuries.

Vitamin C for Acne Scars

Does Vitamin C help improve acne scarring?

Acne scarring forms more often due to long-term or severe cystic acne, but it can also form from less severe cases as well. Picking at acne and genetic makeup can contribute to whether you get acne scarring as well.

Indented scarring is the result of too little collagen produced, making Vitamin C is a great treatment to help the skin regenerate and produce more collagen to heal.

Raised scarring, however is the result of too much collagen produced during healing, meaning Vitamin C and other topical treatments won’t be much help. In the case of raised scarring you’d need to go to your dermatologist to get their recommendation which may either be surgery, injections, or other types of gel treatments.

Vitamin C Serum for Acne Scars

Healthline explains how Vitamin C helps with the collagen rebuilding process and acne scarring, “Vitamin C treats acne scars by increasing the synthesis of collagen, a protein responsible for your skin’s structure and vital for rebuilding healthy skin. As a result, this vitamin may accelerate the healing of acne wounds.”

Vitamin C plays an important role in skin’s rebuilding of collagen, which is one way it helps the skin rebuild acne scarred areas to help them heal more effectively.

The Wang, Jiang, Li et al study found that, “Normal skin needs high concentrations of vitamin C, which plays many roles in the skin, including the formation of the skin barrier and collagen in the dermis, the ability to counteract skin oxidation, and the modulation of cell signal pathways of cell growth and differentiation.”

Vitamin C is found in high levels normally in the skin and it plays many roles, including oxidant protection, a role in cell growth and the formation of new skin.

This is why Vitamin C is so helpful in getting rid of red acne scarring and discoloration in the skin.

The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology found that Vitamin C protects against photoaging, ultraviolet-induced immunosuppression, and photocarcinogenesis.

These are reasons Vitamin C is known for adding an extra layer to protect skin from the sun, when used in combination with regular sunscreen.

Best Vitamin C Serum for Acne Scars

L-ascorbic acid (LAA) is the most chemically active, naturally occurring, and most potent form of Vitamin C.

L-ascorbic acid is also the form of Vitamin C most susceptible to oxidizing, which means it turns from clear to a yellow-ish color and expires more quickly than other more stable, yet less active forms of Vitamin C.

When looking for a Vitamin C serum, looking for one with L-ascorbic acid is the way to get the naturally occurring, most active form of Vitamin C.

Studies, including the Pumori study, have also found Vitamin C to be the most effective at a higher concentration, up to 20%, so getting a 20% Vitamin C serum has been found to have the most benefits.

The Pumori study also explains the best benefits are achieved by applying the Vitamin C every 8 hours because Vitamin C serum has a half-life of 4 days, and you need a persistent reservoir of Vitamin C in the skin for adequate photo protection, which can be achieved with regular 8 hour applications.

There are different benefits of Vitamin C, including photo protection, but also benefits specific to acne scarring including decreasing inflammation and redness, and giving the skin ingredients to help repair and build collagen.

The acnescar.org Vitamin C serum is one of the best Vitamin C serum for acne scars, due to its use of the most chemically active naturally occurring L-ascorbic acid.

How Does Vitamin C help with acne scarring?

Vitamin C is an ingredient that’s topical application has been found to help with skin healing and collagen production.

Specifically it has been found to help indented acne scarring as well as pigmented red acne scarring, but not raised acne scar types.

How Does Vitamin C Help Indented Acne Scars?

The Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology study by Al-Niaimi and Chiang goes on to explain how Vitamin C helps in the collagen and skin repair process:

The study found Vitamin C’s role in increasing collagen synthesis, stabilizing collagen fibers, and decreasing collagen degradation to have an anti-aging effect.

Vitamin’s role in the collagen formation process is why it can help give the skin what it needs to help indented acne scarring heal by forming new smooth collagen, especially when used in conjunction with micro-needling which also kickstarts the skin’s healing process at a deeper level and opens the skin to receiving healing ingredients.

How Does Vitamin C Help Pigmented Acne Scars?

The Al-Niami and Chiang study found that Vitamin C decreases melanin formation, thereby reducing pigmentation. Vitamin C is the primary replenisher of vitamin E and works synergistically with vitamin E in the protection against oxidative damage.

The study concluded by saying that the topical application of Vitamin C helps the skin with a variety of anti-aging, anti-pigmentation and sun-protective properties.

The Pullar, Carr, Vissers study goes into detail to explain how Vitamin C derivatives work to treat skin hyperpigmentation such as the hyperpigmentation that occurs from certain types of acne scarring, “Vitamin C derivatives, including the magnesium phosophate ascorbyl derivative, have been shown to decrease melanin synthesis both in cultured melanocytes and in vivo.

The decrease in melanin synthesis has an ability to interfere with the action of tyrosinase, the rate-limiting enzyme in melanogenesis.

Agents that decrease melanogenesis are used to treat skin hyperpigmentation in conditions such as melisma or age spots.”

In simple terms, Vitamin C can interfere with an enzyme called tyrosinase which is responsible for the production of melanin, a natural skin pigment.

This process is what allows Vitamin C to help brighten skin dark spots and hyperpigmentation spots caused by acne scarring.

Micro-needling and Vitamin C for Acne Scars

Vitamin C alone is a great way to fully treat discolored and pigmented acne scarring and can be effective when treating mild cases of indented scarring.

When scarring is deeper and affects more layers of skin, it is helpful to use other treatments in combination with Vitamin C to reach the deeper layers of scarring.

A 4 week PubMed study of 30 people by Simran Chawla found moderate improvement in acne scarring of the majority of participants. Specifically 23 of the 27 participants who finished the study saw improvement in their acne scarring of either one or two full grades. 3 of the original participants are not counted in this analysis as 2 participants were lost to follow up and 1 dropped out due to pregnancy hypertension.

Very good results were found with micro-needling and Vitamin C, however even better results were found when micro-needling was combined with PRP, making both effective acne scar treatments.

The study found that “Vitamin C combined with micro-needling also showed improvement with respect to firmness and smoothness of skin; as well as post inflammatory hyper-pigmentation.”

The deeper the scarring, the harder it is to fully treat, however micro-needling, Vitamin C and PRP all had positive effects on all types of indented and hyperpigmentation scarring.

Micro-needling has been found in other studies including El-Domyati et al to kickstart collagen production and improve the appearance of acne scars. It also has the benefit of opening skin up to better receive healing ingredients including Vitamin C which also contributes to the skin’s healing and collagen production processes.

The study found a statistically signifiant increase in collagen types I, III, and VII as well as an increase in newly synthesized collagen as well as improvement in the atrophic acne scarring.

Compared to the baseline, patients’ evaluations revealed noticeable clinical improvement in atrophic post-acne scars in response to skin microneedling. There was a statistically significant increase (p<0.05) in the mean of collagen types I, III, and VII and newly synthesized collagen, while total elastin was significantly decreased (p<0.05) after the end of treatment. The takeaway is that both micro-needling and Vitamin C have been found alone and together in clinical studies to increase the skin's healing and collagen production process as well as to improve the appearance of indented and discolored acne scars.

Does Vitamin C Help Active Acne?

Vitamin C is known for its anti-inflammatory property, which may help decrease swelling and redness when applied to acne.

A 12 week PubMed study of 50 people found that, “61% of participants who used a lotion containing 5% sodium ascorbyl phosphate (SAP) — experienced significant improvements in acne lesions, compared with a control group.”

Another 8 week, 30 person PubMed Study found that, “those who used 5% SAP had a 48.8% reduction in acne lesions. What’s more, those who used a combination of SAP and 2% retinol — a vitamin A derivative — had a 63.1% reduction.”

These studies indicate that for about half of people the topical application Vitamin C as well a combination Vitamin A will improve acne lesions, while for half it while not.

In conclusion if you have active acne it could be something to try to see if you are one of the ones it will work for.

Vitamin C Acne Scar Before and After Results

I’ve suffered from very severe indented acne scars as well as some discolored acne scarring for years after I had deep cystic acne.

I tried a ton of creams and nothing worked for me for years until I finally worked up the courage to go to the dermatologist and get a professional opinion.

They recommended I do micro-needling as well as apply copper peptides and Vitamin C for skin healing.

I did one professional micro-needling session and saw some improvement. It was then I started researching more, and started at-home micro-needling 1-2X a month with the daily application of copper peptides for acne scars at night and Vitamin C serum for acne scars in the morning.

Every month I would see improvement in my skin’s indentations as damaged layers came off, and new skin repaired itself underneath.

I’ve been treating my skin this way for over a year and my scarring has improved to the point it is either all the way gone in some areas or almost gone in the areas that were the deepest originally.

Here is a view of my forehead, which contained the deepest most severe scarring, before and after my year of at-home micro-needling, Vitamin C and copper peptide treatments:

Here is the side of my face, which had mild to moderate indented scarring as well as discolaration scarring, before and after as well:

You can view more acne scar before and after images here as well.

Acne scarring is something more people than you would think experience in their lives. The Cleveland Health Clinic notes that up to 80% of everyone 11-30 experiences acne, and 20% of these people experience acne scarring.

Not everyone experiences deep acne scarring, but there are ways to treat and improve cases of both mild and deep scarring.

Why do Deep Acne Scars Form?

The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery explains that Acne scars form during the healing process of inflamed acne blemishes. When the skin pores are full of excess oil, dead skin cells and bacteria, this causes the pore to swell and break the follicle wall.

Small, shallow lesions are able to heal quickly and smoothly, but deep breaks in the pore walls cause infected material to spill out into surrounding areas which creates a deeper wound. When the skin tries to heal a deep, inflamed wound, the new collagen is rushed and the repair is not as smooth as normal skin and classified as an acne scar.

Deep acne scars are the result of deep, inflamed blemishes healing. The deeper the inflamed acne blemish, the collagen production during the healing process will produce a deep acne scar as a result. There are ways to improve and heal acne scars, but it is always easier and better to try preventing the acne and scarring from happening in the first place.

Types of Deep Acne Scarring

The three acne scar categories are Atrophic meaning indented scarring, Hypertrophic/Keloid meaning raised scarring, and hyper/hypopigmentation meaning skin discoloration that is not technically classified as a scar.

Deep acne scarring only covers the Atrophic, meaning indented, acne scar type, since the other scarring types don’t go deeply into the skin since they are either raised or discolored.

Atrophic, meaning indented acne scarring, is the most common acne scar type, and there are several types of indented scarring, all of which can range from mild to deep.

Types of Indented Acne Scarring

Pitted Scars Pitted acne scars are simply another name for indented scars, also synonymous with atrophic scars. All indented scar types are also pitted and classified as atrophic scars.

Ice Pick
Ice-pick scars are the deepest acne scar type. They are characterized by being thin, deep and narrow. They are also the hardest scar type to treat because they are the deepest and affect so many layers of the skin. The more severe the acne scarring is, the harder it is to treat because it takes longer to treat and heal many layers that go deep into the skin versus treating a smaller, less severe scar that affects only the top layer of skin. The majority of atrophic scars are actually ice-pick scars, so if you have deep ice-pick scars realize you are not alone and there are ways to treat and help improve them.

Pockmarks
Medical News Today defines Pockmarks as, “deep scars on the skin that do not usually go away on their own. They are often caused by severe acne but can also be the result of skin infections or chickenpox.”

Pockmarks can be caused by acne but also by the healing of different types of skin infections such as chickenpox or smallpox. Anytime the skin heals from an infection, there is the possibility of scarring left behind as the result of healing.

Pockmarks are simply a type of marked, pitted, indented scarring that mark the skin when acne heals. When you think of the classic “pockmarked acne face” you likely think of someone with small indented pits marking the entirety of their face, which is what pockmarks look like.

Boxcar
Boxcar acne scars are the result of long-term inflammatory acne when it finally heals and the body produces new collagen that forms into a boxcar scar instead of smooth skin.

Boxcar scars have sharp edging, and they can be mild or very deep. The deeper they are the harder they are to treat due to affecting more layers of skin.

Rolling
Rolling acne scars are scars that look like a little valley running across the skin with many shallow, irregular dips. They look like valleys rolling across the skin and can be shallow or very deep. The shallower they are the easier they are to treat, and rolling scars tend to be shallower, making them an easier acne scar type to treat.

Can you Treat Deep Acne Scarring?

Yes, all type of acne scarring are treatable, even deep scarring. The deeper the acne scar, the more difficult it is to treat and the more time the treatment and healing process will be, but you will be able to get rid of old scarring and see improvement over time.

The Mayo Clinic article by Lawrence E Gibson M.D. notes that acne scars can be stubborn, and that no one treatment is best for everyone, so you can experiment with different treatments over time to see what works the best for you.

How to Treat Deep Acne Scars

Deep acne scars are the hardest acne scar type to treat because they affect so many layers of the skin, and the skin heals layer by layer which takes time to get to the root of a deep scar to fully heal it at its deepest layer.

There are many options to treat deep acne scarring, and you will see best results when you are consistent and do multiple treatments over time as you allow your skin to heal. You can also try different treatment types to see what works the best for you and your skin.

The American Association of Dermatology website outlines a handful of effective treatments for treating deep acne scarring.

Keep in mind that deep acne scarring won’t completely go away with one treatment, although one treatment may help it see some improvement. You will need to do multiple treatments over a long time period, and the deeper the scarring the more treatments that will be needed:

• Micro-needling

  One of the best treatments for deep acne scarring is micro-needling because it goes deeper into the skin, allowing for healing at deeper levels.

  Micro-needling is a form of acne scar treatment also known as collagen-induction therapy. Micro-needling can be done at a dermatologist office, and it can be done using at-home micro-needling rollers.

  When micro-needling, small needles roll across your skin which creates micro-tears in the skin. This has two benefits: 1) It stimulates collagen production in the skin which allows the scarred skin areas to re-heal smoothly. 2) It opens the skin up to receive healing ingredient product more deeply such as Copper peptide serum for acne scars at night and Vitamin C for acne scars in the morning, both of which help deliver healing ingredients to the skin and promote collagen production and healing.

  You can only micro-needle at a dermatologist every 4-6 weeks as they go deeper into the skin, and you can only micro-needle lightly at home every 1-4 weeks, depending how deep a needle you use and how lightly you roll. After each micro-needling session you will see small improvements and the stimulated collagen production continues for months after so you will continue to see improvement after that and over time as you continue to do the treatments.

  Right after micro-needling skin will be sensitive and red, and makeup shouldn’t be applied for a minimum of 8 hours or as long as possible for best results. It also needs to be kept out of the sun while healing.

  Micro-needling is safe for all skin color types. It is not a treatment for raised acne scarring.

• Surgery: There are different surgeries a dermatologist can perform on deeper acne scarring. You would need to go in to get diagnosed with what treatment makes the most sense for your particular scarring type. Subcision, excision and punch replacement grafts are some of the surgery types available.
• Resurfacing:
  Resurfacing is more helpful for shallower scars since it works by removing the top layer of skin so the body can create new healthy skin in its place. It is not a treatment that will get to the root of deep scarring after one session but will work better on scars that are only on the top layer of skin.

Dermatologists are able to perform the following types of resurfacing treatments:

• Laser resurfacing: Ablative laser resurfacing is a procedure that uses a wand-like laser instrument to remove the upper layers of skin from acne scarring. It can be referred to as “laser peeling” because it peels away the old skin to show newer skin underneath.
• Laser therapy: is when a beam of light is used to target and treat acne scarring on the skin.
• Chemical peels: Chemical peels remove the top layer of skin to help remove the damaged areas and encourage new skin and collagen growth underneath. The skin that regrows after is usually less scarred in appearance than the skin that was there previously.
• Dermabrasion: The American Society of Dermatology defines Dermabrasion as the surgical sanding or planing of the outer layer of skin on acne scars.
• Fillers A dermatologist can also inject different temporary or permanent filler types into deep scars to help make them appear to be less indented than they are. Most of these fade over time meaning they need to be redone every few months and they have different side effects that you should keep in mind before trying.

  Fillers work best for depressed scars, but not super deep ice-pick scarring.

Deep Acne Scar Treatment Results

A few years ago, I went through a time in my life where I had huge inflamed cystic acne all over my face, particularly on my forehead, cheeks and chin. It didn’t help the healing process that I picked at them, and was mentally not in a good place which also didn’t help the chemicals in my body or the healing process.

When the cystic, inflamed acne finally healed, I was left with deep indents on my forehead, cheeks, and chin, included pitted and ice-pick scars as well as rolling scars. Some were very deep, and others were more mild or medium.

I hated how I looked and couldn’t look people in the eye when talking anymore. I didn’t do much to treat them other than poorly attempt to cover them up for the first few years I had them.

Two years into having them I started at-home derma-rolling once a month + the Super Cop 2X copper peptide serum at night, and then later added in a morning Vitamin C + Exfoliation cream step into my routine.

Using these products has stimulated my skin’s own healing processes, helping to remove the damaged skin layers and stimulate healing on the layers below.

My whole face has been completely transformed over the past 2 years I’ve been doing this routine, with noticeable improvements each time I do it.

Even my deep scarring has improved to the point where I no longer notice it and I am now comfortable looking people in the eye again when I talk in my daily life, which I am very grateful for.

Here is a picture of my deepest scars, which were on my forehead and their healing process over time:

You can also view more before and after acne scar pictures here.

Severe acne scarring is more common than you might think. A Clinical Aesthetic Dermatology study found that acne vulgaris affects, “up to 80 percent of people ages 11–30 and five percent of adults 30 years and older in the United States.”

The Cleveland Health Clinic clarifies that number saying that 1 in 5 of those who get acne, also get acne scarring.

This means if you are one of the 80% of the US population affected by acne, and one of the 20% of acne sufferers who get acne scarring, you are by no means alone.

A large percentage of people in the US have acne and acne scarring. There are different types of acne scarring, and these can range from mild technically “not scarring” that is just skin discoloration, to mildly depressed or raised scars, to severe, deep, pitted and indented scars.

What are Severe Acne Scars?

Healthline explains the different types of bad acne scarring:

Atrophic Acne Scars
Atrophic scars are indented scarring that forms while the inflamed acne is healing and the area is not producing enough collagen. Indented scarring can be mild to severe, and mild forms are easier to treat because they affect fewer layers of skin.

3 types of Atrophic, indented scarring are:

Boxcar Acne Scars
Boxcar scars are wide with sharp edging, and can be shallow or deep. They are easier to treat and less severe, the shallower they are.

Ice Pick Acne Scars
Ice-pick scars are very narrow and deep. They look like a small deep hole in the skin and are the most difficult scar type to treat because they go so deeply into the skin and affect many skin layers.

Rolling Acne Scars
Rolling scars are a collection of multiple acne scars that tend to be wide and shallow with rounded edges and an irregular, rolling appearance.

Hypertrophic Acne Scars
Raised scarring is known as hypertrophic, and it is more common on chest and back acne. The raised scars are caused by the production of excess collagen during the acne healing and have a raised appearance above the skin’s surface.

Acne Discoloration Spots
When acne heals and leaves behind a red, brown, white or other discoloration mark, it is technically not classified as scarring but is known as hyper or hypo pigmentation. The discoloration will usually fade on its own but can also be helped with treatments and serums.

All types of indented, raised and discoloration acne scarring can range from very mild to very severe. The more severe the case, the more time and effort it will take to treat. The good news is all types are treatable, and there are things you can do to help improve the scarring in each case.

Is Bad Acne Scarring Treatable?

The Cleveland Health Clinic Interview with Dermatology MD Dr. Kassouf explains that it is possible to treat bad acne scarring and see good results. In the words ofDr. Amy Kassouf, ““I’m always amazed at how much healing the skin can do once you get the inflammation under control. My patients may be discouraged, but I’m not.” So yes, the good news is that you can treat and help acne scars heal.

I’ve personally seen others treat and improve their own acne scarring, and I’ve also been able to slowly, over time get rid of my own acne scarring, so there are ways to see skin improve and heal.

How to Treat Bad Acne Scarring

There are quite a few options when you want to treat your acne scarring, no matter how severe it is. The more severe cases will take longer to treat and be more difficult to treat, but there is something you can do for every type of scarring.

The American Association of Dermatology explains there are many different treatments for the different scar types:

Indented Acne Scar Treatment

When treating depressed acne scars, multiple acne scar treatments lead to better results, although you need to give your skin time off between treatments to fully repair and heal:

Collagen-induction therapy

Collagen-induction therapy is also called micro-needling, and can be done in a dermatologist office or at-home using an at-home acne scar derma-roller.

In micro-needling, the needles are rolled across your skin which creates small punctures. When the skin heals from these micro-holes it makes collagen, which allows the acne scars to reheal smoothly. Most people see improvements in skin texture after every treatment, and large improvements are seen every 6 months or so.

The skin gets red and needs to be kept out of the sun and cared for while healing for a few days after each micro-needling treatment.

You can also apply Vitamin C serum for acne scars during the day and Copper Peptide serum at night to see the best results with skin repair and collagen production.

Micro-needling is best for depressed acne scars, and is safe for all skin color types. It is not a treatment for hypertrophic raised scars.

Professional Treatments Only Available at a Dermatologist Office

Surgery: There are different subcision and surgery procedures a dermatologist can use to treat severe acne scarring and make it less noticeable. Surgery can only be performed by a professional dermatologist..

Resurfacing:
There are multiple procedures that resurface the skin by removing the top layer of skin so the body can make new skin cells in its place to reduce the acne scarring.

These are the resurfacing procedures dermatologists use as treatment of indented scarring:

Laser skin resurfacing

Chemical peels

Dermabrasion

Microdermabrasion

Resurfacing is the best for shallow and mild scars that aren’t very deep, because it only treats the top few layers of skin and some middle layers, so it is not able to reach deeply enough to treat very deep scarring.

Fillers Fillers can be injected by a dermatologist to make scarring look less indented, and most are a temporary solution that needs to be redone every 6 to 18 months. There are different benefits and risks with fillers so you have to talk to your dermatologist to make an informed decision if they could be right for you.

Fillers work best for depressed scars, but not super deep ice-pick scarring.

Cryosurgery

Cryosurgery can be a good treatment for those with raised scarring to help them stop itching and shrink and flatten them. This treatment type freezes the skin acne scar tissue which makes it die and fall off over time. Multiple treatments are recommended for best results and can include additional corticosteroid injections. One con of this treatment type is it may cause permanent light spots on the treated skin areas.

This is not a good treatment for those with darker skin because it can cause the skin spot lightening.

Prescription scar creams, gels, and silicone dressings
If you have raised scarring, a dermatologist can prescribe creams and gels you can put on your raised scarring to help treat it. Specifically silicone dressings have been shown to help treat raised scarring.

The gels and creams will help with discomfort and scar size but this type of treatment is unlikely to completely diminish the raised scar.

Bad Acne Scar Treatment Results

Is it possible to see results for the treatment of bad acne scarring? The answer is yes, over time, you can see results for all types of scarring, no matter how mild or how deep.

The skin heals in layers, which is why it takes much longer to treat deeper scarring, but you will see results when treating even severe scarring over time.

Personally I had incredibly severe indented acne scarring all over my face, and have used collagen-induction therapy, AKA at-home micro-needling combined with Copper Peptide cream at night and Vitamin C serum + an exfoliation cream each morning.

Over a year’s time period my skin has shown dramatic improvements and I am finally happy with how my face looks again as well as able to confidently look people in the face again (finally).

If there is one thing I could go back in time and tell myself, it would be to never ever pick my face or acne scarring, which I did do and it made it 10X worse, and I would tell myself to not be stressed or depressed so I wouldn’t get as much cystic acne. Then, after, if I did still have scarring, I would tell myself right away about at-home microneedling, Vitamin C and Copper Peptides, as well as the importance of keeping skin not-inflamed and moisturized during the healing process.

Well, we can’t go back in time, can we? So the next best thing is to just do the best we can to work with what we have and help our skin heal.

Here are my very severe acne scars at their worst, and here they are during the healing process:

More acne scar before and after pictures are available here.

The answer is that most types of acne scarring will slightly fade over time, and pigmented acne scarring has a much higher chance of fully fading over time.

With treatment, the different types of scarring all have a better chance of fading more quickly and fully over time.

Types of Acne Scars

The Schweigerderm site explains the different types of acne scars and that indented scarring is the least likely to fade naturally over time with hyper and hypo-pigmentation the most likely to fade on their own over time. They also explain how treatment can help most acne scarring types of fade more quickly and fully than if left on their own.

Atrophic scars: Atrophic scars are indented scars, and are one of the hardest types of acne scarring to treat because they are so deep and affect many layers of the skin. There are different types of atrophic scars including icepick, rolling, boxcar.

Ice pick scars: Ice Pick scars are narrow and deep indents in the skin and are very obvious to the naked eye. Ice pick scars can get slightly better over time without treatment but will usually need treatment to see good improvement and results because they have gone so deeply into the skin.

Boxcar scars: Boxcar scars are also indented atrophic scars, but they are less deep than ice-pick scars and also wider. Boxcar scars usually have sharp vertical edges, and can measure 1.5 to 4mm across in diameter. These occur most often on the cheek and temple. Like all types of indented scarring, boxcar scars need treatment to see good improvement as they won’t fully disappear over time.

Rolling scars: Rolling scars are a common type of acne scarring. They are shallow and wide with sloped rolling edges that look like indented valleys on the skin. Long-term acne often leads to rolling scarring. When skin looses its elasticity over time these can become even worse in appearance, however very shallow ones can also fade as time passes. Since these scars are shallow, they are easier to treat then some of the deeper pitted scar types.

Hypertrophic acne scars Hypertrophic are raised scar types. This type of scarring often will fade on its own, and if not you can go into the dermatologist to see what they recommend as treatment.

Keloid acne scars Keloids are when a hypertrophic scar becomes larger than the original acne wound due to the body making too much excess scar tissue as it heals. Asian and African American skin types will get this type of scarring more often. They can either be little bumps or large swelling on the skin, usually shiny and smooth, and they can be different colors. You will need to go into the dermatologist to get more in-depth treatment to fully heal this type although it may come back at some point.

Pigmentation Changes

When acne heals and discoloration is left in its place, that is a pigmentation change known as hyper or hypo-pigmentation that can happen as acne heals and is technically not classified as a scar but still causes a color change on your face.

Hyperpigmentation Hyperpigmentation is when your body makes too much pigment and colors your skin a darker color which can be red, brown or black. These can be small discoloration changes or over a bigger area of skin. Hyperpigmentation does usually fade over time, although Haro u can help it fade more quickly with treatment.

Hypo-pigmentation Hypo-pigmentation is when your body loses pigment due to skin tissue damage, so an area looks lighter instead of darker after it heals, appearing as white or lighter dots or areas on the skin. This type of color change also can fade on its own, but can also be helped to fade more quickly with treatment.

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.

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.

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.

How to Treat & Fade Acne Scars

Do acne scars fade? The short answer is yes, over time, most scar types fade, including atrophic, hypertrophic, and pigmentation scarring, but there are treatments you can do to stimulate healing and help most scar types fade more quickly. You can heal acne scarring with various at-home and in-clinic treatments, some of my favorite are laid out below:

• Microneedling
  Microneedling is effective for indented scarring and discoloration scarring and can be done at-home or in-office. Micro-needling works by using needles to help the top layer of damaged skin come off while at the same time stimulating the skin’s natural healing response which makes the skin repair itself and build new collagen. It works well to help fade indented scarring as well as discolored pigmentation change scarring. Micro-needling can only be done once every few weeks because the skin needs time to fully repair and heal inbetween each session.

  Another benefit of micro-needling is it opens the skin up so it is more receptive to serums that can help the skin heal such as copper peptides for acne scars and Vitamin C, both of which are part of the skin’s collagen production process.

  I personally like to use copper peptides at night for skin healing due to the peptides bright blue color you can’t wear out in the daytime, and then Vitamin C as part of my morning routine to help skin continue the healing process during the day while giving my skin a nice glow. Vitamin C and copper peptides can’t be used at the same time as the copper peptides will oxidize the Vitamin C and render it ineffective, which is why you need to use them at different times of day.

  How to fade acne scars:

  Vitamin C helps acne scarring for various reasons you can read more about here. I have personally found Vitamin C to be very helpful in helping me get rid of red acne scar marks leftover on my skin.

• Chemical Peels: Chemical peels can be used to treat indented acne scarring and hyperpigmentation. These need to be done in a professional dermatologist office, so you can go to your dermatologist to see if one makes sense for your skin.
• Copper Peptide Serum: Copper peptides are a skin building block and studies have shown they assist in wound healing. They are most effective when they can reach deeper layers of the skin when combined with micro-needling.
• Vitamin C: Vitamin C is also an important part of the skin’s collagen production process and using a Vitamin C serum has also been found effective in helping the skin repair. The best way to use Vitamin C to help with atrophic and discoloration scarring is to use it in combination with micro-needling by putting it on as part of your morning skincare routine. I’ve personally seen Vitamin C help dark spots on my skin lighten and discoloration and red acne scars lighten to get a nice glow as well.
• Exfoliation Creams: Exfoliation creams can help fade and improve indented scarring and discoloration scarring. These work by sitting on the top layer of skin and helping encourage the damaged skin structures to separate and remove themselves from the healthy skin. Damaged skin structure is weaker than healthy skin structure which is why letting an exfoliation cream sit on the skin all day will help separate and remove the damaged skin from your healthy skin so the scarred areas exfoliate off and fade more quickly to reveal healthy skin underneath.

Professional Treatments to Fade Acne Scars:

• In-Clinic Microneedling: You can go into a clinic to get micro-needling done at a deeper level to fade more severe scarring. For best results you can use copper peptide at night and Vitamin C serum in the morning to give the skin the healing ingredients it needs while getting the micro-needling treatments.
• Fillers, Fillers are injections that can temporarily improve the appearance of indented acne scarring.
• Subcision, Subcision can help with some types of indented scarring by untethering some of the scarred area from the skin to help the scar improve.
• Lasers, Lasers work by removing the top layer of skin and by helping to stimulate skin repair responses.

Acne Scarring Fading Over Time with Treatment

The first 3 years I had acne scarring, I didn’t treat it at all except for trying a few different creams, which didn’t have any long-term positive effects other than making my skin look really white and oily.

Finally I started researching what actually works and reading scientific journals to get to the heart of ingredients and procedures that actually help stimulate skin healing responses, skin repair and results.

After that I started using at-home micro-needling every few weeks, and applying copper peptide serum on my skin at night, and Vitamin C and an exfoliating serum on my skin each morning.

I’ve seen huge improvements in my indented acne scarring and skin texture in over a year I’ve been doing this and my scarring has faded to the point I’m finally happy with my skin again.

Here is my skin and its results over time:

Additional before and after acne scarring pictures can be viewed here.

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.

What does icing skin do?

Icing constricts your blood vessels and reduces inflammation. This is why when you ice your skin your face gets a nice glow, you look less tired, and your blood flow improves which brightens your complexion and gives you the icing “glow”.

This is why some people ice their face every morning as part of their skincare routine, or right before they go out to a big event to get a nice glow.

Does Icing help acne?

Icing active acne helps when the pimples are the inflammatory type of acne, because icing the area helps reduce swelling and inflammation. Reducing swelling and inflammation helps the cystic acne calm down, and inflammation increases the chance of scarring so anything you can do to reduce that will help your skin long-term.

Emma Craythorne Consultant Dermatologist who specializes in acne scarring treatment at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital and 152 Harley Street said in a Glamour interview that ice is a very helpful acne treatment.

She explained that ice helps acne by “reducing the swelling, redness and calming the inflammation and that will reduce the risk of scarring and post-inflammatory colour change on the skin.”

When acne is inflamed, icing helps make the acne color less red and it calms the inflammation on the skin, which also decreases the chance of getting an acne scar in the future.

Inflammatory acne types that icing can help include:

• Cystic acne
• Nodule acne
• Pustule acne
• Papule acne

Ice won’t help as much on non-inflammatory acne such as blackheads, since its main benefit for acne is reducing the inflammation and swelling. When you decrease your acne’s inflammation using ice, you are decreasing the size which in theory could help it heal faster and go away more quickly.

Additionally icing active inflammatory acne can decrease its redness and make your acne less visible on your face. It can also help ease pain the acne is causing due to the short-term numbing effect ice creates.

Does Icing help acne scars?

Icing decreases pore size and helps reduce inflammation. This means that it can make your acne scarring temporarily look better, but the positive visual effect will go away once the numbing effect from the icing goes away.

If you ice your active inflammatory acne, however, this has a positive short-term effect on the active acne and a positive long-term effect in regard to acne scarring.

This is because the icing reduces inflammation, and since inflammation interferes with your skin’s healing process and makes it more likely for your acne to leave a scar, icing and decreasing the inflammation is a good way to treat your active acne to decrease the chances it will end up leaving a scar.

In conclusion, icing is a good acne scar prevention method you can use on active acne to help calm their inflammation so they are less likely to leave a scar as they heal.

My experience icing acne and acne scars

I have tried ice as a treatment for both my active cystic acne and acne scarring before, and the research cited above was also true in my own experience.

When I’ve iced my active inflamed acne cysts and pustules or active red acne areas, I’ve immediately felt the cool numbing effect that takes away pain, immediately seen a decrease in the acne redness, swelling, and inflammation, as well as seen a healthy glow on my face after removing the ice.

Based on my experience it’s easy for me to see how treating active inflamed acne with ice can help both in the moment as well as long-term help decrease the risk of that acne scarring by decreasing its inflammation so that doesn’t interfere as much with the acne healing process.

I’ve also tried icing acne scar areas, and the ice does decrease the pore size temporarily and make skin look better, but that positive effect does go away after a few hours when the ice numbing effect is no longer there.

I will definitely keep icing any areas of active acne that I get to help decrease the inflammation and chance of future scarring, and I will use ice before big events to get a nice facial glow.

Let us know your experience with icing and acne as well as acne scarring in the comments below!

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: