Have you had acne and then gotten those red/dark brown pigmentations after? It’s probably one of the most annoying things to get because just you start to feel relieved that the acne is gone, you end up with a lasting reminder that you had acne in that area of your skin.
What most of us think of acne scars is actually just “Post-inflammatory Hyperpigmentation” – basically that’s a fancy way of saying there are red/dark brown marks on your skin from acne/inflammation. Acne scars are actually depressions in the skin where the acne pustule used to be and can cause the skin to have an icepick appearance.
Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) is more common in people of color. It tends to go away on its own but this process can be stubborn – taking months to sometimes even years. To help your skin go through this process a bit more quickly, there are many things a Naturopathic Doctor can do:
- Reduce Inflammation: Part of the treatment is to treat the underlying cause of the PIH (acne marks) by treating the actually acne. That way we can stop the cycle. Things like dietary modifications and herbal support can help. Fish oils can also help as they will cause the skin to be more anti-inflammatory in nature.
- Topical Support: Creams compounded by an N.D. can help as well. Often I will prescribe compounded creams with vitamin B3, and/or glucosamine which has been shown in research to lighten PIH (acne marks). Other things like ascorbic acid (vitamin C), and licorice root extract topically may be added depending on your specific case.
- Localized Therapy: Some form of localized therapy – whether that’s mesotherapy (injections of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids into the middle layer of the skin), or peels can help to exfoliate areas with damage. Mesotherapy, for example, will then feed nutrients to the damaged area to help it repair and regrow in the acne marked area.
The last thing that’s important is to wear sunscreen. UV damage can actually make dark acne marks worse because it will increase melanin production (the compound that makes skin dark). This is important for people of color as because people of color don’t burn, they tend to use sunscreen less often. Just because your skin doesn’t burn doesn’t mean you’re not getting UV damage!
