From October 2011 to April 2017, I had cystic acne that was caused by food allergies. I was able to heal the acne for the most part but I was still left with stubborn acne scars.
I was doing fairly good healing the acne scars on my own, but I decided I needed to ramp up the acne scar removal and sought out a highly recommended facialist to get me on the road to good skin. Here’s my personal journey to heal acne scars with exactly what type of skin I have and what products I’m using.
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Healing Acne Scars According to my Specific Skin Type
Before seeing this facialist, I focused on healing my allergy acne and scars with holistic methods such as using vitamin E to heal the scars and fresh lemon juice to brighten the skin.
But as it goes with homeopathic methods, it really wasn’t working as fast and effectively as I wanted. I considered getting a laser treatment for acne scars, but considering how expensive they are and that I just got my eyebrows microbladed in New York City, I opted to see a facialist recommend by a friend.
I’m so happy that I opted for this long term approach instead of an expensive laser treatment for acne scars. My new facialist, Sanne, gave me a ton of technical advice on my type of skin and how I need to treat that specific skin type.
According to Sanne, my facialist, I have normal to dry skin with small pores.
How My Skin Type Impacts Healing Acne Scars
Apparently having small pores is both a blessing and a curse. Small pores makes your skin look more smooth, but on the flip side, it’s harder for dirt and oil trapped under your skin to come out. This can cause more acne and makes it harder for scars to go away (for some reason; I’ll have to ask my facialist the reasoning behind this again since I forgot).
To heal acne scars, it’s essential to exfoliate the top layer of the skin and fade them away. I was doing this about 2-3x a week but had no idea that I was using the wrong type of exfoliation product.
Because of my small pores, Sanne said I should stay away with any exfoliation product with grain in it. That’s because this can make my pores larger, which we don’t want to do. Instead, I should be using a fruit acid peel, which will exfoliate the skin by dissolving the top layer of the skin instead of roughly scrubbing it away.
Get this exfoliating cleanser on Amazon.
The Acne Management Kit I Use to Reduce Acne Scars
As a recommendation by Sanne, I now use Dermaquest products to both prevent new acne from popping up, healing acne scars, and protecting my skin.
I love that their products are paraben-free, clinically tested, cruelty-free and kind to the environment. Here are the specific Dermaquest products I use and why:
For Reducing Acne: DermaQuest DermaClear Acne Management Starter/Travel Kit
The DermaQuest DermaClear Acne Management Starter/Travel Kit is packed with all the products you need to keep your acne at bay. Altogether, they lightly exfoliate your skin, leaves it soft and smooth, and prevents pore-clogging oils.
Even better, because it’s travel-size, it ensures that my skincare routine at home is the same as it is abroad. Consistency is key for good skincare! Or so I’ve heard.
How I Use The DermaQuest DermaClear Acne Management Starter/Travel Kit:
- I use the cleanser morning and night. On days that I wear makeup, I wash my face twice at night.
- I use the serum, eye cream, and matte lotion morning and night.
- On sunny days, I also use the SPF 30 sunscreen.
Get this acne management kit on Amazon.
For Healing Acne Scars: DermaQuest Peptide Vitality Creamy Peptide Glyco Cleanser
The Dermaquest Peptide Glyco Cleanser is an exfoliating face wash that Sanne recommends me using 2-3x a week. It not only will help exfoliate my skin better for my specific skin type but according to the package will reduce inflammation and signs of aging!
How I Use The DermaQuest Peptide Glyco Cleanser:
Unlike a normal cleanser, I use this more like a mask. I put it on my dry face with dry hands, and leave it on for 10 minutes. Then I rinse it with warm water and pat dry.
I follow with the serum, lotion, and eye cream.
Get the DermaQuest Peptide Glyco Cleanser on Amazon.
For Dark Eye Circles: DermaQuest C Infusion Hydrating Revitalizing Eye Cream
Ok so using the DermaQuest C Infusion Hydrating Revitalizing Eye Cream isn’t part of my healing acne scars routine, but I thought I’d throw it in here since I shared all the other DermaQuest products I’m using now.
This eye cream is designed to deeply hydrate and brighten the delicate skin under the eyes. It is safe and gentle to use, which is quite important for such a sensitive area of the face!
I apply the eye cream with my fingers gently at the bottom of the skin under the eye. I don’t go right up to my eyes because the product does travel upwards, and I don’t want to get it in my eyes!
Get the DermaQuest C Infusion Hydrating Revitalizing Eye Cream on Amazon.
Microdermabrasion: My Acne Scar Removal Treatment of Choice
In addition to my skincare routine that I mentioned above, I will also making an appointment for microdermabrasion every 6-8 weeks, or at most, every quarter (because to be honest, getting this done that often isn’t cheap).
Microdermabrasion basically sands away the outer layer of the skin to rejuvenate it. It’s a safe procedure for most types of skin and a pretty minimally invasive way to fade acne scarring, which is why it’s my choice of treatment!
What to Expect: The feeling of microdermabrasion isn’t exactly pleasant. It feels a bit sharp on your face so next time, I’ll be taking a Tylenol or something before my procedure.
Right after the treatment, my face was a bit red and had noticeable dots from wherever she manually picked out the dirt from under my skin. Overall, it didn’t look too bad.
Also, about 2-3 days after I had the microdermabrasion done as my acne scar removal treatment, my face started peeling a lot. So I definitely don’t recommend getting this done at least a week or two before any important event or going on holiday.
If you have small pores with dry to normal skin, I hope this post helps you with healing acne scars.
Did you find any of these tips to be helpful? If so, I’d love for you to let me know! Send me a DM on my Instagram @sarchetrit.
Razel
Thursday 24th of September 2020
I can see that it really works on your skin and get rid of acne scars and in my case my problem is I have too much breakout that it will not go to acne scars because it comes and go. can I still use that to minimize my acne? Thanks for sharing your experience.
Tara
Saturday 7th of December 2019
This sounds like what I’m going through. I eat insanely healthy-no sugar, dairy, gluten, soy, corn, alcohol, grains. I exercise daily, sleep 7+ hours a night, meditate daily, etc. I STILL have cystic acne. I even have done hormone testing and it all came back normal. I’m at my wits end. I’m a 45 year old, professional woman and have to face clients with a face full of acne...sigh. I guess the next step is allergy testing, but I’ve read that it really isn’t accurate. I’m staring to lose hope that my acne will ever clear up.
Sarah
Monday 9th of December 2019
Hi Tara! So for allergy testing-- the blood one at your doctor's is very accurate.Then the hair one is not that accurate, which is why I suggest taking it with a grain of salt. Did you read this post I wrote? https://fromlusttilldawn.com/how-i-cured-my-cystic-acne-by-discovering-my-food-allergies-and-acid-reflux/ I go into which hair testing I used and how it's not accurate but how it helped. But basically I think it also goes back to healing the gut. And that's so frustrating if you eat soo healthy! Best of luck. Let me know if they find anything on your tests!
Wollermann Business Brokers
Tuesday 14th of May 2019
Thank you for sharing your personal experience. The results and the product is looking great.
ronny
Saturday 27th of April 2019
thanks for sharing your tips and your tips are very helpful for me. keep sharing and keep posting.