If your skin is prone to pigmentation, dark spots and uneven skin tone, you probably hawk-eye any pimple that pops up because you know the ensuing skin trauma and acne scar will hang around for a while.
Getting rid of dark spots is essential to looking youthful and brightening a dull complexion. Here are the top 3 tips for fading dark spots and getting rid of acne marks to reveal brighter, more radiant complexion.
1. Load Up on Skin Brighteners
Thanks to research and science, there are safe vitamins, antioxidants, and botanicals which are effective in fading spots. These work by interrupting or slowing down melanin production in areas with dark spots to ‘lighten’ the dark pigment for a more even skin tone.
Effective skin brighters include Vitamin C, Licorice, Arbutin, Vitamin B3 (Niacinamide), Soy, Kojic Acid, among others. Each of these work in different ways so you can try fit as many as possible into your daily skincare regimen for best results.
Tip: In the morning use skin brighteners with antioxidant properties such as Vitamin C and Licorice. At night combine alpha hydroxy acids skin brighteners (e.g. glycolic acid, lactic acid and malic acid) with retinoids (Vitamin A derivatives) for a power dose that helps correct uneven skin tone and fade dark spots completely.
Please not that severe the dark spots (deep and older dark spots), take longer to fade completely.
2. Be Consistent and Commit
Fading dark spots and acne marks calls for commitment and consistency. Once you identify the skin brighteners or the key ingredients you want to try in your ‘spots fading’ regimen, have a consistent skincare routine and you’ll soon be on your way to a more even skin tone and the unwanted pigment will be gone.
If you have a yo-yo skincare habit where you use one product for a week or two, then ditch it for another in a quest to get super quick results, then you’ll never know what really suits your skin and or what causes that breakout or irritation.
Also, do not mix up so many skincare products at a go, pick a few, see how they work, stick to them, replace them, or switch them up accordingly until you create a perfect regimen that will get you the results you want.
3. Be Patient and Keep Calm
Over the counter treatments and skincare products purchased from beauty stores can help fade dark spots, but results are not overnight, it takes time. Do not quit your spot fading or skin brightening regimen after 2 weeks because your dark spots have not cleared as fast as you thought.
Stick to the regimen for 6-8 weeks then see if there’s a change you like or not, then you can decide to keep to ditch your buys.
If you notice new breakouts or skin rash or any kind of irritation, keep calm. Sometimes when you introduce a new regimen into your skin it might flare up and it could take a week or so before your skin adjusts to the new products.
Whatever products or regimen you’re using, unless it does not agree with your skin at all, your skin recovers after sometime and you can now enjoy the benefits the active ingredients in your products have to offer.
However, if it’s extremely uncomfortable when you apply on skin, or even after 3 weeks your skin still acts up, you might want to reconsider your choice of products or consider a different combination.
For instance, some users might experience extreme discomfort and irritation when combining retinol and glycolic acid especially if it’s your first time using products with such ingredients. Train your skin gradually and listen to your skin.
It’s advisable to always have a serum, cream, essence, chemical peel or spot treatment that targets dark spots. Go for products with multiple purposes like alpha hydroxy acids which exfoliate, refine skin texture, minimize pores, and brighten or Vitamin C which brightens and offers antioxidant protection for Anti-aging benefits.
Better still; combine the two for a superior regimen that offers a 360 experience. Such a regimen would guide your skin to softer smother texture, even out skin tone, and repair acne marks.
