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How to Prevent Dark Spots After Acne Pimples

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Acne and pimples can affect you at any point in life, from puberty to adulthood. While the breakouts may disappear in a couple of days, they often leave you with scarring and marks. Pimple spots, acne marks, and an uneven skin tone can take months to fade unless you follow the right regimen. So, if you’re wondering how to remove pimple marks, it’s time to dive right in.

Keynotes:

  • Acne inflammation can leave you with marks and scars that last long after the acne itself. You can prevent these dark spots by avoiding pimple-picking, using gentle skincare, applying acne-healing treatments, and wearing sunscreen.
  • Treat existing acne and pimple spots with brightening ingredients, retinoids, or professional treatments like chemical peels and microdermabrasion.
  • Eucerin products like DermoPurifyer Serum, Anti-Pigment Dual Serum, and SPF 50+ sunscreen offer targeted dark spot correction and aid in achieving an even-toned skin.
  • Stay consistent with your skincare routine and consult a dermatologist for personalised advice.

Why Do Dark Spots Appear After Acne?

Just like acne, acne scars are unpredictable too. Sometimes you might end up with spots, and other times you might get away with it. When acne gets inflamed (red and swollen), it can injure your skin. Your smaller pimples may heal without a trace, but deeper acne can burst and rupture, injuring the skin around it too. Your skin tries to fix the damage and can leave it pigmented in the process.

These scars left behind by acne are called post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH). It occurs when your skin produces too much melanin due to inflammation. These blemishes persist for a long time, even after the initial pimple has healed. If you have a darker skin tone, you can be more susceptible to PIH as your skin already has higher melanin levels.

How to Prevent Dark Spots After Acne

While acne scars can be unpredictable, learning how to remove pimple marks and prevent them is quite straightforward. Here are a few tips you should know -

  1. Avoid Picking or Squeezing Pimples

    While learning how to get rid of pimple marks, you must resist the temptation to pick, scratch, or pop pimples and acne. It can further injure your pimples and can even increase the inflammation and damage they can cause to the skin. More injuries can leave you at a higher risk of scarring and hyperpigmentation.

  2. Use Gentle, Non-Irritating Skincare

    If you already have acne-prone and sensitive skin, you should stick to skincare products that are gentle, dermatologically tested, and free from harsh chemicals. Using harsh and irritating products can even worsen inflammation, making acne scars more likely. Look for cleansers, serums, and moisturizers formulated for sensitive or acne-prone skin.

  3. Apply Topical Treatments for Acne Healing

    Topical treatments are a great way to alleviate your acne, soothe swelling, and prevent pimple scarring. If you’re learning how to remove dark spots caused by pimples, create a skin regimen with Thiamidol, exfoliants, retinoids, and anti-inflammatory ingredients. It also promotes cell turnover and can help prevent the formation of dark spots. However, it’s crucial to consult your dermatologist before using new skin actives on acne-prone and sensitive skin.

  4. Don’t Skip Moisturizer

    While it’s tempting to keep your acne-prone skin untouched, it’s vital to keep your skin hydrated. Moisturizing your skin maintains your skin's barrier function, preventing dryness and tightness in your skin.

  5. Protect Your Skin from the Sun

    You can’t learn how to get rid of pimple marks without using sunscreen. Sun exposure can darken your existing hyperpigmentation and increase the risk of new dark spots forming. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least SPF 50+ every day, even on cloudy days, to protect your skin.

  6. Consider a Chemical Exfoliant

    Chemical exfoliants, such as glycolic acid, can help you remove dead skin cells and promote the growth of new, healthy skin. They also prevent pores from becoming clogged and reduce the risk of acne scars. Talk to your dermatologist first and start with a low concentration to minimize potential irritation.

What to Do if Dark Spots Appear After Acne

If you already have dark spots from acne, several treatments will answer how to remove dark spots caused by pimples:

  1. Brightening Skin Actives

    Ingredients like vitamin C, licorice extract, and niacinamide can help you with pimple mark removal, lightening the hyperpigmented spots to deliver an even tone. Gentle skin actives like Thiamidol help you regulate the excessive production of melanin, which gives these pimple marks their dark color. Create a skin regimen that incorporates these ingredients in the form of cleansers, toners, serums, or even sunscreens. Remember to stay consistent with your skin regimen to see lasting results.

  2. Retinoids

    Retinoids are powerful derivatives of vitamin A that help you promote cell turnover, helping to fade dark spots and pimple scar removal. Retinoids can be used topically or prescribed in the form of oral medication. Topical retinoids also help you boost collagen synthesis and can prevent the formation of scars while you’re dealing with acne. As effective as they are, retinoids can be harsh on your skin and should not be mixed with other skin actives without consulting your dermatologist.

  3. Chemical Peels or Microdermabrasion

    If you’re wondering how to remove dark spots caused by pimples faster, then look at clinical treatments. Professionally administered chemical peels with exfoliants like glycolic acid and salicylic acid can help you achieve a smoother texture, brighter skin, and even unclogged pores that will keep you far from recurring acne. You can also try pimple mark removal with targeted laser therapy or other treatments like microdermabrasion. This treatment helps you sand off the pigmented portions of the skin, reducing the appearance of dark spots and renewing the skin tone. These procedures should be performed by qualified professionals to minimize risks and achieve optimal results.

Eucerin Products for Preventing and Treating Dark Spots

Acne Skincare Routine

It may take time to figure out how to get rid of pimple marks clinically. However, you can start a skincare routine right away to support, accelerate, and maintain your results. A well-layered skin regimen in itself can also help you achieve spotless skin.

Eucerin offers a range of products specifically formulated to address hyperpigmentation caused by acne and pimples. These are some products you should try if you’re aiming for pimple mark removal.

  • Pimple Prevention & Brightening: DermoPurifyer Triple Effect Serum

    With skin actives like salicylic acid, this lightweight skin serum unclogs pores, dissolves excessive sebum, and is ideal for regulating acne-prone skin. It also has brightening ingredients like Thiamidol that regulate melanin to give you a mark-free, radiant skin tone.

  • Dark Spot Removal & Even Tone: Anti-Pigment Skin Illuminating Serum

    The ultra-lightweight serum combines Thiamidol, hyaluronic acid, and glycerin to give you radiant, even, and mark-free skin that has been intensely hydrated. It helps pimple mark removal to give you spotless, even-toned skin.

  • Tackle Dark Spots + Fine Lines: Eucerin Anti-Pigment Dual Serum

    Combining Thiamidol and concentrated hyaluronic acid, this dual-action serum works to reduce pigment spots and promote skin hydration. It’s ideal for getting smooth, firm, younger-looking skin that’s free from spots.

  • Even Tone + Skin Regeneration: Eucerin Anti-Pigment Night Cream

    Formulated with Thiamidol and Dexpanthenol, this regenerating night cream reduces dark spots and supports skin regeneration overnight.

  • Sun Protection + Oil Control: Sun Face Oil Control Gel-Cream SPF50+

    As much as we’d like to avoid it, oily and acne-prone skin does need sun protection too. The sun’s harmful UV rays can darken your existing pigmentation, making pimple mark removal difficult. Eucerin’s lightweight, non-comedogenic sunscreen helps you tackle acne-causing oiliness and sun damage at once with powerful SPF 50+.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to remove pimple scars and prevent them, it’s time to build your own skincare regimen and remain consistent with it. Explore the vast products for acne and blemishes and hyperpigmentation products offered by Eucerin. Don’t forget to seal off your regimen with proper sun protection.

FAQs:

  1. How to prevent dark spots after pimples?

    Simply stop picking and squeezing pimples and acne to prevent dark spots. Use proper skincare, sun protection, pimple patches if recommended by your dermatologist, and gentle products to keep pimple and acne marks at bay.

  2. How to get rid of a pimple that turned into a dark spot?

    Create a skin regimen that works towards regulating melanin and fading dark spots. Use spot treatments and topical serums with ingredients like Thiamidol to maintain an even skin tone.

  3. How can I lighten dark spots from acne fast?

    Talk to your dermatologist and look into chemical peels, prescribed retinoids, and laser therapy to speed up your process of pimple mark removal. However, these treatments can be harsher, more invasive, and can injure your skin if not done right. Make sure you are getting these administered from trusted clinics. You can support the results with a consistent skin routine.

  4. Do acne dark marks go away?

    Yes, the dark marks left by acne fade over time. Follow a proper skin brightening regimen and allow your products some time to show effects.

Sources

  • Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Acne scars. Cleveland Clinic.
  • WebMD. (n.d.). Acne scars on skin of color. WebMD.
  • Healthline. (n.d.). How to get rid of dark spots. Healthline.
  • Self. (n.d.). Ask a derm: Why do pimples leave dark spots? Self.
  • WebMD. (n.d.). Acne scars on skin of color. WebMD.
  • National Center for Biotechnology Information. (n.d.). [Title of the article]. [Journal Name], Volume, pages.
  • Healthline. (n.d.). Chemical peels for acne scars. Healthline.
  • Healthline. (n.d.). Microdermabrasion for acne scars. Healthline.