Best acne scar treatment for dark skin

The bad news: There's no secret ingredient or miracle gadget that makes scars totally disappear. Don't get discouraged, though. Some of the best acne scar treatments can significantly diminish the discoloration and texture a blemish can leave behind. 

Before diving into the solutions, let's sort out the basics about acne scars. For starters, a lot of what you may think of as acne scarring is really post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation or erythema — brown or red spots — rather than a permanent change in the texture of the skin. "Scars and discoloration occur as a result of injury to the skin, and in the case of acne, the injury is related to excess oil production, inflammation, and bacteria," says board-certified dermatologist Marisa Garshick, M.D., who is based in New York City. She also notes that when the skin tries to repair itself after a breakout, it can leave a red, pink, tan, or brown mark behind, depending on the blemish and the individual's skin tone. 

"Pimples that scar usually have dead skin cells, oil, bacteria, fluid, and white blood cells in them," explains Boston-based board-certified dermatologist Papri Sarkar, M.D. "These things take up space by stretching the skin and cause inflammation that can break down the pore that they're in and the surrounding skin." 

What are the different types of acne scars?

Due to its inflammatory and bacterial aspects, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation after acne is considered its own category in the world of discoloration and scarring. "This differs from sunspots or hyperpigmentation that is the result of an increase in melanin from UV exposure and environmental stressors — [both of which can] lead to free-radical damage that can manifest as brown spots," Dr. Sarkar explains.

If there's been too much skin warping by the original pimple, it may cause a scar that looks indented. Or on the other end of the texture spectrum, "when the blemish heals a little too well, you can get an excess of skin added that forms a bump or raised scar," says Dr. Sarkar. "Either way, acne scars cause a textural change that leaves hills and valleys on the face that bother people greatly." 

Acne scars are slightly different than other pigmentation and texture changes. Many people can have acne without any resulting scab or textural change. "The lesions that tend to form scars are the ones that are really inflamed or really large," says Dr. Sarkar. She notes that the deeper, more painful acne bumps that have a lot of contents within them tend to be the ones that leave a mark or scab behind. "The worse the acne, the more likely your skin is to have acne scarring," Dr. Sakar adds.

What are the best treatments for acne scars?

Luckily, there's a bevy of gels, creams, and treatments that can bring blemish-induced discoloration down. Dr. Sarkar says that collagen-building ingredients will generally help acne scars, so she looks to retinoids, vitamin C, and alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) when treating her patients. 

Breakouts are annoying but, for certain skin types, the aftermath can be even worse. You get a spot, you squeeze the spot and then you’re left with an acne scar or hyperpigmentation that will last for months. This can happen to all skin types, but on black skin, in which melanin is more active, it’s probably going to be slightly more noticeable and take longer to fade. That’s why we caught up with aesthetician and founder of the Black Skin Directory, Dija Ayodele, to find out the best defence and offence tools to have in your arsenal to keep those pesky, persistent marks at bay.

With more than 12 years of experience in the beauty industry, Ayodele founded the Black Skin Directory after she noticed a pattern of black clients visiting her skincare clinic in London from as far as France, as they felt they didn’t have anyone in their area who could deal with their particular skin issues. 

The Black Skin Directory aims to change that misconception, compiling an ever-expanding list of aestheticians and skincare professionals across the country who are equipped to confidently work with black skin. “I knew that there were people out there who are white, Indian, whatever, who probably understood black skin, but they just weren't marketing themselves to say that they could do that,” she explains. “Fundamentally, if you've got a skin concern that you want sorted out, the skin colour of the practitioners shouldn't make a difference. That was why Black Skin Directory was set up, to help connect people of colour to other experts.”

Yet in 2020 it’s more difficult than ever before to access expert advice face-to-face, with Covid-19 restrictions and lockdowns providing yet another obstacle in the pursuit of flawless skin. Never fear, the below advice should help you on your way to achieving smooth, scar-free skin. Implement these tips now and leave 2020 glowing.

Causes of acne scarring

No prizes for guessing what the main cause of acne scarring is. That’s right, it’s acne, so if you’re having a persistent problem with breakouts, then you should try to address that first. However, there are a few things that can exacerbate scarring. Scarring occurs when skin experiences trauma, so if you pick at spots, that will likely worsen the scars that you’ll be left with afterwards. Ayodele also says that messing around with home remedies can have a negative effect on your skin.

“Culturally, you'll have a lot of black men of West African origin using things like black soap at home, because there is a myth that, if you have acne, you need to dry up the skin,” she says. “If you dry out your skin, it will produce more oil to compensate. You can't turn off the sebaceous glands that produce oil. So you have this vicious cycle of people trying to use these home remedies that are not tackling the problem.”

Types of acne scarring

Hyperpigmentation

If you’re left with dark marks after a breakout, then you’re experiencing hyperpigmentation. This can occur on all skin types, but is more common in black skin, because whereas skin’s natural pigment, melanin, is only produced as a response to trauma in white skin, it is constantly being produced in black skin to maintain its colour. So, when black skin experiences trauma, such as spots, cuts or even shaving, extra melanin production is more easily triggered, which means the skin is more likely to take on more pigmentation.

“When there's any sign of impending damage, the melanin cells won’t just then produce melanin in a very even and informed manner,” explains Ayodele. “Each melanin cell has about five to eight fingers and the melanin pigment travels up the fingers and then feeds into the surrounding skin cells. When the skin feels any trauma, that melanin sat in the centre just sparks off. It’s not a controlled process at all, which is why you get pigmentation damage.”

Mario Badescu Glycolic Foaming Cleanser, from £7.95. At beautybay.com

Best treatments: The good news is that hyperpigmentation is the easiest form of acne scarring to treat, with things such as skin peels and high-quality at-home skincare products proving to be effective. Look out for ingredients such as glycolic acid, salicylic acid and retinoids during your next skincare haul, as these will help resurface and brighten the skin, while also preventing decongestion that could lead to further acne.

Pitted acne scarring

If you have hollow indents in your skin as a result of acne, then it’s likely that you’ve got pitted acne scarring. Here, the issue is with texture rather than pigmentation, which is caused by a lack of collagen that would usually fill out the skin. “Collagen is the building block and the scaffolding of the skin, so we need to plump that up to encourage collagen to rebuild,” says Ayodele.

Best treatments: Since pitted acne scarring affects the texture of the skin, it can be more difficult to treat. Things such as micro-needling will help stimulate collagen, which uses small needles to prick the skin and encourage resurfacing. While there are products available to do this at home, it is recommended that you consult a skincare specialist first to avoid creating too much trauma at the skin’s surface, which could make the situation worse.

Keloid scarring

Keloid scarring is essentially the opposite of pitted acne scarring, occurring when there is too much collagen production that results in raised scar tissue. Some people may be more prone to keloid scarring, but the problem can be made worse by picking at the skin, which creates a wound that causes an overproduction of collagen. “Instead of stopping at the site of healing when you’ve produced enough collagen to heal, the skin just produces more collagen and you get this sort of growth of fleshy skin,” says Ayodele.

Best treatments: As Ayodele says, “Keloids are very challenging to treat and typically it is advisable not to perform treatments that cause injury to skin. Most rejuvenating treatments are a form of controlled injury.” There are options such as laser treatment and steroid injections, but at a time where access to these options are limited Ayodele warns that they could make the situation worse. Your best bet is to consult a dermatologist for your specific issues.

How to prevent further scarring

So, you've picked a spot and you know that it's going to scar. Is there anything you can do to stop it in its tracks? Not exactly, but there are some products that can help minimise the damage. Ayodele recommends spot treatment gels, such as Medik8's Blemish SOS Gel and Cosrx's Acne Pimple Master Patch. Once again, salicylic acid is your friend here and anything with that in it should help minimise the effect spots will have on you skin. 

“It's important to be realistic in expectations,” Ayodele warns, “because when you have dark skin, there is always going to be some possibility of leaving the mark. But it's how you approach it that makes all the difference in terms of the severity of that mark, how dark it is and how quickly it goes away.”

Cosrx Acne Pimple Master Patches, £5.99 for 24. At feelunique.com

Building a defensive skincare routine

“The best defence is a good offence” is probably not what you want to hear if you’re looking for a solution to a current skincare problem, but it’s true that the best way to get around acne scarring is to stop acne in its tracks in the first place.

If you’re suffering with acne and don’t know where to start, Ayodele says that it’s better to simply wash your face and put on a gentle moisturiser than throw at-home treatments at the problem. That being said, there are certain ingredients to be on the lookout for when building your skincare routine.

Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Pore Perfecting Cleansing Gel, £17. At cultbeauty.co.uk

A face wash with alpha hydroxy acids, such as folic acid or mandelic acid, will help exfoliate your skin, while salicylic acid will decongest and deep cleanse to help rid the skin of excess oil. “You need the exfoliating elements because you need the dead skin cells to be taken off the skin, as they feed into the acne as well,” explains Ayodele. “After that, you might need an anti-inflammatory serum to help calm down the skin. You’ll also need a gentle, oil-free moisturiser and a sunscreen. Those are your basics.

“Depending on the severity of the acne, you should always use a vitamin A product at night, whether that be retinol or retinaldehyde. This will help further decongest and exfoliate the skin and also help to control oil in the sebaceous glands.”

Sunday Riley A+ High-Dose Retinoid Serum, £70. At cultbeauty.co.uk

Laser treatments and chemical peels

While they might not be an option during lockdown, laser treatments are effective in reducing the appearance of hyperpigmentation and acne scars. You'll need to consult a dermatologist before you go ahead with this, but, for black skin, you'll want to find a clinic that offers cool laser treatments, as other lasers may trigger heat in the skin, which could create more pigmentation damage. 

When it comes to chemical peels, because they come in a variation of different grades and concentrations, Ayodele says the most important thing to consider is what stage you acne is currently at. Again, consult with a dermatologist before you take the plunge. 

Dija Ayodele's clinic, West Room Aesthetics, is based in Maida Vale, London. westroomaesthetics.com

Find a dermatologist near you at Black Skin Directory. blackskindirectory.com

Read more

“It makes me feel extra black”: four men on their Afro hair journeys

The best protective braid styles to keep your hair looking fresh all winter

How to care for Afro hair

Do acne scars go away on black skin?

How do dermatologist get rid of dark acne scars?