How to Heal Acne Redness to Achieve Clear Skin
Let’s talk about breakouts. Or more specifically, the aftermath of breakouts. Whether you have teen acne or adult acne, or just the occasional breakout, if you pick or have a really bad cystic pimple, you know what that means—acne scarring.
But not just acne scarring, acne redness, which makes it even more pronounced thanks to that inflammation, is a mark that can be very difficult to get rid of. How are acne scars and discoloration problems remedied?
Keep reading for guidance on how to reduce redness from acne.
What Is Acne Redness?
Redness can be caused by trauma to the skin cells caused by aggressively picking at blemishes. Picking at the skin can leave a red post-breakout mark long after the infection disappears. Whether or not you picked at your blemish (hopefully not), it’s common to be left with a red, dark, or purple mark that can hang around for weeks.
It leaves a scar because it stretches and damages the surrounding tissue, resulting in increased melanin activity. This is considered to be a scar, but it will fade with time by using a skin lightener and increasing exfoliation. Also, infections can cause a blemish to be red and inflamed.
Inflammation is the body’s natural response mechanism to heal itself. Unfortunately, when it goes on too long, inflammation can become very harmful to the skin—this is when you see dark spots where the acne lesion was. This is called post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. So the redness is the skin still creating inflammation as it’s healing the area.
Another factor is the dilation of the blood vessels. This occurs due to the increased nutritional needs of the inflamed lesions since the cells are excessively active. Those vessels may take six to 12 weeks to completely shrink, so often the older lesions have a purple hue as the rest of the inflammation resolves.
Don’t Touch Your Acne
Do not pick your skin! For starters, ice it down. The cold helps to reduce both redness and swelling caused by picking at a blemish. Apply an ice cube directly to the blemish, and leave it on for 10 minutes. Then, apply a blemish treatment appropriate for the type you’re dealing with. You’ll have clearer skin with fewer scars.
Try Anti-Inflammatory Treatments and Diet
The best way to prevent the inflammation is to use acne products that have anti-inflammatory properties in them. That is going to help repair and fortify the skin barrier—so the skin can become healthy as quickly as possible.
Eating an anti-inflammatory diet will also help prevent inflammation from showing up on your skin. Avoid foods that increase inflammation including chocolate, sugar, starch, alcohol, and spicy foods.
Use Sunscreen
In addition to using the appropriate blemish treatment, wear sunscreen to treat red spots, since it can help expedite the healing and fading process. If the affected skin is exposed to daylight, the UV rays stimulate the melanin cells—even if it’s cloudy outside—making the scar darker and redder in color and visible longer.
Drink Tea
Spearmint tea and green tea especially help acne redness clear faster. Green tea is a botanical derived from the leaves and buds of the tea plant Camellia sinensis. The active components of green tea are polyphenols (also called catechins) that are believed to benefit the skin due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Purchase Brightening and Exfoliating Products
Find a spot treatment to lighten and fade red, dark, or purple scars and spots left behind from blemishes on the skin. The product should use a blend of gentle brighteners and exfoliating acids to lift discoloration and fade stubborn acne marks. You’ll see a dramatically noticeable improvement in promoting even-toned skin with continued use.
Try Micro Needling
While this is one of the more expensive options, micro needling may also give you the best results. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, this procedure is going to work the best on acne scars that have an "indented" look along with scars that have created hyperpigmentation. This is due to the promotion of collagen micro needling brings to the skin, which makes it stronger, elastic, and more hydrated.
The downfall is you may require anywhere from three to six treatments to see results, which can add up.
Switch to Natural Skin Care
What is foolproof for getting clear skin is switching up your skin care. Most acne products are too harsh for your skin type, filled with harsh acids, and can easily dry your skin out—which makes those red marks stand out even more. With natural skin care, the ingredients are just as powerful but more gentle to tackle acne problems. Most natural ingredients are anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial!
The Takeaway
So now that you have some idea of how to achieve clear skin and heal acne redness, it’s time to find that natural skin care line. Enter: Wild Naturals! Our clean ingredients and transparent benefits will have you rushing to click “Add to Cart” and we couldn’t agree more. Shop our products and prevent future acne while healing up your current skin issues!
