Best Skin Products For Post Acne Redness (PIE)
Acne is a prevalent skin disorder that affects roughly half of all adolescents and adults. Acne can cause scars, hyper-pigmentation, red bumps, or pustules on your skin. If you're suffering from acne or post-acne blemishes, I've listed some best products for red acne scars that may be of assistance in this blog.
Over the years, you've certainly heard a lot about skin care, and the best advice appears to vary every month. To make things easier for you, we looked at popular articles online to see what products to use for different forms of acne and came up with some recommendations.
What is Post-Inflammatory Erythema (PIE)?
It's a persistent redness after your acne has healed and gone away and it can actually last a very long time. it's a little bit different than another type of post-acne mark post-inflammatory hyper-pigmentation which is when the acne heals with a dark mark instead of post-inflammatory erythema.
It heals with either a red or pink or purplish mark, down in the deeper layers of the skin, there is damage to the blood vessels and so there's persistent redness as opposed to post-inflammatory hyper-pigmentation where you have pigment that kind of leaks out into the skin and creates that stain this is a little bit different.
What Causes Post-Inflammatory Erythema?
Both post-inflammatory erythema and post-inflammatory hyper-pigmentation are caused by the inflammation that acne causes in the skin, which is why they occur, and both heal very slowly with time and patience. However, there are some factors that can worsen post-inflammatory erythema.
Post-Inflammatory Erythema (PIE) VS Post-Inflammatory Hyper-pigmentation (PIH):
Many people have a combination of post-inflammatory erythema and post-inflammatory hyper-pigmentation, and while the conditions are different, some of the ingredients used to help them resolve are similar. If you're curious and can't tell whether your spa is purplish dark or you're not sure, one way to tell if its erythema is to press on it and see if it blanches or fades temporarily.
Post-Inflammatory Erythema (PIE) VS Acne Scars:
Many people have a combination of post-inflammatory erythema and true scars, which necessitate procedures such as resurfacing lasers and other such procedures to flatten, smooth, and otherwise treat them. If you've been dealing with this for years and no longer have active acne, it's possible that you have acne scars.
I recommend consulting a board-certified dermatologist to discuss which therapies are most appropriate for you to achieve the outcomes you desire, but post-inflammatory erythema is a relatively new phrase, believe it or not. Because post-inflammatory erythema was first identified in 2013, there isn't much information on how to treat it.
We don't have a lot of randomized controlled trials and research, but it fades over time as the burst capillaries heal and the inflammation subsides, so it's a lengthy healing process.
So, what can you do? Well, you want to make sure that you protect your skin from the sun because ultraviolet radiation slows down the healing process, making both post-inflammatory erythema and post-inflammatory hyper-pigmentation last longer. So, make sure that you wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen every day and reapply it a few times a day while you're indoors or every two hours if you're going to be outside.
Another key aspect of healing post-acne scars, regardless of the type, is to avoid picking at your skin. Picking the skin causes additional inflammation, which leads to more capillary breakdown, more redness, more irritation, and more hyper-pigmentation, therefore no squeezing, picking, or popping.
The second important aspect is that if you have any current acne and try to address the post-inflammatory redness or hyper-pigmentation while your acne is active, it will be very tough to get on top of that, so make sure you're treating the acne first.
Ingredients That Are Helpful for Post Acne Redness:
For a lot of people, acne is a thing of the past and it's the redness or the hyper-pigmentation that you're still dealing with, there are some wonderful ingredients that can help this condition:
1. When used topically, niacinamide can aid with redness. There's no need to go for a niacinamide product with a greater percentage; higher does not indicate better. Instead, look for the chemical niacinamide in skin-care products that can aid with redness and hyper-pigmentation.
2. Licorice root is another fantastic ingredient for redness. It's anti-inflammatory, so it helps to reduce any lingering irritation in the skin while also reducing redness.
3. Tranexamic acid, a melasma treatment that we provide by mouth. There's been a lot of interest in using tranexamic acid topically to treat hyper-pigmentation diseases, but what we've noticed is that while the data on its efficacy for hyper-pigmentation is still out, it does seem to help with redness, particularly the type of redness that occurs after acne has healed, which makes sense because tranexamic acid interferes with blood clotting.
4. Centella is another ingredient that has proven to be beneficial in the healing process. Now that we have evidence that it aids in the healing and improvement of scars, it stands to reason that it would be beneficial in this case as well. Centella Asiatica is found in several moisturizers and certain serums, some of which I will discuss here, so that's another ingredient to think about.
5. Azelaic acid, on the other hand, is an anti-inflammatory that can aid with redness and irritation. It will also assist with hyper-pigmentation if you have that problem.
6. Retinol or retinoid can really help enhance collagen formation in the deeper layers of the skin, which can help fill in any deficiencies and aid in the resorption of those ruptured capillaries, so that's something you should certainly have on board as long as you tolerate it. Some of you may be aware that retinol can be drying and irritating, but as long as you tolerate it, continue to use retinol or retinoid, or if you were taking one to treat acne, continue to use it.
Don't worry about the redness; it will decrease with time. However, as I mentioned before, genuine scars will not fade with time, and you will need to consult a board-certified dermatologist to discuss your possibilities. There is nothing that you can buy in a store or make in your kitchen that will remove a true scar. However, there are numerous cosmetic treatments that can significantly enhance the appearance of post-acne scars. In most cases, a combination of cosmetic procedures is required.
Recommended Products:
1. Good Molecules Discoloration Correcting Serum:
This product that I happen to think is good to consider for post-inflammatory hyper-pigmentation or redness. It has four percent niacinamide which can be helpful for calming down redness and again for treating any hyper-pigmentation.
It also contains tranexamic acid, which, as I previously stated, is showing a lot of promise for treating redness, so consider using it up to twice a day after cleansing the skin, applying it while the skin is still damp to help increase the penetration of the active ingredients in this, and then simply layering a moisturizer on top.
If it's the morning time, just go ahead and layer your sunscreen on top that's fine too. This product's pretty moisturizing as well, it's very lightweight, and absorbs into the skin very quickly so that's a good one to consider.
2. Cosrx Centella Aqua Soothing Ampoule:
Centella has been proven to aid in the healing process. Their entire Centella line is excellent, but this one, in particular, is exceptional.
Not only does it have Centella Asiatica extract in it but actually has the active compounds from the Centella Asiatica pennywort.
It has the bioactive compounds and also has the active compounds from the plant isolated, extracted, and included in the product plus it's got Chondrus crispus extract, a marine extract that helps add hydration so that's going to help your moisture barrier as well, so this is a very good product.
Similar to how you would apply a discoloration correcting serum, you simply want to apply it to the skin while it is still damp after cleansing, or you can apply it to dry skin, but damp skin will increase penetration, and then apply a moisturizer over it so that Centella can get in there and help with the healing process.
I really like Cosrx; they have some great products, and this one is definitely a nice Centella product to consider if you're looking to speed up your recovery.
3. It'S Skin Li Effector:
I have been so impressed with this serum which is fantastic for calming down redness and brightening up hyper-pigmentation. It has licorice root which is really good for redness and also good for hyper-pigmentation.
It's similar to the other two serums, in that you apply it to your skin up to twice a day under your moisturizer or sunscreen. It's a great fragrance-free option. if I didn't mention that already all these products, I’m talking about in the blog are free of fragrance.
4. ProCure Rosacare:
This cream can be difficult to come by, but if you're dealing with redness, it's absolutely worth looking for. It contains licorice root and niacinamide, and because it is green, it helps to conceal redness.
This serum is excellent and quite light. It has a hydrogel texture and can be used alone as a moisturizer, but if your skin is particularly dry, you should probably layer another moisturizer on top. It's not as effective in reducing what's known as transepidermal water loss from the skin, but depending on your needs, you might use it as a moisturizer or as a serum underneath other products.
You can use it up to twice a day, and you can even use it at night, just like the other serums. The green color in this originates from chromium oxides; it doesn't stain or rub off on items, and it's not like makeup or foundation or anything else, so you don't have to worry about the green washing off.
In other words, it just provides that cosmetic camouflage benefit, which is very nice, and you really do see a reduction in redness for me personally, I use it a lot when I get a lot of redness and irritation around my mouth from the mask, and it's a really helpful product for me in those situations, but for those of you dealing with post-acne redness, definitely check it out.
5. CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum:
I mentioned retinol at the start, and retinoids can help you heal faster. This serum is designed to address not only the needs of acne with retinol, but also the "bystander injury," or hyper-pigmentation, redness, and dryness that can occur when taking retinol.
It has ceramides that help the moisture barrier and aid in the healing and recovery of post-acne redness. This is an excellent one to include in your daily routine.
6. Cetaphil Redness Relieving Day & Night Moisturizer:
These moisturizers are also great because they contain licorice root and ceramides. These are daytime moisturizers that can be used on their own. It's tinted and contains a small amount of SPF. The tint on the product isn't always suitable for those with medium to deep skin tones; it's more suited for persons who are paler, who, coincidentally, are more prone to post-acne redness. It's fantastic for those who have redness issues, and there's also a midnight version without the SPF or tint. It's an excellent moisturizer for people with sensitive skin and redness.
Conclusion:
These are some products that I think can really help you guys who are dealing with post-acne redness. I know it is very frustrating having acne is super frustrating it can really impact your self-esteem and all that but I feel as though sometimes we shouldn't just stop at the acne treatment and then think that we're going to wash our hands out. There is still a significant amount of bystander injury to be addressed.
For the longest time, products aimed at addressing post-acne fallout or the bystander injury of dry skin hyper-pigmentation and post-acne redness were largely ignored; instead, they were primarily aimed at spot treatments, overnight treatments, or things that would get rid of pimples quickly. That was the marketing and that's how products were designed to prevent breakouts and clear breakouts, but there wasn't really anything aimed at addressing post-acne fallout or the bystander injury.
So, I hope these products and tips are really helpful. If this is something that you have been dealing with for like over a year then definitely see a board-certified dermatologist and say hey is this just post-acne redness, do I need to be a little bit more patient with this, give it some more time, or do I have some scarring here that we could consider treating.
I hope you found this blog useful; if so, please share it with your friends, and remember to wear sunscreen at all times.
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