Many people suffering from acne scars try to address the problem at home before taking more drastic steps with a dermatologist, and Dr. Michael Rains, board-certified dermatologist with Westlake Dermatology, said patients have had some success at this, especially with post-acne redness and hyper-pigmentation. "There are many at-home treatments that can be helpful with skin remodeling and reduction of redness," he said. "First, the post acne redness (called post-inflammatory erythema) can last longer with unprotected sun exposure; thus, the most important prevention and reduction of long lasting redness is sun protection, including sunscreen use. I typically recommend a broad spectrum sunscreen (UVA and UVB) with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide." He also recommends antioxidants (such as niacinamide) to help reduce DNA damage and inflammation that lead to redness.
"There are times that redness can be replaced with dark areas (called post-inflammatory hyper-pigmentation) that require brightening products," he added. "There are over-the-counter, safe products that include natural-based lightening ingredients, including vitamin C (ascorbic acid), vitamin A (retinol), kojic acid (derived from mushroom extract), or arbutin (bearberry extract). A dermatologist can prescribe lightening medications that include hydroquinone, if needed. However, over-use and long-term use of hydroquinone can cause paradoxical darkening of skin, so it is important to be followed closely by your dermatologist if using hydroquinone products."
Rains cautions that choosing the right products for you can be difficult. "Scar topical products are plentiful; however, it is difficult to decipher through effective topical products over the less effective products. Studies have shown sun protection in addition to silicone-based topicals or pads can enhance scar remodeling and reduce overall scar appearance."
