Post inflammatory hyper pigmentation is THE worst. You finally clear your pesky pimple and you are left with a red mark that can last weeks, months & even years. Unfortunately there really isn't much that will help rid you of this mark but time, however a few things that might speed it up. PIH can be a result of acne, ingrown hairs, or any injury to the skin. Due to the injury to the skin, the inflammation has triggered melanin production as an immune response. Picking at a pimple or scraping a scar can make this worse. Here are some things to help speed up PIH.
1) Mandelic Acid: My clients are very aware of my obsession with Mandelic Acid. Mandelic has the largest molecule structure of all the Alpha Hydroxy Acids, meaning it doesn't penetrate as deeply causing lots of dryness, downtime or inflammation. Mandelic Acid is an amazing ingredient for acne, aging and pigmentation. I love mandelic acid in all of my at home skin care products and in office treatments.
2) IPL: Intense Pulsed Light for vascularity can help some with PIH but won't always get rid of it completely. IPL is a little uncomfortable and does feel like a hot rubber band snap. I love to get an IPL done once a year for my redness in my face or any pigmentation I have. Sometimes it can take multiple treatments but one or two a year does it for me. Make sure you research who you go to for your IPL treatments. I have tons of clients who have gone to places with poorly trained technicians and have permanent scarring left from IPL. I personally do not perform IPL on my own now but have tons of places I recommend to go have it done.
3) Lactic Acid: Lactic Acid is a very gentle yet effective ingredient in peels and at home products. Lactic Acid is exfoliating, increases collagen and elastin, super moisturizing (great for dry skin), fades pigmentation, and gives an amazing overall glow to the skin. I love in office lactic acid peels, in office enzymes containing lactic acid and Viktoria DeAnn's 5% Lactic Acid & Collagen peptide product. It is a mild at home peel and delivers excellent results.
4) Microneedling: Microneedling is my favorite thing ever. It uses a pen device or roller with small tiny needles to puncture the skin and create tiny "holes" in the skin. This stimulates the skins wound healing response to stimulate collagen and elastin, it is great for tightening the skin, pitted acne scarring, surgical scars, etc. It also really helps with the red acne marks as well. I love microneedling more than most lasers for scarring and tightening. It is nice because you have very little downtime and amazing results. You can have it done at most med spas, derms or plastic surgeon offices. They will numb you prior so there is very little pain. You will experience redness the day of and usually pink the next day or two, you can also have a little bit of dryness with this treatment and flake for a few days. It is my favorite treatment ever & I have had the best luck with acne scarring with this treatment.
5) Kojic & Arbutin: These lighteners are in lots of products/peels and also help lighten PIH. These are in my Skin Script Glycolic/Retinol Pads as well as my face reality peels. These ingredients do a great job to lighten pigmentation and even skin tone.
Products that I recommend to help lighten PIH:
-Skin Scripts Glycolic/Retinol Pads
-Viktoria DeAnn 5% Lactic Acid & Collagen
-Skin Scripts Retinol Scrub/Mask
-Face Reality Mandelic Cleanser or Mandelic Scrub
-Face Reality Mandelic Serum
