This post shows you the best key ingredients to fade acne marks that are left on the surface of your skin, due to breakouts you might have had.
Table of Contents
- PIE vs PIH
- Prescription-strength retinoids
- Alpha hydroxy acids
- Salicylic acid
- Azelaic acid
- Vitamin C
- Niacinamide
- Chemical peels
- Sunscreen
- Keyloid scars and icepick scars
Before we start, let me just say something that I learned from Dr Dray, one of my favourite dermatologist creators, which is to treat your acne before you treat your scars.
It is a whole lot easier to treat skincare issues in stages, rather than treating everything all at once.
If you are still experiencing many regular breakouts, I would suggest attempting to greatly reduce the acne before you try to also tackle the red or dark marks.
My top resource to do that is my guide on how to get rid of clogged pores, which works for acne and not just clogged pores, as well as the best hormonal acne diet tips.
PIE vs PIH
Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and post-inflammatory erythema are similar but not the same.
Usually PIH is more present in medium to dark skin tones, whereas PIE is often more common in lighter skin tones.
They’re somewhat simple to differentiate, and share a lot of the same treatments.
Both occur due to inflammation of the skin where active acne has popped up.
In PIH, additional melanin production occurs and it leaves a bit of a dark mark.
In PIE, redness is the main end result. Sometimes the marks left behind can affect the surrounding skin, causing the skin to look uneven even if there are no active acne breakouts.
It can be really frustrating to find yourself constantly in a never-ending loop of treating active acne, to then have to treat the marks.
This is why if you don’t yet have your acne fully under control, I do recommend doing that. If you’re not pregnant, my personal favourite way to control acne is through dietary changes and using a prescription-strength retinoid.
You can then pair your retinoid with one or a couple of these ingredients to superpower your routine.
Prescription-strength retinoids
Okay so I know I bang on a lot about topical retinoids, but hear me out. I like them so much, because they do so much for your skin in just one product.
When I started using a retinoid, I quickly realised I no longer needed so many of my other products.
They are just such an effective treatment for so many things:
- Skin texture. This was my primary issue when I first began using a retinoid, although I’ve always had bouts of acne.
- Dark spots. Prescription strength retinoids are especially powerful at fading sun spots and dark spots, when paired with sunscreen used daily.
- Active breakouts. Did you know that retinoids are the most commonly prescribed topical acne medication? They are often misrepresented as an anti-aging treatment for older skin, but they are first and foremost an acne treatment.
- Anti-ageing and fine lines. Aside from sunscreen, they are one of the only proven anti ageing actives.
If you’re looking for a one-stop-shop that is clinically proven with decades of years worth of studies, retinoids are one of your best options.
Lastly, they are also ideal for someone who doesn’t want to have to think about which skincare products they can mix, match and layer. If this sounds like you, check out my top retinoid product recommendations.
Alpha hydroxy acids
You’ve probably read a lot about alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) already, since they are usually the go-to highstreet treatments to reduce the appearance of acne scars.
There are many kinds of AHAs, so it can be a little overwhelming:
- Glycolic acid
- Lactic acid
- Mandelic acid
There are a few others but these are the ones most commonly found in drugstore skincare products.
For best results with these, I truly don’t think you need to spend much.
There are so many AHA skin care products around that cost often less than £10 and can effectively reduce the appearance of PIE or PIH.
Glycolic acid
I cringe at the fact that I used to use the Ordinary’s glycolic acid daily. But I’m also grateful, because it taught me how important taking care of the skin’s protective barrier is.
Glycolic acid is very powerful, and with great power comes… great irritation. It does come in many different strengths, though so the irritation level varies.
It will also depend on how often you use it, what other skincare products you use and what your unique skin is like.
AHAs in general only penetrate the upper most level of the skin, but glycolic is known to penetrate the deepest of all AHAs.
Still, they work more towards the surface than something like BHA or a retinoid, meaning they are great at reducing surface level acne scarring.
Retinoids vs glycolic acid
I’ll do this comparison because I get asked about it a lot. Yes, glycolic acid can unclog your pores, and so can retinoids, but due to the different mechanisms in which they work, you will probably have to wait a lot longer for the glycolic acid to ‘clear out’ all of your pores.
For this reason, use a retinoid if you are dealing with a lot of clogged pores.
If you are dealing with just the marks, you can try an AHA like glycolic acid, just make sure not to use it too often or else you might damage your skin barrier. I recommend 1-2x a week personally.
Used sparingly like this, it is one of the best acne scar treatments around.
Like retinoids, there is also evidence to suggest that glycolic acid can stimulate collagen production, but personally I don’t feel you will see as obvious a difference as with using a retinoid (I am a retinoid snob, ok!).
Lactic acid and mandelic acid
I’ve grouped these together because they are somewhat similar. They exfoliate the top layer of the skin and are a great option for sensitive skin especially.
Lactic and mandelic acid are particularly gentle and lactic acid especially is very well researched for the treatment of acne scars. Both exfoliate dead skin cells, can reduce brown spots and work well on acne-prone skin.
Like gylcolic acid, these will also reduce acne breakouts, but are not as powerful in that department as retinoids are.
Retinoids actually increase the rate of cell turnover, which is not something acids themselves can do.
If you want to harness these more effectively in your skincare routine, you can apply the treatment directly to the darkest marks of your face after cleansing, before you apply any other products.
Allow them to sit there for 5 minutes and then continue with your routine.
Of course if your acne lesions are much larger than a pimple here and there, you’ll want to spread it across the whole area with post-inflammatory pigmentation or erythema.
Salicylic acid
Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acids that works a little differently to AHAs.
Salicylic acid penetrates deeper into the pore and can unclog blockages very effectively. It’s also a very good option for oily skin, as it can be somewhat drying.
I personally have never gotten along with salicylic acid, but I know it’s a holy grail for so many people.
Salicylic acid would probably never be my first suggestion for those wanting to fade marks, but that’s not because it can’t, it’s just not the *top* choice.
In theory, any exfoliant helps to fade marks and, just by the mere fact it may also reduce your active acne, it will probably also improve your overall skin tone over time.
Azelaic acid
I’ll be honest, I overlooked azelaic acid for a long time. I think by the time it was popular, I had already discovered retinoids and had turned my back on acids.
Unfortunately in late 2022 and then again in spring 2023 I developed perioral dermatitis (a rash around the mouth) that led me to use azelaic acid on a weekly basis.
I consulted with Dr Sam Bunting, a board-certified dermatologist who loves azelaic acid, and she told me a few bits of information that I found very interesting:
- Azelaic acid has anti-inflammatory properties, meaning it can calm down irritated skin even though it’s an ‘acid’ (sounds aggressive, ha)
- Azelaic acid can fade melasma and is one of the best treatments for it. Melasma is a pigmentation disorder of the skin.
- It’s also one of the best spot treatments for hormonal acne, but is best used across the whole of the face
- It’s one of the best products for sensitive skin and all skin types, and is tolerated well by nearly everyone
- It compliments a prescription-strength retinoid nicely without causing too much irritation
- Suitable for and is often recommended for rosacea and perioral dermatitis (not many products can say that)
Needless to say, I have really enjoyed my use of azelaic acid this year and now really appreciate all the things it can do.
As for how it can improve the appearance of scars, it is also very effective there, too!
It is particularly good for post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, as azelaic acid inhibits melanin synthesis.
This means it can prevent the hyperpigmentation from forming, stopping it in its tracks.
Over time, you’ll have a lot less PIH to treat. Anecdotally I have also seen it work particularly well in darker skin tones.
Vitamin C
You’ve probably been wondering where the hell vitamin C has been hiding in all of this.
But yes, it is widely known that vitamin C can fade acne marks and even skin tone.
I used to go straight to vitamin C in the past when I wanted to fade marks.
Controversially I now don’t use it, because I always found it led to irritation.
Oddly, vitamin C is actually one of the more irritating actives, and one of the least stable (goes off very quickly, basically).
This is why it’s not my first choice or recommendation when people ask about fading dark marks. One of the few exceptions would be Dr Sam’s ‘brightly’ serum [aff link], because it contains a blend of vitamin C, azelaic and other brightening and fading ingredients.
It is also in an airtight pump which will preserve it nicely, rather than a glass pipette dropper.
If you are still dealing with a lot of active acne breakouts, I would recommend discontinuing vitamin C while you find a solution for the acne for the most part.
You might not realise it, but the vit C might be worsening your acne or causing redness you don’t need. I know, I know, allover social media it is preached about, but you really don’t need everything social media bangs on about.
I ditched vitamin C nearly 3 years ago and have not missed it!
Niacinamide
One of my favourite recommendations for scar fading is niacinamide, because much like a retinoid, it contains a lot of other beneficial properties:
- Evens out skin tone and brightens
- Strengthens the skin barrier
- Can reduce the appearance of pores (temporarily, not permanently, in my experience)
- Can reduce oil production over time, much like retinoids
Niacinamide is a great option for fading acne marks because it’s in so many products, and can be combined with nearly any other actives too. Unlike acids, it doesn’t really come with an irritation risk, unless of course you’re sensitive to the niacinamide itself.
Chemical peels
I always get asked about chemical peels, and my honest answer is that the people who ask about them rarely need them.
Again, you should look to resolve your active acne before you invest in a chemical peel, or else your hard work and money may be wasted by future breakouts.
I think you can make really big strides with some of the active ingredients mentioned here, and I will soon be sharing my favourite products to fade acne marks that are much cheaper than chemical peels.
I’ll say one last thing on this topic, though, and that is to never attempt an at-home chemical peel – please! DIY skincare of any kind is one of my biggest icks, having done so many of them when I was younger. Please stay away!
Sunscreen
Sunscreen is often disregarded when it comes to treating PIH and PIE, but it’s actually one of the most crucial ingredients.
If you’re not wearing sunscreen, you are a lot more likely to develop dark marks, and they are much more likely to be stubborn.
Check out some of my best sunscreen recommendations for acne prone skin.
Keyloid scars and icepick scars
Unfortunately as you have probably read by now, different types of acne scars such as keyloid, hypertropic and atrophic scarring is not as easily treatable.
The ingredients in this post may help the flatter, redder or browner scarring, but not those that have distorted the skin’s surface.
For these, I would recommend laser treatment and consulting with a dermatologist – I am not the best person to advise on this!
