Oftentimes, acne scarring on dark skin can look worse than acne itself. This is because of hyper-pigmentation and types of scarring that many African Americans experience due to acne. Melanin gathers at the site of the scar, along with excess skin tissue and makes that particular area darker than the rest of the skin. The most frequent types of scars that affect African Americans are keloid scars, which are caused by a build up of collagen in the skin when it heals over-zealously. It is important to take measures to prevent and treat acne to begin with, but once scarring has occurred, it does not have to be permanent.
3 Home Remedies for Treating Acne Scarring on African American Skin
There are a few home remedies that can be effective in reducing these scars:
1) One effective way to even out a darker complexion is by a facial steam bath. This can be done just like you would for a cold or sinus infection, by putting your face over a bowl of steaming water and draping a towel over your head and the bowl. It’s important to ensure that you don’t get your face too close to the water — 12 inches is recommended to avoid steam burns. Your face should be steamed for about 10-15 minutes, then splashed with cool water to rinse away any of the impurities that have emerged. This helps to unclog pores that could cause future acne. At the same time, it loosens dead skin cells that cause the remaining scars. Steaming must be done routinely in order to help with scars on African American skin.
2) Another home remedy that is used to treat acne scars on African American skin is exfoliating with baking soda. This is an all natural remedy that helps to remove the dead skin cells that have built up on the sight of the acne scar and can help to reduce the appearance of the scars by taking away some of the build up of skin.
3) Vitamin E can also help even out the skin tone of African American skin that has been affected by acne. As a natural nourishment and moisturizer massaged into the skin, Vitamin E can also remove some of the layers of dead skin and reveal a more even, beautiful brown skin tone.
Sometimes, Home Remedies Are Not Effective for Acne Scarring on African American Skin
Home remedies for acne scarring can be time consuming and are often not as effective as other methods. Because this is so, it is extremely important to be as easy and gentle on the skin as possible. There are acne scar treatments on the market that use as many natural ingredients as possible and give excellent results to those trying to minimize scarring on African American skin. Microdermabrasion and chemical peels, using only the most natural ingredients when possible will often provide visible results as soon as after the first use.
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