Acne

Acne Topics

• Acne Index
• Overview
• Common Causes
• How Acne Forms?
• Stages Of Acne
• Acne Treatments
• Skin Care For Acne
• Acne Facts
• Acne Scars
• Acne Like Conditions
• Acne Mechanica
• Quick Cures
• Severe Acne
• Pregnancy
• Acne Articles
• Acne Myths Quiz

Related Topics

• What Is Sebum?
• Benzoyl Peroxide
• Comedogenicity

Acne & PIH

Acne - PIH And It’s Treatment

When acne resolves, it may leave a scar or a colored mark on the skin. The colored mark is called PIH aka Post Inflammatory Hyper- pigmentation. The color is due to natural healing process of the body. It fades away slowly.

The color of PIH depends upon the individuals skin color. PIH is not a scar. A true scar does not fade away, but PIH fades away. If you are troubled by PIH, find out how to speed up the fading of the PIH?

Retinoids

Retinoids increase the turnover of skin cells. As the turnover of skin cells increases, new cells form faster and color gets removed in a short time. Retinoids are therefore useful in resolving PIH quickly.

Retinoids are derivatives of Vitamin A. Adaplene, Tazarotene and Tretinoin are common retinoids. Retinoids can cause dryness of the skin and may also cause itching in some individuals. Sun protection is a must while using retinoids because they make the skin more sensitive to sun. To know more about retinoids, click here.

AHAs

Alpha Hydroxy Acids are useful in skin rejuvenation. AHAs remove the dead skin cells. They loosen the bonds between the skin cells and remove the dead cells. This increases the growth of new cells. Glycolic is one of the common AHAs and many formulations are available with Glycolic Acid. Use of these formulations will remove the dead skin cells and help resolve the PIH quickly. To know more about AHA’s click here

Bleaches

Skin bleaches such as Hydroquinone and Azelaic Acid are useful in removing the excess skin color. They should be used carefully otherwise they may lighten the spot compared to the surrounding skin. To know more about Skin bleaches click here-

Sun Exposure

PIH has higher density of melanin- the skin color pigment. The sunrays selectively darken such spots more than they darken the other skin. It is therefore important to protect the darkened spots from sun. A good sunscreen must be used till the color fades away.