I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice/if anything worked well for them re light acne scarring or red marks on pale skin…
Background: I have never had terrible breakouts, had fairly nice skin but often a spot or two throughout my twenties, my skin was always more oily or combination, and some larger pores etc. However I was pretty confident as 1. My skin didn’t use to scar, or I’d be left with a pink marks only temporarily and 2. My foundation (Nars) was a really good match for my skin and I would wear it every day and it would cover pretty much any blemish if I had one for the day and I’d be fairly confident even on days where I had worse skin.
I did neglect my skin through my twenties and early thirties though ( I didn’t even wash my foundation off properly every day- and I never got facials or used spf or moisturiser or anything. I didn’t feel the need, but I suppose I also lacked the confidence to ever show my bare skin. Even when just going out locally!)
I am now 37, and have just had my third baby. Second baby in two years and I guess my hormones have been in quite a bit of flux, through pregnancies and breastfeeding - plus I’m not in my twenties anymore! My skin in terms of spots is fine, I don’t really get them anymore, just the odd one-and I don’t pick at them anymore at all if I do!- but I have a few pink marks from old spots, some of which are very light and fading I think, but a few others have been there for two years now! They’re probably only noticeable to me or in certain lights… and now I take better care of my skin generally than I did and I often go without foundation at all now on ‘at home’ days/days where I’m not going out etc
anyway, to the point: whilst most of these marks don’t bother me, there are two darker, slightly dented marks in particular near my smile lines that I noticed after my second baby was born, about 18 months ago. They are from just small and inconsequential spots I got there during that pregnancy I think. It might sound silly, but they really knock my confidence because of where they are on my face… I really want to wear less make up and every morning they are just there in the mirror, and if I put a light layer of foundation on it makes them look worse sometimes (using a nice light Nars one that looks good and natural everywhere else on my face!). When I’m barefaced the skin looks more even I think, but the marks are there and I want to cover them but then I have to build the foundation up in that area to cover them but it just looks crap/settles in them/my lines etc- and it’s just annoying.
about a year ago I tried Paula’s choice products, their exfoliator, and I use a nice spf moisturiser during the day under make up if I wear some (admittedly not every single day though at this time of year). I then tried dermalogica for three months, they prescribed azeloac acid but it made no difference at all to my skin, to any of the marks, and I was religious with it. It in fact made my skin look worse overall I think as it was drying and made any marks more red!
any advice from anyone who has had the same problem with light acne marks on pale and reasonably sensitive skin? I have researched things like chemical peels, dermaplaning, microdermabrasion etc, but I am a bit scared of those (I never go to salons for beauty treatments!) and I am currently breastfeeding so I know there are some things that they say to avoid potentially.
There are some good clinics in my town for various treatments but I don’t know where to begin/what to ask for.
i am generally not a vain person, i want to wear less or no make up most of the time, but I just want these marks to fade/improve and it’s probably because of all the changes to my lifestyle and looks in other ways since having two babies close together that makes me preoccupied with it.
I want to stop being anxious about them… When I see other women of various ages close up I can see that sometimes their skin is worse than mine in terms of acne etc- or I don’t even notice their skin at all obviously- so the other part of me thinks who cares, stop worrying! My partner also says he prefers me without makeup and that I have nice skin… but if there is a way of improving these marks then I’ll try it, that’s all?