what to put on a pimple so it doesnt scar

You popped your pimple, even though you've been told non to. Now what?

Information technology feels like a brutal cycle that can't be cleaved, no affair how well you lot take care of your peel. According to Dr. Sandra Lee — aka Dr. Pimple Popper — the way you treat a pimple affects how (and if) a scar forms. Earlier you swear off popping for good, you should also know there's a huge difference between a true acne scar and an acne marking, which is what most of u.s.a. call acne scars. A true acne scar is an indentation in the skin usually caused past picking at a pimple. An acne mark is post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

"[Acne marks] are surface marks left on our skin post-breakout that can appear every bit more pink or more brown depending on skin tone," Lee told HuffPost. "These are not technically scars and are actually areas of melanin deposits that will eventually fade over fourth dimension as your skin cells regenerate."

On the other manus, scars happen when the body tries to heal an inflammatory zit that has broken the skin. Acne scars can happen even if you summon the willpower to leave that pesky pimple solitary, but they're more probable to appear (and accept longer to disappear) if you don't treat the pimple properly, like popping or picking at it. The more than inflamed the pimple, the more than probable it is to scar, and the more severe the scar will exist.

"Look for ingredients that assistance exfoliate the peel'south surface like salicylic acid and glycolic acid, and encourage cell turnover and regeneration with retinol.""

- Dr. Sanda Lee, known every bit Dr. Pimple Popper

While Lee warns against popping your own pimples , she knows we're all guilty of it. Subsequently all, she knows better than anyone that there'southward an obsession with pimple popping. If y'all must pop ane, make certain it has a white/yellow head, which has the to the lowest degree risk of scarring since information technology's close to the skin'southward surface. Once it'southward gone, use the correct products to speed up the healing process and hopefully avoid an acne mark altogether. Lee even has her own line of products including cleansers, retinols and SPF to promote healthy skin.

"Look for ingredients that help exfoliate the peel's surface like salicylic acid and glycolic acrid, and encourage jail cell turnover and regeneration with retinol," Lee says. "And of course be sure you are using SPF. Dominicus exposure is just going to darken those marks even more."

While maintaining a good skincare routine is the best way to prevent acne marks in the offset identify, there are enough of products out there that'll help you reduce the acne scars, marks and discoloration you currently have. That said, it'south worth noting that people with sensitive skin and darker peel tones might want to steer clear of sure acids that can potentially lead to unwanted discoloration, so double bank check the ingredients and talk to your dermatologist before trying anything as well stiff.

However, if you're gear up to find some of the all-time products for acne scars and dark spots, nosotros've rounded up a ton of options below, including salicylic acid to deep-clean pores and glycolic acids to exfoliate dead pare cells, as well as retinols for new cell growth and SPF for all-around protection.

Take a look beneath:

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Salicylic Acrid Cleanser: Mario Badescu Acne Facial Cleanser