Best Ingredients to Fade Acne Scars

The ingredients you use in your daily skincare routine play a very vital role in managing your acne and acne scars. The use of such ingredients can help you fade acne scars or even enhance the appearance of such scars. 

Here in this post, I’ll tell you the best ingredients to fade acne scars on your face caused by breakouts or some other reasons.

As starting the post, I’ll share something that I learned from my favorite dermatologist, Dr Dray. He says that you have to create your acne before starting the spot scar treatment.

Rather than trying to treat the whole issue at once, it is easier to treat the skincare problems in stages. If you are planning to treat your acne scars then I would suggest you to reduce the acne breakouts before, it would make it easier to battle red pimple scar.

My best skincare routine for this includes how to get rid of acne scars and clogged pores, which removes all new and old scars and stops the building of new ones. I have also been using the best hormonal acne diet tips. 

PIE vs PIH

Post-inflammatory erythema and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation may look similar but actually they are quite different. 

Mostly lighter skin complexions have PIE while people with darker skins have PIH. Although they are easy to differentiate still they share many similar treatments. 

Both these conditions are caused by the inflammation of skin where acne pimples appear. In PIH dark marks appear on the skin by the overproduction of melanin while in PIE redness occurs. In some conditions, there are uneven marks on the skin even if there are no acne breakouts.  

It is really challenging to overcome the continuous cycle of acne with so much effort, so if you are not pregnant and have full body control then I would recommend you to change your routine with dietary changes and using prescribed retinoids. 

Prescription-Strength Retinoids

I know I always hype retinoids whenever I talk about skincare. I am just in love with retinoids in skincare because they are kind of all in one package for skin. 

The time I started using retinoid was the time soon after I realised these are one of the best ingredients to fade acne scars and I do not need much ingredients now for my skin. They are very effective for many problems. 

• Retinoids were first prescribed for acne prone treatment, but now they are commonly misunderstood for anti ageing treatment.
• Other than sunscreens, they are the foremost best anti-ageing and fine lines treatment.
• If they are used while mixed with sunscreens, they are a best solution for acne scar removal and lightening of sun marks and dark spots.

So, retinoids can be said to be a one-stop-shop and clinically proven ingredient for your skincare.

Retinoids are also best in a sense that you do not have to worry much about products and ingredients to be mixed, paired or ;layered with retinoids. 

Alpha Hydroxy Acids

Alpha hydroxy acids aka AHAs are very hyped and effective treatment for acne scar removal. There are many types of AHAs, commonly used nowadays;

• Mandelic acid
• Lactic acid
• Glycolic acid

There are some other types but these three are easily found in drugstores and skincare products and stores.

AHAs products are not even expensive so that you have to think about buying it, many products only range in below £10 and can easily reduce facial scar.

Glycolic acid

I sometimes wonder how I have used the Ordinary’s glycolic acid in my daily skincare routine but it also has taught me the lesson for my skincare, specially regarding my skin barriers. 

Glycolic acid can cause severe irritations as it is a very strong ingredient with great strengths and that’s why it comes in different strengths. 

I am listing it as the best ingredients to fade acne scars, but it depends on how often you use it and its chemistry with your skin, pairing it with other skincare products. 

Contrary to the general properties of AHAs where they absorb only in the upper skin surface, glycolic acid dissolves deeper in the skin and functions in the internal skin cells. 

​Retinoids vs Glycolic Acid

I have been asked a lot about the comparison for retinoids and glycolic acid, so here it is. Although both glycolic acid and retinoids work for unclogging pores and acne prone treatment, their mechanism is different, which is the basic difference in both. 

Retinoids work a little quicklier than glycolic acid, so if you are using glycolic acid you have to be patient for the results. That’s why I suggest retinoids to combat your clogged pores. 

If you just want the best acne scar treatments then you can use AHAs glycolic acid but do not use it too frequently. Only twice per week would be enough. 

There is also some scientific evidence present in favor of glycolic acid that it also enhances collagen production like retinoids do. 

Lactic acid and Mandelic Acid

I am using these two together in the best ingredients to fade acne scars because they are somehow similar. They are the best exfoliating ingredients and ideal choice for sensitive skin.

Mandelic acid and lactic acid are generally gentle and easy to go with skin, where lactic acid has been studied deeply for the treatment of acne scars.

Both these ingredients are involved in exfoliation of dead skin cells, clear spots and also treat acne prone skin. They also work for acne breakout reduction but are not as powerful as retinoids. The distinctive property of retinoids is that they accelerate the cell turnover and regeneration which acids are not good at.  

For more efficient results, these ingredients can also be applied directly just after cleansing without any other product layer. Wait for 5-7 min to let them sit properly and then continue your routine. 

Salicylic Acid

A little different from AHAs, salicylic acid is from the beta hydroxy acids family. I have included it in the best ingredients to fade acne scars because salicylic acid absorbs deeply into pits and pores and releases trapped dirt from clogged pores.

Salicylic acid for acne scars is also a good option for oily skin types as it has drying properties. Although it hasn’t suited me well, many people talk good about it. 

According to studies, exfoliants aid in clearing dark spots, but in most cases they help in acne reduction and enhance skin texture. 

Azelaic Acid

Honestly I have hyped azelaic acid too much for spot scar treatment, the reason could be that it was too popular at that time. But when I got to know about retinoids, everything was secondary to me.

Badly, in late 2023 and early 2024, I got perioral dermatitis (rashes around mouth), that made me use azelaic acid twice a week. My dermatologist was very fond of azelaic acid and she told me some interesting properties:

• Best ingredient for sensitive skin, suits all skin types as well
• Azelaic acid is the best solution to melasma; a skin’s pigmentation disorder
• One of the best acne scarring treatments for hormonal acne.
• An ideal product for perioral dermatitis and rosacea.
• Azelaic acid is said to have anti-inflammatory properties, soothes skin irritation even if it is an acid.
• A good alternative for strength retinoids and avoid over irritation.  

My journey with azelaic acid was really good, and I like it for the things it does. It is also very efficient in acne scar removal. Azelaic acid is also known for its inhibiting properties for melanin which in result heals post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

​Vitamin C

Vitamin is a very crucial ingredient for your skin’s health or other body needs. Vitamin C has a very beneficial role to fade acne marks and even skin tone. Presently I am not using it because I noticed it causes me irritation but in the past whenever I had to remove facial acne scars my only option was Vitamin C.

It is listed among the most unstable and irritating actives, that’s why I do not suggest it as the first choice for acne scars removal. 

But if you are too fond of using Vitamin C then Dr Sam’s Brightly serum is a good one with a mixture of Vitamin C, azelaic acid and some other brightening and fading ingredients. Instead of a glass pipette packaging it is available in an air tight pump to preserve the ingredients well. 

It might not be in your notice but Vitamin C can be responsible for the worsening of your acne or might be causing irritation and redness. If there is something like this happening on your skin then I would suggest you stop using Vitamin C. 

Niacinamide

Niacinamide is one of my favourite skincare ingredients for acne scars because of its similarity to retinoids and many other advantages. 

• It reduces pores
• Manages oil synthesis as retinoids do
• Provide a glowy and even skin
• Powers the skin’s natural barriers

If you are struggling to fade acne scars then I would suggest niacinamide as a great choice. It is one of the few ingredients which are almost present in every product and are very easy and beneficial to be paired with other active ingredients. If you are not allergic to niacinamide, then there are no risks of irritation and rashes. 

​Chemical Peels

Chemical peels are really crucial for acne scar treatment and clogged pores. If you have active acne, then first find a solution for this and then go for chemical peeling otherwise it would be a waste of money, time and severe destruction to skin barriers. 

The easiest way is to make stories from these best ingredients to fade acne scars which I have shared in this post. 

Lastly I would say never ever use home made chemical peels and please do not try those DIY skincares. All you will get will be just regrets and nothing more. 

Sunscreen

Sunscreen is the ingredient that is often misunderstood for PIH and PIE treatment but it has a significant role, that’s why I have included it in the best ingredients to fade acne scars. Not applying sunscreens when going outside can actually result in more severe and stubborn dark spots which are more difficult to get rid of. 

There are a number of best sunscreens for acne prone skin which you can use without any worry. 

Keyloid Scars and Icepick Scars

If you have acne then you might know all about acne and acne scars. There are many types of acne and keyloid acne and atrophic scarring are nearly incurable. 

The ingredients which I have mentioned in this article may help you with redder, browner or flatter acne but not the ones which have completely destroyed the skin. For these problems, I would suggest you visit a dermatologist and book a laser treatment prescribed by your doctor.

Conclusion

Out of all these ingredients it is sometimes the chemistry that matters the most. There can also be a possibility that these ingredients might not suit you but can be very soothing and beneficial to a friend with the same skin type as yours. So all that matters is the skin’s chemistry. But in order to fade acne scars, beware of the fake and irritating ingredients that might cause irreversible destruction to your skin barriers. Although these are the best ingredients to fade acne scars, being the best doesn’t mean it would be best for you.

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