What are those red/brown spots that show up after a breakout… Breaking down these dark marks with SLMD founder and board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Sandra Lee, below! Spoiler alert and good news: these are not technically acne scars and will fade over time with the right ingredients and products in your skincare arsenal. 

Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation

According to Dr. Sandra Lee, this is the technical name for these dark spots - caused by picking, extracting, and just experiencing pimples, which causes trauma to the skin. These marks are a result of too much melanin being produced as the skin’s response to protect or heal itself. Depending on your skin tone, they can appear more pink/red or darker brown. She may be Dr. Pimple Popper, but Dr. Sandra Lee does not condone popping your own pimples (PIH being one of the main reasons)!

How To Speed Up The Healing Process

Fortunately, there are tried and true ways you can speed up the healing process like exfoliating the skin’s surface and helping speed up cell turnover/regeneration. Dr. Lee recommends ingredients that:

• Help to brighten the look of dark marks with protective antioxidants like kojic acid (try Dark Spot Fix)
• Exfoliate the skin’s surface (Salicylic Acid, Glycolic Acid, and Lactic Acid: available in Salicylic Acid Cleanser and AHA/BHA Swipes)
• Encourage skin cell turnover and regeneration (Retinol: available in Retinol Serum)
• Protect skin from UV rays which can darken existing marks and protect from free radicals (Broad-Spectrum SPF with Vitamin C: available in Dual Defender SPF 30)

As you can see, there are a plethora of skincare products at your disposal to tackle and improve the look of your dark spots so you can see improvements in your skin, in the new year!