5 Proven Home Remedies for Acne Scars (That Work)

From lemon juice to potato & tomato juice to cucumber slices to Sandlewood water – all are said to be remedies for acne scars. A lot of misinformation for the 50 million Americans troubled by their acne scars.

I promise: Here you’ll only find scientifically proven remedies and natural cures for acne scars, how to use them, and when to expect results.

But first:

What Causes Acne Scars?

Scarring usually results from severe inflammatory nodulocystic acne but may also result from more superficial inflamed lesions or self-manipulation.

The two general types of acne scars are:

• Hypertrophic (keloid) scars
• Atrophic (icepick, rolling and boxcar) scars.

The best way to prevent scars from pimples is, of course, to treat acne early enough to lower inflammation time.

But:

Effective ways to diminish scars exist, even if you weren’t able to prevent them.

 5 Proven Remedies for Acne Scars

 1. Green Tea

The use of green tea specifically for acne scars is still being researched by the scientific community.

According to a study published by the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology:

[yellowbox]The active compounds in green tea may help prevent acne lesions that result in scars and its antioxidant properties may help in skin cell repair.[/yellowbox]

Green tea can be used internally and topically applied to help with acne and acne scars.

The University of Maryland Medical Center suggests consuming two to three cups of freshly brewed green tea per day or consuming 100 to 750 mg of Green Tea Extract tablets per day.

You can also apply it directly to your skin: Boil 8 oz of water, add 3 tsp of fresh green tea leaves to the water, allow it to steep for 5 minutes, and leave it until it cools down.

Dip a clean washcloth in the tea and gently apply it to the acne scars where ever they are.

2. Turmeric Paste

Turmeric has been used for centuries in India to give glow and luster to the skin.

It has antimicrobial, antioxidant, astringent, and other useful effects that help to heal wounds and reduce scarring.

The ingredient in turmeric that grants it these potential health benefits is curcumin, and that is also the compound that gives the herb its yellowish color.

In both animal and in vitro studies curcumin was demonstrated to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and many more health-related qualities.

How to Make a Turmeric Paste for Scar Removal

Get 4 tablespoons of turmeric powder, add 1 tbs of milk and 4 tbsp of raw honey.

Stir this combination in a clean bowl until it becomes a smooth paste. Keep this blend within the fridge to cool.

One other option for a mix would be to mix 8 tbsp of the powder of turmeric with 5 tbsp of sesame oil.

Mix them the same as above and keep in the fridge as well.

Use your fingers and put the turmeric paste onto your dry, clean skin, using a gentle massaging movement. Do this for about 10 minutes and allow it to dry while you sleep.

The turmeric will dry and be stiff as a mask in the morning. You will discover that your skin will be a bit yellow from this.

To instantly remove the color use a facial toner and softly rub your skin with it.

Finish treatment by rubbing a small amount of coconut oil on the scar, to keep it moist.

Note: Turmeric will make your skin sensitive to the sun, use sunscreen when you go out to the sun (coconut oil is a natural sunscreen, by the way).

 3. Alpha Hydroxy Acids

These natural acids — found in foods such as citrus fruits — help remove dead skin cells and unclog pores when applied topically.

Alpha hydroxy acids can also improve the appearance of acne scars.

Be careful, because They can cause redness, mild stinging, and skin irritation, so test it first to see how your skin reacts. Vitamin C serums are also quite good at fading scars.

For example, I found many raving reviews about MyChelle The Perfect C Serum.

4. Raw Coconut Oil

Though I didn’t find much research about the benefits of coconut oil for skincare, I couldn’t find a single user that DIDN’T see significant improvement in their scars after a few weeks of use.

All reviews state that this is a cheap, effective, and possibly a miraculous product.

Here’s one example, from the acne.org forum:

I’ve only been using it for 4 days and my skin looks soooo much better!! There are still some very light marks but im guessing the longer I use it those will fade as well

The secret is to apply a small amount of it every day and to use a virgin,cold-pressed, unrefined, organic coconut oil. Don’t settle for anything else.

 5. Red Light Therapy

More and more studies in the last years show that deep penetrating red light therapy is a natural and safe method to promote skin healing.

Research has found that red light stimulates the dermal layers of your skin to produce more collagen (and faster).

As collagen is formed, the pockmarks often left by severe cases of acne even out, which will bring a smoother appearance and reduce the signs of acne scarring.

Easy to use, FDA approved red light therapy devices (less expensive than you might think) are to found anywhere, and you can read my detailed reviews about the best ones too.

What about you? What’s your all-time favorite natural remedy for acne scars?

To your health and happiness,

 Meital