Getting rid of acne scars.
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free skin care · Tue Dec 06, 2011 1:58 pm

I want to treat some acne scars on my sides, and some rough texture on my temples. Right now I'm using Clarisonic with NCN Acne Charcoal soap. I don't put on anything at night. Morning, I put on CSS Vit C serum + plus Clinique SPF 40 sunscreen + makeup. I'm trying to get my the-odd-pimple outbreaks under control so I can start dermarolling the scar tissue. I ordered some Protect & Restore with High Retinol from NCN, but I can't find any mention of the concentration. Do you think it'd be safe to start using it? On my acne spots, plus the acne scars? By safe, I mean, would it cause any kind of extreme irritation? And how frequently?

Here is the ingredient list:

Quote:

Purified water, copper peptides (hydrolyzed soy protein and copper chloride), ethylhexyl palmitate, glyceryl stearate, PEG 100 stearate, squalane, PPG-2 myristyl ether propionate, cetyl alcohol, stearic acid, cupric chloride, phenoxyethanol, olea europaea (olive) fruit oil, polysorbate 80, Cholesterol/Lanosterol esters, glycerin, allantoin, salicylic acid, fragrance (french lavender), lavandula angustifolia (lavender) oil, leucine, polysorbate-20, aloe barbadensis leaf juice (aloe vera) gel, retinyl palmitate, tocophersolan (vitamin E), mixed (alpha, beta, gamma, delta) tocopherols, and mixed (alpha, beta, gamma, delta) tocotrienols, ubiquinone (CoQ-10), lycopene, tocotrienols, xanthophyll (lutein), and astaxanthin.

What I don't understand, is the product name mentions retinol, but the ingredients list retinyl palmitate, from what I understand, a gentler form of vit A.

free skin care · Tue Dec 06, 2011 4:04 pm

What type of skin do you have? Dry or oily?

free skin care · Wed Dec 07, 2011 2:40 pm

I'd say I have normal skin now. It used to be oily but I'm finding that it's calmed down.

So I applied the retinol last night. Definitely see an improvement in my outbreak. The one cyst that I have shrunk by more than 50%. The handful of acne spots have also been calmed down. Now I'll just wait for the redness to subside.

free skin care · Thu Dec 08, 2011 7:50 am

The P&R with Retinol is suppose to be used on very dry skin. If you tend more towards oily (even though you say your more 'normal' now), I'd not use that one on my face. It might cause breakouts. The retinol in products like that is used as a moisturizer. It's not the same as a RETINOID at all and won't do the same thing in this product.

I'm glad to hear you saw some improvements on the cyst, but I'd be careful about using this one all over your face.
You can use the P&R elsewhere, like your neck, hands, decollete. But, a better one for your type of skin might be the CP Serum. It can help correct damaged skin (like acne scars) and is a good beginning CP, being lower on the list of strengths. You can also dilute this one easily, which is highly recommended if you have sensitive skin and have never used CPs before.

free skin care · Thu Dec 08, 2011 3:52 pm

Hmm, that's interesting. I did not know this.

I'll be seeing my derm in a few weeks. Should I ask her for a retin-A prescription for my acne/acne scars? Or should I try CPs?

free skin care · Thu Dec 08, 2011 7:52 pm

CPs do a great job on acne scars. Retin A is great for controlling the oil and buildup of sebum as well as allowing the plugged linings of pores to shed properly. That in itself helps acne.

CPs can also normalize the skin. Some of Skin Bio's customers have said their skin turned more normal and less oily or dry after using CPs.

You should go to the Skin Bio website and read up on all the info they present on CPs and what they can do. It's amazing the amount of info they have. Here's a snipette of what SB says a CPs can do:

REPAIR THE SKIN by activating metalloproteinases that remove the damaged proteins found in scars and blemishes and suppressing production of TGF-beta, the scar producing factor;
IMPROVE SKIN TONE by stimulating new capillary formation (angiogenesis) to improve blood vessel microcirculation (cellular nutrition);
IMPROVE SKIN ELASTICITY AND FIRMNESS by increasing the synthesis of collagen and elastin;
INCREASE THE SKIN'S NATURAL MOISTURE LEVELS by increasing the water-holding proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) that hold moisture in your skin (The only true way to moisturize your skin);
SPEED SKIN RENEWAL by producing biochemical energy from nutrients in the body's blood supply;
CALM THE SKIN and reduce inflammation by blocking the damaging actions of interleukin-1;
GUARD THE SKIN against free radical damage by activating superoxide dismutase and blocking the release of oxidative iron from ferritin;
PROTECT THE SKIN by increasing the natural defense mechanism against oxidative damage through activation of the skin's anti-proteases TIMP-1 and TIMP-21;

http://www.skinbio.com/cpserum.html

On the scars - CPs have worked really well for me (and others that I've read about), but the trick is to break down the scar tissue and then let the CPs rebuild the skin. Acne scars can be very tough to breakdown, but using single needles or dermarollers can help. Another method is using acids like a beta hydroxy acid, to looses scar tissues. This method is slow (and CPs are slow, too), but it can work really good.

That comment about the metalloproteinases above is what I've witnessed in correcting of my acne scars.

Sun Dec 11, 2011 1:05 am

Oh man, can't wait to start derma rolling, I'm on accutane. Rolling Eyes

keep posting your progress please.

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