There are many ways to get rid of acne scars, is steaming your face one of them?
Steaming your face will not help get rid of acne scars, steaming is helpful if you want to extract blackheads and whiteheads from your skin. You can use niacinamide, azelaic acid, retinoids, vitamin c serums or exfoliation to remove your acne scars. Microdermabrasion can also help to improve the appearance of acne scars.
Acne scars can be difficult to get rid of. After dealing with acne the last step before getting clear beautiful looking skin is getting rid of the scarring.
In this article I will be looking at if steaming the face can help with acne scars, what else can help with acne scars and how else steaming can benefit the skin.
The feeling you get while steaming your face is quite lovely and after the session your face feels fresh, bright and glowing.
Steaming will make your skin more supple and hydrated, but will it help heal up your acne scars?
Steaming face for acne scars, does it work?
Table of Contents
Types of acne scars:
Depressed: These are the scars that look like craters on the skin. They change the texture of the skin and for this reason they are more difficult to get rid of
Raised: This happens when too much scar tissue is created when the scar is healing. This results in a bump on the skin
Discoloured: This results in hyperpigmentation on the face. These scars develop as discoloured patches on the skin after the acne has healed.
The skin becomes either lighter, darker or redder than your skin. This is the type of scarring I will be looking at in this article.
Does steaming your face get rid of acne scars?
No, steaming your face will not get rid of the acne scars.
Steaming does not enter into the skin and change the hyperpigmentation that you have as a result of acne.
In addition, it does not exfoliate the face to bring up new skin. It simply loosens up whatever is in your pores.
How to get rid of acne scars?
Exfoliation: Exfoliation helps you remove the dead skin cells off the top of your skin. The more often you do this the sooner fresh skin, that has not been damaged from acne, can come to the surface.
Note that you shouldn’t do this too often as you can damage the skin barrier and show signs of over-exfoliating which can cause acne. This is a well-loved exfoliator you can use.
Niacinamide: This product is very helpful in reducing hyperpigmentation as well as dark spots. It does this by blocking the pigment in the skin from showing up on the outer layers of your skin.
This is a product that you can get over the counter if the strength is not too high. This niacinamide works well.
Micro-needling: This involves using a roller with needles on it. The micro-needling creates tiny punctures on the skin forcing the skin to repair itself.
This forces the skin to produce collagen and elastin which will help reduce hyperpigmentation.
Azelaic acid: This is a product that works to lighten any dark spots that you might have on the skin.
Note that this product can only be accessed by prescription. It is very effecting in helping with acne scars though.
Hydroquinone: This is a skin lightening ingredient that helps fade scars. When used correctly it has been shown to be the most effective ingredient at lightening dark spots.
Note: if used over a long period of time it can cause the skin to turn darker.
Retinols: This promotes faster cell turnover, it can be seen as an exfoliator but stronger.
You can get retinol over the counter and you can get prescription Retin-A. The ones you get over the counter are less harsh than Retain-A. This is a favourite retinol
Dermabrasion: This is done in a dermatologists office and involves using a rotating wire brush to wear down the top layer of the skin. The old skin is replaced by new skin with less hyperpigmentation.
What steaming really does:
Steaming the face is helpful when you’re trying to loosen any of the sebum trapped in your pores.
When you soften the gunk stuck in your pore then you can better extract the blemish.
Note that you shouldn’t really be unclogging your pores yourself at all. You should rater to have it done by an esthetician or a dermatologist who can properly extract the clog without damaging the skin.
If you do it yourself you can cause the pimples to become bigger or scar the skin.
This facial steamer is well-loved and widely used.
Is steam good for the face?
Yes, steam is still good for the face. It removes dirt from pores that can block products from penetrating your skin. It also enhances circulation in the skin.
When your face is warmed up the blood vessels contract and increase the amount of blood running in your face.
This is better for the skin as the blood delivers fresh oxygen and blood to the skin making it more awake and dewy looking.
Does steaming face help acne?
Yes steaming your face does help with acne. Just as it can help to loosen blackhead blockages steaming, can also help with pimple blockages.
The steam is great at helping to unclog the pores on your face. When your pores are opened you can get a deeper cleanse
When you steam your face you’re giving your skin a soothing and hydrating treatment. The steam enters your pores and the water hydrates the skin.
The steam also soothes the skin. If your steam is at the right temperature the steaming process will be relaxing and calming to your skin and yourself. This can be amped up if you add essential oils to the steam
In addition, the steam can also help treat acne by allowing the acne-causing bacteria and dead skin cells to escape your pores.
Acne is caused by a mixture of dead skin cells, sebum and acne-causing bacteria clogging your pore.
When you steam your face the sebum loosens up and when it escapes it releases the dead skin cells and acne-causing bacteria with it.
How can I steam my face for acne?
What you need: a towel, a bowl to pour your water into, herbs or essential oils
- Start off by boiling some water, add 4-6 cups of water to your kettle and bring it to a boil. Use more or less water depending on the size of your bowl.
- Make sure your hair is secured and away from your face. You don’t want your hair touching the hot water then touching your face
- Cleanse your face. This will remove all the sebum and dirt off your skin and prepare it for the next step
- Exfoliate your skin, exfoliating the skin will allow the steam to access your new fresh skin cells
- Pour your boiling water into the bowl and add your herbs or essential oils into the mix. A good essential oil to add is tea tree oil, read more about why tea tree oil is great to use here.
- Look face down into the bowl of hot water. Position your face about 6 inches from the water, don’t get too close or the seam will burn your skin
- Drape the towel over your head creating a dome where the steam can escape
- If you need to cool your skin off you can lift the corner of the towel and give yourself some fresh air.
- Stay in this position for 5-10 minutes.
What do you do after steaming your face?
When you’re done steaming your face you’ll want to rinse off any sweat and excess water on your face from the steam.
You can use lukewarm water to do this. Be careful of the temperature of water you use, your skin will be quite sensitive after the steam.
Afterwards, pat your skin till its barely damp
Apply your moisturiser of choice onto your barley damp skin. Applying moisturiser on barley damp skin will allow the moisturiser to penetrate the skin better and work more efficiently in your skin. Massage your face as you apply your moisturiser.
This moisturiser is well-loved and widely used.
Is Vitamin C good for acne scars?
Yes, vitamin C is good for acne scars. Vitamin C has been used in skincare for a long time and in many other products for good reason.
It helps with rough skin texture, fine lines, dullness and helps to even out and fade acne scars.
Vitamin C is a greatly beneficial vitamin that will help you fade your acne scars. The areas that you develop acne scars are highly pigmented areas of skin.
Vitamin C is a depigmentation agent and when applied on scarred skin it will reduce the dark spots that you developed from your acne.
This vitamin C serum is well-loved and widely used.
What foods heal acne scars?
If you don’t want or can’t treat your acne scars topically there is another way of treating them, by eating foods that will help the healing process along.
Omega 3 fatty acids: omega 3 fatty acids are good all around for our health and our skin health as well.
Foods which are packed with omega 3 fatty acids such as salmon, anchovies, mackerel and sardines have a rich supply of antioxidants that will help with the appearance of your acne scars
Sweet potatoes: this delicious starchy food is high in vitamin A, vitamin A is a vitamin essential in skin regeneration.
Your skin needs to regenerate and produce new fresh healthy unscarred cells in order for you to clear up your acne scars and get your even skin tone back
Kale: this food has been all the rage in recent times and for good reason. The green is packed with a variety of vitamins and minerals.
One of the vitamins that help the most with hyperpigmentation is vitamin C. Kale contains high amounts of vitamin C and this will help to get rid of acne scarring
Quinoa: this was once a very fashionable food and for good reason. The grain packs a punch when it comes to protein content and it contains decent amounts of all the other amino acids.
It benefits the skin because it contains vitamin B, vitamin B decreases discolouration, brightens the skin and improves the skin texture.
Broccoli: broccoli contains high amounts of vitamin C. There are many non-citrus foods that contain high amounts of vitamin C and broccoli is one of them.
The vitamin C in broccoli helps to even out skin, promotes the formation of collagen and helps to maintain and improve skins elasticity.
Almonds: This is another food that contains high amounts of vitamin E, this vitamin will help to improve the appearance of your acne scars quite well.
Lemon juice: lemons should not be applied directly onto your skin as it can burn and sting your skin but it can be consumed. The citrus fruit contains high amounts of vitamin C.
How do you minimize scars?
Moisture: your wound will heal the best if it is kept moist. Moist healing helps to reduce the appearance of scars.
When the wound is healing in a moist environment there’s a promotion of new cells. This makes the wound clogging process much more efficient and will leave less of a scar.
In addition, the moist healing will also reduce the pain of the wound which will in itself allow for better healing.
Vitamin C: Vitamin C is not only good for helping reduce the appearance and discolouration of your acne scars but it also helps to minimise the appearance of your acne scars.
If used on the scar as it is healing, the vitamin will increase the formation of collagen, the more collagen you have on your wound site the less severe your scar will look when it’s done heling
What is the best acne treatment?
The best long term acne treatment is retinol. Retinol has been a hot topic in recent times and for good reason. The product not only helps with acne but it helps to rejuvenate your skin overall.
The product works to unclog your pores by speeding up your skins cell turnover rate. This is a great beginner retinol that is well-loved and widely used.
Acne develops over several weeks. As the cells naturally turnover new acne comes to the surface.
What retinol does is that it speed this process up brining your pre acne to the surface and flushing it all out.
This can be quite a shocking process but after this stage is over your skin will look amazing and your acne will be gone
There are different strengths of retinol and you should try the lowest strength in the begging as to not shock your skin too much. You should be applying it every couple of day then as your skin acclimatises you can use it more often.
In addition you should be sure to moisturise well after you start using the product, it can make your skin quite dry, this is a great moisturiser you can use with your retinol. Learn how to manage your skin while its on acne medication here.
How can I clear up acne fast?
If you want to clear up your acne fast you can try the Mario Badescu drying lotion. If you know about skincare crazes you’ll know about this drying lotion, when the product became popular it became very popular.
The product claims and actually does dry up your acne overnight. It is an award-winning product that contains salicylic acid, sulfur and calamine.
This combination of ingredients packs a punch helping you dry out your acne overnight. It is award-winning for a reason and will help you clear up your acne fast
I hope you enjoyed this article exploring if steaming the face for acne scars will work. If you enjoyed this article please share it.
