Many home remedies for acne scarring focus on preventing permanent scarring of newly formed wounds, as well as treating older acne scars to help reduce their visibility. Many home remedies use a blend of herbs, such as sandalwood, and essential oils, like lavender, as topical treatments. Often, natural foods like honey and cucumber are placed on the face to help heal existing scars and to provide pain relief to the skin. Some home treatments for acne scarring also mention applying olive oil to the skin for its vitamin E content, an antioxidant known to help fight free radicals and increase the healing process.
One of the most popular home remedies for acne scarring includes using a sandalwood and rosewater paste, made by mixing the two ingredients together, and applying to the skin overnight. After washing it off in the morning and repeating the process every night, it is said that the visibility of the scars should diminish. To prevent the formation of permanent scars on newly formed wounds, applying aloe vera gel to the face overnight is often used. This gel can be obtained by breaking open the plant, which is available in the ethnic produce section of some supermarkets.
Honey is one of the very popular and simple home treatments for acne scarring, and is used as a face mask to help reduce visibility of scars and to heal the underlying skin. The natural vitamins within the honey are said to be very beneficial for skin renewal, especially if the honey is raw, but only anecdotal evidence has been provided for this remedy. Bathing the skin in lemon juice is also one of the more popular home remedies for acne scarring, as it is thought to help lighten the skin, helping to decrease scar visibility. The acidity in the lemon juice is thought to help break down bacteria in the skin, helping prevent future acne.
Extra virgin olive oil is another popular home remedy for acne scarring for its moisturizing effect on the skin, as well as its available beneficial compounds. Olive oil contains beneficial amounts of vitamin E, an antioxidant that helps heal and promote cell renewal. It is theorized that this can help heal acne scarring, but should not be used by individuals with oily skin as it can promote acne. Although these remedies are safe to use by the majority of individuals suffering with acne scarring, they are not necessarily proven to work as a sole treatment.
