Post-acne marks: what ingredients to look for in Korean skincare
Brownish or reddish marks left after a pimple usually take weeks or months to fade. Skincare can help make the skin tone look more even, but sunscreen is the most important thing.
Common ingredients
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A useful clue is to distinguish the color: brown marks are usually residual pigmentation; red marks are more like visible color changes after inflammation, and they don’t necessarily respond the same way. The “indented” option describes texture, not a mark: cosmetics usually have little ability to change indented scars, so it’s worth consulting a dermatologist if you’re concerned.
For brown marks, I’d look for niacinamide, vitamin C(for example, ascorbic acid or derivatives),azelaic acidand, if your skin tolerates it, exfoliants such as topicaltranexamic acid or AHAs. Introduce just one active ingredient at a time and follow the label; using more products doesn’t mean they’ll disappear sooner. For redness, it’s better to start with a simple, soothing routine that doesn’t irritate the skin.
And yes: daily broad-spectrum sunscreen, with reapplication when exposed to the sun, is the foundation for preventing brown marks from getting darker. If a strong reaction occurs, stop using the product; if the mark changes shape or doesn’t seem related to acne, have a dermatologist assess it.