Dark spots after pimples? Here's how you can prevent them

If your skin often gets dark acne blemishes, hyperpigmentation and you're looking for ways to get rid of them, board-certified dermatologist Dr. Liv Kraemer, M.D., Ph.D has some tips on how to avoid and remove those annoying dark spots.

First of all, why do dark spots appear after an acne breakout?

Dr. Liv answers in her YouTube video, “Just imagine, normally your cells are very stable. But if there's high energy coming (UV rays), the cells become unstable as you age and when the heavy UVA light is hitting the cells, it destroys the cells.”

This causes the redness and inflammation that occurs with acne which turns into dark spots.

After a pimple heals, there's also post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. What does it mean?

“If you have a pimple or huge inflammation and you're going outside, your skin will get hit by UVA. The pigments get darker,” Dr. Liv explains.

“As you get older the fading process slows down.

“You need to protect your skin from further skin damage and from UVA rays.”

For Dr. Liv, the best remedy for dark spots is to protect the skin from sun damage.

If you have pimples and you want to avoid further darkening of the pigmentation and you want them to fade, use a sun protectant with an SPF level of at least 30.

She said, “Wash your face properly and apply a light cream or gel with light sun protection that has at least SPF 30 if you are suffering from acne.”

For acne-prone skin, it's better to skip oil-based products and opt for water-based ones instead of the ones that have whitening components found in vitamin C and green tea.

Dr. Liv also reminds everyone that UVA rays can penetrate through the glass so don't skip your sunscreen even if you're indoors.

Use sun protection with SPF 30, every day, wherever you are to avoid dark spots and premature aging.

Watch more from her video: