I’ve waited for this day for so long and when I woke up on April 2nd I could barely contain my excitement because I was finally going to see a cosmetic doctor for my acne scars!

If you’ve been following my daily beauty banters than you know that I hate having to deal with acne as an adult, considering I had it as a teenager, and I hate the sight of my acne scars even more.

When you are a dark skin beauty, acne scars leave dark spots on your skin … in my case, I have them on my cheeks, jaw line, chest, shoulders and a bit on the top of   my back. It got so bad that last summer I refused to show my arms and covered them because I was convinced the world could only see that.

I knew off the bat that fraxel laser was not even a consideration because darker skin beauties cannot undergo this type of procedure. That said, I had consulted Dr. Diane Wong (Glow Medi Spa) about six months ago and she had recommended a peel. I took time to control my acne thanks to Genuine Health’s Perfect Skin before considering the peel.

I had consulted other cosmetic doctors and some tried to convince me that laser was safe for my skin tone or that hydroquinone was the way to go. The problem with those doctors is that they don’t know that I’m a beauty editor and that I spend my life reading about this stuff and from firsthand experience I knew that laser burns my skin. I also have read enough information on hydroquinone to know that if it’s banned in Europe (because of cancer scares) there is no way in hell I’m applying it on my skin as a daily treatment for my hyperpigmentation. Now when it comes to hydroquinone, I should clarify that it’s okay to use it under a doctor’s supervision if it’s for a short period of time, but under no circumstances should you be using this stuff daily for the rest of your life.

My aesthetician was Veronica. She’s from Eastern Europe (I still have not asked from where, but will) and I was quite excited because when it comes to skin treatments Eastern European and Russian women have been indulging in those types of anti-aging techniques for centuries so I knew I was in good hands.

After assessing my skin Veronica declared the following beauty bomb:

“No matter what anyone tells you, your type of skin should never be subject to chemical peels because they are too strong. We will do a lactic acid peel, because it’s safer, but we will not do a chemical peel.”

It has to do with the size of the molecules that penetrate in the skin and to be honest I barely passed chemistry in high school so most of this went well over my head, but I did understand “danger-danger” loud and clear. I did mention to Veronica that I had had a fruit enzyme peel in the past and she said that was fine.

I was equally proud to let her know that I had learned from my initial meeting with Dr. Wong and had (sadly) given up my Guerlain facials because they weren’t the best for my skin type. Anna at Guerlain is the most amazing facial expert I’ve ever met and I don’t recall breaking out after those facials, but what’s the point of spending all this money if I’m doing things that are counterproductive.   Veronica explained that extractions were the devil for my type of skin because they give way to SCARS!!!

Another thing that I learned with much sadness is that I will not receive any lactic peels on my shoulders because it would be a waste of my money. After a quick pow-wow session with Veronica, Brigit (a seasoned skin expert) and Dr. Wong it was determined that I needed to get on a plan created by Alyria to help me fade those scars and I could only expect to see maybe 40% improvement. I almost cried at that news, but calmed myself down and decided to trust these qualified women and that maybe 40% improvement from where I’m at now would be good and I could show off my arms again. I mean after all, I’m spending all this time working out by following Madonna as an inspiration to get her arms so if I can show them off with fewer scars … that’s a win, right?

I’ll document my progress!

Veronica informed me that I needed to come in for a lactic acid peel on a monthly base for better results. On the bright side, that might be one of my only major skincare expenses since after seeing my face without a trace of makeup she thought I was in my mid-20s (bless her heart)!!!

Veronica put me on a scar fading and acne controlling regime. I’ve not yet started using these products, but I thought I’d list them below and I can report on my progressions.

I should preface by saying a few of these lines are Canadian and MUST be supervised by a medical doctor, but I’m sure that you can find a line that is equally effective if you live in the US or Europe or anywhere else in the world. That said, you can also ask your own medical doctor to order these products so you can try them.

1) Acne control skincare plan:

Dr. Wong, Brigit and Veronica chose Biophora (this is a cosmeceutical line) for my skin. I had not heard of the brand and you most likely will be in the same boat than I was because only cosmetic doctors can sell this line (this stuff really works because of active ingredients and your doctor will need to make sure you know how to use them).

So here are the products I’ll be using:

=> Biophora Bioactive Cleanser

=> Biophora Antibacterial veil (for the night)

=> Biophora AHA Active Gel 15% (for the night), after I’m done with that formula Veronica will down grade me to the Biophora Bioactive Gel 8%

=> Biophora Bioactive Solution 3% (for the night)

=> Biophora Light Hydration (this hydrates and firms!)

You’ll find out more about Biophora here: Biophora Skincare

2) SPF Protection: OMG – Elta MD Physical (the Physical is the one I’ll be using … I’m pointing this out because they have several formulas) had a SPF that is oil-free AND chemical-free!!! I cannot believe that I can finally use SPF and not breakout. Now you should know that this SPF is a bit pricey $40 USD/$50 CAD, but think about it – NO CHEMICALS AND NO BREAK OUTS!

This is a US brand that is sold in Canada as well. You can find out more here: Elta MD

3) Scar fading skincare plan to fade my acne scars on my body: For my body it’s Alyria all the way and I’ve been warned that the results will be so phenomenal that it will knock my socks off. I cannot wait to be surprised.

Here’s what I’ll be using to help fade my body acne scars:

=> Alyria Resurfacing Body Care

=> Alyria Exfoliating Cream Level 3

You’ll find out more about Alyria products here: Alyria skincare

Don’t forget to read about Norah’s experience with fraxel laser:

Have you considered laser resurfacing to get rid of your severe acne scars?

What you need to know about using fraxel laser to remove your acne scars