Last Updated on September 2nd, 2020
By Dr. Jaggi Rao, MD, FRCPC, Double board-certified dermatologist
Have you been suffering from acne lately, managed to get rid of it, but are now left with some nasty scars? Or perhaps you still have some leftover scarification from when you were a pimply teenager? 🧨💥 Maybe you still suffer from breakouts but also have some scars of long-gone zits? Either way, acne scars are probably not the worst part of your experience but they can be unsightly and are definitely not something you want on your face forever. What’s more, you probably don’t want a constant visual reminder of what you had to go through.
Intent on ridding your skin from your acne scars? Don’t worry, we’re not about to offer you a brand new, expensive, dodgy, chemical-based product in a tiny bottle. Instead, we would like to share with you 👌 the secret of honey.
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Honey is a great partner to have on your side when dealing with acne. It’s an incredibly useful remedy for acne scars too. First and foremost, honey is an excellent antiseptic which greatly diminishes any sort of inflammation. It specializes in helping you rejuvenate skin cells that have been damaged by breakouts. Its antioxidant content aids you in dealing with current pimples, but it also serves to support your skin as it heals itself. It specifically feeds your skin with its various minerals and vitamins.
When your complexion is struggling to heal, it secretes substances which react with honey’s sugar content. This produces hydrogen peroxide which serves to not only do away with harmful germs, but also to whiten your scars until they disappear.
Honey also provides natural hydration for your skin, which not only helps revive damaged skin but also generally benefits your skin by softening it.
If all of this wasn’t enough, honey is able to prevent acne too, as the antibiotics it contains guard your skin against various acne-causing germs. All in all, honey is nature’s gift for our skin, as well as for our taste buds! Read on for some ways in which you can use this sweet goodness to refurbish your complexion.
As with most similar substances, you can use honey on its own 🐝 or you can mix it with other remedies in order to create the perfect healing potion for your scars. Try to use the raw kind of honey, rather than the processed one, as the latter has a lot less beneficial nutrients.
As honey is such a super food, you can opt for using it by itself and it can still help you immensely in your fight against your acne scars. Lather it on your face as a mask or simply eat it on a daily basis. To make it into a mask, massage organic honey onto your face and let it sit for ten minutes. Wet your fingers with water before applying it, so that you don’t end up with a very sticky situation. If you really want this to work, you might want to let the mask sit for an entire night. Make sure to use an old pillow that you don’t care for!
You can also eat honey to reap its benefits. Having even a single tiny teaspoon can provide you with antioxidants, minerals and various vitamins. This will benefit both your insides, as well as your outside. 🙏 Your immune system will thank you.
A mask that can help you both get rid of your scars and diminish any residual acne is the olive oil-honey mask. Olive oil helps you hydrate your skin and also sucks germs out of your skin. You will need a couple of tablespoons of each ingredient, which should be mixed and then rubbed into your skin for several minutes. In order to make this work, you should place a hot, wet towel on your face for a while. You can then take the mask off with colder water, and do this every few days for best results.
Believe it or not, tomato is an all-round aid against any acne-related problem. The antioxidant lycopene cleanses your skin, levels up your pH and generally replenishes your complexion’s health. Blend together an entire tomato and two to three teaspoons of honey. 🍅🍯 Lather this onto the affected area and leave it on for twenty minutes. This mask can be done every few days.
If you are looking to get rid of both your scars and new pimples, then look no further than aspirin. This will also generally tone your complexion.
You will need three pills of aspirin which should be turned into a smooth powder. Mix this with a couple of teaspoons of honey and leave the mixture on your face for half an hour. As aspirin has a drying effect, make sure to hydrate your face with a moisturizer after removing the mask with lukewarm water.
Do you feel like getting creative with a few fun ingredients? 🎭 Opt for this varied mask – combine five to six teaspoons of honey with two-three teaspoons of milk, five-six teaspoons of papaya and a single teaspoon of gram flour. Blend this with a quarter of a cucumber. Leave this generous mask on your face for a quarter of an hour and remove it with some cool water. This can be done every day.
Another mask which both exfoliates and cleanses your face, as well as balances its pH, is the apple cider vinegar mask. Add a teaspoon of the latter with two teaspoons of honey. Mix them with four teaspoons of sugar and two teaspoons of cold green tea. Rub this mixture into the affected area and let it sit for a quarter of an hour. Don’t do this more than two times per week because vinegar is a strong agent.
Another great exfoliator is baking soda, which not only scrubs your skin clean but also whitens your blemishes. Use two to three teaspoons of it in combination with two tablespoons of honey. Wash your face with water and lightly scrub it with this mixture. ⌚ Let it sit for no more than a couple of minutes, and don’t repeat this more than two times per week.
Suffering from dry skin? Mix a teaspoon of raw honey with a teaspoon of ground up mint leaves. Hydrate your face with your favorite product and then lather this mixture onto it. Allow it to sit for twenty minutes, then take it off with warm water and 💧 hydrate your face once more.
Lemon is another great ally in your fight against scars. It kills germs, 🦠🦠🤺 and it can whiten your blemishes. You will want to combine equal parts of each ingredient and lather it onto a cleansed face. Let this sit for 15 minutes and then massage it into the area using slightly warm water. Remove the mask with colder water and repeat it every day.
If you don’t have time for this entire procedure you can also ingest the health benefits of this mask. Simply juice a lemon, add warm water and a teaspoon of honey, and drink the mixture every morning. This flavorful mixture will benefit your digestive system, in addition to having a detoxifying effect.
Another way to use lemon and honey is to mix them with oatmeal. The latter serves to both exfoliate and hydrate your skin, in addition to lightening your blemishes. Grind together five to six teaspoons of oatmeal and mix it with the same amount of honey. Add half a lemon’s juice and stir all of this together until you get an even paste. 🍋🥣 Rub this into your face for several minutes and remove it with warm water.
If you want to ditch the lemon, you can also simply make an exfoliating mask out of the same amount of honey mixed with a quarter of a cup of oatmeal. This should be left on for twenty minutes.
Honey and lemon juice also work well with dairy products, ideally yogurt or milk. Yogurt is a calming agent, while its probiotics fight germs.
You will need half a lemon, two tablespoons of honey and a quarter of a cup of plain yogurt. Create an even paste and leave this on your face for half an hour. Enjoy the cold feeling of the yogurt on your skin and don’t hesitate to do this a few times per week.
If you would rather use milk, 🐮🥛 you should create a paste from lemon juice, some milk, a bit of oil from almonds and a tablespoon of honey. This mask can stay on for several minutes, after which it should be taken off with slightly cold water. Do this every day for a week and you will soon start to see the results.
If your acne is particularly inflamed, disinfect your skin with a teaspoon of honey and a teaspoon of turmeric. Leave the mixture on for a quarter of an hour, then gently exfoliate your face with it for several moments. Take it off with slightly cold water.
💡 Nutmeg is another great helper against excessive irritation. Leave a teaspoon of nutmeg and two-three teaspoons of honey on your face for a quarter of an hour. Wash it off carefully.
💡 A similar effect can be reached with lemon grass and kosher salt, which both fight inflammation. Equal amounts of salt and honey should be combined with several droplets of lemon grass essence. Let this sit on the affected area for ten minutes and then scrub it for another few. Take this off with cold water and do it every couple of days.
💡 Brown sugar is another option which scrubs dry skin cells off and cleanses your face at the same time. A teaspoon of it should be mixed with two-three teaspoons of honey. Lather it onto your face and let it dry, then scrub your face lightly with the mixture. Remove it with cold water.
💡 You can also mix honey with some cinnamon and let the mask sit for a few minutes.
Don’t use honey if you are allergic to it. Try out a bit of each mask on your arm first to see how you react to it. Don’t repeat the masks for longer than two months if you are not noticing any results.
Remember that while honey can help you treat your acne, as well as heal your scars, it is of the utmost importance to maintain 🌿🥕🍎 a healthy lifestyle.
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