Acne Scars and Dark Spots: What You Need to Know For Clear Skin

Acne is bad enough on its own, but when it goes the extra distance and leaves scars and dark spots, it really becomes a hassle. Sometimes the formation of spots and scars is dependent on genetics, and sometimes it’s because the acne wasn’t left alone and the skin became a war zone. Despite the reason for your dark spots and acne scars, they have one thing in common: everyone wants to know how to get rid of them and get clear, clean skin. To get the expert tips on how to get rid of acne scars and dark spots, we went to cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Oscar Hevia. Below are his tips for clear skin, just in time for spring.

Beauty High: What’s the difference between an acne scar and an acne mark? Are there any treatments for reducing the appearance of acne scars?

Dr. Hevia: Marks can mean different things to many people. Scars, by definition, are permanent. In the case of acne scars, we’re talking about defects of the skin known as “pock marks,” or dents. These defects respond best to fillers.

What can we do to diminish the appearance of acne marks? 

Acne marks are usually the discoloration of the skin after a blemish has subsided. They typically fade on their own within 2-3 months. Sometimes, chemical peels can speed up the removal of marks, and cortisone injections to the pimple, especially early on, can reduce or eliminate the mark that follows.

What treatment do you recommend for dark spots? 

I love to talk about brown spots, also referred to as “dark spots.” That is a subject many people don’t understand. There tends to be a lot of myths and misinformation about dark spots and how to treat them. The treatment performed on dark spots will depend on how dark the spots actually are. For example, you might have someone who is very light in skin tone and has brown spots – it doesn’t look good. This is a classic example that a laser treatment would not work for. Often times, these patients will go through the laser treatment and by the end it appears the spots have become lighter, but after two weeks, the spots appear again. Therefor, for the lighter color dark spots, you would either do a chemical peel or use a bleaching regimen product to lighten the spots.

However, when you get to the medium, darker spots, they respond well to laser treatment. Patients can receive laser treatment to get rid of the bulk of the dark areas and then, after one week, you can either use a chemical peel or lightening agents to further lighten the entire face.

What exactly is a stretch mark and is there anything we can do about them? 

Stretch marks are scars from the inside out. There is, to this day, no product that is going to get inside the dermis of the skin (where the damage occurred to cause the stretch mark) and remodel your collagen to such an extent that your stretch mark will disappear. Remember that stretch marks do improve. Many that are still in the purplish red zone tend to fade out. What’s not going to work for stretch marks is once you’ve reached the final stage of white stretch marks, that’s where you’ve reached the end point as far as the collagen.

black beauty

black beauty by outofmycloset featuring a zipper shirt

7 Eyeshadow Mistakes We All Make — And Shouldn’t

Photo: Getty Images

Eyeshadow seems like the most straightforward makeup product — just swipe on the lids and you’re done. However, with different pigments and bold colors, we all make mistakes every now and again. We’ve compiled the most common pitfalls, and of course, how to avoid them. 

1. Matching Your Eyeshadow to Your Eye Color
The common rule of thumb is that eye colors look best with eyeshadow shades on the opposite side of the color wheel. For example, green eyes look gorgeous with burgundy shadow, since red and green are complementary colors. If you do want to a try a shade that’s similar to your eye color, choose a muted one that won’t overshadow the iris.

2. Forgetting to Blend
Blending different colors — one or two on the lid and another on the brow bone — creates a gorgeous finish. But if there is a harsh line between each color, it looks sloppy and undone. Make sure to blend each shade into the next with a shadow brush.

3. Using Applicators that Come with the Shadow
Most eyeshadows come with handy mini applicators, making it easy to apply on the go. However, for a truly blended finish, you should use a makeup brush. A sponge tip applicator provides a lot of pigment at once while a brush allows you to gradually add product and blend as you go.

4. Applying Too Much Below the Eye
Be careful to dab shadow only on the lower lash line and not any farther down. Any additional product drags down the look and makes the eye appear tired.

5. Applying Eyeshadow After Concealer
Always apply your eyeshadow before your under eye concealer. If not, the shadow will fall all over the eye area and undo all your hard work. When dabbing concealer on the under eyes, place it just below the lower lash line.

6. Using Shimmery Shadows on Aging Lids
Because of their light-reflecting properties, frosty shadows draw attention to wrinkles and crepey lids. Leave the sparkly shades to twentysomethings and choose more flattering matte or satin finish products instead.

7. Skipping Liner and Mascara
Eyeshadow doesn’t do it all; the eye also needs some contrast. Dark mascara and eyeliner frame the shape (creating an outline) while the shadow brightens and opens up the eye.

Get The Look: Claire Danes’ Smoky Eye

We had a hard time taking our eyes off Claire Danes at the Golden Globes. Not only did she get her post-baby bod back at an alarming rate, but her gorgeous eye makeup had us desperate to get the tips from makeup artist Matin Maulawizada, global artistry director for Laura Mercier.

“I decided to go with a smoky eye and not a red lip since the dress was so red,” says Matin on choosing makeup to go with the Homeland actress’s Versace dress. Read on to discover how to recreate the look at home:

Step 1: Apply Laura Mercier Caviar Eye Liner in Black ($22, lauramercier.com) on the top lids and under the eyes. According to Matin, this will “create depth and shape.”

Step 2: Next, use a flat eye liner brush to apply cake eye liner to the upper lash line. This will help “deepen the lash line,” says Matin.

Step 3: Take the Laura Mercier Kohl Eye Pencil in Black Gold ($20, lauramercier.com), and apply it to the inside of the eyes.

Step 4: Finish with multiple coats of mascara. Make sure to let it dry in between applications.

The Easiest Way to Create a Smoky Eye

Photo: Luca Cannonieri/GoRunway.com

In our Q&A series, beauty experts address your most bewildering issues. Have a beauty-related quandary of your own? Submit your question in the comments below or via Twitter.

Q: What’s the easiest way to create a smoky eye?

A: Ever try to create a subtle smoky eye, but end up with raccoon eyes? Sephora Pro David Thibodeau gave us a super simple four-step routine to try. Follow his instructions below:

Step 1: “First apply a small amount of eye primer to your eyelid with a clean finger or a brush.” Thibodeau recommends Kat Von D High Voltage Eye Primer ($15, sephora.com) because “it works like a magnet, holding eye shadow or liner in place.”

Step 2: Use a thick kohl pencil and line your lid liberally along the lash line. Thibodeau recommends Givenchy Magic Kajal Eye Pencil in 1 Magic Black ($24, sephora.com). Not only does the pencil come with a sharpener, but it contains both waxes and oils — making the texture so creamy it glides right on.

Step 3: “Now, with a cream shadow brush, blend the liner up the lid until the crease to create a soft smoky look.” Chanel’s Ombres Constraste Duo in Taupe ($42, chanel.com) has the perfect eye shadow shades for this.

Step 4: Finish off the look with a few coats of mascara. “My personal favorite is the new Marc Jacobs Beauty Lash Lifter Gel Volume Mascara ($26, sephora.com) which works like spandex to make lashes lifted, curvaceous and voluminous — without the need for falsies or a curler, thanks to its E-Lash-Tic Lash Technology.”

Weird Things You Didn’t Know About Lipstick

Whether you slick it on every day or just when you’re going out on the town, lipstick — and the act of wearing it — is grand tradition dating back thousands of years.

Read on for some really crazy facts about this pout-making product that may make you take pause the next time you pucker up.

Women in in ancient Mesopotamia wore lipstick.

The first manmade lipsticks appeared about five thousand years ago when women apparently ground down precious gems and used the dust to color their lips. In prehistoric times, evidence shows that women may have used fruit juices to stain their lips.

Some lip products have a fishy ingredient.

Lipsticks can contain castor oil or even fish scales, which supposedly give our pouts an unsmearable shine. But these ingredients aren’t as unsavory as what women in the Middle Ages used for lipstick: Many concocted lip stain from sheep fat and mashed red roots.

Lipstick was once a cause for annulment.

In Europe’s Dark and Middle Ages, wearing lipstick became a calling card for prostitutes and lower class women. This stigma endured over many centuries: In the 1700s, the British parliament declared that men could annul their marriages if they suspected a woman lured them into matrimony by wearing lipstick (and blush), as if makeup was a kind of witchcraft.

One of our presidents was a big lipstick fan.

According to some reports, George Washington would occasionally wear lipstick. (If you look at paintings of him, his lips do look quite colorful…)

Lipstick was part of the women’s lib movement.

At the 1912 New York suffragette parade, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Charlotte Perkins Gilman sported lipstick to signify women’s emancipation. So, yeah, wearing lipstick is actually an act of feminism.

The early 1900s was a big time for lipstick innovation.

Maurice Levy created the modern lipstick tube, which raised and lowered the product, in 1915, while the swivel tube debuted a few years later in 1923. In 1930, Max Factor Company unveiled the very first lip gloss.

Lipstick almost got banned in New York.

In the 1920s, the New York Board of Health actually considered banning lipstick due to a concern that the product could poison a man if he kissed a woman wearing it. Though, considering that some lipsticks contain lead, maybe this worry wasn’t completely unfounded…

Men love it when we wear lipstick.

A University of Manchester study found that men’s eyes linger longer on a woman with painted lips. According to the researchers’ data, men spent an average of 7.3 seconds staring at women wearing red lipstick, 6.7 seconds at women wearing pink lipstick, and only 2.2 seconds at women sporting bare lips. Interesting.

And women really love to wear it.

Every year, between 800 and 900 million lipsticks are sold worldwide. European women, however, seem to love their lipsticks the most — 300 million tubes are sold in Europe alone.

ONE DIRECTION!!!!