Home Remedies for Acne Scars

Gentle Acne Home Remedies for Sensitive Skin

Not all home remedies for acne scars will work for sensitive skin. Discover which acne home remedies work most quickly and effectively without irritating your sensitive skin!

Many people find that traditional acne treatments such as salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide are too irritating, and that many acne scar treatments such as collagen injections or dermabrasion are just too intense, and carry a high risk of side effects.

For this reason many of us try using home remedies for acne scars, however even these can cause irritation for sensitive skin. It all depends on what ingredients YOUR skin reacts to.

Home Remedies for Acne Scars to Avoid

home remedies for acne scars

Some acne home remedies for scar healing include using toothpaste, Pepto Bismol, dandruff shampoos, Neosporin, aspirin or other over the counter medications for healing acne.

These may work for some people, but these also have irritating ingredients such as fragrance, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Salicylic acid, parabens or artificial colorings and flavorings which can cause rashes and skin irritation, or even worse, MORE acne!

For this reason, I recommend you use only natural home remedies for acne scars, which are LESS likely to cause a reaction.

There are some tips to help you to find the right acne scar home remedy for your sensitive skin.

How to Use Home Remedies for Acne Scars

Theses tips will help you to get the most out of using home remedies for acne scars.

  1. ALWAYS do a Skin Test - Your skin is as unique as you. Even those ingredients which might seem to be very gentle for MOST people, might not work for you.

    Test any home remedies for acne scars FIRST back of your arm or the inside of your ear and then wait a day to see how your skin reacts. If you have no reaction, you are more likely to get a positive result from your homemade acne treatments.

  2. Use Home Remedies Consistently - No matter what acne scar healing treatment you choose, will need to use it consistently in order to see results. Natural treatments often take longer before you see results.

    I recommend using a homemade acne scar treatment at LEAST a week or two, preferably for one month before making a judgment about how it works. Of course, if your skin develops irritation after a week or so, then try another one.

  3. Cleanse, Tone and Moisturize Daily - Even if you have acne outbreaks, you still need to cleanse, tone and moisturize your skin.

    The key is to find a gentle acne sensitive skin treatment that will not trigger acne outbreaks.

    We have seen the best results for acne with gentle hypoallergenic skin care products and personal care products that are free from toxins AND also free from plant allergens. These can help your skin to heal quicker, and will reduce future acne outbreaks.

    To learn more about why this is important please see our hypoallergenic products page.

  4. Use a Holistic Approach - Any home remedies for acne scars that you use will work MUCH more effectively if you also pay attention to the food you are eating, and to your overall health.

    Recent research suggests that you can reduce acne outbreaks and scarring simply by eliminating refined and processed food and eating a more natural diet. For more on this please see Foods That Cause Acne and What Causes Acne.

Home Remedies for Acne Scars - Overnight Results!

This acne scar healing remedy is said to work quickly to reduce acne outbreaks, create clear skin, and help acne scars to heal.

Please remember that no one acne remedy works for everyone, however many people who have used this method say that it works within a few days. Some experience clear skin within a week. Once again, be sure to do a skin test FIRST before trying this!

It's a bit awkward to do, so you might need a few attempts to get comfortable with the nightly routine.

  • One hour before bedtime, stand over a skin and apply two or three tablespoons of organic milk to your face until it is completely wet. The skin will catch the drips!
  • Then take a little ground nutmeg and apply to your face. The milk will help it to stick to your face! Leave it there for an hour.
  • At bedtime, brush your face lightly with your hands to dust off the loose nutmeg. Don't try to remove it, and don't was your face yet! Just leave it there.
  • Now, go to bed, with an old towel over your pillowcase so you don't stain your sheets.
  • In the morning, wash your face and do your regular daily skin care routine.

If you are having difficulty finding an acne home remedy that works for you, it may be that you need more of a whole body approach.

This holistic acne treatment program takes a little more effort and time, and has a very small fee (refundable if it doesn't work for you) but it works really well. See the Acne No More program.

Home Remedies for Acne Scars - A Daily Routine

Some people with sensitive skin find it difficult to use many facial products. This home remedy for acne scars may help you to both clear up acne and also reduce the acne scars.

This treatment will open your pores, cleanse your skin gently, moisturize and tone your skin without excessive oils, and will also help reduce infection, inflammation and further acne outbreaks.

This is also a very affordable homemade acne treatment!

  • Bring a pot of water to a boil, or if you don't have a large pot, then fill your bathroom sink with the hottest water that you can.
  • Place a towel over your head, and lean over the sink or pan of water for one to three minutes. Do this once or twice a day, depending on what your skin can tolerate.
  • Now, mix a little baking soda with enough water to make a paste. Apply to your entire face, and let is sit for one to three minutes, depending on how your face feels.
  • Now remove the baking soda mask by rinsing your face with cool water.
  • Dry your face gently by patting dry with a clean, soft towel. Now, wait a few more minutes so your face is completely dry.
  • Finally, take a small amount of organic aloe vera gel and mix with 2 drops of tea tree oil. Apply to your face until it is completely absorbed.

This simple mixture moisturizes, tones and cleanses the skin, and prevents further infections because the tea tree oil is an ntibacterial.

If tea tree oil is too strong for your sensitive skin, try using lavender oil. If you cannot tolerate either of these, use the aloe vera by itself.

More Simple and Affordable Home Remedies for Acne Scars

You will find that many of the most popular home remedies for acne will also help the acne scar healing process. Remember that it can take many months for your skin to completely heal acne scars. These remedies will help the process to go faster!

Once again, I highly recommend that you combine these homemade acne treatments with a healthy natural diet that is free from many of the foods that cause acne.

Remember that even though these home remedies are natural, they may not work for YOUR sensitive skin. Be sure to do a skin test first!

I have listed these from gentlest to most intense, so that you have a general idea of which ones might have MORE potential for irritation.

Least Irritating Home Remedies for Acne Scars

These contain few or no botanical ingredients that may cause allergic reactions for some people with sensitive skin. You will still need to skin test in order to see how your skin reacts.

Ice cubes are the least irritating of all the acne home remedies. Apply an ice cube to your acne pimples, and it will help reduce the swelling and redness, and reduce the size of the acne scars. For best results, let your face air dry.

Baking soda and water, mixed into a paste and applied as a facial mask helps to clear up acne outbreaks, speed healing and reduce acne scars.

You can also give yourself a mini microdermabrasion treatment by using the paste as a scrub for 30 seconds. Go easy so you don't irritate your skin!

Mineral Crystal with Alum can be very effective in speeding up the healing of acne pimples. You can get this in the health food store, they are called 'deodorant rocks', although I have not seen any brands with alum except for one brand of alum mineral crystal .

Vitamin E taken internally and also applied to your acne pimples will help to heal acne and also heal the scar tissue. Use natural vitamin E whenever possible. Simply pop a gel capsule and apply to your face.

Vitamin C used internally and also applied to the skin will help rejuvenate your skin so that it produces more collagen. If you have sensitive skin, I don't recommend applying vitamin C powder to your face. It's just too intense and can cause burning. Find a gentle and safe hypoallergenic skin care line with vitamin C.

Some hypoallergenic skin care products contain vitamin C but are irritating and can cause further skin breakouts.

The only vitamin C skin care products I've found that produce no burning sensation on my face are botanical free hypoallergenic products

Oatmeal ground in a blender and mixed with water makes a gentle and very effective facial mask which clears up acne and reduces scarring.

Organic Yogurt is very gentle if you are not allergic to milk products. The lactic acid has a mild exfoliating effect and contains natural alpha hydroxy acids which reduce acne scarring and help the skin to rejuvenate.

Egg White Facial Mask is also very helpful in reducing acne inflammation and healing acne scars. Make sure you are not allergic to eggs before using this home remedy for acne. You can add a few drops of lemon if you can tolerate it.

Cold pressed Organic Olive Oil can reduce the visibility of your acne scars and help to soften them, as long as you are not allergic to olives.

This simple hypoallergenic acne sensitive skin treatment is a very quick and affordable way to reduce acne and acne scars. The company actually guarantees that it will work!

One very effective but gentle method for clearing up acne is homeopathic remedies which work by gently re-balancing the body through the use of very small amounts of natural substances. The benefit is that they don't produce side effects, however they don't work for everyone.

The homeopathic remedy that I prefer is MediAc which is a professionally blended homeopathic formula, and the company offers a full year money back guarantee to so you can see if it will work for you.

These Home Remedies for Acne Scars May Be Slightly More Irritating

home remedies for acne scars from fresh fruits

These are made from fresh fruits and vegetables or other plant ingredients which contain natural fruit based alpha hydroxy acids which are anti-inflammatory and help the skin to heal and rejuvenate. Some people may have a reaction to these depending on your sensitivities, so be sure to do a skin test first.


Tomato and cucumber slices are a popular and inexpensive acne home remedy. Simply cut them into slices and apply to your face, lie down and relax for 20 minutes. You can also juice the cucumber and drink the juice, which helps to create healthy skin.

Organic Lemon or lime juice are excellent, affordable and simple home remedies for acne scars. These will lighten your skin and the acne scars, and also helps to reduce any acne pimples you have.

You can also drink lemon juice in water in the morning on an empty stomach which helps cleanse the digestive system, which ALSO will improve your acne!

Ground organic orange peel, mixed with water and applied to your face can help acne scars to heal.

Fruits such as papaya, pineapple and berries all contain natural enzymes which exfoliate and cleanse the skin. Simply mash or puree a little and apply to your face for 15 or 20 minutes.

Aloe vera gel can be used as a moisturizer or as an ingredient in a homemade facial mask. Aloe vera speeds acne scar healing,

Honey can be applied as a facial mask, and contains enzymes which help to heal acne scars. You can also add a few drops of fresh lemon juice. Some people sleep overnight with the honey mask, but that might be a little messy!

Stronger Home Remedies for Acne Scars

These homemade acne treatments are a little more intense but are quite effective if your skin can tolerate them.

Apple Cider Vinegar can be mixed with water and applied to your face as a facial toner, to be used after cleansing, and also can be dabbed directly on acne pimples to help them heal more quickly.

If you have a lot of acne outbreaks, you can do a facial steam by boiling water and then adding some apple cider vinegar. Place a towel over your head and lean over the pot, (not TOO close!) for a few minutes, then rinse your face with cool water.

Sea Salt and water can be somewhat drying but is very effective for drying up acne pimples. You can also use salt as an exfoliating scrub, but be sure to use the smaller and more finely ground salt crystals!

Mashed Garlic can sting your face but is a powerful antibacterial with many potent skin healing properties, and helps with acne scar healing.

Herbal Home Remedies for Acne Scars

Herbs and essential oils contain potent medicinal properties which can help acne scar healing. With sensitive skin, you need to be careful WHICH herbs or essential oils you use. You will need to skin test to see which ones work for your skin.

Green tea is included in many skin care products because it has so many powerful antioxidants. Green tea helps the skin to heal and rejuvenate.

You can make a cup of green tea and use as a facial toner, and then apply the tea bag to your face. You can also drink the green tea, but I recommend the decaffeinated version for this because caffeine can trigger acne outbreaks.

Use the regular strength green tea for your face, as it has the most potent healing properties!

Lavender essential oil is a wonderful and fragrant natural remedy which can be used in so many ways. Dab a drop on your acne pimples to clear them up faster, and apply to your acne scars to help them heal faster.

Sandalwood is most often used in essential oils and is very fragrant. If you use the essential oil, it is too strong to apply directly to the skin. Dilute with a carrier oil such as organic avocado oil, coconut or other cold pressed oil.

Sandalwood powder can also be mixed with rosewater and applied to the skin as a paste.

Herbs from your kitchen! Many common culinary spices also contain potent medicinal properties that can help with acne scar healing. If your skin can tolerate them, these can be mixed with honey, aloe vera or yogurt and applied as a facial mask.

  • Cumin
  • Basil
  • Turmeric
  • Cinnamon
  • Fenugreek
  • Clear Skin Acne Gel is a professionally blended natural herbal remedy for acne that contains herbs, essential oils and soothing aloe vera. The benefit of this remedy is that it is easy to use and contains some of the most effective natural medicines for acne, blended together in the right amounts.

Get the MOST Out of Your Home Remedies for
Acne Scars

Consistent use of natural home remedies for acne scars will help your skin to heal and rejuvenate more quickly. You can increase the effectiveness of these remedies by using gentle, non-toxic hypoallergenic skin care products that contain Vitamin C and Vitamin E to promote scar healing, and that do NOT contain irritating or toxic ingredients.

You can DOUBLE the effectiveness of any acne home remedy by making a commitment to eating a natural, whole foods diet and by saying goodbye to processed foods, junk foods, sugar and caffeine.

This isn't always the easiest thing to do, and so there are some supports you can get to help you, such as a good holistic acne treatment program which not only can help you get started, but also offers free counseling as a part of their program.

Please see What Causes Acne and Foods That Cause Acne for more information on the importance of diet to clearing your acne.

Once you have used these home remedies for acne scars for several months, you should begin to see some results. You will see more results if you have also modified your diet, and begun to drink plenty of pure water.

If you STILL are not seeing the results you would like, I recommend you consult a qualified naturopathic physician, Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner or other natural health professional. A good holistic practitioner can help you find a solution to your acne scars that will not irritate your sensitive skin!

Home > Acne Sensitive Skin Treatment > Home Remedies for Acne Scars

Home > Scarring Healing > Home Remedies for Acne Scars

New! Comments

Share your thoughts about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below.