Retinol isn’t just for smoothing fine lines and wrinkles. The ultra-popular, extensively studied skincare ingredient is also excellent for fighting breakouts, as well as the acne scars and bumps that often come with them. Its impressive versatility makes retinol serums a must-have skincare product for dermatologists and skincare enthusiasts alike, especially for those with acne-prone skin.
For those new to retinol, it’s a derivative of vitamin A that has been proven to reduce and prevent signs of aging. When used regularly, it stimulates the production of collagen and elastin, which are two vital proteins that give skin firmness, tautness, and plumpness. Retinol also protects your skin from the sun’s damaging effects, preventing wrinkles, sagging, and discoloration in the process. This skin-shielding effect strengthens your skin’s natural defenses, too, making it more resilient against environmental aggressors.
And that’s not all. The benefits of retinol go well beyond anti-aging. It’s also a crucial ingredient for treating the stubborn scars and bumps left in the aftermath of a breakout.
Ahead, we’ll explore how retinol helps diminish acne scars and bumps by promoting faster skin turnover, reducing inflammation, and so much more. We’ll also share why we recommend our Black Rice Night Knight Retinol Serum as the best retinol serum for resurfacing, rebuilding, and refining acne-prone skin.
How does retinol reduce acne scars & bumps?
Regulation of Melanin Production
Most of the marks left by pimples aren’t actually acne scars or scars at all. Instead, the dark spot that appears on your face after a pimple heals and flattens out is called post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH). These can form when your skin is inflamed — in this case, from a breakout — and it starts producing excess melanin in response.
To prevent this from happening, retinol slows down melanin production. Studies have shown that the skincare ingredient achieves this by blocking tyrosinase, the enzyme responsible for kickstarting the process. As a result, retinol effectively reduces dark spots and skin discoloration, leading to a more luminous, even-toned complexion.
Anti-Inflammatory Properties
Retinol is additionally known for its anti-inflammatory properties, which are key to calming angry, swollen breakouts and helping shrink acne bumps. This soothing benefit is also another reason why retinol is such an effective acne scar treatment.
As we mentioned earlier, dark spots, like post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), develop in response to inflammation. By targeting that inflammation at the source, retinol simultaneously helps prevent both acne scars and bumps. Yup, just one skincare ingredient alone can do that.
Speeds Up Cell Turnover
Another way retinol fades acne scars and smooths bumps is by accelerating cell turnover, allowing damaged skin cells to be replaced with fresh, new ones. Over time, this increased rate of cell renewal gradually improves your skin’s overall texture and tone, making it look healthier, refreshed, and more even.
Beyond its benefits for existing scars and texture, enhanced cell turnover also plays a crucial role in keeping pores clear and actively preventing future breakouts. By accelerating the shedding of dead skin cells and other accumulated debris, retinol effectively prevents pore blockages that are a primary cause of blemishes, bumps, and recurring breakouts.
Boosts Collagen Production
If you’re dealing with acne scars that look more like indents, those are called atrophic acne scars. Retinol’s collagen-stimulating benefits will be of major help in this case. After all, more collagen equals firmer, plumper skin. In turn, you’ll notice a reduced appearance of acne scars. Retinol won’t completely, magically fill up deeper acne scars, but it will definitely help smooth them out and make them less noticeable.
No matter what kind of acne scar or bump concerns you, though, boosting collagen production also helps make your skin more resilient and smoother. It will be able to heal from breakouts faster and will be less likely to scar or develop a rough texture.
What is the best retinol serum for acne scars & bumps?
The best retinol serum for any skin concern, especially acne scars and bumps, is Haruharu wonder's Black Rice Night Knight Retinol Serum. It features a gentle yet effective combo of retinol and bakuchiol to minimize clogged pores and breakouts. The lightweight, milky serum is also amazing for amplifying collagen production to help reduce the appearance of acne scars.
For those unfamiliar with bakuchiol, it's a non-irritating, plant-based ingredient that offers the same rejuvenating effects as retinol. It provides anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial benefits and has been proven to significantly reduce hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, and acne severity, just with fewer side effects. We combined bakuchiol with retinol to make the Black Rice Night Knight Retinol Serum safe for all skin types, even sensitive skin. (However, if you're pregnant or nursing, you should avoid this product entirely.)
Retinol is infamous for its tendency to cause dryness, redness, and irritation as your skin adjusts. That’s why we formulated Black Rice Night Knight Retinol Serum with ceramides to help soothe and hydrate the skin, reducing irritation and supporting a healthy skin barrier. Fermented black rice, naturally rich in antioxidants and vitamin E, is also added to help keep skin moisturized and free of flakiness.
Clinical studies even found that Black Rice Night Knight Retinol Serum improves skin elasticity by 8.955% and reduces wrinkles by 12.109% after two weeks of use. However, after just one application, it's been shown to improve pore volume (texture and clogging) by 40.032%, count (skin clarity) by 24.001%, depth (skin smoothness) by 19.094%, and area (overall visibility) by 39.679%. In other words, the Black Rice Night Knight Retinol Serum is proven to make pores appear smaller, cleaner, and tighter, resulting in smoother, brighter, healthier-looking skin.
We recommend slowly introducing our retinol serum into your skincare routine, starting with applying it only one night a week and gradually increasing to twice a week. You can do this through skin cycling. With retinol in your regimen, your acne scars and bumps are sure to vanish fast.
Ready to introduce our retinol serum into your skincare routine? Well, we recommend starting with adding it to your nighttime product lineup once a week. Then, you can gradually increase to twice a week. Skin cycling will make this process super easy. Incorporating retinol into your regimen will quickly diminish acne scars and bumps
Ready to introduce our wonder-working retinol serum into your skincare routine? We highly recommend easing it into your nighttime product lineup by applying it just once a week. This allows your skin to gradually acclimate to Black Rice Night Knight Retinol Serum’s powerful ingredients.
Once your skin has adjusted, you can increase the frequency of your retinol application to twice a week. A fantastic way to manage this process is by skin cycling. This method involves alternating nights of active ingredients with recovery nights, making the introduction of retinol super easy and gentle on your skin. It also minimizes the risk of irritation while maximizing the benefits.
The consistent incorporation of retinol into your regimen is sure to reduce acne scars and bumps. Get ready for a smoother, glowier, more even complexion this time next month!
Acne Scars & Bumps? Retinol Might Be Your Skin’s New Bestie
Retinol isn’t just for smoothing fine lines and wrinkles. The ultra-popular, extensively studied skincare ingredient is also excellent for fighting breakouts, as well as the acne scars and bumps that often come with them. Its impressive versatility makes retinol serums a must-have skincare product for dermatologists and skincare enthusiasts alike, especially for those with acne-prone skin.
For those new to retinol, it’s a derivative of vitamin A that has been proven to reduce and prevent signs of aging. When used regularly, it stimulates the production of collagen and elastin, which are two vital proteins that give skin firmness, tautness, and plumpness. Retinol also protects your skin from the sun’s damaging effects, preventing wrinkles, sagging, and discoloration in the process. This skin-shielding effect strengthens your skin’s natural defenses, too, making it more resilient against environmental aggressors.
And that’s not all. The benefits of retinol go well beyond anti-aging. It’s also a crucial ingredient for treating the stubborn scars and bumps left in the aftermath of a breakout.
Ahead, we’ll explore how retinol helps diminish acne scars and bumps by promoting faster skin turnover, reducing inflammation, and so much more. We’ll also share why we recommend our Black Rice Night Knight Retinol Serum as the best retinol serum for resurfacing, rebuilding, and refining acne-prone skin.
How does retinol reduce acne scars & bumps?
Regulation of Melanin Production
Most of the marks left by pimples aren’t actually acne scars or scars at all. Instead, the dark spot that appears on your face after a pimple heals and flattens out is called post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH). These can form when your skin is inflamed — in this case, from a breakout — and it starts producing excess melanin in response.
To prevent this from happening, retinol slows down melanin production. Studies have shown that the skincare ingredient achieves this by blocking tyrosinase, the enzyme responsible for kickstarting the process. As a result, retinol effectively reduces dark spots and skin discoloration, leading to a more luminous, even-toned complexion.
Anti-Inflammatory Properties
Retinol is additionally known for its anti-inflammatory properties, which are key to calming angry, swollen breakouts and helping shrink acne bumps. This soothing benefit is also another reason why retinol is such an effective acne scar treatment.
As we mentioned earlier, dark spots, like post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), develop in response to inflammation. By targeting that inflammation at the source, retinol simultaneously helps prevent both acne scars and bumps. Yup, just one skincare ingredient alone can do that.
Speeds Up Cell Turnover
Another way retinol fades acne scars and smooths bumps is by accelerating cell turnover, allowing damaged skin cells to be replaced with fresh, new ones. Over time, this increased rate of cell renewal gradually improves your skin’s overall texture and tone, making it look healthier, refreshed, and more even.
Beyond its benefits for existing scars and texture, enhanced cell turnover also plays a crucial role in keeping pores clear and actively preventing future breakouts. By accelerating the shedding of dead skin cells and other accumulated debris, retinol effectively prevents pore blockages that are a primary cause of blemishes, bumps, and recurring breakouts.
Boosts Collagen Production
If you’re dealing with acne scars that look more like indents, those are called atrophic acne scars. Retinol’s collagen-stimulating benefits will be of major help in this case. After all, more collagen equals firmer, plumper skin. In turn, you’ll notice a reduced appearance of acne scars. Retinol won’t completely, magically fill up deeper acne scars, but it will definitely help smooth them out and make them less noticeable.
No matter what kind of acne scar or bump concerns you, though, boosting collagen production also helps make your skin more resilient and smoother. It will be able to heal from breakouts faster and will be less likely to scar or develop a rough texture.
What is the best retinol serum for acne scars & bumps?
The best retinol serum for any skin concern, especially acne scars and bumps, is Haruharu wonder's Black Rice Night Knight Retinol Serum. It features a gentle yet effective combo of retinol and bakuchiol to minimize clogged pores and breakouts. The lightweight, milky serum is also amazing for amplifying collagen production to help reduce the appearance of acne scars.
For those unfamiliar with bakuchiol, it's a non-irritating, plant-based ingredient that offers the same rejuvenating effects as retinol. It provides anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial benefits and has been proven to significantly reduce hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, and acne severity, just with fewer side effects. We combined bakuchiol with retinol to make the Black Rice Night Knight Retinol Serum safe for all skin types, even sensitive skin. (However, if you're pregnant or nursing, you should avoid this product entirely.)
Retinol is infamous for its tendency to cause dryness, redness, and irritation as your skin adjusts. That’s why we formulated Black Rice Night Knight Retinol Serum with ceramides to help soothe and hydrate the skin, reducing irritation and supporting a healthy skin barrier. Fermented black rice, naturally rich in antioxidants and vitamin E, is also added to help keep skin moisturized and free of flakiness.
Clinical studies even found that Black Rice Night Knight Retinol Serum improves skin elasticity by 8.955% and reduces wrinkles by 12.109% after two weeks of use. However, after just one application, it's been shown to improve pore volume (texture and clogging) by 40.032%, count (skin clarity) by 24.001%, depth (skin smoothness) by 19.094%, and area (overall visibility) by 39.679%. In other words, the Black Rice Night Knight Retinol Serum is proven to make pores appear smaller, cleaner, and tighter, resulting in smoother, brighter, healthier-looking skin.
We recommend slowly introducing our retinol serum into your skincare routine, starting with applying it only one night a week and gradually increasing to twice a week. You can do this through skin cycling. With retinol in your regimen, your acne scars and bumps are sure to vanish fast.
Ready to introduce our retinol serum into your skincare routine? Well, we recommend starting with adding it to your nighttime product lineup once a week. Then, you can gradually increase to twice a week. Skin cycling will make this process super easy. Incorporating retinol into your regimen will quickly diminish acne scars and bumps
Ready to introduce our wonder-working retinol serum into your skincare routine? We highly recommend easing it into your nighttime product lineup by applying it just once a week. This allows your skin to gradually acclimate to Black Rice Night Knight Retinol Serum’s powerful ingredients.
Once your skin has adjusted, you can increase the frequency of your retinol application to twice a week. A fantastic way to manage this process is by skin cycling. This method involves alternating nights of active ingredients with recovery nights, making the introduction of retinol super easy and gentle on your skin. It also minimizes the risk of irritation while maximizing the benefits.
The consistent incorporation of retinol into your regimen is sure to reduce acne scars and bumps. Get ready for a smoother, glowier, more even complexion this time next month!