What should I use to fade these acne scars? [Pics and current routine inside]

[Scrubadub]

I'm a 21 year old male, had bad acne in high school, it stopped coming on full force my sophmore/junior year, and still stays relatively clear on my face. I rarely get a breakout on my face, if anything it'll be small... which is great, but now what I have is this slight redness/acne scarring. My sister/mom say it's not very noticeable, but I'd like to have smoother looking skin, but atleast I'm a guy and don't have to have it picture perfect, right? :P

My skin type is definitely sensitive, I burn pretty easy, and my skin gets really dry in the winter.

I felt kinda weird taking pictures of my cheeks, because I was using a DSLR but here they're, lol:

Left side of my face, first one no flash, 2nd bathroom lighting, 3rd with flash.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/43/leftsidenoflash.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/202/leftsidebathroomlightin.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/528/leftsideflash.jpg/

right side of my face, first one no flash, 2nd bathroom lighting, 3rd with flash.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/62/rightsidenoflash.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/847/rightsidebathroomlighti.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/7/rightsideflash2.jpg/

My current routine is this, I rotate 2 face washes in the morning, meaning one on monday, next one on tuesday, and so on: http://www.amazon.com/Neutrogena-Oil-Free-Redness-Soothing-Gentle/dp/B002BWOY4S then http://www.amazon.com/Neutrogena-Invigorating-Face-Wash-Ounce/dp/B001B4Q5X0/ref=sr_1_1?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1321246635&sr=1-1
I rotate them because I don't want to over-do it to my skin and have it turn out more red. I also moisturize with: http://www.amazon.com/Neutrogena-Oil-Free-Moisture-Ounces-Pack/dp/B001ECQ3AE/ref=sr_1_2?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1321246685&sr=1-2

So, I'm about 2 weeks into this, and have noticed little to no change. I'm wondering what I could add/change/remove to get rid of past acne scars/leftover redness? Anyone had success with prescription creams or are they a waste of money?

Also, I get blackheads on my nose... Anything useful for those?

Should I use anything before I goto bed at night?

Thanks very much

[vencasand]

check out your message from me on your pm. i think i answered correctly. but check anyway.

[Scrubadub]

check out your message from me on your pm. i think i answered correctly. but check anyway.

good advice, sent you another PM :)

[Freddy2]

Good to know that.. Advice is good, thanks for sharing such
nice information with us...

[Scrubadub]

Good to know that.. Advice is good, thanks for sharing such
nice information with us...

hey freddy, basically to conclude the PM's, i'm just using the redness stuff ( http://www.amazon.com/Neutrogena-Oil-Free-Redness-Soothing-Gentle/dp/B002BWOY4S ) every morning. Then I put on a moisturizer with alpha/beta hydroxy acids, or w/e, and it makes my face feel real smooth, I have noticed small improvements so far, but it all takes time. The moisturizer I use is this: http://www.amazon.com/Palmers-Cocoa-Butter-Smoothing-Lotion/dp/B002CZ4LVA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321458163&sr=8-1

Good luck!

[Katie_B]

Thanks for sharing your pictures. I know that acne scars are basically a different type of tissue compared to your normal skin. So for me, it is hard to believe that people are trying to sell products to clear acne scars. They need to be addressed using scientific logic. I've been learning a lot about skin lasers. And what they do is cause the skin to create new and healthy collagen, which replaces any fiber structures that are damaged or abnormal. This is the approach that needs to be taken with acne scars- actually working with the tissue structure. Lasers can do a lot in medicine because they are so precise (e.g. Lasik eye surgery etc.) in the way they change tissue.

I thought you would be interested in this video of a woman who had Fraxel Dual treatments to correct her acne scars. Her comments and feedback are quite genuine. The best part is when she talks about how other people notice a difference in her skin, so you know she is not imagining any type of improvement

http://www.finetouchdermatology.com/patient-videos/acne-scar-laser-treatment-fraxel-dual-before-and-after/

[Scrubadub]

Thanks for sharing your pictures. I know that acne scars are basically a different type of tissue compared to your normal skin. So for me, it is hard to believe that people are trying to sell products to clear acne scars. They need to be addressed using scientific logic. I've been learning a lot about skin lasers. And what they do is cause the skin to create new and healthy collagen, which replaces any fiber structures that are damaged or abnormal. This is the approach that needs to be taken with acne scars- actually working with the tissue structure. Lasers can do a lot in medicine because they are so precise (e.g. Lasik eye surgery etc.) in the way they change tissue.

I thought you would be interested in this video of a woman who had Fraxel Dual treatments to correct her acne scars. Her comments and feedback are quite genuine. The best part is when she talks about how other people notice a difference in her skin, so you know she is not imagining any type of improvement

http://www.finetouchdermatology.com/patient-videos/acne-scar-laser-treatment-fraxel-dual-before-and-after/

Thing is, I cannot afford laser treatment, and so far this routine has been making my skin smoother!