Post-acne redness, also called post-inflammatory erythema (P.I.E.), is what is left behind when a breakout heals. The original pimple is gone — the inflammation has settled, the bacteria are no longer active, and the pore is no longer clogged — but the small blood vessels in the skin that dilated during the inflammation are still slightly enlarged and visible through the skin.
This is different from post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (P.I.H.), which is the brown or dark mark left after breakouts in darker skin tones. P.I.H. is a pigment problem. P.I.E. is a vascular problem. The actives that work on one are not always the same actives that work on the other.
The Red Mark Solution is a compounded topical built specifically for P.I.E. — the flat red, pink, or purple marks that linger after breakouts have healed. The typical categories of actives a dermatologist might combine in a formula at this level include:
- Anti-inflammatory and vascular-calming actives — reduce the residual inflammation and help the dilated capillaries return to normal, which is what makes the red mark fade.
- Skin renewal actives — accelerate the natural turnover of the upper layers of skin so the discolored cells are replaced with even-toned cells faster than they would otherwise.
- Barrier and tone supporting actives — protect the skin during the recovery phase and improve overall clarity and tone alongside the spot-specific work.
The specific combination, strengths, and ratios in your formula are decided by the dermatologist reviewing your case. For the exact active ingredients in The Red Mark Solution, see the product page.
If your marks are brown or dark rather than red or pink, the dermatologist reviewing your case may recommend a different DermClick formula built for pigment correction — see The Dark Spot Solution, The Brightening Solution, or The Precision Dark Spot Corrector in the melasma section instead.