[Review] Trilogy and Renew Rosehip Oil for Acne Scars

About 5 months ago, I tried a product that claimed to very rapidly reduce the size of pimples overnight. It did. But it also burnt my skin. It not only burnt the surface layers, it burnt my skin pretty bad and the scarring was quite severe. Those brown marks remained on my face for months..!! Totally destroyed my plan of achieving awesome skin. But as with many things in life, everything happens for a reason. If this hadn’t happened to me, I would not have found out about the miraculous powers of Rosehip Oil.

When these scars were still in angry stage (red and scabby), there was almost nothing I could do except wait for the scabs to come off. Then when it did come off, I was left with dark brown patches. So I started researching on what helps with fading acne scars best. The top 3 hits: lemon, rosehip oil, and honey. Lemon being acidic and has high vitamin C content is self-explanatory. I used fresh lemons, squeezed out the juice and diluted it with water, and then appliedit directly onto my face as a toner. It works, but it also stings, and I don’t like the sting. Honey works too, but its a little slow and messy. So I invested in the most pricey of the 3 – rosehip oil.

Renew Antioxidant Moisturising Cream

The most commonly available brand of RHO in Singapore is Renew. It can be found in all Watsons stores. I bought mine with the moisturizer for $29.90 during a promotion. Within 1 month of twice daily usage of this oil (2 drops each time), I started to see results. Of course, I didn’t just use RHO alone. I invested in the mighty Clarisonic Mia 2 (review coming up in future) and a 12% glycolic peel cream for exfoliation and most efficient results. At the same time, I was drinking myself silly with lemon juice and tomatoes-everything (pasta sauces I chose tomato-based, condiments changed from chili to tomato sauce). The results were incredible. What should have taken 2-3 months, took only 1, and I was reasonably happy enough with the scars that I could finally cover them up with light makeup. Prior to this, makeup only made the scars look more visible, not less (maybe I lack skills?).

Trilogy Rosehip Oil & Renew Rosehip Oil

After 3 mths, my Renew RHO (15ml) supply ran out and I managed to order the Trilogy RHO from an online site. It is pricier than Renew, but it is also less yellow and very very very slightly less thick. I have been using my Trilogy RHO for the past 1-2mths now, and I love it. Actually, I love both brands of RHO that is featured in this post. Both are awesome for my scars-reduction project. And I’m hooked onto this baby! I’m never letting my RHO supply get cut. It’s a staple in my skin care routine now! After cleansing, I spritz on some rosewater & witch hazel all over my face, then I drop 2 drops of RHO onto my palms and rub them to warm the oil up. Then I just press my palms onto my face and neck lightly, cupping and staying longer at areas I would like to have more moisture. Everything else comes after that (essences, eye creams, serums). The water+oil step is my base; I think of it as restoring my skin to its original clean state before whatever washing and scrubbing I did during my cleansing.

Now these scars are GONE! Hallelujah! Omg, what would have probably stayed for more than a year because of the depth of skin layers burnt, has been reduced to about 5mths! Thank goodness! I can go without makeup when I choose to again! Ok, actually there is a spot that is almost not-visible, but under scrutiny, a shadow can still be seen..but that’s absolutely fine! No problemo! See the recovery process below – first pic taken in early July 2012, and the second pic taken early November 2012 (there are new scars from fresh pimples – sigh..but the old scars are gone!). I have a chicken pox scar on the left side of my nose bridge and in the July pic, there was an acne scar just below it (see bottom left grid, two spots there). In the Nov pic, the mark is gone and that spot in the bottom left grid is the chicken pox scar (one spot left). My skin didn’t get fairer, it’s just different natural lighting conditions (overcast in July, sunny in Nov).

Brown acne scars, July 2012

Scars gone (new ones abt 1 wk old), Nov 2012

Like I mentioned, it’s not just because of RHO, there are a couple of other items combined with the use of RHO that seriously sped up the recovery of my acne scars, and I will surely mention these (Clarisonic and that 12% glycolic acid peel) in future posts. But RHO played a really huge part in the healing process, because the other items are mainly for exfoliation and less for healing and tissue/ cell renewal.

I’m acne-prone, oily-skinned with large pores and I use RHO without issue. It doesn’t cause outbreaks (don’t bathe your face in it of cos, just 1-2 drops is good as gold) for me and in fact, I find my skin really improving in terms of texture and elasticity. There’s surely a reason why this oil is also known as the “oil of youth”! Just google “Rosehip Oil benefits” and you’ll see how it has helped millions of others, and now I’m a staunch believer too.