Objective To explore the effect of skin beauty nursing on negative emotions and post-healing appearance in patients with acne vulgaris. Methods A total of 92 patients with acne vulgaris admitted to Foshan Fosun Chancheng Hospital from June 2023 to June 2025 were selected as the research subjects. According to the random number table method, they were divided into the reference group and the experimental group, with 46 patients in each group. The reference group received conventional nursing, and the experimental group received skin beauty nursing on the basis of conventional nursing. The recovery status, post-healing appearance, quality of life, negative emotions and nursing satisfaction were compared between the two groups. Results The acne scar regression time and pigmentation regression time in the experimental group were shorter than those in the reference group (P<0.05). The post-healing appearance score in the experimental group was higher than that in the reference group (P<0.05). The DLQI score in the experimental group was lower than that in the reference group (P<0.05). The scores of SAS and SDS in the experimental group were lower than those in the reference group (P<0.05). The nursing satisfaction in the experimental group (97.83%) was better than that in the reference group (82.61%) (P<0.05). Conclusion For patients with acne vulgaris, the application of skin beauty nursing can not only effectively improve patients’ negative emotions, but also accelerate the regression ofacne scars and pigmentation, improve post-healing appearance, thereby improving their quality of life and nursing satisfaction.