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Acne occurs when your hair follicles become blocked with
excessive oil and dead skin cells causing the skin to become
inflamed.

Immediately your skin begins the healing process. Red and
white blood cells rush to the scene to get the inflammation
under control. An acne scar can result as the skin tries
too hard to repair the damage. The skin produces collagen
to fill in the area to be healed. Collagen is a protein
that gives your skin strength and rigidity. A scar forms
when too much collagen is produced or when the skin cells
are destroyed.

Scars come in different types and colors. Your scars may
be flat, indented, or raised. They may be whitish in color,
purple, red, skin colored, or darker than your skin. You
may suffer from the scarring for life or your scars may
improve over time and become less noticeable.

The most common form of acne scaring is known as
indented
scars. This type of scaring takes on different forms. Each
type is due to the loss of skin tissue. Your dermatologist
will recommend the best type of treatment for indented
scars.

Ice-pick scaring is the most common type of indented
scaring. This type of scaring is usually found on the
cheeks, is small and resembles an ice-pick wound. The
scars may be shallow or deep and may be soft or hard.

Depressed fibrotic scars are usually large, with sharp edges
and steep sides.

Rolling “hill and valley” scars are soft scars that have
gently sloping rolled edges that merge with normal skin.
They are usually small, and are either circular or linear in
shape.

Atrophic macules are fairly small on the face, but may be
larger on the body. They are soft, with a slightly wrinkled
base, and may be bluish in color due to blood vessels lying
just under the scar.

Keloid or hypertrophic scaring are raised scars and are
caused by the production of excess collagen when the skin
tries to heal itself of the acne. This type of scaring is
usually hereditary. The scars resemble large bumps and
may reduce in size over time. If your family is prone to this
type of scaring, be very careful with your acne and see a
dermatologist for an acne prevention program.

Some skin types may scar more easily than other types of
skin. If you have a known tendency to scar easily you should
seek the care of a dermatologist who can suggest treatments
to help eliminate and prevent acne scarring. Your acne
treatment is your best defense against scaring.

Squeezing and popping your acne will increase your chances
of having acne scars. The more inflammation that can be
eliminated, the more likely it is that scars can be
prevented. This is especially true when preventing acne
aggravation. The more you irritate an inflamed an area, the
more likely it is to scar.

Once the scaring occurs a dermatologist may be able to
diminish the appearance of those scars. You should wait
until your acne is completely gone before seeking treatment
of your acne scars. Understand that a dermatologist cannot
erase the scars. The treatment will usually improve the
appearance of your skin.

Today there are various types of treatment for acne scaring.
Following are common techniques and procedures used to
improve scarring:

Laser treatment is the most talked about form of scar
treatment today. The laser stimulates the skin to produce
collagen beneath the existing scar. The skin tightens and
reduces the appearance of the acne scar.

Punch treatment is used on the ice-pick scars. The acne
scar is cut down to the layer of subcutaneous fat; the
resulting hole in the skin may be repaired with sutures or
with a small skin graft.

Other treatments that are not as recommended today are
dermabrasion, microdermabrasion, and soft tissue
augmentation. As new laser treatments continue to be
successful and less invasive, these older treatments are
being used less and less.

Your dermatologist will be able to recommend the best
treatment for your specific type of skin and scaring. Acne
scars are difficult to treat and usually require multiple
treatments. Understand the facts before you begin an acne
scar treatment program.