Before addressing a treatment for acne scars, it's pertinent to point out that acne red marks that resemble scars are not actually scars because no permanent change has occurred. In other words they are not true scarring and disappear in time, however, while they are visible they can cause embarrassment.

Flat, red or reddish spots that appear at the final stage of most inflamed acne lesions are called Macules or "pseudo-scars". After the inflammation of an acne lesion is gone, a macule may remain to "mark the spot" for up to 6 more months. When a macule eventually fades, no trace of it will remain, unlike a scar.

After the inflammation of an acne lesion has passed, skin pigmentation can become dark or discolorated. The lesion's color can range from light brown to black. Lesions may become darker if exposed to sunlight (UV rays). It happens more commonly in darker-skinned people, but can be occasionally seen in people with white skin. Early application of a natural skin care cream minimizes the development of post-inflammatory pigmentation and also vanishes existing marks. Some post-inflammatory pigmentation if untreated may persist for up to 18 months, especially with excessive sunlight exposure.

Acne Related Scars

Acne scars occur after inflammation or improper healing of some spots. While scarring for some people seems to depend on hereditary factors or skin color, precautions can be taken to prevent scars along with solutions, which considerably reduce a scarred skin's appearance.

Basically, scars form at the site of damage and are the visible reminders of wound and tissue repair. In the case of acne, the lesion is caused by the body's inflammatory response to sebum, microbes, and dead cells in the plugged sebaceous follicle. Two types of true scars exist:

(1) Depressed areas, commonly associated with pitted acne scarring or ice-pick scars, and

(2) Raised hardened tissue such as keloids.

When tissue suffers an injury, the body sends in its 'repair kit' to the wound site. The skin activitates all its immune and repair systems, where elements such as white blood cells, inflammatory molecules, and reconstructive elements have the mission of repairing tissue and controlling infection. However, when their mission is done they can leave a somewhat messy repair patch in the form of fibrous scar tissue, or eroded tissue. It's not always that way.

White blood cells and inflammatory molecules may remain at the site of an active acne lesion for days or even weeks. This can result in an acne scar in people who easily scar. More studies about the occurrence and incidence of scarring are needed. There is an important variation in scarring between one person and another, meaning that some people are more prone to scarring than others (ex. hereditary factors or complexion). Scarring frequently is a consequence of severe inflammatory nodular cystic acne that happens deep in the skin. But, scarring may also arise from more superficial inflamed lesions.