While acne often makes its presence very known above the skin, the reason it leaves scarring behind actually has to do with what's happening underneath the skin. "During a breakout, inflammation is happening underneath your skin. This inflammation causes trauma to skin tissue — leading to scarring," says Christenson.
What causes acne scars? Depressed acne scars: If the body produces too little collagen, depressions or pits form as the skin heals. Raised acne scars: Sometimes the body produces too much collagen as it tries to heal the skin and underlying tissue.
Acne scarring can sometimes develop as a complication of acne. Any type of acne spot can lead to scarring, but it's more common when the most serious types of spots (nodules and cysts) burst and damage nearby skin. Scarring can also occur if you pick or squeeze your spots, so it's important not to do this.
Acne scars do not go away entirely on their own. Depressed acne scars often become more noticeable with age as skin loses collagen. However, there are a variety of treatments that can make acne scars less noticeable. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation or redness may lighten on its own within several months.
Depressed scars
Flat and shallow, depressed acne scars — also called atrophic acne scars — appear as a small indentation in your skin. They form this way because the acne blemishes heal below the surface of your skin, and your skin can't regenerate enough tissue to even out the top layer.
Most serious scarring is caused by the more severe forms of acne, with nodules more likely to leave permanent scars than other types of acne. The best approach is to get treatment for acne soon after it appears to prevent further severe acne and more scarring.
Deep scars often require skin surgery and resurfacing. Dermatologists use fillers to safely and effectively plump depressed acne scars. A dermatologist may fill acne scars with collagen, the patient's own fat, or another substance. Many fillers give us temporary results, which last between 6 and 18 months.
However, too much sun can darken scarring. And the darker your skin color, the more obvious your scars will be. Don't pick, scratch, or squeeze: Causing extra damage to your skin promotes inflammation which will make scars worse. Treat your acne immediately: The longer you wait, the greater the likelihood of scars.
Why won't Acne Scars Go Away? Damage or deep injury that occurred in the skin can cause permanent acne scars. Even though our body naturally forms new collagen to repair the broken tissues, it will only create uneven and discolored scar tissue which won't look smooth or flawless like how your skin used to be.
Acne scars can be sunken (depressed) due to the loss of tissue. They may look like ice pick pits. They can be rolling, creating a wavy texture in the skin or they may also be boxlike. These are sometimes called boxcar acne scars and are often on the face.
Although exfoliation can help fade scars naturally, overdoing it can cause irritation and make your scars worse. It can also burst existing acne, which may cause the bacteria to spread on other areas of the face.
Acne Scars and Acne Marks Treatment
Fundamentally, acne marks are flat, brown, or red. They can be removed by applying some creams or they tend to go away on their own, naturally. On the other hand, acne scars lead to skin irregularities. They are raised or indented and often stay with the person forever.
There are two basic types of scar depending on whether there is a net loss or gain of collagen (atrophic and hypertrophic scars). Eighty to ninety percent of people with acne scars have scars associated with a loss of collagen (atrophic scars) compared to a minority who show hypertrophic scars and keloids.
Acne scars range in appearance from shallow, mottled depressions, sometimes called rolling scars, to deep and narrow depressions.
“Using the pointed end of a Beauty Blender, lightly tap concealer to cover the scab,” Hewitt says. Liquid or cream is best—Hewitt says that powder will make the scab look drier and way more noticeable.
Depending on the location of the scar, acne scars can appear more severe as you grow older because of collagen depletion in the skin. Depressed acne scars or atrophic acne scarring will usually look worse as your skin loses natural volume as part of the natural aging process.
Do you ever feel your skin looks better in the morning? The reason is often attributed to the fact that your skin gets thicker in the morning, as it prepares to protect against stressors throughout the day. And yet, even at its thickest point, our skin is less than a tenth of an inch thick.
It usually takes 3-6 months for the marks to disappear. However, if you have a scar, you're dealing with permanent skin damage that needs treatment in order to disappear.
The most difficult type of acne scars to treat is icepick acne scarring. Ice pick scars are narrow, V-shaped scars that go deep into the skin. They often look like small oval holes, similar to a chicken pox scar. Because of these characteristics they are the most difficult acne scars to treat.
Of the 80% of people under the age of 30 with acne, 20% of them will scar. Whether or not you fall into this category depends on several factors, many of which are unavoidable: Genetics: Some people are more prone to scarring than others. Not only from acne, but from all types of skin damage.
Green Concealer
Green is opposite the color wheel from red, so it's perfect for hiding any redness on your face, like pimples and acne scars. If you have rosacea, a color correcting green primer will help hide unwanted redness and give you an even base for applying foundation.
“Lighter-color skin tones or skin that sunburns more easily will often produce red marks after acne, whereas darker-color skin tones or skin that tans more easily will often produce brown marks after acne,” explains Wesley.