Acne Scars

What is Acne Scars?

Acne scars result when acne breakouts penetrate the deeper section of the skin and the underlying tissues. The body tries to repair the damage thereby leaving a scar. Collagen is produced by the body when it tries to heal acne. Little or large amount of collagen produced for healing acne results in scar formation.

The type of scar is related to the type of collagen form.

Depressed acne scars: Depressions or pits are formed as a result of little collagen production.
Raised acne scars: Too much production of collagen to heal acne will lead to the formation of raised acne scars. This type of acne scars is very common among the people of African Americans, Asians, and Hispanics.

What causes Acne Scars?

Most people could see acne scars when they finally treat the acne on their body. This risk of getting acne scars may increase when the person:

Has inflammatory (reddish, swollen, and painful) acne: The may be acne cysts and nodules. This is the type of acne that penetrates into the deeper part of the skin and causing damages to the skin. Reluctant in treating inflammatory acne. The more time you leave the inflammatory acne, the higher the risk of becoming an acne scar.
Picks, squeezes, or pops acne. This also increases inflammation that in turn increases the risk to form a scar.

Has a family member that developed acne scars. There is some form of genetic involvement in acne scar formation.

Predicting who will develop acne scars is a difficult task. Even if we now know the risk factors for the development of acne scars. Those who are said to be at risk may not develop acne scars.

It is possible to prevent acne scars by treating acne effectively. Do not wait until acne becomes severe before you get it treated, it might lead to serious scarring.

Treatments for Acne Scars