Skincare Treated

Know Your Acne Scars

Scars form when the skin tissue is injured in some way.  Acne develops on the skin due to excess sebum that attracts white blood cells to the site to fight the inflammation. After the inflammation subsides, the tissue may be damaged and forms different types of acne scars.

There are atrophic scars caused by a loss of tissue, and hypertophic scars which caused by growth of tissue.

Acne Scars vs. Macules

True acne scars should not be confused with macules, which are flat, red spots on the site of a previous acne infection. Inflamed acne lesions subside and leave behind macules. These may take a few months to disappear, but they do not leave scars.

Let’s look at the different types of acne scars. Atrophic scars occur more commonly than hypertrophic scars, and are ice pick scars, boxcar scars, rolling scars, atrophic macules and follicular macular atrophy.

Ice pick scars are so called because they are usually deep and have steep and jagged sides, like a wound caused by an ice pick. They form after the infection from a deep inflamed cyst reaches the surface of the skin.

The infection destroys the skin tissue and results in a deep, narrow scar.  Ice pick scars are generally seen on the cheeks.

Chicken Pox-Like Scars

Boxcar scars are more severe. They are also known as depressed fibrotic scars and resemble large round or oval valleys on the skin with steep vertical sides, rather like chicken pox scars.

This type of scar is formed after an attack of acne destroys skin collagen, resulting in loss of tissue. The skin covering this area is left without support, thus forming a depressed area.

Rolling or soft scars are caused when fibrous tissue forms between the skin surface and the tissue below it. These scars are circular or linear in shape. They have gently sloping sides which merge with normal skin, resembling rolling waves or hills.

Face and Body Scars

Other types of acne scars include atrophic macules which occur on the face and other parts of the body. They are smaller in size on the face and larger on the body.

They are soft with a wrinkled base and are appear blue because of the presence of blood vessels beneath the scar. With the passage of time, these scars turn from blue to white and become less visible.

Follicular macular atrophy is also known as perifollicular elastolysis. It usually occurs on the chest or back of a person who is already suffering from acne.  They are small and white and are slightly raised on the skin, resembling white heads which are not fully developed.

What Are Keloid Scars?

The other category of acne scars is hypertrophic or keloid scars. These scars are a result of increased formation of tissue due to production of excess collagen.

Hypertrophic scars are smooth, firm and irregular in shape. They often last for years, but gradually get smaller in size.

A number of options are available to treat the different types of acne scars.