Before addressing acne scars and their treatment, it's important to point out that reddish acne marks that resemble scars are not actually scars because no permanent change has happened. In other words they are not true scarring and disappear in time, nonetheless 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 in the lesion's site for up to 24 more weeks. When a macule finally 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 sometimes observed in people with white skin. Early treatment with a natural skin care cream attenuates the development of post-inflammatory pigmentation and also eliminates older marks. If untreated, post-inflammatory pigmentation can even persist for up to 18 months, specially with exaggerated sunlight exposure.

Acne Scars - How are they formed?

Acne scars appear 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 avoid scars along with treatments, which considerably reduce a scarred skin's appearance.

Basically, scars form at the site of damage and are the visible reminders of injury 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 injury site. The skin activitates all its defensive and repair systems, where elements such as leukocytes, inflammatory molecules, and regenerative elements have the mission of healing tissue and fighting infection. However, when their job is done they may leave a somewhat messy repair site in the form of fibrous scar tissue, or eroded tissue. It's not always that way.

Leukocytes and inflammatory molecules may remain at the site of an active acne lesion for days or even weeks. In people who are susceptible to scarring the result may be an acne scar. The occurrence and incidence of scarring is still not well understood, however. There is considerable 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 within the skin. But, scarring may also arise from more superficial inflamed lesions.