Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesTypesPrevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
Types
Prevention
This article will explain causes of acne scars and how you can prevent them.
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Causes of Acne Scars
Acne scars are most often the product of an inflamed lesion, such as apapule,pustule, or cyst. Inflamed blemishes occur when the follicle, or pore, becomes engorged with excess oil, dead skin cells, and bacteria. The pore swells, causing a break in the follicle wall.
If the rupture occurs near the skin’s surface, the lesion is usually minor and heals quickly. More serious lesions arise when there is a deep break in the follicle wall. The infected material spills out into thedermis(the second of the three skin layers) and destroys healthy skin tissue.
To repair the damage done to the dermis, the skin forms newcollagenfibers.Collagen is the fibrous protein that gives the skin its strength and flexibility. Unfortunately, the finished “repair job” never looks as smooth and flawless as before the injury.
Why Do I Have Inflamed Acne and How Should I Treat It?
Types of Acne Scars
There are two maintypes of acne scars:
Often, what is taken to be an acne scar is not a true scar at all, but ratherpost-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH). This temporary discoloration of the skin will eventually fade on its own. Certain treatment medications, such asRetin-A(tretinoin), may speed up the fading time.
Prevention of Acne Scars
You can’t completely prevent scarring, but these strategies can minimize your chance of developing acne scars.
Treat Acne as Soon as It Develops
The best thing you can do is get acne under control as soon as possible. Begintreatingit right away, and see your healthcare provider ordermatologistif your acne isn’t getting any better with over-the-counter acne treatments.
Quick treatment helps to keep breakouts to a minimum and prevents acne from developing into a more severe form.Prevent pimples and you’ll prevent scarring.
Reduce Inflammation
Large, inflamed acne blemishes are much more likely to leave scars behind than non-inflamed breakouts and blackheads.Your goal should always be to calm inflammation and avoid doing anything that will further irritate your skin. Aggressive scrubbing and harsh skincare products should be avoided.
Don’t Squeeze, Pop, or Pick at Pimples
Pass up the temptation to pick or squeeze a pimple. Doing so can force debris deeper into the dermis, spreading an infection to other tissue and worsening inflammation.This is especially true for deep, serious blemishes like nodules and cysts.
Remind yourself that popping pimples can extend the healing time and ups the chance of it leaving a permanent scar. Allow the blemish to heal on its own. If you’ve already picked at a blemish,take steps to help heal itand minimize skin damage.
Is Popping Pimples Bad for Your Skin?
Don’t Pick at Scabs
Picking at scabs should also be avoided. A scab is the skin’s natural “bandage” which protects the wound as it heals. Picking a scab off a wound before it is ready prolongs the healing process and increases the chances of scarring.
Know If You Are Prone to Scarring
The reality is some people are more prone to scarring while others come through a case of severe acne without a scar in sight.If you are highly prone to scarring, talk to a dermatologist to discuss acne treatment options.
See Your Healthcare Provider for Deep Breakouts or Cysts
While smaller blemishes can still scar the skin, it’s the big ones that usually do the most damage. Because they extend deeper into the skin, deep nodular breakouts or cystic breakouts are more likely to destroy skin tissue and leave scars.
Over-the-counter acne productswon’t help these types of breakouts. It’s best to see your dermatologist about prescription treatment options.
Acne Scar Treatment Options
A Word From Verywell
Despite your best efforts, You may still develop some acne scarring. Luckily, there are scar treatments to help minimize the appearance of scarring. Don’t hesitate to talk to your healthcare provider or dermatologist. They can explain the treatment options available to you.
10 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Dermatology Association.Scars: Who gets and causesAmerican Academy of Dermatology Association.Acne: Who gets and causes.Tanghetti EA.The role of inflammation in the pathology of acne.J Clin Aesthet Dermatol.2013;6(9):27-35.Gozali MV, Zhou B.Effective treatments of atrophic acne scars.J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2015;8(5):33–40.Mari W, Alsabri SG, Tabal N, Younes S, Sherif A, Simman R.Novel insights on understanding of keloid scar: article review.J Am Coll Clin Wound Spec.2015;7(1-3):1-7. doi:10.1016/j.jccw.2016.10.001Kwon SY, Park SD, Park K.Comparative effect of topical silicone gel and topical tretinoin cream for the prevention of hypertrophic scar and keloid formation and the improvement of scars.J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol.2014;28(8):1025-33. doi:10.1111/jdv.12242Shi C, Zhu J, Yang D.The pivotal role of inflammation in scar/keloid formation after acne.Dermatoendocrinol. 2017;9(1):e1448327. doi:10.1080/19381980.2018.1448327American Academy of Dermatology Association.10 skin care habits that can worsen acne.Glass DA.Current understanding of the genetic causes of keloid formation.J Investig Dermatol Symp Proc. 2017 Oct;18(2):S50-S53. doi:10.1016/j.jisp.2016.10.024Al-Kathiri L, Al-Najjar T.Severe nodulocystic acne not responding to isotretinoin therapy successfully treated with oral dapsone.Oman Med J.2018;33(5):433-6. doi:10.5001/omj.2018.79
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Dermatology Association.Scars: Who gets and causesAmerican Academy of Dermatology Association.Acne: Who gets and causes.Tanghetti EA.The role of inflammation in the pathology of acne.J Clin Aesthet Dermatol.2013;6(9):27-35.Gozali MV, Zhou B.Effective treatments of atrophic acne scars.J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2015;8(5):33–40.Mari W, Alsabri SG, Tabal N, Younes S, Sherif A, Simman R.Novel insights on understanding of keloid scar: article review.J Am Coll Clin Wound Spec.2015;7(1-3):1-7. doi:10.1016/j.jccw.2016.10.001Kwon SY, Park SD, Park K.Comparative effect of topical silicone gel and topical tretinoin cream for the prevention of hypertrophic scar and keloid formation and the improvement of scars.J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol.2014;28(8):1025-33. doi:10.1111/jdv.12242Shi C, Zhu J, Yang D.The pivotal role of inflammation in scar/keloid formation after acne.Dermatoendocrinol. 2017;9(1):e1448327. doi:10.1080/19381980.2018.1448327American Academy of Dermatology Association.10 skin care habits that can worsen acne.Glass DA.Current understanding of the genetic causes of keloid formation.J Investig Dermatol Symp Proc. 2017 Oct;18(2):S50-S53. doi:10.1016/j.jisp.2016.10.024Al-Kathiri L, Al-Najjar T.Severe nodulocystic acne not responding to isotretinoin therapy successfully treated with oral dapsone.Oman Med J.2018;33(5):433-6. doi:10.5001/omj.2018.79
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Academy of Dermatology Association.Scars: Who gets and causesAmerican Academy of Dermatology Association.Acne: Who gets and causes.Tanghetti EA.The role of inflammation in the pathology of acne.J Clin Aesthet Dermatol.2013;6(9):27-35.Gozali MV, Zhou B.Effective treatments of atrophic acne scars.J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2015;8(5):33–40.Mari W, Alsabri SG, Tabal N, Younes S, Sherif A, Simman R.Novel insights on understanding of keloid scar: article review.J Am Coll Clin Wound Spec.2015;7(1-3):1-7. doi:10.1016/j.jccw.2016.10.001Kwon SY, Park SD, Park K.Comparative effect of topical silicone gel and topical tretinoin cream for the prevention of hypertrophic scar and keloid formation and the improvement of scars.J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol.2014;28(8):1025-33. doi:10.1111/jdv.12242Shi C, Zhu J, Yang D.The pivotal role of inflammation in scar/keloid formation after acne.Dermatoendocrinol. 2017;9(1):e1448327. doi:10.1080/19381980.2018.1448327American Academy of Dermatology Association.10 skin care habits that can worsen acne.Glass DA.Current understanding of the genetic causes of keloid formation.J Investig Dermatol Symp Proc. 2017 Oct;18(2):S50-S53. doi:10.1016/j.jisp.2016.10.024Al-Kathiri L, Al-Najjar T.Severe nodulocystic acne not responding to isotretinoin therapy successfully treated with oral dapsone.Oman Med J.2018;33(5):433-6. doi:10.5001/omj.2018.79
American Academy of Dermatology Association.Scars: Who gets and causes
American Academy of Dermatology Association.Acne: Who gets and causes.
Tanghetti EA.The role of inflammation in the pathology of acne.J Clin Aesthet Dermatol.2013;6(9):27-35.
Gozali MV, Zhou B.Effective treatments of atrophic acne scars.J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2015;8(5):33–40.
Mari W, Alsabri SG, Tabal N, Younes S, Sherif A, Simman R.Novel insights on understanding of keloid scar: article review.J Am Coll Clin Wound Spec.2015;7(1-3):1-7. doi:10.1016/j.jccw.2016.10.001
Kwon SY, Park SD, Park K.Comparative effect of topical silicone gel and topical tretinoin cream for the prevention of hypertrophic scar and keloid formation and the improvement of scars.J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol.2014;28(8):1025-33. doi:10.1111/jdv.12242
Shi C, Zhu J, Yang D.The pivotal role of inflammation in scar/keloid formation after acne.Dermatoendocrinol. 2017;9(1):e1448327. doi:10.1080/19381980.2018.1448327
American Academy of Dermatology Association.10 skin care habits that can worsen acne.
Glass DA.Current understanding of the genetic causes of keloid formation.J Investig Dermatol Symp Proc. 2017 Oct;18(2):S50-S53. doi:10.1016/j.jisp.2016.10.024
Al-Kathiri L, Al-Najjar T.Severe nodulocystic acne not responding to isotretinoin therapy successfully treated with oral dapsone.Oman Med J.2018;33(5):433-6. doi:10.5001/omj.2018.79
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