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Commonly, the mild form of acne occurring in most people does not leave scars, or if it does, the scarring heals by itself over time. But people suffering from severe forms of acne such as nodular cystic acne might be left with deep scarring in the skin.

Some spots and pigmentations can apparently be very similar to scars, without being a real one. These disappear eventually but are evident enough to cause uneasiness. Macules are such pseudo- scars, which are sometimes left behind by an inflamed acne lesion. A macule is just a flat, red spot that is the final stage of any inflamed lesion. Unlike a scar, a macule might take time to disappear, but once it does, it leaves no trace behind.

Then there is the skin's discoloration after the resolution of any inflamed acne lesion. It is more common in dark skinned people, but might take place in white skin also. This is called "Post inflammatory pigmentation." It may need treatment by a specialist.

Based on the shape of tissue, acne scars are classified in two categories. One type of scar consists of augmented skin tissue, and the others are characterized by the diminution in tissue on the site of acne. Overgrowth of scar tissue is called Keloid and is more noticeable in African-Americans. The deep, linear scar formed by acne is called the ice-pick scar. These are very deep and their removal is difficult.

Response to Acne Scars Varies

In some people scars heal quickly while some people carry scars for a lifetime. Psychologically, people demonstrate different responses to acne scarring. Some people think about scarring as something normal, while there are others who are alarmed about even the slightest of scarring and go to great lengths to get them removed.

More common are acne scars resulting from the loss of tissue. These are like the scars left by chicken pox. These scars include ice-pick scars, soft tissue scars and depressed fibrotic scars. Ice-pick scars usually occur on the cheek. These are small but with steep, jagged edges which makes them difficult to treat or cure. Sometimes these small marks become quite large and steep, with sharp edges, which are then know as depressed fibrotic scars. Then there are soft scars, both superficial and deep. These scars are small with rolling edges merging with the normal skin. They can be circular or linear in shape.

One more cause of acne scarring is the pinching and squeezing of acne. This action spreads the infection to surrounding skin and harms unhealed tissue, resulting in pit-like scars.