Commonly, the mild form of acne occurring in most people does not leave scars, or if it does, the scarring heals naturally over time. But people suffering from aggressive 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 with time but are visible enough to cause uneasiness. Macules are such pseudo- scars, which are sometimes left behind by an inflamed acne lesion. A macule is nothing but a flat, red spot that is the final stage of any inflamed lesion. Unlike a scar, a macule can take time to disappear, but once it does, it leaves no trace behind.

Then there is the discoloration of skin after the healing of any inflamed acne lesion. It is more frequent in dark skinned people, but can happen in white skin also. This is called "Post inflammatory pigmentation." It may require treatment by a dermatologist.

According to the shape of tissue, acne scars are classified in two groups. One type of scar consists of increased skin tissue, and the others are characterized by the decrease in tissue on the site of acne. An exaggerated growth 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 quite deep and removal of them is difficult.

Different People Show Different Response to Acne Scars

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

More frequent are acne scars resulting from the loss of tissue. These are similar to scars left by chicken pox. These scars include ice-pick scars, soft tissue scars and depressed fibrotic scars. Ice-pick scars commonly appear on the cheek. These are small but with steep, jagged edges which makes them difficult to treat or cure. Sometimes these tiny scars 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 healthy 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 nearby skin and damages unhealed tissue, resulting in pit-like scars.