A scar is a blemish left on the skin after a surface injury or wound has healed. The human body was built to endure a variety of aggressions, including penetrating trauma, burn trauma, etc. All of these happenings set into motion an orderly chain of events that are involved in the healing response, in which the healthy functional tissue (skin) is substituted by connective tissue (scar) and the healing response is characterized by the migration of specialized cells into the damage site, resulting in a scar.

Healing is the complex and dynamic process that results in the restoration of normal continuity and function. There are some basic responses that can occur after an injury has appeared:

* Regeneration (perfect replacement)

* Normal repair (reestablished equilibrium)

* Excessive healing (fibrosis and contractures) and

* Deficient healing (chronic ulcers)

When an injury occurs; be it a cut or an acne infection, a variety of different cells come immediately to the aid of the wounded area and the complex healing process begins. This is the body's biological way of protecting itself from damage. However this innate protective process commonly leaves behind scarring evidence, leaving you with a sudden need to remove acne scars.

Scars are composed mainly of collagen, a protein fiber usually found in the skin's middle layer, these scars are the body's way of repairing itself. Fortunately, scars will fade in time, but for those scars that don't disappear new procedures like laser therapies can minimize them significantly. However your best option is always prevention.

The following is a list of things you should and shouldn't do when following any acne scar treatment guide.

* Don't cleanse injuries with hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide is known to destroy new skin cells.

* Don't treat your skin with vitamin E. A study done in the University of Miami showed that Vitamin E impairs injury healing. (In addition, one-third of the patients tested also showed an allergic response).

* Don't expose new scars to the sun. Ultraviolet radiation can slow-down the healing mechanism and, since they stimulate melanocytes (the cells that produce pigment), can cause dark coloration. When you're outdoors, always apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher.

* Do cover an injury. It is commonly believed that wounds need to breathe to heal but this isn't true. As a matter of fact, moisture prevents the formation of a hard scab and can delay the healing process by as much as 50%. It's advised to treat the damaged area daily with an antibiotic ointment like Neosporin (which will prevent infection, another obstruction to healing) and keep it protected with a bandage. After a week, switch to plain Vaseline petroleum jelly and keep using it underneath the bandage until new skin grows over the injury.

* Do keep regular pressure on the injury with special bandages or silicon e sheeting pads. Various studies have shown that accessories like these help to compress scars-including keloids, scars with hard tissue that grow impetuously over their original limits.