Acne scars are easily recognized by the red skin of an area formerly occupied by a pimple. The initial form, while not actually a scar, will lead to one in some cases. Unfortunately, the only way to know for sure that it is a scar is if the red skin persists for longer than 6-12 months. It is often better, therefor, to treat all acne lesions as potential scars.
What Causes Acne Scars?
Acne scars are caused by an overabundance of the connective tissues your body uses to heal itself. These tissues work to provide a temporary framework for your skin cells to regrow on. But if there is too much of this connective tissue, it is not broken down when the healing is complete, but rather stays permanently. This causes a discolored or unpigmented section of skin to form.
Avoiding Acne Scars
Since the root cause of acne scarring is acne, preventing acne in the first place is the best way to avoid scars. But even if you already have acne, it is still possible to prevent acne scars from forming. The way this is done is by speeding the healing process as much as possible. The faster your acne lesion heals, the less time the connective tissue framework has to overgrow and leave scars.
