Wesley, MD, FACMS, adding that some acne treatments will help improve the appearance of acne scars in and of themselves. “Start with controlling and treating the acne first-otherwise, you may just be chasing more scars,” says dermatologist Naissan O. The first step in preventing acne scars is treating the source. She also notes that some people are just more prone to acne scarring. While most breakouts will heal overtime without leaving behind a mark, she says other blemishes are more stubborn and are likely to scar.

Garshick adds that acne scarring is related to excess oil production, inflammation, and bacteria. Scars in general are a result of injury to the skin when the skin is injured or damaged in some way, it will repair itself and sometimes leave a scar behind.

“If you feel textural changes, then you most likely have acne scars.” The Causes Acne marks, on the other hand, do resolve eventually and are characterized by flat or smooth dark spots (hyperpigmentation) or persistent red spots (erythema) at the sites of a recent acne lesion.” The easiest way to tell if you have an acne scar? “Close your eyes and run your fingers over your face or the acne affected area,” New York City board-certified dermatologist Shereene Idriss advises. “Most notably, acne scars are permanent if not treated and are characterized by having an indentation or depression in the skin.

“While many of my patients use the terms ‘scars’ and ‘marks’ interchangeably, I do make a point of defining these two very differently,” explains Andrew Alexis, MD, MPH, and professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Acne scars must also be distinguished from superficial acne marks, like brown or red spots.

Skin scar left by acne