Condition

Acne Scarring

Acne scarring is the permanent change in the surface of the skin left behind after inflamed acne heals. It is a texture problem rather than a color one, and the flat brown or pink marks people often call scars are something else entirely.
Dr. Schwarz, MD · Board-certified dermatologistLast reviewed September 8, 2026
Close-up of the cheek, nose and mouth of an adult with light skin, turned three-quarters away from the camera against a pale blue background. The surface of the cheek is uneven, dimpled with shallow depressions and small pits that catch the light. There are no active spots — the change here is in the texture of the skin rather than its color.

Start here

The first thing I do in a scar consultation is work out whether the person in front of me has scars at all. Flat brown or pink marks left over from spots fade on their own; a true scar is something you can feel, or something that catches the light and casts a shadow. Treatment improves scars, it does not erase them, and anyone promising smooth skin is describing marketing. Scars form while acne is inflamed, so if you are getting deep, painful spots now, treating them properly is worth more than everything on the treatment list below.

— Dr. Schwarz, Board Certified Dermatologist

Key Facts

−
How commonCommon. Some degree of scarring follows inflamed acne in a large share of the people who have had it
Who gets itAnyone who has had inflamed or deep acne, and more likely the longer that acne went untreated
Curable or managedNeither. Scars are permanent, but most can be made considerably less noticeable
Prescription neededUsually. The treatments that change scars are in-office procedures rather than creams
Time to improveMonths. Most treatments are a series of sessions, and new collagen keeps maturing for up to a year afterwards

What It Is

−

An acne scar is a permanent change in the surface of the skin, left where an inflamed spot damaged the tissue underneath. You can usually feel it. Most sit below the skin around them; some stand above it.

The sunken ones come in three shapes, and most people have all three on the same face. Icepick scars are narrow and deep, like a small puncture. Boxcar scars are wider, with steep sides and a flat floor. Rolling scars are broad and shallow with sloping edges, which shows up most in side lighting.

Raised scars go the other way. Hypertrophic scars are thickened but stay within the outline of the original spot. Keloids grow beyond it, into skin that was never involved. Both turn up most on the chest, shoulders, upper back and jawline, where skin sits under more tension.

A fourth pattern is not a single scar. Some people lose firmness across a whole cheek and are left with an uneven surface rather than individual pits.

A flat mark is not a scar. Brown or gray marks left after a spot are post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation; pink or red ones are post-inflammatory erythema. Neither has texture, both sit level with the skin, and both fade. Close your eyes and run a fingertip over it - if you feel nothing, it is a mark and not a scar. That test saves a lot of money spent on creams for a problem creams cannot reach.

Symptoms

−
Ice Pick
Narrow or square dents

Ice Pick

Small, sharply cut pits left where inflamed acne destroyed tissue. Ice pick scars are narrow and deep, boxcar scars are wider with steep edges. Both sit below the surrounding skin, so they show most in side lighting. Creams do not lift them; resurfacing or filling procedures are what change them.
Rolling
Soft, wavy dips

Rolling

Broad, shallow dips that give the cheek an uneven, rippled look. They are caused by fibrous bands tethering the skin to deeper tissue rather than by loss of the surface. Because the skin itself is intact, treatments that release the tethering work better than ones that sand the top layer.
Box Car
Soft, wavy dips

Box Car

Broad, shallow dips that give the cheek an uneven, rippled look. They are caused by fibrous bands tethering the skin to deeper tissue rather than by loss of the surface. Because the skin itself is intact, treatments that release the tethering work better than ones that sand the top layer.
Hypertrophic
Firm bumps over old spots

Hypertrophic

Scars that sit above the skin instead of below it, usually on the chest, shoulders or jawline. They form when healing overshoots and lays down extra collagen. These are treated very differently from dents, so it is worth knowing which type you have before starting anything.

How It Looks by Skin Tone

−
Acne scarring on light skin. Small sharply cut pits and broad shallow dips across a cheek, several sitting inside faint flat pink marks, with no active spots.Acne scarring on medium skin. Shallow dips and small pits across a cheek, with flat light brown marks lying over and around several of them.Acne scarring on brown skin. Flat dark brown marks cover much of a cheek and jaw, with shallow dips and one or two firm raised scars along the jawline showing through them.Acne scarring on deep skin. Firm raised scars sit along a jawline with flat dark marks around them, and the whole area reads darker rather than red.
LightMediumBrownDeep

Scars form on every skin tone, but what shows up first differs. On deeper skin tones an inflamed spot usually leaves a flat dark mark as well as a true scar, and the mark is often what brings people in. The two need separate treatment, so the first job is sorting the pigment that will fade from the texture that will not.

Raised scarring is the bigger concern. Hypertrophic and keloid scars are much more common on deeper skin tones, particularly on the jawline, chest, shoulders and upper back. Treat deep, nodular acne there early, because a keloid is far harder to fix than the acne that caused it. Treatment risk runs the other way. Lasers, deep peels, dermabrasion and aggressive microneedling all inflame the skin, and reactive pigment cells answer inflammation with more pigment. A scar treatment can leave you darker than you started, and that can take a year to settle. Not a reason to avoid treatment, but a reason to use conservative settings, ask for a test patch, and choose a provider who treats deeper skin tones regularly. Calm the acne first, then the pigment, then the texture. Treating texture while spots keep arriving means fresh scars form alongside the ones being fixed, and nothing can be judged.

Where It Shows Up

−
Front view of a head with red marks on both cheeks, both temples and along both sides of the jaw.
Cheeks, temples and jawline
Scarring follows wherever the acne was worst and stayed inflamed longest. Indented scars are most common on the cheeks and temples. Raised scars sit more often along the jawline, where the skin is under more tension and heals thicker.
Back view of a whole body with red marks across the upper back, both shoulders and the upper chest area. The rest of the body is clear.
Chest, shoulders and upper back
Raised and keloid scars turn up on the chest over the breastbone, the shoulders and the upper back. These are the areas that pull with every movement, and skin under tension heals thicker.

What Happens in the Skin

−

1 of 5

0. Normal skin

Under the surface, the deeper layer of skin is an even mesh of collagen. It holds the surface flat and level, so light falls across the cheek without catching anywhere. Nothing here has been damaged, and there is nothing for the body to repair.

Panel 1 of the acne scarring figure. A cross-section of skin with a narrow, V-shaped track running from the surface straight down deep into the dermis.

2 of 5

1. Ice Pick Scar

A tiny, sharply cut pit, often no wider than a pore, left where a deep spot destroyed a narrow column of tissue. It is the most common shape on the cheeks and temples, and the hardest to treat, because the damage reaches further down than any resurfacing goes.

Panel 2 of the acne scarring figure. A cross-section of skin with a wide depression that has steep straight sides and a flat base within the dermis.

3 of 5

2. Boxcar Scar

A small crater with clean, near-vertical edges and a flat floor, left where inflammation destroyed a wider patch of tissue. The sharp edges are what catch the light, so boxcar scars show up far more under a lamp held to one side than under a flat overhead light.

Panel 3 of the acne scarring figure. A cross-section of skin with a broad, shallow, curved depression, the surface layer unbroken and fibrous bands tethering it from beneath.

4 of 5

3. Rolling Scar

A soft, wavy dip with no sharp edge, which makes a whole area of cheek look uneven rather than pitted. The surface skin is intact here — it is being pulled down from below by fibrous bands, which is why releasing those bands does more than sanding the top.

Panel 4 of the acne scarring figure. A cross-section of skin with a raised dome of thickened tissue sitting above the surrounding surface, staying within the width of the original pore.

5 of 5

4. Hypertrophic Scar

Repair that overshoots and lays down too much collagen, leaving a firm, thickened bump that stays inside the outline of the spot that caused it. These turn up where skin sits under tension: the jawline, chest, shoulders and upper back. Many soften on their own over one to two years.

Scars form in four steps, all of them while the acne is active.

First, a pore becomes inflamed. Oil, dead cells and bacteria build up, and the immune response fills the pore with the white cells and enzymes that make a spot red and sore.

Second, the pore wall breaks. In deep or long-lasting spots the contents spill sideways into surrounding skin instead of coming to the surface, and the inflammation goes with them. That is when the tissue is damaged. Squeezing does the same thing mechanically, which is why picking causes scars.

Third, the body repairs with collagen, and this step decides the shape. Too little, or collagen that pulls the skin down as it matures, leaves a dent. Too much leaves a raised, thickened lump.

Fourth, the repair matures. Scar tissue keeps remodeling for up to a year, which is why a fresh scar and the same scar a year later look quite different, and why scar treatment is judged over months.

Risk Factors

−

Some people scar from mild-looking acne, and others come through severe acne with nothing to show for it. Much of that is inherited, and none of it is your fault.

Inherited
Genetics
If a parent or sibling scarred from acne, you are more likely to. One of the strongest factors, and nobody can change it.
Inherited
A history of keloids
A keloid from a piercing, a cut or surgery means a higher chance of one from acne.
Inherited
Deeper skin tones
Raised and keloid scarring is more common, and flat dark marks come alongside any true scar.
The acne itself
Deep or nodular acne
Large lumps under the skin damage far more tissue than surface spots, and they scar far more often.
The acne itself
Acne on the chest, shoulders and back
Skin there is under more tension, so raised and keloid scars are much more common.
The acne itself
Repeated spots in the same place
Skin inflamed over and over has less chance to repair between rounds.
The acne itself
Severe acne starting young
The highest scarring risk of all, and the clearest reason to see a doctor early.
Habits & delay
Picking and squeezing
Forces a pore's contents sideways into surrounding skin - the same injury that scars naturally.
Habits & delay
Inflamed acne left untreated
The longer a spot stays inflamed, the more tissue is damaged. Time inflamed matters more than the number of spots.
Habits & delay
Delay in starting treatment
Risk climbs with each year inflamed acne goes untreated.

Course

−

Scars appear as the acne settles and look their worst in the first few months. Some of that fades over the first year. Treatment improves the picture after that, but it does not reset it.

First few months0-3 months
Scars are at their most noticeable

Redness in and around a new scar makes it stand out.

Six to twelve monthsRedness fading
A scar often improves on its own

Redness fades over six to twelve months, so a scar looks better at a year than at three months with nothing done to it.

One to two yearsRaised scars
Hypertrophic scars soften, keloids usually do not

Hypertrophic scars often flatten over one to two years on their own. Keloids do not, and can keep growing slowly for years, so treat them early.

Long termIndented scars
Permanent, and they can look deeper with age

Indented scars do not fill in. What changes is how visible they are: skin loses firmness with age, so shallow rolling scars look deeper in the forties and fifties than in the twenties. One more reason for daily sun protection.

After treatmentOver six to twelve months
The result keeps building

Most procedures give partial improvement, most need a series of sessions, and the result builds over six to twelve months as collagen matures. The aim is a scar that is harder to see, not skin that looks as though the acne never happened.

What Makes It Better & Worse

−

Scarring happens in four steps — inflammation inside the pore, it breaking into surrounding skin, collagen laid down badly, and the scar setting into place. Scarring is decided while the acne is still active.

The steps that produce acne scarring, numbered
The number on each line below points at one of these steps.

1Inflammation inside the pore

What helps

  • Treat the acne first Nothing holds if new spots keep arriving.
  • Isotretinoin for severe acne The most reliable way to shut down scarring acne.
  • A retinoid at night Treats acne and slowly improves texture and tone.

What makes it worse

  • Deep spots left untreated Every extra week inflamed damages more tissue.
  • Waiting to see a doctor Risk rises every year acne goes untreated.
  • Scrubbing and stacking actives Adds inflammation and pushes people off treatment.
  • Aggressive treatment too early Lasers or peels on active acne add marks.
  • Stopping acne treatment early Acne that returns starts it over.
  • Assuming flat marks are scars Sends you away from what stops the next one.

2Inflammation breaking into surrounding skin

What helps

  • Subcision Cuts the fibrous bands tethering a rolling scar.
  • Punch excision Cuts out a deep scar, trading a pit for a line.
  • Fillers Lift the floor of a shallow scar, temporarily.

What makes it worse

  • Picking and squeezing Ruptures the pore wall, spreading inflammation into healthy skin.
  • Home extraction tools Same damage as fingers, more force.

3Collagen laid down badly during repair

What helps

  • Microneedling New collagen, best on rolling and shallow boxcar scars.
  • Radiofrequency microneedling Heat at depth, so more collagen.
  • Fractional laser resurfacing Among the most effective for texture, real downtime.
  • TCA CROSS A drop of strong acid heals an icepick scar narrower.
  • Chemical peels Smooth shallow scar edges and even out tone.
  • Give each treatment months Collagen remodels for a year afterward.
  • Have a plan, not a product Two or three treatments matched to your scar shapes.

What makes it worse

  • Picking scabs Reopens the wound and deepens the mark.

4The finished scar setting into place

What helps

  • Daily sunscreen Keeps redness and pigment around a scar from deepening.
  • Steroid injections The mainstay for raised and keloid scars.
  • Silicone gel or sheets Cheap, slow, months of daily use.

What makes it worse

  • Sun exposure on a healing scar Darkens the mark and slows settling.

Over-the-Counter Products

−

Everything here you can buy without seeing anyone.

A white cream tube lying on its side on a white background, with a plain white label reading Silicone Gel and a yellow swoosh beneath it.
Silicone gel or sheets
Moderate evidence
The best-evidenced thing you can buy for scars, and only for raised and keloid ones. It has to be worn most of the day, every day, for two to three months before it is worth judging. It does nothing at all for an indented scar.
Daily sunscreen
Daily sunscreen
Moderate evidence
It does not treat a scar. What it does is stop the redness and the dark mark around a scar from deepening, and in the first year that color is usually what makes the scar stand out. It also slows the loss of firmness that makes shallow rolling scars look deeper with age.
Six retinol products lined up, including SkinCeuticals Retinol 0.5, Murad, CeraVe, First Aid Beauty, RoC and Replenix16:9 hero for Retinol. Never cropped: the tone strip and the corner logo depend on the full frame.
Limited evidence
Used nightly over months it gradually improves surface texture and the tone around a scar, and it keeps treating the acne that would cause the next one. It will not lift an established dent. Think of it as the background treatment that procedures are done on top of.
Four vitamin E oil bottles lined up on white, two amber dropper bottles and two clear yellow oils16:9 hero for Vitamin E (Tocopherol). Never cropped: the tone strip and the corner logo depend on the full frame.
Weak evidence
The most commonly recommended scar remedy there is. It has been studied properly for exactly this and did not help, and it causes an itchy rash in a fair number of people. Silicone is the option with real evidence behind it, and only on raised scars.

Prescriptions

−

These need a prescription.

A plain white medicine tube lying at an angle on a white background, capped, labeled Tretinoin in black with a navy blue swoosh curving along its length.Diagram: how Tretinoin works in the skin
Moderate evidence
The prescription retinoid, stronger than retinol, used nightly over months. It improves surface texture and the marks around scars, and it keeps the acne that makes new scars under control. It does not fill an indented scar, and it is usually paused before resurfacing procedures.
16:9 hero for Hydroquinone 4%. Never cropped: the tone strip and the corner logo depend on the full frame.Diagram: how Hydroquinone 4% works in the skin
Moderate evidence
Aimed at the flat dark marks sitting alongside the scarring, not at the scar itself. Clearing the pigment first makes it much easier to see how much true texture is there, which is why it usually comes before any texture treatment. It is used in courses rather than indefinitely.
A white blister pack photographed flat on a white background, holding eight white oblong capsules in two rows of four under clear domes. ACCUTANE is printed in blue capitals on the empty left half of the foil.Diagram: how Accutane works in the skin
Strong evidence
This prevents scars rather than treating them, and on this page that is the most valuable thing on the list. It is the most reliable way to shut down the deep, inflamed acne that is still making new scars, and no texture treatment holds while spots keep arriving. Resurfacing is usually delayed for a period after the course ends — that timing is a conversation with your prescriber.

Procedures

−

These are done in the office, usually over several visits.

16:9 hero for Fractional CO2 Laser. Never cropped: the tone strip and the corner logo depend on the full frame.Diagram: how Fractional CO2 Laser works in the skin
Strong evidence
The most effective single option for indented scarring, and the one with the most downtime — about a week of raw, swollen skin and months of strict sun avoidance afterwards. It does most for boxcar and rolling scars; icepick scars need something aimed at them separately. Settings are dialled back on deeper skin tones because of the pigment risk.
16:9 hero for RF Microneedling (Morpheus8). Never cropped: the tone strip and the corner logo depend on the full frame.
RF Microneedling (Morpheus8)
Strong evidence
Needles carry heat below the surface, so it builds more collagen than needling alone while doing less to the top layer. That lower surface injury is why it is often the first choice for boxcar and rolling scars on deeper skin tones. Usually three or four sessions about a month apart, with the result still building for a year.
16:9 hero for Microneedling. Never cropped: the tone strip and the corner logo depend on the full frame.Diagram: how Microneedling works in the skin
Strong evidence
Fine needles injure the skin just enough to trigger new collagen. It does most for rolling and shallow boxcar scars, and very little for icepick ones. It is the gentlest of the resurfacing options, which also makes it the slowest — expect four to six sessions and judge it at a year, not at a month.
16:9 hero for Subcision. Never cropped: the tone strip and the corner logo depend on the full frame.Diagram: how Subcision works in the skin
Strong evidence
A needle is passed under a rolling scar to cut the fibrous bands tethering it down, so the floor lifts. It is aimed at rolling scars specifically and does nothing for icepick or boxcar ones. Bruising for a week or two is normal, and it is often done in the same visit as needling or filler.
A gloved clinician injecting a raised lump on a patient's shoulder with a small syringeA small clear glass vial with a metal crimped cap lying on a white background, with a clear plastic syringe and a fine sheathed needle resting against it.
Strong evidence
The mainstay for raised and keloid scars. Steroid injected into the scar flattens and softens it, usually over a series of injections four to six weeks apart. It does nothing for indented scars, and too much in one place can leave a dip or thinned, pale skin.
16:9 hero for Fraxel (Nonablative Fractional Laser). Never cropped: the tone strip and the corner logo depend on the full frame.
Fraxel (Nonablative Fractional Laser)
Moderate evidence
Resurfaces without removing the surface, so recovery is a few days of redness and swelling rather than a week of raw skin. It gives less improvement per session than CO2 and needs more sessions to get there. It is the sensible middle option when the downtime of ablative laser is not workable.
16:9 hero for TCA Peel. Never cropped: the tone strip and the corner logo depend on the full frame.
TCA Peel and TCA CROSS
Moderate evidence
In the CROSS technique a single drop of strong acid is placed into the opening of an icepick scar so it heals narrower. It is one of very few things that reaches a scar this deep and this narrow. Several rounds are usual, and acid outside the pit can leave a mark, so the result depends heavily on who is doing it.
16:9 hero for Scar Revision. Never cropped: the tone strip and the corner logo depend on the full frame.
Moderate evidence
A single deep, narrow scar is cut out and closed, or punched out and grafted, trading a pit for a fine line that resurfacing can then blend. It suits a handful of stubborn icepick or deep boxcar scars, not a whole cheek. It is normally done before laser rather than instead of it.
Gloved hands steadying a reclining woman's face while a fine syringe is placed near her cheekbone16:9 hero for Dermal Fillers. Never cropped: the tone strip and the corner logo depend on the full frame.
Moderate evidence
Filler placed under a shallow rolling or boxcar scar lifts the floor of it straight away, which makes it the only option here with a same-day result. It is temporary, lasting months to a couple of years depending on the product. It works best as a top-up alongside collagen-building treatment, not instead of it.
A small clear glass bowl holding a shallow pool of pale amber liquid on a white background, with a white fan-shaped brush lying beside it, bristles resting against the bowl.Diagram: how Chemical Peel works in the skin
Moderate evidence
Repeated medium-depth peels smooth the edges of shallow scars and even out the tone around them. The effect on texture is modest next to laser or needling. On this page peels earn their place mostly for the flat marks sitting alongside the scars rather than for the scars themselves.
A patient in protective goggles lying under a large laser head positioned over their face16:9 hero for Pulsed Dye Laser (V-Beam). Never cropped: the tone strip and the corner logo depend on the full frame.
Moderate evidence
Targets the blood vessels rather than the texture, so it calms the redness in and around a fresh scar and helps flatten raised ones. It will not lift a dent. It is most useful in the first year, when the color is what makes a scar stand out.
16:9 hero for Microdermabrasion. Never cropped: the tone strip and the corner logo depend on the full frame.Diagram: how Microdermabrasion works in the skin
Weak evidence
Polishes the very top layer of skin, which is nowhere near deep enough to reach the collagen that makes a scar. It can leave skin looking brighter for a few days. It is widely sold for acne scarring and it does not change acne scarring.

When to See a Dermatologist

−

Better to be seen before acne scars than after - a scar cannot be undone, and what prevents scarring is prescription-only. Ask now, and expect a wait, if you have deep painful lumps under the skin, if acne keeps returning to the same places, or if a dent has appeared. If you already have scars, move sooner if one is raised, growing, itchy or painful, if it is on the chest, shoulders or back where keloids form, or if acne is still active, since that has to settle first. At the visit we stretch the skin in angled light to tell true dents from flat marks, then sort icepick, boxcar and rolling scars apart, because the shape decides the treatment.

— Dr. Schwarz, Board Certified Dermatologist

Complications

−

Keloid scars

A raised scar that grows beyond the spot that caused it, into skin that was never involved. They form most often on the chest, shoulders, upper back and jawline, and they are more common on deeper skin tones. They rarely settle on their own and can keep growing slowly for years, so they are worth treating early rather than watching.

Dark marks after treatment

Lasers, deep peels and aggressive needling all inflame the skin, and skin with reactive pigment cells answers inflammation by making more pigment. The result can be darker than what you started with, and it can take a year to settle. Conservative settings, a test patch and a provider who treats deeper skin tones regularly all lower the risk.

Confidence and mood

Scarring is permanent, visible, and usually arrives at the end of years of dealing with acne, and the effect on confidence and mood is well documented. It does not track with how bad the scarring looks to anyone else. It is a reason to be seen rather than to wait, because most scars can be made considerably less noticeable.

Lookalikes

−

Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation

The flat brown or gray marks left where spots healed. They are the same size, shape and pattern as scars and sit in the same places, which is why they get called scars. Close your eyes and run a fingertip over one: a mark is completely level with the skin around it, and it fades on its own over six to twelve months.

Post-Inflammatory Redness

The flat pink or red marks left after inflamed spots, most obvious on lighter skin. Like brown marks they have no texture at all and they fade over six to twelve months. A genuine new scar often sits inside one, which is why scarring looks worse in the first few months than it will at a year.

Enlarged pores

Large pores on the cheeks and nose get mistaken for icepick scars constantly. Stretch the skin with two fingers: a pore stays a round opening and does not change, while a true dent flattens out as the skin is pulled tight. Pores also sit in even fields across an area, rather than only where individual spots were.

Myths

+
  • "Those brown marks are acne scars." Flat brown or gray marks are pigment, not damage, and they fade over months. If you cannot feel it, it is not a scar.
  • "The red marks left after spots are scars too." Flat pink or red marks are post-inflammatory erythema - widened vessels near the surface. They fade on their own and need different treatment.
  • "A scar cream will get rid of them." No cream reaches the collagen that makes an indented scar. Creams help the color around it and the flat marks that are not scars, which is why they seem to work.
  • "Vitamin E oil fades scars." Studied for this, and it did not help. It also causes a rash in some people. Silicone has better evidence, and only for raised scars.
  • "Scars will fade on their own with time." The redness fades, so scars look better at a year than at three months. The dent itself does not fill in.
  • "Scars can be treated while acne is still active." Not usually. Fresh scars form alongside the ones being fixed, and most procedures need calm skin to heal well.
  • "One laser session will clear them." Nearly every scar treatment is a series, and the result builds over the following six to twelve months. Single-session promises are advertising.
  • "Nothing can be done about acne scars." Wrong in the other direction. Most scars can be made much less visible, and even icepick scars have treatments aimed at them.

Questions Patients Ask

+

Can acne scars be removed completely?

No, and anyone saying otherwise is overselling. Most scars can be made much less visible, often hard to see in ordinary light, and a good plan usually combines two or three treatments.

How do I tell a scar from a mark?

Touch it, and look at it in side lighting. A scar has texture - you can feel a dent or a raised lump, and it casts a shadow. A mark is flat and differs only in color, and flat marks fade on their own.

Will my scars fade over time?

Redness fades over six to twelve months, so scars look better at a year than at three months. The dent does not fill in. Raised scars often flatten over one to two years; keloids generally do not.

When can I start treating my scars?

Once the acne is controlled and the skin is calm, usually a few months of stable treatment. If you have taken isotretinoin, most dermatologists wait a period after finishing before resurfacing - ask the doctor who prescribed it.

Which treatment is best for my scars?

It depends on the shape. Icepick scars respond to TCA CROSS and punch excision, rolling scars to subcision and needling, boxcar scars to laser resurfacing and radiofrequency needling, raised scars to steroid injections and silicone. Most people have a mixture, so most plans combine treatments.

Why does picking cause scars?

Squeezing forces the pore's contents sideways through its wall into surrounding skin instead of out through the surface. That spreads inflammation into tissue that was never involved - the exact injury the body repairs with a scar.

References

+