Acne Scars vs Acne Marks: What's the Real Difference?

Have you ever been in the situation where you look into the mirror, and you have a whole cartography of discolorations and unevenness in front of you. While many patients consider any discoloration as a scar, there is one big difference acne scars marks.

Blurring this important distinction might completely sabotage all your efforts in skin care. Applying harsh peeling procedures to an easy skin surface mark may cause serious skin burning.

In contrast, using a delicate brightening cream on a severe skin structure scar will be totally useless. Understanding what exactly are the differences between the two problems is the key to the correct choice of treatment.

This dermatologist-recommended article will tell you about the true acne marks definition, the skin structure of scars, and the proper acne treatment.

Key Takeaways

1. The major similarity between scars and marks caused by acne is that they vary in depth. Acne marks are surface stains appearing on the outermost skin layer (epidermis), while true acne scars are permanent changes of structure occurring on the deeper level of the foundation layer (dermis).
2. The definition of the true acne marks is the completely flat surface formed because of excess pigmentation or dilated blood vessels after a pimple heals. True acne marks are smooth to touch and do not require any special treatment as they disappear over time.
3. There are two types of surface marks which can be Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (PIH) that causes flat tan, brown or black marks due to excessive melanin production as well as Post-Inflammatory Erythema (PIE) that produces flat red, pink or purple marks because of damaged blood vessels.
4. True acne scars cause a change in skin texture, which consists of uneven pits or bumps that will never heal by themselves. There are two types of pitted (atrophic) scars (icepick, boxcar and rolling scars) resulting from lack of collagen and raised (hypertrophic) scars mainly because of excessive collagen production.
5. As they have different depths, different types of treatment are needed. The marks can easily be treated by such topical skin care ingredients as Alpha-Arbutin, Niacinamide and Glycolic Acid. Pitted scars cannot be corrected with creams and require in-clinic treatment such as microneedling or even lasers.
6. Main reasons for structural scarring and excessive surface discoloration are squeezing the pimples, not using the daily sunscreen and using face scrubs improperly.

What Do You Mean by Acne Marks or Muscular Acne Marks?

Acne marks meaning, the left over persistent marks that just won’t go away. The discoloration appears either dark or reddish in color and these are not technically considered scars.

While in medical literature, they are sometimes called macular acne scars, these are simply discolorations caused by the post-inflammatory process on the surface level of the skin. When touched, the affected area of the skin feels completely smooth, soft and flat.

There is absolutely no difference acne scars marks in the feel of the texture or lack of indentations or depressions. Since the marks only represent the remnants of the inflammatory process and not any structural damage, they are temporary and will eventually go away within 3-6 months.

Two types of acne marks are:

1. Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (PIH): 

• It is a light brown, dark brown, or black flat patch. The severe inflammation occurring during the active period of the breakout acts as a trauma sign, stimulating overproduction of melanin by the pigment producing cells, known as melanocytes. 
• They create excessive amounts of melanin that accumulate close to the surface. You will be having dark spots that are caused by cystic acne, severe inflammatory acne, as well as moderate acne for a long period of time. That happens due to severe inflammation that can lead to depositing the pigment deeply into the dermis layer, as well as your body needing much more time to get away from it.
• PIH occurs very often among South Asians, Indians, and darker skin types. This can get more triggered due to UV exposure.

2. Post-Inflammatory Erythema (PIE): 

• These are bright red, pink, or purple patches on the skin. This condition is not in any way linked to melanin formation in the skin, but it is vascular in nature.
• In the process of natural healing by the body against wounds, microvascular capillaries under the skin become dilated or broken to allow white blood cells to pass into the area of infection. After the acne heals, the capillaries stay expanded, filled with stagnant blood. 
• PIE becomes more prominent since at this point when the healing process is taking place, the skin is thin and fragile, making the blood-filled capillaries below easily seen through the skin.

What Do You Mean by Acne Scars?

In order to understand the acne scars effectively, you should first identify the exact structure of the scar tissues. The different types of treatment methods are decided on the basis of  whether the scar tissue is atrophic or hypertrophic.

1. Atrophic Scars (Depressed or Sunken): 

• Sunken scars are mainly caused by serious cases of inflammatory acne. 
• They are found on the forehead and cheeks as well as can be shallow and even penetrate deep into the sub-dermal layer of your skin.

2. Ice Pick Scars: 

• These scars are deep indentations that are easily recognized as oversize open pores on your face. 
• They have a narrow and deep V-shape indentation reaching down to the deep dermis. Due to their steep vertical depth, ice pick scars are the most difficult acne scars to treat.

3. Boxcar Scars: 

• These scars are atrophic scars that are wide, rounded, and oval-shaped depressions. They have sharp and vertical well-defined edges. 
• They are reminiscent of chickenpox scars and arise as a result of inflammation destroying large areas of collagen in the skin.

4. Rolling Scars: 

• These scars have a wide, shallow, and sloping look instead of having sharp edges like boxcar scars. They cause a rolling appearance with a wavy uneven texture on the cheeks and jawline. 
• They occur due to the presence of dense fibrous tissues in the deeper layer which pull the upper layer of the epidermis down. With time, the condition becomes worse due to natural loss of elasticity by the skin.

5. Hypertrophic & Keloid Scars: 

• Raised scars are normally associated with cystic acne.
• In cases where collagen production is in excess, it causes accumulation of tissue above the level of the surrounding skin.

6. Hypertrophic Scars: 

• Raised tissue masses caused directly by overproduction of dense collagen. Rapid development of scar tissue inside the healing cyst leads to overproduction of tissue which results in development of a smooth swelling of the skin. 
• They normally develop within the limits of the original boundary of the acne cyst and appear mostly on the jawline, chest, or upper back area.

7. Keloid Scars: 

• They are aggressive forms of hypertrophic scars and normally develop when there is overproduction of excess collagen even after closure of the acne wound. 
• They are mostly reddish or pinkish in colour.

What Are the Major Differences Between Acne Scars Vs Marks ?

The major acne scars vs marks featured differences of acne marks as well as acne scars have been listed below.

What Should Be Your Step by Step Routine?

The Morning routine: 

The main focus of the morning routine is to properly neutralize the free radicals, inhibiting surface melanin pathways as well as formation of the protective shield from the UV rays. 

Step 1: Cleansing

The very first step is to wash your face using one pump of Alite Anti-Acne Foaming Face Wash. This facial wash is filled with 1% Salicylic Acid and 4% Glycolic Acid which exfoliates your skin and unclogs pores without causing any dehydration to your skin.

Step 2: Treating 

Take a pea sized amount of an Alite Anti Acne Gel and squeeze it out onto your acne-prone skin. It includes Niacinamide PC and Silanediol Salicylate, which will help in controlling oil production, manage inflammation, as well as minimize the number of new pimples.

Step 3: Hydration

Gently apply an even layer of Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel or any other water based gel all over your face. It will maintain your skin moisture level and accelerate the natural process of surface cell turnover which makes it possible to eliminate old pigments.

Step 4: Protection

Apply a thick layer of this light-weight and non-greasy sunscreen or La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Sunscreen SPF 60. It is vital as your sensitive skin should be protected from the impact of sun radiation which causes PIH to be deeper.

The Night Skincare Routine

Your night skincare regimen is all about wiping off the daily grime, thoroughly cleansing the pores, and utilizing corrective products when your skin is at its sleep repair stage.

Step 1: Deep Cleanse 

Apply the Alite Anti Acne Charcoal Face Wash to a wet face and rinse off. The Face Wash uses the power of encapsulated charcoal beads and Ceramide III to remove heavy pollution, dirt, and any leftover sunscreen. It cleanses the deepest layers of pores to avoid any new structural breakouts. 

Step 2: Correct and Erase 

Apply a thin layer of Alite Spots Reduction Cream to dark marks, pigment patches, and textural irregularities. This product works on the principle of employing clinical-grade brighteners such as Tranexamic Acid. It blocks melanin formation during the nighttime process, thus effectively dissolving tough brown spots and evening out your skin tone.  

Step 3: Lock-in and Restore 

In the end, apply your regular ceramide-enriched cream or The Formularx Barrier Relief Lightweight Ceramide Moisturizer to the treatment layer. The process of locking in the active ingredients and repairing the epidermal structural mortar.

What Are the Major Factors That Can Have a High Influence on the Heeling Process of Your Skin?

Everyone’s skin is not same, as there are many internal as well as external factors that can contribute in damaging your tissue repair are:

1. Age: As you know that the younger skin will regenerate more quickly as compared to the older one due to decrease in the speed of skin cell turnover as well as the natural collagen synthesis.
2. Genetics: It mainly affects your immune system’s inflammatory response as well the collagen remodelling at the time of wound healing.
3. Scar depth: The shallow surface scars can be treated much faster as compared to the deep narrow scars which can penetrate deep into your dermis.
4. Sun exposure: the ultraviolet rays can damage collagen and cause darkening of spots, as well as making them change from transient to permanent problems.
5. Stress management: The increased stress levels can easily catalyse the release of cortisol which can impair the skin's natural barrier repair mechanism as well as results in slowing down of wound healing.
6. Diet and hydration: A proper balanced diet is required in order to obtain flawless skin.

Final Thoughts

Post-Acne Marks and Scars are common issues related to Acne that may be quite hard to cope with, leading to lowering of one’s self-respect and life in general. But, don’t forget that you’re not the only person facing such trouble.

Moderate and severe structural scars cannot be fully (100%) removed, but it is possible to achieve up to 90% improvement. 

The healthy skin condition is a long-term process, not just a quick fix. Whatever you want to treat – home-based skin discoloration or clinical skin scars – with a little help of science and proper approach, your skin will thank you for it.