Why do some pimples leave scars behind?

Two pimples can look alike and heal differently, and a reader in Dexter, Michigan usually wants to know why. The cause comes first in this sequence, because the treatment steps depend on it.

The cause in one sentence

my.clevelandclinic.org states the base cause: "Acne scars are the result of inflammation of acne blemishes." The scar is what inflammation leaves behind, so the blemish and not the skin type is the starting point.

Why some go deeper

The source also explains the difference in depth: "Sometimes the contents of blemishes spill into the surrounding tissue and cause deeper scars." The spill is the step that separates a surface mark from a deeper one.

Where this falls in the sequence

Cause comes first. Next comes identifying what kind of scar you have, and treatment follows that. The type of scar is a question for a clinician who can look at your skin.

What to gather

• A note of where the scars sit and how long they have been there
• Questions about which type each scar is
• The pages below, printed or saved for the visit

The next step

Read my.clevelandclinic.org on the causes, diagnosis, types and treatment of acne scars, then eleven ways to get rid of acne scars. A review of methods for improving acne scars goes into treatment, and a systematic review and meta-analysis of fractional CO₂ laser and needling-based modalities in facial acne scar treatment compares those two approaches for facial acne scars.