Are acne scars permanent?

Short answer: No, because there is treatment. (Thank goodness!) Technically speaking, however, scars are essentially “permanent” physical skin damage, which is why they require treatment in order to disappear.

But first, it is important to distinguish between acne marks and acne scars. Marks go away after 3–6 months while scars do not. There are three types of acne scars:

• Depressed — Goes down into the skin
• Raised — Rises from the skin
• Discolored — Lighter, darker, or redder than your skin tone

Treatments

Derma Fillers. Derma fillers involve injecting Hyaluronic Acid into depressed skin to fill and restore its appearance. Although this method is extremely effective, results are temporary and will need repeating overtime. Dermal fillers include Bellafill, Dermaflage, Restylane, Belotero, and Juvederm.

Laser Treatments. Laser resurfacing uses a fractional laser to deliver controlled heat to the surface of the skin. The body’s natural healing process takes over and removes the damaged tissue, rebuilding it with collagen to form new skin underneath. This treatment is permanent and quite effective, but it does take four to six treatments over a few months. Lasers include V-Beam, Fraxel, Erbium, and Icon.

Chemical Peel. A chemical peel is an acid-based solution often applied to the entire face. Gentle on skin but tough on scars, chemical peels remove surface skin cells with controlled damage. Like laser treatments, a new skin layer is rebuilt.

Other options include subcision (a minor surgical procedure) and steroid Injections (only for raised scars).