Types of Acne Scarring

There are different types of acne scars and there is much variation in how scarring will manifest itself between person to person, indicating that some people are more prone to scarring than others.

Hypertrophic or Keloid Scars

This type of scarring is a raised accumulation of hard tissue which tends to develop because of an overproduction of collagen and can often grow larger than the original damage.

Ice Pick Scars

These types of scars tend to be narrow but very deep, extending into the skin. The skin can look as if it has been pierced by a sharp instrument (hence the term ‘ice pick’). This type of scarring often develops as a result of an infection – for example, from a cyst which destroys skin tissue, leaving the hole.

Boxcar Scars

These scars are caused when an inflammatory reaction in the skin destroys collagen and tissue is lost.  These scars are round indentations and can range from being very superficial to severe – depending on the amount of tissue that has been destroyed.

Rolling Scars

Rolling scars have a ‘wave-like’ appearance to them and are a result of the ‘tethering’ of normal looking skin around the acne scarring to the subcutaneous tissue below. It is the pulling of the epidermis from within that creates the wave-like appearance of the skin.