Few things change how you feel about your skin like the marks a breakout leaves behind. Search for help and you will find creams that promise to erase acne scars, home remedies that work “in a week” and clinic treatments that cost thousands of dirhams. So how do you know what will help yours? It comes down to one question: is it a scar, or a mark? Marks are colour and fade with the right care, such as a gentle dark spot remover for face. True scars are texture and need a clinic. This guide shows you how to tell them apart and what works for each.
Acne scars vs acne marks: the difference
An acne mark is a change in colour. It is flat, and it can be red, pink or brown. An acne scar is a change in texture: a dip, a pit or a raised bump. Most of what people call pimple scars are actually marks, which is good news, because marks fade.
Check yours in good daylight:
- Touch – run a clean fingertip over the spot. Smooth means mark. Any dip or bump means scar.
- Stretch – pull the skin gently. A shallow scar softens when stretched. A mark keeps its colour.
- Press – a red mark pales for a second under light pressure, then the colour returns.
Many people have both: a dent with brown colour sitting on top. Then the colour can fade with skincare, while the dent needs treatment.
Types of acne scars
Dermatologists sort acne scars by shape, because the shape decides the treatment.
- Ice pick scars – narrow, deep holes, like a large open pore.
- Boxcar scars – wider dips with sharp edges, often on the cheeks and temples.
- Rolling scars – soft, wave-like dips that make the skin look uneven in side light.
- Raised scars – firm bumps above the skin, called hypertrophic or keloid scars. They are more common on the jaw, chest and back.
Deep acne scars and pitted acne scars usually follow cysts or nodules, the large, painful breakouts that sit under the skin. White acne scars are flat, pale patches where the skin has lost some colour, and they are slow to change.
Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation: the brown marks
Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) is the brown or grey mark left after a pimple heals. Inflammation tells the skin to make extra melanin, and the colour stays behind. It is very common in medium, olive and darker skin, which covers most people in the Gulf.
Red or pink marks are different: they are small blood vessels still widened from the breakout, and they are more common on fair skin.
Does post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation go away? Yes, it is not permanent. Without care it can take 6 to 12 months or longer. With daily sun protection and brightening ingredients, it usually fades faster. To prevent new PIH, treat breakouts early, do not pick, and wear sunscreen every day, because UAE sun darkens fresh marks.
Are acne scars permanent?
True scars, the dips and bumps, do not disappear on their own. Can acne scars be removed? Treatment can make them much less visible, but no method removes them 100%. Anyone promising complete removal, especially in a week, is overselling.
Marks are a different story. Red marks often clear in weeks to months, and brown marks in months. Ice pick scars are usually the hardest to improve, while rolling scars often respond well.
Acne scar treatment: what dermatologists use
Acne scar removal is clinic work, because only procedures can rebuild collagen or lift a dip. A dermatologist chooses by scar type, and often combines two or three:
- Microneedling (Dermapen and similar) – tiny needles trigger new collagen. A common first step for rolling and shallow boxcar scars.
- Fractional laser, including CO2 – resurfaces deeper texture. More downtime, stronger results.
- Chemical peels – clinic-strength peels for shallow scars and stubborn pigment. TCA CROSS is used for ice pick scars.
- Subcision – a needle releases the bands pulling a rolling scar down.
- Fillers – lift a soft dip straight away. The result is temporary.
- Steroid injections – flatten raised and keloid scars.
What is the best acne scar treatment? The one matched to your scar type. Most people need several sessions spaced weeks apart, and real acne scars before and after results take three to six months to show. Treat active acne first, because new breakouts can undo the work.
What skincare can do at home
Creams cannot fill a dip. They can fade the colour on and around a scar, and that alone makes the area look smoother and calmer. These ingredients have the most support for marks and PIH:
- Niacinamide – slows pigment reaching the skin surface, and calms redness.
- Arbutin and alpha arbutin – reduce how much pigment the skin makes.
- Vitamin C – brightens dull, uneven tone.
- Glycolic acid (AHA) – lifts pigmented surface cells. Once or twice a week is enough, so it helps rather than irritates.
- Sunscreen, SPF 30 or higher – the step that decides whether everything else works.
Our dark spot correcting serum combines niacinamide and arbutin for daily use on brown marks. None of our products contains SPF, so sunscreen is a separate step.
Natural remedies for acne scars
Aloe vera soothes and hydrates, which helps healing skin, but it will not remove scars. Turmeric and honey masks are gentle, with little proof for scars. Skip lemon juice, baking soda and toothpaste: they irritate, and irritation creates more pigment.
Collagen, moisturiser and masks
Collagen in a cream or sheet mask moisturises the surface. It does not rebuild the collagen inside a scar. A good moisturiser still helps, because hydrated skin looks smoother and tolerates brightening ingredients better. The best mask for acne scars is one with brightening ingredients, used once or twice a week, not a scrub.
A simple routine for acne marks
- Morning – gentle cleanser, brightening serum, moisturiser, then sunscreen.
- Evening – cleanser, the same serum, then a night cream such as our day and night cream.
- Once or twice a week – an exfoliating or brightening mask instead of a scrub.
Expect marks to look softer in 4 to 8 weeks, with more fading over the following months. Red marks usually clear before brown ones. To hide what remains in the meantime, a green-tinted primer cancels redness, and a creamy concealer one shade lighter than the mark covers brown spots.
How to prevent acne scars
- Treat acne early, especially deep, painful spots. Our guide to acne explains which treatment fits which type.
- Do not squeeze or pick. Picking pushes inflammation deeper, and many acne scars from picking are avoidable.
- See a dermatologist for cysts, nodules or acne that is already scarring.
- Protect healing skin from the sun, so marks do not darken.
Common questions
How do you get rid of acne scars and pimple scars?
Flat red or brown pimple scars are marks: daily brightening skincare and sunscreen fade them. Dips, pits and raised scars need clinic treatment such as microneedling, laser or subcision.
How long does an acne scar take to heal?
A mark fades in weeks to months. A true scar does not heal on its own; it improves only with treatment, over several months.
Does exfoliating help with acne scars?
Gentle chemical exfoliation helps marks and very shallow scars. Harsh scrubs make things worse.
Do acne scars look different on men?
Not really, but beards can hide or highlight them, and shaving over active spots raises the risk of marks. The same treatments work for men and women.
What is the best cream for acne scars?
For marks, a cream or serum with niacinamide, arbutin or vitamin C, used daily with sunscreen. For dips and pits, no cream works on its own; ask a dermatologist.
Learn more about our products for dark spots.
Dark spot correcting serum
Day and night cream
Vitamin C serum
