Red, pockmarked skin is a lasting reminder of the acne scars you thought had faded. As much as we wish it weren’t so, some people are prone to more prominent acne after their teen years. This is when the appearance of acne scars becomes apparent.

If you have struggled with acne or have seen this struggle in someone you care for, then you know how challenging it can be to treat and recover from acne scars. Fortunately, there are various treatment methods out there that can help diminish and even eliminate them.

The most common types of acne scarring include:

Acne keloid — These are the biggest and hardest to treat type of scars. They appear as big waxy lumps beneath the skin, like little boils covered with hard scales that tend to grow bigger over time instead of healing smaller (kelos means “straw” in Greek).

Acne ice pick — Also known as a trough or corsage Scars, these are tiny punctures in the skin that look like splinters that have broken off a needle underneath them (icepick suggests something small and sharp). They’re often red and blue at first but become pale over time as they fade. They're also known as ice pick scars because they resemble an ice pick piercing the skin -- hence their name. They're small holes located beneath the surface of your skin that can range from red-blue in color to yellowish or light-brownish if they heal completely.