Minimizing acne marks and scars comes down to a few straightforward—and proactive—principles

It’s one of the rare skin issues that every single person—young and old, male and female—has dealt with at some time: a pain-in-the-you-know-what pimple that leaves a mark. The culprit however is not the blemish itself, it’s the way we pick and prod at it that causes the scar or spot. “Acne is an inflammatory process. The bigger and redder a pimple is, the more inflammation it has,” says dermatologist Dr. Katie Rodan, author and co-developer of Proactiv acne treatment system. “Left alone, blackheads and whiteheads do not have associated inflammation, however picking or squeezing them could bring on inflammation, leaving either scars or pigmented marks in their wake.”

The star derm goes on to explain that “during the healing process, both cells and collagen break down and can result in a depressed permanent scar or a spot of pigmentation.” This is known as “post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation,” and Rodan says untreated it can last for months or years. Unfortunately, because it’s so linked to pigmentation, those with darker natural skin tones are more likely to form post-acne dark marks. Additionally, while acne scars can happen at any age, “young skin is overzealous in its healing response, [so] scarring is most common during the teenage and young adult years.”

For the most part however, “what many people assume are scars are really areas of redness and pigmentation. You can help them fade quickly with a topical medicine called hydroquinone found in Proactiv’s Dark Spot Corrector,” says Rodan. True acne scars, on the other hand, can appear like deep saucer-shaped depressions or a thick, rope-y bump, and are only improved by a dermatologist or plastic surgeon’s lasers or injections. “Time always helps,” she adds. “It often takes a year before scars have finished remodeling—it is the type of scar and a person’s skin type that determine the best treatment option. Age is not a factor.”

The best course of treatment, says Rodan, is to treat your acne daily. “Prevention is the key to great skin and the best pimple or scar is the one you never have!” When a dark mark does linger, topical treatment (via formulas like Chanel Le Blanc Brightening Concentrate and Bliss No Zit Sherlock Correcting Serum) can help it fade in a matter of weeks. And as a flurry of new lightening and dark-spot correcting formulas hit the market, it’s clearer than ever beautiful skin is important to consumers. Says Rodan, “As anthropologists have pointed out, instinctively we view a smooth, even-toned complexion as a sign of youth, beauty and fertility.”