A scar is a mark left on the skin after an external injury or wound has healed. The human body was built to sustain a variety of aggressions, including penetrating trauma, burn trauma, etc. All of these happenings set into action an orderly sequence of events that are involved in the healing reaction, in which the healthy functional tissue (skin) is replaced by connective tissue (scar) and the curing reaction is characterized by the migration of specialized cells into the damage site, resulting in a scar.

Healing is the intricate and dynamic process that results in the restoration of normal continuity and function. There are some basic reactions that can happen after a wound has appeared:

* Regeneration (perfect replacement)

* Average repair (reestablished equilibrium)

* Excessive healing (fibrosis and contractures) and

* Insufficient healing (chronic ulcers)

When a wound occurs; be it a cut or an acne infection, a variety of different cells come quickly to the aid of the wounded area and the intricate healing process begins. This is the body's natural way of protecting itself from damage. However this innate protective process usually leaves behind scarring evidence, leaving you with a sudden need to rid yourself of acne scars.

Scars are made up mainly of collagen, a protein fiber usually found in the skin's second layer, these scars are the body's way of repairing itself. Fortunately, scars will disappear in time, but for those scars that don't disappear new procedures like laser therapies can reduce them significantly. However your best option is always prevention.

Here is a list of simple tips that you should keep in mind when following any acne scar treatment guide.

* Don't cleanse wounds with hydrogen peroxide. The bubbles make it seem like something good is occurring, but hydrogen peroxide is known to destroy the new skin cells that immediately begin to grow.

* Don't treat your skin with vitamin E. Research done in the University of Miami showed that Vitamin E impedes injury healing. (In addition, one-third of the patients tested also showed an allergic response).

* Don't expose new scars to the sun. UV radiation can slow-down the healing mechanism and, since they stimulate melanocytes (the cells that secrete pigment), can promote dark coloration. When you're outdoors, always use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher.

* Do cover a wound. It is commonly believed that wounds need to breathe to heal but this isn't true. As a matter of fact, moisture impedes the creation of a hard scab and can delay the healing process by as much as 50%. It's recommended to treat the damaged area daily with an antibiotic preparation like Neosporin (which will prevent infection, another obstruction to healing) and keep it protected with a bandage. After a week, change to plain Vaseline petroleum jelly and continue using it below the bandage until new skin grows over the injury.

* Do keep regular pressure on the injury with special bandages or silicon e sheeting pads. Several studies have demonstrated that products like these help to compress scars-including keloids, scars with hard tissue that grow impetuously over their original limits.