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

Healing is the complex and dynamic mechanism that results in the restitution of normal continuity and function. There are some basic responses that can occur after an injury has appeared:

* Regeneration (perfect replacement)

* Average repair (reestablished equilibrium)

* Excessive healing (fibrosis and contractures) and

* Insufficient healing (chronic ulcers)

When an injury occurs; be it a cut or an acne infection, a variety of different cells come quickly to the aid of the damaged area and the complex healing process begins. This is the body's biological way of protecting itself from damage. However this innate defensive mechanism usually leaves behind scarring evidence, leaving you with a sudden need to remove acne scars.

Scars are made up mainly of collagen, a protein fiber normally found in the skin's second layer, these scars are the body's way of repairing itself. Luckily, scars will fade in time, but for those scars that don't disappear new treatments like laser therapies can minimize them significantly. However your best bet 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 injuries with hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide is known to destroy new skin cells.

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

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

* Do cover a wound. There is a common misconception that wounds need to 'breathe' in order 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 advised to treat the injured area daily with an antibiotic preparation like Neosporin (which will avoid infection, another obstruction to healing) and maintain it protected with a bandage. After a week, switch to simple Vaseline petroleum jelly and continue using it underneath the bandage until new skin grows over the injury.

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