Acne scars, can they be prevented before they form?

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Q. Don’t red marks just fade away naturally if you leave them alone?

A. In some cases they do disappear on their own, but if you manage them with a regenerative ointment at this stage, you can effectively prevent them from hardening into scars.


Q. Isn’t the right way to treat acne scars with a laser after they’ve already formed?

A. Preventing them at the red-mark stage gives much better results than treating them after they’ve already formed.

"If you manage healing red marks with a regenerative ointment, you can prevent scars"

— Dr. Wi Young-jin (Beautystone Clinic, Hongdae)

What are acne scars?

Acne scars (Acne Scar) are caused by acne

after skin tissue is damaged and heals unevenly,

leaving depressions, pigmentation, and bumpy texture behind.

Unlike simple pigmentation (red marks),

real scars mean that the collagen structure of the dermis itself

has been altered, making treatment much more difficult.

Why the red-mark stage is actually the most important

This is something many people misunderstand,

when people say they want to ‘prevent’ acne scars,

most first think, “I just shouldn’t squeeze pimples.”

Of course, that’s true too.

But there’s one important thing here.

After a pimple breaks,

the red-mark stage left on the skin surface

is actually the true golden time for scar prevention.

Why is that?

Right after a pimple breaks, the skin enters recovery mode.

At this point, collagen is newly produced in the dermis,

and whether this process proceeds in an orderly way

determines whether the skin heals smoothly or a depressed scar remains.

Red marks are still in the middle of recovery.

It’s an unstable stage where collagen rearrangement is not yet complete.

If you apply a regenerative ointment at this point,

it seals the skin barrier

and reduces moisture loss and inflammatory irritation during recovery.

As a result, collagen fills in more evenly,

and the number of cases that recover without depression clearly increases.

On the other hand, if you just leave it alone at this stage,

external stressors (UV, friction, dryness) pile on,

dermal damage worsens,

and eventually the collagen structure collapses and hardens.

That is a depressed scar.

To be honest,

you can’t prevent every scar with just one regenerative ointment.

In cases that are already deeply damaged, even with any kind of care,

some traces may still remain.

That said, when you compare people who started care at the red-mark stage

with those who just let it pass,

the frequency of progression to depression is noticeably different.

Based on the cases we see in our clinic,

those who began managing it from the red-mark stage

had a clearly lower rate of progression to depressed scars.

👨‍⚕️ Dr. Wi Young-jin’s key summary:


Red marks are not ‘traces that are already left behind’


but ‘a condition that is still recovering.’


If you lock in moisture and reduce inflammation with a regenerative ointment at this stage,


collagen can fill in evenly and you can prevent it from hardening into a depressed scar.


It is much easier to prevent scars at the red-mark stage,


and the results are better too, than treating them after they have already formed.

The effects of each management method are different

There are three main options

you can choose at the red-mark stage.

Do nothing, use only a regenerative ointment,

or combine the ointment with in-clinic procedures.

The tricky part is,

the right method differs from person to person.

Depending on skin thickness, inflammation depth, and acne type,

the approach should also change.

It varies by case,

but this is usually how I approach it.

If only red marks remain,

I first recommend the combination of regenerative ointment + sunscreen.

Just using those two well

can often be enough to prevent progression to depression.

However, if acne keeps recurring in the same spot, or

if the inflammation was fairly deep,

there are limits to what regenerative ointment alone can do.

For these patients,

combining procedures such as PDT or laser toning at the clinic

gives much better results.

Frequently asked questions

Q1. Which regenerative ointment should I use?

A. As you can see in the paper, if you are someone who develops hypertrophic scars,

we recommend applying steroids instead.

Steroid use - preventing hypertrophic progression in acne scars

I attached the paper.

Q2. How long should I use regenerative ointment?

A. Until the red marks fade completely, usually based on 4 to 8 weeks after drainage.

Q3. I got more pimples while using the regenerative ointment. Can I keep using it?

A. Some people find that the ointment blocks their pores and worsens acne.

In such cases, stop using it immediately

and see a dermatologist.

There may be lighter formulations

or other approaches that achieve the same effect.

Pre-visit KakaoTalk consultation is also available. This was Dr. Wi Young-jin.

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