Not all acne scars are created equally, unfortunately, and some types are more easily dealt with than others. For instance, if your acne scars are more superficial in nature and are either closer to the surface of the skin or even raised above it, there are a number of different ways that they can be dealt with, from chemical peels to over the counter products and skin treatment kits. However, the options are significantly narrowed with more severe types of acne scars, which are often referred to as “crater” type scars, or alternatively, as “ice pick” or “boxcar” scars.

These types of scars are generally below the surface of the skin to a significant degree. This makes them impossible to improve with treatments such as chemical peels or most laser treatments, which work on the top layer or so of skin, and won’t be able to help out with a scar so far down below the surface. Most dermatologists will say that for severe, deep acne scars, punch excision treatments are the way to go. These treatments allow the dermatologist to excise the scars from under the skin’s surface, while skin is usually placed in the “divots” to even things out . Many times, laser treatments are recommended afterwards to even out the tones of the new areas of skin.