Explore personalised scar treatment in Oakville, with care guided by your scar type, skin tone and goals for smoother-looking skin.
Softer scars. A plan tailored to your skin.
Book complimentary consultationScar treatment starts with working out what kind of scar is present. Indented acne scars, raised scars and flat marks of colour behave differently and respond to different approaches. Many scars can be softened over a series of treatments, but they rarely disappear completely. The aim is gradual, realistic improvement in texture and tone.
Key takeaways
If you are looking into acne scar treatment, you are probably trying to work out whether what you see is a mark that will fade or a scar that will stay, and what may help it. Our guide to acne scars vs acne marks explains that difference in detail, and Merrion's acne concern overview covers active breakouts. This page explains the main types of scar, how scarring is treated at Merrion, and what improvement can look like.
What you may noticeFlat patches of colour where spots have healed; no change in the skin's surface
First prioritiesSettle active acne; daily sun protection
What may helpTime, supportive skincare and sun protection; selected procedures for persistent marks
Available at Merrion?Yes: assessment, medical-grade skincare and sun protection advice
What you may noticePits, dents or soft "waves" that catch the light, often on the cheeks and temples
First prioritiesControl active acne; identify the scar shapes present
What may helpMicroneedling, laser resurfacing and scar-specific techniques, often combined
Available at Merrion?Yes: microneedling and laser resurfacing. Scar-specific techniques are general information here
What you may noticeFirm, raised scar tissue; a keloid spreads beyond the original wound and may itch
First prioritiesMedical assessment; ask about any personal or family history of keloids
What may helpSilicone, corticosteroid injection and other physician-directed treatment, sometimes with referral
Available at Merrion?Assessment at Merrion; treatment may involve referral
What you may noticeA line, patch or small pit at the site of a wound or old spots
First prioritiesLet the scar mature; protect it from the sun
What may helpScar care while healing; resurfacing or microneedling for some mature, flat or indented scars
Available at Merrion?Assessment at Merrion; suitability depends on the scar
Mixed patterns are common, so more than one row may apply. This overview is a basis for discussion at an assessment, not a way to diagnose yourself.
Scar tissue is the collagen the skin lays down to close a wound that reaches its deeper layer. It is organised differently from normal skin, with fibres running in tighter, more parallel lines, so it can look shinier, feel firmer and lack hair follicles or sweat glands.
Normal skin
Scar tissue
Too little collagen leaves an indented scar; too much leaves a raised one.
A mark changes the colour of the skin;
Red marks (post-inflammatory erythema) and brown or grey marks (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation) are flat and often fade over months, although some persist.
a scar changes its surface.
A scar alters the skin's structure, so it usually remains unless it is treated.
Both can sit in the same spot, which is why colour and texture are assessed separately.
Most acne scars are atrophic, meaning the skin has healed below the level of the surrounding surface because collagen was lost during inflammation. They are usually described by shape.
Ice-pick
Ice-pick scars are narrow and deep,
Boxcar
boxcar scars are wider with defined edges,
Rolling
and rolling scars are broad, gentle depressions that are sometimes tethered to deeper tissue.
The shape matters because a method that softens a shallow boxcar scar may do little for a deep ice-pick scar.
Our guide to acne scars vs acne marks describes each type with examples, and our guide to how acne scars are treated by type explains which approaches suit each shape.
Hypertrophic
Hypertrophic scars are thick and raised but stay within the original wound, and they often flatten slowly over time.
Keloid
Keloids grow beyond the wound edges, can keep growing and are more common in darker skin types and in people with a family history.
They follow a different management pathway from indented scars, and a tendency to form them matters before any procedure. Our guide to keloids and hypertrophic scars explains how they are managed.
Scar treatment is gradual remodelling.
New collagen forms slowly, so change builds over a series of treatments and continues for months after the last one.
A realistic outcome is
so that scars are less noticeable in everyday light, although some scarring usually remains visible. Treatment courses are reviewed along the way, and the plan may change as the skin responds.
Studies of acne scar treatments vary widely in method and quality, so their results describe what a treatment can do rather than predict an individual response.
Scarring often overlaps with uneven skin texture, enlarged pores and pigmentation, and those may be addressed in the same plan.
A complimentary consultation is useful even if you are not sure whether you have marks or scars, or which treatment you want. Dr. Kate will typically review:
As a Family Physician with focused training in medical aesthetics, she also considers when a scar needs a different pathway. A raised scar that is growing, a scar that is painful or itchy, or a lesion that looks like a scar but has changed in appearance warrants assessment in its own right, and sometimes referral, before any cosmetic treatment is considered.
This information is educational and does not replace personalised medical assessment.
Inflamed breakouts can reach deeper into the skin than a more superficial spot, which may increase the chance of skin scarring from acne. This can show up as red marks, darker areas, or uneven texture once the breakout settles. Not every inflamed spot scars, but deeper inflammation tends to raise the risk.
When a blemish sits under the skin for longer or becomes more cystic, it can affect collagen during healing. This is one reason some people ask why their acne scars are deep or why acne scar holes can remain visible. In some people, this leads to indented or uneven scars rather than simple post-spot marks.
Repeatedly picking or squeezing healing skin can add more inflammation and mechanical injury to an area that is already trying to repair itself. Skin scars after acne are more likely when a spot is disturbed often. This may leave darker marks, lingering redness, or textural change, although not everyone scars in the same way.
Sometimes scarring is more noticeable when breakouts keep returning in the same area or inflammation lingers for weeks. This can help explain why acne scars won’t heal as quickly as expected, or why an acne scar doesn’t go away. In some people, scars stay red, brown, raised, or uneven for longer.
Some skin is simply more prone to noticeable marks after inflammation, which is why people often wonder why their skin scars so easily from acne. Individual healing patterns can influence whether scars look darker, redder, indented, or slightly raised. Skin type, inflammation level, and collagen response all play a part.
A plan built around the type of scar
Treatment at Merrion begins with assessment rather than a standard package. Dr. Kate looks at the type and depth of each scar, your skin tone and how your skin has healed in the past, then builds a plan in stages, often combining more than one approach.
Acne control first
Microneedling
Laser resurfacing
Skincare and scar care
Improve visible marks and texture with a gradual skin-repair strategy.
Not sure where to begin?
Scarring can affect both skin texture and tone, and different scar types respond to different treatments. A consultation can help assess the pattern of scarring and discuss options that may support smoother-looking skin.
