Tool · Acne scars

Which type of acne scar
do I have?

Medically reviewed by Dr Sin Yong · Last reviewed 7 October 2026 · 5 min read

Published 7 October 2026 · Reviewed by Dr Sin Yong

Acne scars are grouped into ice-pick, boxcar, rolling and raised scars, and flat red or brown marks are not textural scars at all. Each type is approached differently, so the first useful question is which pattern you have. Four questions below sort the common patterns; the result is a reading guide, not a diagnosis, and an in-person assessment with a stretch test and good light decides the plan.

A woman with her eyes closed against a soft pink background, illustrative image, not a patient

The four-question checker

When you stretch the skin around the scar with two fingers, what happens?

It flattens or almost disappearsIt stays as a sharp, deep pitIt stays as a flat-bottomed dent with defined edgesIt is raised above the skin, not depressed

How wide is the typical scar?

Broad and soft-edged, like a shallow dip (4 mm or more)Very narrow, like an enlarged pore or a pin-prick (under 2 mm)Medium, round or oval, 2–4 mm, with a sharp rimAny size, but firm and raised

Is there still active acne (new pimples, cysts or nodules) in the area?

Yes, new spots still appearNo, the acne has settled

What colour is the mark?

Pink or red, flatBrown, flatSkin-coloured, but the texture is uneven

Active acne first

New spots mean the skin is still being injured, and scar work on inflamed skin tends to be deferred. The first step is acne control, which is assessed separately from scarring. Once it has settled, the scar pattern can be read properly.

Ask for an assessment on WhatsApp

Flat red marks: post-inflammatory erythema

Flat pink or red marks with normal texture are usually post-inflammatory erythema rather than true scars: dilated small vessels left after inflammation, which often fade on their own and are assessed differently from textural scars.

Ask for an assessment on WhatsApp

Flat brown marks: post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation

Flat brown marks with normal texture are pigment, not a textural scar. They are approached as pigmentation, and the wrong laser can darken them, which is why the type is confirmed first.

Ask for an assessment on WhatsApp

Pattern most consistent with rolling scars

Broad, soft-edged depressions that flatten when the skin is stretched are usually tethered from below by fibrous bands. This is the pattern where subcision is usually assessed first, sometimes with volume support once the tether is released.

Ask for an assessment on WhatsApp

Pattern most consistent with ice-pick scars

Very narrow, deep pits that do not flatten on stretching are usually ice-pick scars. They are assessed for TCA CROSS, a focal chemical reconstruction applied to the scar base, rather than broad resurfacing.

Ask for an assessment on WhatsApp

Pattern most consistent with boxcar scars

Round or oval depressions with a sharp rim and a flat base are usually boxcar scars. Shallow ones are assessed for fractional resurfacing or RF microneedling; deep ones may need edge work or punch techniques first.

Ask for an assessment on WhatsApp

Raised scar: hypertrophic or keloid

A firm scar above the skin surface is a raised scar, not a depression. Hypertrophic scars stay within the original wound; keloids grow beyond it. They are managed differently from depressed scars, usually with injection and silicone rather than resurfacing.

Ask for an assessment on WhatsApp

A mixed pattern

Most acne-scarred skin carries more than one scar type, and the answers here point to a mix. A mixed pattern is sequenced in stages, with each scar type addressed by the method that suits it, which is exactly what an in-person assessment maps.

Ask for an assessment on WhatsApp

General information only. The checker reads your own description of the scar and cannot see your skin; patterns are commonly mixed, and the stretch test is easier for a doctor to read than for you in a mirror. Nothing here is a plan, a price or a promise.

How the checker sorts scars

The stretch test separates tethered depressions (rolling scars, which flatten when the skin is pulled taut) from scars with their own fixed walls (ice-pick and boxcar, which do not). Width then separates narrow pits from flat-bottomed dents. Anything raised is a hypertrophic scar or keloid and is managed on different principles. Flat colour change without a texture change is post-inflammatory erythema (red) or hyperpigmentation (brown), which are pigment and vessel problems rather than scars. Active acne overrides all of it, because scar work waits for the skin to stop being injured.

The categories follow the Jacob classification of atrophic acne scars (ice-pick, boxcar, rolling), which is the grouping Dr Sin Yong uses when he maps a face before a staged 4D Scar Reconstruction plan.

Link to or embed this checker

Clinics, GPs, educators and writers may link to this tool freely. If you reproduce it, keep the attribution link below.

<p>Which type of acne scar do I have? <a href="https://drsinyong.com/tools/acne-scar-type/">Try the scar-type checker by Dr Sin Yong, Singapore</a>.</p>

Speak With Dr Sin Yong

Consultations by appointment at Orchard Road, Singapore.

1WhatsApp a short note on your concern
2Consultation and assessment with Dr Sin Yong
3Options explained, including no treatment

Replies within clinic hours: Mon–Fri 10am–8pm, Sat 11am–3pm · How consultations work · Prefer not to use WhatsApp? · Treatment finder

WhatsApp +65 8023 7170 →

Which type of acne scardo I have?

The four-question checker

When you stretch the skin around the scar with two fingers, what happens?

How wide is the typical scar?

Is there still active acne (new pimples, cysts or nodules) in the area?

What colour is the mark?

Active acne first

Flat red marks: post-inflammatory erythema

Flat brown marks: post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation

Pattern most consistent with rolling scars

Pattern most consistent with ice-pick scars

Pattern most consistent with boxcar scars

Raised scar: hypertrophic or keloid

A mixed pattern

How the checker sorts scars

Link to or embed this checker

Speak With Dr Sin Yong

Which type of acne scar
do I have?