What should you know about post inflammatory hyperpigmentation scar?

A brown, grey, or reddish flat area left after acne or another flare is often a pigment change in the skin. A scar may be indented, raised, firm, or tethered, and may feel different when touched. Scratching, picking, infection, or deeper inflammation can leave pigment and texture change together. A dark mark is not automatically a scar, and its colour alone cannot show how deep the original inflammation was.

Let injured skin heal without picking, rubbing, or using harsh exfoliants. Moisturise and protect the area from sunlight, which can make pigment contrast more obvious. If acne or dermatitis is still active, controlling it helps reduce fresh marks. For colour change, a dermatologist may discuss a chemical peel, skin brightening treatment, or picosecond laser treatment. Texture scars need a different assessment, so do not choose a procedure based only on the patch’s colour.

Arrange an examination for a mark that becomes raised, hard, painful, itchy, ulcerated, or repeatedly bleeds. Review is also sensible when a patch keeps changing or when a treatment causes prolonged redness, blistering, or swelling. Prompt care is appropriate for signs of infection such as increasing warmth, pus, or spreading tenderness.

Ask whether the change is pigment, scarring, or both; whether the original inflammation remains active; and which treatment targets colour without aggravating texture or sensitivity.