Laser scar removal treatments use a focused beam of light to make a scar look less noticeable and (in some cases) help it disappear altogether—without surgery. They can also reduce the pain, itching, and sensitivity of scar tissue.
A scar is a natural response to the formation of a wound, be it from an injury, surgery, illness (like chicken pox), or a skin condition like acne. The body forms new collagen fibers to mend the skin damage, creating a different texture and quality than the surrounding tissue.
Most wounds, except very minor ones, result in some degree of scarring. “Sometimes your body is able to heal an area nicely and the scar looks fine,” says Dr. Ariel Ostad, a dermatologic surgeon in New York City. “Other times it’s red, raised, or depressed, and doesn’t blend in with the rest of the skin.” Â
While many scars fade and become less noticeable over time, they’re still permanent and may be an unhappy reminder of a painful experience.“ Scars are benign, but they can have a profoundly negative effect on a person’s confidence level,” says Dr. Ostad. “In their mind, they see that scar all the time.”
Depending on the type of scar and its location, laser skin resurfacing can be very effective in reducing the appearance of scars by blending them into the surrounding skin.
A variety of lasers can help improve a scar, but these two are most commonly used.
Pulsed-dye lasers
- Vbeam, Excel V, and other Pulsed-dye laser (PDL) treatments target excess blood vessels and redness in the skin.
- This type of laser treatment is often used on red or pink scars (those that are early on in the healing phase, on relatively light skin types), or scars that may remain pink or red because the new blood vessels that developed to help heal the wound never receded.
- “At a specific wavelength, the energy of the laser is absorbed by the hemoglobin in red vessels, causing them to close and the pink or red color to fade [over time],” Dr. Ostad explains.
- PDLs can also flatten raised (hypertrophic) scars, likely by reducing the blood flow that helps promote collagen production.Â
Fractionated laser resurfacing
- Fractionated lasers like Fraxel Re:store work by causing micro-injuries to a fraction of the skin’s surface, stimulating new collagen growth. This wounds the skin in a controlled manner, so new skin grows more uniformly.
- This technology is favored for atrophic (indented) scars, such as mild to moderate acne scars and some surgical scars. “By delivering a precise amount of energy, these lasers can induce collagen formation and raise the scar to a level that’s adjacent to surrounding skin,” says Dr. Ostad.
- More powerful fractionated CO2 lasers, such as Fraxel Re:pair or UltraPulse CO2, are often used to treat deeper scars, including icepick acne scars. The heat provided by these lasers gets absorbed by water in the scars and vaporizes the tissue within it, removing (ablating) a thin layer of skin before stimulating new collagen production to help even out the skin.
- Though more aggressive fractionated lasers come with more downtime and risk (in the hands of an inexpert provider), they can be a very effective treatment option.
An experienced dermatologist who offers a range of laser skin resurfacing options will be able to recommend the best laser treatment option for your specific type of scar.
Some acne scars may even respond well to IPL (intense pulsed light) phototherapy, which uses more broad, visible light (unlike the focused light of a laser).
Ablative lasers carry more risk and require more downtime, but they can produce a much greater degree of improvement.
RealSelf Tip: If used early enough, the pulsed dye laser can significantly improve and slow the progression of stretch marks, which are a type of scar. This laser only treats newer stretch marks that are red or purple. The sooner it’s used after stretch marks form, the more effective the treatment. Older (silver or white) stretch marks can be treated by skin resurfacing lasers like Fraxel.
