Long-term improvement of acne scars

Bryan K. Chen, MD answers: Long-term improvement of acne scars?

I have a lot of depressed acne scars and pock marks along with a horrible skin texture. I have had dermabrasion, chemical peels, and most recently, Total FX and Restylane injections. The Restylane makes a difference, and I will continue with it, but there are so many depressed scars that it is hard to get to them all, and the improvement is so temporary. Can I ever really have a long-term improvement my acne scars?


Bryan K. Chen, MD
8 months ago

I would have expected Total FX to give you some noticeable improvement in your skin texture and acne scarring.  It may be that you may need to wait a few months for the full effect of that treatment to take effect.

In my experience, durable (indefinite) improvement can be achieved with a combination of subcision and the TCA cross method (though I prefer to use a modified phenol solution rather than TCA).  A series of treatments at 4 week intervals is recommended.  The main side effect with the subcision procedure is bruising (resolves by 2 weeks).  Depending on your skin tone, the Cross method (application of a strong chemical peel solution to scars to promote new collagen growth) can cause temporary red or brown spots that gradually fade over time.  With these methods, patience is a virtue, as improvement can continue to be seen 1 year or longer after treatment.

Good luck. 

 

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