Best Acne Scar Treatment for Asian Skin? Doctor Answers, Tips
Acne Scars Treatment: Q&A
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Best Acne Scar Treatment for Asian Skin?

I am 26 years old, fairly light-skinned Asian girl. I have suffered from severe acne in the past but just recently, with the help of medication, I have managed to control my acne. However, I am now left with deep acne scars on my cheeks. I have been to see a dermatologist and he has suggested one treatment of the Fraxel Laser. I am getting married in 4 months and want to look my best. Can anyone suggest what is the best treatment for acne scars on my skin type?

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age 25-34 cheeks skin acne scars Asian best
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7 Doctor Answers | Asked by carina in London
+3

Asian skin and acne scars

Many patients come to see me with these similar situations. Here in New York and New Jersey we have a large Asian population. In choosing a treatment regiment the type of procedure and recovery time is important. For short period recovery time, topical treatments such as beta peels and microdermabrasion can lessen the appearance of scars, but only subtly. However, it depends on the extent of the acne scarring. Fraxel restore is a more effective treatment methodology for Asian skin types and... more
+2

What works best for acne scars?

What is best for acne scars depends on how many scars, how deep they are and what type of scars they are. If the scars are hypertrophic, like keloids, then injections of a cortisone would probably work best. If the scars are atrophic, meaning they are depressed below the skin surface, then there are several things that can be done. For isolated scars, there are dermal fillers, subscission, punch excision and spot fractional resurfacing. For multiple scars, fractional... more
+2

Acne scars in Asian skin

I would consider saline subcision treatments perhaps in combination with spot application of a strong chemical peeling agent to build up the collagen to fill your depressed acne scars. Application of the chemical peel solution should not be done within 3 months of your wedding date as it can take up to 3 months for the dark brown/reddish pigmentation associated with this technique, to resolve. Hopefully you can find a qualified dermatologist or facial plastic surgeon who is familiar with... more

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+1

Deep acne scars in Asian skin

If the scars are deep, then subscision or dermaroller may be options. Fraxel would need more than one session to manage deep scars. Solitary deep scars can also be excised, to increase cosmesis and decrease downtime.
+1

Asian skin requires special care because of the risk of hyperpigmentation.

A single Combination treatment with subcision, Derma-K Laser Resurfacing, and Fraxel Repair Laser give me the best results. Treatment of acne scars is complicated and requires a combined approach to get the best results. Additional treatments with eMatrix and Perlane can further enhance the results. We are consistently getting 75% + improvement in a single treatment in most of our patients using this technique There are other options, but this works by far the... more
+1

Fraxel Dual Laser Treatment for Acne Scars in Asian Skin

Asian skin is for the most in the Fitzpatrick type 4-5 range. Thus aggressive resurfacing would not be an option in most. Aggressive resurfacing refers to Dermabrassion (Not microdermabrasion) and C)2 resurfacing. For that reason Fraxel Dual (Not Fraxel repair) would be a safe choice in Asian skin. I would highly suggest talking to your doctor to plan out the best treatment.
+1

TCA Cross is good for acne scars

This technique involves placement of very concentrated TCA on the scars. There is minimal downtime. It needs to be repeated several times. There were initial studies done on Koreans with no adverse skin reactions so I feel it's safe for you. After the wedding, the Fraxel re:pair is very good for acne scars. I have done several asian skin types without adverse reactions. You need to be on hydroquinones before and after the procedure.
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Comments (1)

chiasnguy 9 Feb 2013
I had laser skin resurfacing in October for acne scars. My doctor said she used erbium on my cheek where I had deeper scars and fraxel for the rest of my face. I was pretreated with hydroquinone to prevent hyperpigmentation which I was really concerned about. It's been 3 months and what a rough recovery. I did not expect the downtime to be so long. Going into it she said I would be presentable in a month. WRONG!The most troublesome side effects were redness and hyperpigmentation. Redness all over my face but especially on my cheeks and brownish discoloration on my cheeks,temples and mostly where she used the Erbium. I followed the after care instructions: wore sunscreen, stayed out of the sun and had to wear make up (which is very distressing for a guy). To say that it was very disruptive to my social and recreational life is an understatement. Long story short, it's been 3 months and while the redness started to subside, it was blotchy. I was more red in areas where she really went deep. The hyperpigmentation got lighter but still obvious. I was so sick of it so I consulted another clinic and they recommended MELANAGE peel. It's been a week after the peel and so far I'm it looks like I will be HAPPY with the results. It did not hurt, but the first 3 days I was peeling like crazy and very red. This made me feel rather depressed and worried that I would have to go through more downtime. BUT after that the redness lessened and I could tell the brown discoloration has lightened significantly. I'm still peeling minimally and continuing with the creams they gave me. The results take up to 8 weeks for full effect. I'm very satisfied with the results so far. My skin looks more even, the pores are much smaller and the discoloration is lighter. In hindsight I'm still not sure if the laser surgery was worth the downtime. The scars have gotten shallower and my doctor says benefits from laser continue up to 6 months. I am certain though that I would not want to relive the past 3 months.

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