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Laser Treatment for Acne Scars

asked 4 years ago by anon
Latest answer by Daniel Shapiro, MD
Question viewed 38,622 times
Tags: acne scars

I am looking for a way to get rid of acne scars. Heard good things about some laser skin treatments but i don't know how to choose between them all because there are so many laser treatments that are said to work on lots of problems, but i really just want to know which one works the best on acne scars.

10 answers to Laser Treatment for Acne Scars

+7

Laser or Dermabrasion?

Laser If the question was what is the best laser for treatment of acne scarring? The answer would unequivocably be the CO2 laser. The reason for this is that the best results are typically obtained with the depth of injury and the extent of and depth of the thermal injury of the treatment. CO2 laser creates a great degree of collateral thermal damage and consequently produces the most dramatic results when it comes to correcting acne scarring and/or effacement of lines and wrinkles. The... more
Stephen Prendiville, MD

Fort Myers Facial Plastic Surgeon
+4

Acne Scars - Laser Choice Based on Time and Results

There are two excellent laser alternatives for acne scars. The Fraxel Laser provides consistently good results, although depending on the depth of the acne scars, you may need 5 to 6 treatments spaced one month apart. You will generally observe redness (like a bad sunburn for about 3 days to a week) after each treatment. The Erbium Laser such as from Sciton utilizes a laser resurfacing technique which can generate excellent results after one treatment, although it can be repeated to... more
Kris M. Reddy, MD, FACS

West Palm Beach Plastic Surgeon
+4

CO2 laser is the best for acne scars

I believe that the CO2 laser will give the best results for scars of the face. The best of these is the Fraxel re:pair Laser. This uses fractional technology, which has eliminated the risks of further scarring or hypopigmentation. Nothing is going to remove all the scars, but with one or two treatments with the Fraxel re:pair, it should be significantly better.
Steven F. Weiner, MD

Pensacola Facial Plastic Surgeon
+3

Choice is less complicated with an experienced provider

The reason there are so many options for acne scar correction, is because there are different types of acne scars and there are relative strengths and weaknesses to all modalities to correct or improve acne scars. It is therefore very important to seek the advice of a board certified dermatologist with experience in all modalities in order to pick the one best for you. Mild scars? Perhaps just SilkPeel or a series of peels is necessary. Can't afford downtime? Cooltouch might be perfect... more
Mary Lupo, MD

New Orleans Dermatologist
+2

Many treatments for acne scars

There are many different treatments for acne scars and there is not one that works for every patient. The first step is to ensure that any active acne is under control. The next step is to determine the best course or courses of treatment. This may include lasers, dermabrasion, dermaroller, excision, fillers, or other options. Finding a facial plastic surgeon, dermatologic surgeon, or plastic surgeon who offers a variety of treatments is going to be your key. Don't be swayed by... more
D.J. Verret, MD

Dallas Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Best Acne Scar Laser Treatment

I would suggest the MicroLaserPeel or “weekend” skin peel. As compared with microdermabrasion or light chemical peels, a MicroLaserPeel is a deeper treatment that precisely removes the outermost layers of skin, and treats wrinkles, scars, acne scars, keratoses, and irregular pigmentation. The treatment uses topical anesthesia, and typically is repeated 2 to 4 times, spaced 6 to 8 weeks apart. Healing takes 3 to 4 days and resembles a sunburn with redness beginning to fade by the... more
Daniel Shapiro, MD

Scottsdale Plastic Surgeon
+1

There is no best laser for laser acne scars

There is no way to get "rid" of deep acne scars. IMHO, the optimal treatment is deep facial resurfacing combined with a permanent filler such as Silikon 1000. It is more important to take care in choosing the physician than it is to believing all of the hype about the latest, greatest laser. The scars may still be there after this, of after any other, treatment and you will always see them. But they will be markedly improved and significantly less... more
Lawrence Kass, MD

Saint Petersburg Oculoplastic Surgeon
+1

Many Different Options

There are many different types of lasers out in the market today to treat acne scars. Some are ablative and some are non-ablative. Some are fractionated and some are not. the ablative lasers such as the CO2 or erbium lasers remove the outer layer of your skin and are more aggressive with more down time and higher complication rate (such as hyper or hypo pigmentation post treatment). The results are more noticeable immediately after the treatment. The non-ablative lasers take more treatments... more
Tal T. Roudner, MD

Coral Gables Plastic Surgeon
+1

Explore all your options with a qualified dermatologic surgeon

In most cases of acne scarring, a number of modalities are employed to provide optimum improvement. Some scars may be vastly improved or even eliminated with simple excision (cutting them out). This method is usually most effective for scars with sharp, vertical edges. Subcision is useful for scars that are “bound down”. This is a procedure by which scar tissue is broken up by sweeping a needle or blade under the scar which then frees the dermal collagen fibers and allows... more
Gaetano Zanelli, MD

San Francisco Dermatologic Surgeon
+1

Multiple options for acne scar treatment

There are multiple ways to improve your scarring from acne. You want the simple answer. Yes, there are a lot of lasers out there but most simply put lasers are used to take away the top layers of the skin to remove the scarring and then what happens is that your skin cells deep within your hair follicles grow out and "resurface" your face and skin. The newer fractional lasers essentially manipulate your skin deeper to cause skin tightening to help improve the wrinkles such as... more
Philip Young, MD

Bellevue Facial Plastic Surgeon

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