Are Laser Treatments for Acne Scars Permanent?

I am referring to all lasers for acne scars, from the original CO2 to the newer non-ablative YAG lasers. I have been hearing varying opinions on this. I've been told it's permanent from some doctors, others have told me it's not. I've heard from patients that they've had lasting results (beyond a year), others on message forums have told me it's not. Lasers are expensive, why would I keep doing them if they won't have lasting effects? Can I please get a straight answer? I just want the truth.

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4 Doctor Answers | Asked by DRaGZ

Doctor Answers (4)
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Are Acne Scar Treatments Permanent?

Hi DRaGZ. We would like to turn it around on you a bit. We treat many types of acne scars at our practiced, colored and textured (indented, bumpy) and we use many different options to treat them. So, the answer to your question can differ based on the type of acne scars you have. We use Erbium laser resurfacing (indented), kenalog injections (bumpy or atrophic), hydroquinone (brown) and V-star lasers (red) for our treatments. For some of these treatments you can... more

Harold J. Kaplan, MD

4 reviews

Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.celibre.com

Lasers and Acne Scarring Treatment are the results permanent

To be totally honest, nothing is permanent. Everything in the world changes and so does your results from laser resurfacing. I think that resurfacing treats one layer when Acne scarring is a multilayered process. You need a multilayered approach with that I would do co2 laser resurfacing at the end of all the treatments. But that is not the only time point that I would do co2 laser resurfacing. see video

Philip Young, MD

6 reviews

Bellevue Facial Plastic Surgeon

Results of Laser Treatments for Acne Scars

It helps to understand how acne scars are formed in order to make an informed decision for yourself. Acne scars are made of the same collagen fibers that are found throughout your skin. However, these fibers are arranged in a thick configuration. Lasers basically apply heat to the dermis under the surface of your skin. And this causes specialized cells to produce normal collagen fibers which gradually override the acne scar tissue. Multiple treatments are needed for this to be... more