What Can Be Done About Raised Red Marks from Acne?

Glad to hear your acne is gone. You may want to go see your dermatologist regarding the scarring. There are a series of options for you but again evaluation by your dermatologist is definitely recommended.

Hi Supergirl, For raised red acne scars, we would probably try one of the three treatments below (or a combination). Laser Resurfacing. This is for textured (bumpy) acne scarring, but is usually not used for hypertrophic scarring (raised). Rather it is more commonly used for atrophic scarring (pitted or depressed scars). Kenalog injections. These steroid injections help to reduce inflammation and can help to get rid of bumpy cystic scars. Pulse Dye Lasers. These lasers are used to... more

Raised red scar typically respond very well to a series of pulsed dye laser treatments and injections of steroid and 5-fluoruracil into the scars. Other laser options include ablative and fractional lasers (such as CO2 resurfacing and fraxel repair or restore) but these are more expensive technologies with greater downtime and often the pulsed dye laser (such as the Vbeam) is all that you need.

There are a variety of treatment options for acne scars. For raised red marks, laser may be quite helpful, and in some cases injection of a small dose of cortisone into the lesions. Have your dermatologist assess your skin and go over all the options and their respective risks and costs.