Can Several Mixto Laser Treatments Completely Smooth out Acne Scars?

Mixto fractional laser resurfacing works beautifully to help reduce scarring caused by acne. This CO2 (carbon dioxide) laser helps to deliver a precise matrix of Microspots that penetrate to the dermis and stimulate the formation of new collagen. At the same time, immediate shrinkage of damaged tissue is achieved.
The Mixto improves pigmentation problems, reduces pore size appearance, wrinkles, acne scars, and other textural irregularities. The laser has an additive effect and many patients will notice greater improvement when they have multiple sessions.
Compared to traditional skin resurfacing, clients experience less downtime and are more comfortable during the procedure. It is unlikely that any one procedure will completely smooth the skin from acne scars, but my patients have noticed an improvement ranging from 30-60%.
When you compare it to Fraxel, make sure you are comparing it to the Fraxel Re:pair, which is based on the same CO2 laser technology as Mixto. The older Fraxel model is based upon erbium and may not give the same improvement.

Fractional laser is an amazing and highly effective treatment in our office. We use the laser treatment to help with acne scars, large pores, fine wrinkles, tissue collagen loss, scars, sebaceous hyperplasia, active acne, and for brightening dark pigmentation. Although there are very strong fractional lasers such as CO2 laser, we use lighter treatments for corrective skincare and maintenance of results. Our Thulium fractional laser, clear and brilliant laser, and Ultra Thulium laser are excellent options in our clinic. We also perform CO2 fractional and erbium depending on skin tone and tolerance for downtime. Patients do have to use a Melarase cream before and after treatment to help further reduce pigmentation after laser. Melarase AM, Melarase PM, and Melapads can seriously improve surface sun damage and UV related pigmentation. Dark spots can improve with these treatments. I recommend fractional laser for incisional scars as well, especially after plastic surgery.
Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

It is not realistic to assume Fractional CO2 laser resurfacing using Mixto, Total Fx, Fraxel Repair will bring about a porcelain smooth skin even after multiple treatments. Each treatment in the hands of an experienced board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon should result in 35-55% improvement of existing acne scarring each time. The clinical improvement may be more modest for ethnic skin as the parameters used in laser resurfacing would have to be more conservative to minimize risk of post-inflammatory pigmentation.

Hi there-
In my Orlando Plastic Surgery and Skin Care Center, we are big fans of the Mixto laser- I believe the results, recovery, and patient experience are superior to alternatives available right now- However...
There is NO laser treatment or skin care regimen that could be expected to make your skin look as though the acne never happened... even with multiple treatments.
I do think that when performed by a skilled provider with experience using the Mixto (yes, it absolutely DOES matter who does it, no matter how good the machine is), you have an excellent chance of achieving a result that you feel represents a tremendous improvement, with dramatic diminishment in the appearance of the scars- but it's probably unreasonable to expect them to be completely gone.

I agree that none of fractional CO2 lasers can make skin perfectly smooth. However, We have been using An Erbium-Yag laser to "sand down" the ridges first, then at the same treatment, aggressive Microfractional CO2 laser resurfacing. This has increased our smoothing from 45% -55% up to 65-80% in only one treatment.
 

It’s possible to improve acne scar however it’s important to understand that deeper pitted scars may require other treatment modalities. For most people who have significant acne scars, the Mixto SX microfractional CO2 laser can help improve the appearance of the scars but the patient has to be properly examined before making this choice.

The Mixto G2, which is the type just released to the US, is the most effective short recovery laser we have used for acne scars. It will take several sessions for really deep acne scars.
In addition, we may do sub-incision where we release under the deepest scars as we do the Mixto.
The degree of success depends on your skin type and the depth of scar. We do not treat unless the acne is controlled.
Dr. Mayl

There is no treatment that can completely eliminate acne scars and leave you with totally smooth undamaged skin. I have seen patients who have had literally hundreds of treatments questing for normal skin using lasers, IPL, dermabrasion, chemical peels, skin care, and even facelifts and have spent 10's of thousands of dollars trying to cure to their acne skin damage. The damage from acne is through the full depth of the skin and therefore can't ever be totally removed. If your expectations are for "improvement," this can happen but if you will only be happy if the scars are gone, you will unfortunately never get there.