Which would you recommend; Dermapen vs. fractional laser for acne scarring? (photos)

Acne treatment should be based upon the type of scars. Boxcars will respond to Fraxel erbium or co2. Boxcars will also respond to aggressive needling plus PRP  and subscision.Large pores respond best to Fraxel erbium (restore). Combination therapy is often better than a single modality. ,Hope that helps.

Hi Sammy.  We've actually written about this on our blog recently and the key issue between the two treatments is heat.  The heat of fractional laser treatments vaporizes (removes in small perforated columns) the scar tissue associated with your acne scars.  These small perforations are then filled in with new, more elastic and pliable collagen.  The dermapen can force small openings in the skin, but as soon as it's removed, the scar tissue pushes back together because nothing has been removed.  Bottom line is that fractional resurfacing removes scar tissue to be replaced by new collagen and the Dermapen does not do this.

Not all acne scars are the same so you should have your
scars evaluated to see what treatment would work best for your particular
scars. The most common type of acne scar is called a rolling acne scar which
looks like a wave in the skin. For these particular scars, I would recommend a
combination therapy of Palomar Frax 1540 and Skinpen. You may need between 4-6
treatments.  I also always recommended a
skincare regimen with a few key ingredients to get your skin to optimal health
before starting any treatments. 

Thank you for your question.  It's difficult to say if one is better than the other as the laser offers many other benefits that microneedling doesn't.  However, if improvement in your acne scars is your goal, and if you're on a budget, microneedling is the way to go.  Having professional dermapen treatments at the highest setting over 5-6 sessions will give you 30-40% improvement in the acne scars on the entire face.  I would consider performing Bellafill first into all of the scars to maximize the scars before microneedling to get the best results.  If you have deep icepick scars that don't improve when you pull the skin apart, then you want those removed surgically first, then have the Bellafill, then have the professional microneedling performed. Hope that helps. 

A combination of deep and superficial treatments work best.  Under the acne scar I use an FDA approved 5 year filler; Bellafill.  Bellafill plumps out the acne scar and stimulates collagen production under the skin.  For the surface I use Dermapen with Regenica Growth factor recovery serum to also encourage collagen production.

For patients with pigment to their skin, like anyone other than Caucasians, I prefer microneedling.  There is no risk of hyperpigmentation or scarring with microneedling like there is with lasers.