How to get rid of red marks and scars after use of Accutane? (Photo)

Question

Ive been off accutane for a month now and I m left with red marks left from old acne. This is my second time on accutane and I m even left with marks from the first time. Which was a year ago.... Is there any products or ANYTHING i can do to help my face ...

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Accutane is a go-to medication for patients with recalcitrant cystic acne. It can reduce pore size and also reduce sebum production in your skin, making it less oily; and in turn, dryer. Accutane can be used to control acne, but patients receiving the medication should be carefully monitored. In terms of skincare, always wear an appropriate sunscreen and reduce direct sun exposure. In my patients, I recommend a good ceramide moisturizer such as Elevase whenever they are on Accutane. This will keep the skin hydrated and reduce the oiliness of the skin that is associated with oil-based moisturizers.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Best, 
Dr. Karamanoukian 
Realself100 Surgeon

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

You need a cosmetic dermatologist who specializes in acne scarring/pigmentation and does a combination of treatments including: surgery, subcision, or TCA cross for deep or pitted "ice pick" scars; fillers like Bellafill or Sculptra or Radiesse for broad "boxcar" or "rolling" scars; Eclipse Micropen for all types of scars and improvement in texture and tone; lasers such as co2 laser resurfacing or Fraxel/Clear+Brilliant or radiofrequency such as Venus Viva to improve the scars and give long term collagen production. There are many options but you want someone who can customize a regimen for your short and long term goals based on your individual situation.  Redness can be treated by vascular lasers such as the Pro Yellow and pulsed dye. Best, Dr. Emer.

Kally Papantoniou, MD, FAAD · Answer

This is very common in light skin types, that acne can leave behind red discolored scars and marks. If you wait, eventually they will fade, this can take 6 months to a year or longer. If you are looking to speed up this process it would be best to have a PDL laser treatment, these lasers target vascular lesions in the skin. Lasers are generally not recommended right after accutane, and many doctors will not use a laser for a patient until 6 months have passed. There is a prescription gel, Celacyn, that works well for scars. I have found it helps to reduce the redness after 12 weeks of use. Hope this helps, Dr. P.

How to get rid of red marks and scars after use of Accutane? (Photo)

Answers (3)

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