How serious is my acne scarring? What kind of procedure should I look for? (Photos)

Our office has many different treatments for acne scars depending on the depth of atrophy or hypertrophy. Acne scars require a combination approach using our HI DEF protocol which uses a combination of lasers, topical scar modulation, and RF treatments to pixelate scars, improve contour, reduce hyperpigmentation, and improve the visibility of the scars so that they are no longer visible in ambient light. Everyone has a unique pattern of acne scarring and we employ our HIDEF technique to improve texture, color, contour, and topography. We often use a combination of treatments that begin with a careful examination to examine the micro texturing of the acne scars. Atrophic acne scars and indented acne scars can benefit from injectable fillers such as Radiesse, Sculptra, and Restylane with or without subcision to remove tethered scars and atrophic depression. Hyper-redness in scars can be improved with V beam laser, Excel V, BBL, IPL, and Venus RF to improve the redness and reduce the visibility of deep scars. Fractional Thulium laser and clear & brilliant can also reduce the inflammation and redness of the scar when combined with topical therapy. Fractional lasers such as Fraxel, erbium, and CO2 laser can be combined with radio frequency and also fractional RF to improve textual issues and microtopography. Subcision and TCA cross are also used for deep ice pick scars and narrow valley scars in order to improve the micro texture. Above all, our combination approach with our clinical nurses and board-certified plastic surgeons can improve the quality of your skin by using at home Melarase creams combined with PRP treatments in our office to improve your skin quality and tone. I recommend getting a formal evaluation with an experienced team of experts in order to reduce your acne scarring.

Finally, hyperpigmentation of scars can be improved with at-home Melarase AM, Melarase PM, and Melapads to help reduce active PIH and melanin deposition.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Thank you for your question. Acne scarring is a complex condition that requires a combination approach to produce the best result in most cases. Because of your skin tone, I would likely recommend RF microneedling, subcision, and injectable dermal fillers to reduce the appearance of your scarring. Make sure you work with a board-certified dermatologist who has experience and expertise in treating acne scarring and Asian skin tones. In my practice, I work with more than 50 laser and light devices that allow me to customize treatments with the precision necessary to produce superior results for my patients.

acne scarring is not serious, its just emotional. you will need a series of treatmenst to improvethis including lasers, fillers, and even punch excisions. you need to start MTS rolling at home now weekly as well.

at home peels like cosmelan, enlighten and aerify along with dermarolling (MTS roller with anteage MD ampules weekly) should be started now

if you have post inflammatory hyperpigmentation/melasma/discoloration that needs cosmelan or enlighten peels at home which we can do virtually and send to your home along with aerify peels regularly, vivatia foam, restorsea 10x, faith essence serum, and cosmelan 2 cream.

Acne scar treatment needs a combination approach for improvement.  For the best results, one should target the acne scar type.  As everyone has a unique pattern of acne scarring, the best solution is a tailored one.  Typically you need fillers like bellafill and sculptra for atrophic indented type scars with or without subcision.  Subcision for depressed tethered scars.  Vascular lasers like yellow laser, aerolase, excel V or IPL for redness or thick scars. And lasers such as fraxel, erbium, co2 or fractional radiofrequency like venus viva, skinfinity, intensif or fractora microneedling RF for textural issues and superficial scarring.  Deep ice pick scars and narrow box car scars are best treated with TCA CROSS and punch excision.  All lasers are combined with microneedling and PRP to get even better results and improve healing times.   The majority of patients will have a collection of different scar types, and hence a tailored treatment plan is needed by an expert physician.  It is never about the laser or product that gives the results, its about the expert behind the equipment that gets you the outcome.  Scars cannot be cured and will need life-long treatments to maintain and build on the results.  For those at high risk for hyperpigmentation (darker skin types or asian or hispanic or mixed ethnicities) we already pre-treat the skin with cosmelan or enlighten lightening peels to prevent complications from energy-based or chemical-based treatments.  Best, Dr. Emer. 

Typically multiple treatments are required, and multiple modalities. Treatment options depend on many factors including age, skin type, previous treatment experiences, budget, downtime, extent and location of scarring, pain tolerance, etc; It most certainly is not 1-size fits all and requires a proper in-person assessment by a scar expert such as a dermatologist. It is also key that your acne is under good control and/or in remission. I believe that subcision, often with fillers, is a great way to start, followed by subcision alone (usually every 6-8 weeks). Laser resurfacing such as ErYag (Profractional) or CO2 fractionated lasers is also an excellent option, again several sessions (usually every 4-6 weeks). Medical grade & deeper chemical peels can also be helpful, whereas microdermabrasion isn't so helpful. I also very much like microneedling (medical-grade, deeper, although home devices can help a bit too), especially when boosted with PRP (platelet-rich plasma) or RF (radio frequency). For stubborn scars not sufficiently responsive to aforementioned treatments, we do punch excisions. For thicker/keloid/hypertrophic scars, we do cortisone or cortisone-mix injections. Best to chat with your local dermatologist who has the most experience and training in treating both acne and acne scars.

You have a variety of scars which all need different types of treatment. The depressed atrophic scarring requires subcision and filler. You have associated lipoatrophy, fat loss, and that needs filler too. The icepick scarring needs TCA Cross. You would benefit from RFM on top of those treatments. Consider 3 treatments at least. I see patients from all over the world and treat acne scars daily in my office. Davin and I are great friends and plan on having acne scar seminars for physicians.

Yes I believe that subcision would help your acne scars. I usually prefer to do a blunt subcision using a cannula rather than a sharp needle. This helps to reduce downtime and any side effects. Usually I will inject some filler at the same time as subcision. Lasers for acne scars are OK but they do not lift or raise or fill scars which are depressed. A treatment like subcision plus fillers targets the deeper layers to lift, raise and smooth the scars.
Regards,
Dr. Ort

There are some people who think that the whole world looks like a nail when they have a hammer. While CO2 laser may have some benefit in some people( I have been teaching its use for 20yrs), it is not for Olive skin like yours. While a big part of the reason is because of your risk for pigmentation, the main reason is because it will not do much for your type of scars.
My toolkit has various "hammers" in which the correct one is based upon the type of scars. One key does not fit all the locks. You would benefit from a combination of subcision with fat grafting and some excision of some of them. You will see examples of olive skin people like you at the below website. We do telemedicine so that we and our many out of town patients can get acquainted. Best wishes

Your scars do warrant subcsion. With the amount of atrophy, you may or should give fillers some thought. The other scar types (linear, box car etc...) are relatively easy to improve with TCA, lasers etc. The big unknown is the volume loss mid cheek & the amount of tethering. Dr Steve Weiner in FL will look after you. Wishing you well...
The ideal treatment for acne scars will depend on the morphology of individual scars. For example, rolling scars are best treated with subcision, atrophic scars with fillers, pick-ice pick scars with TCA or Phenol CROSS/ Paint, box-scar scars with fractional laser/ modified TCA/ phenol chemical peels, hypertrophic scars with steroid injections/modulated fractional delivery.

Energy devices such as lasers, microneedling RF and bipolar radiofrequency are other methods to treat ‘general’ scar types. For example devices can improve rolling-tethered scars as well as ‘deep - superficial scars’ such as broad ice-pick scars and broad box-car scars. Devices should be viewed as a method of scar revision, and rarely as a sole modality. Exceptions do apply- for example in patients with predominantly shallow/broad box-car scars and or superficial pits.

Another factor that will determine the ideal combination of treatment is the skin type of patients. Skin typing used to determine the ‘skin colour’ of patients. Darker skin patients will require modifications to treatment parameters. This includes a lower percentage of chemical peels, conservative protocols for lasers and energy devices and in some cases pre and post treatment of skin to reduce but not eliminate the chances of PIH- post inflammatory hyperpigmentation- skin darkening.

The very first step in scar revision is to accurately determine the subset of scars you have. This is best done with a real time examination. Factors such as animation (rather than static photographs) are frequently used to determine the amount of ‘deep scarring’ /anchored scars or tethering. Palpation or touch is also extremely important to determine the presence of dermal and subdermal fibrosis. Scars that have altered ‘texture’ either hard or soft (atrophy) are more challenging to treat compared to scars with ‘normal’ texture. In some cases the use of angled lighting can be employed to accurately map scar types.

My answers given in the context of this question is a general plan given the limited information. For an accurate guide, one has to take into consideration factors such as animation, touch, feel, real time examination and most importantly subjective measures, namely patient expectations. A real time consult with a procedural dermatologist or plastic surgeon is required for the best accuracy- diagnosis.

All the best, Dr Davin S. Lim, Dermatologist. Brisbane. Australia.