- Our highly-trained Review Moderation team evaluates all reviews before they're published to ensure they're written by people like you and not a member of a doctor's office.
- This multi-step process takes up to 24 hours from review submission to publication.
- Doctors can't pay to have reviews removed or hidden.
- Reviews are only removed at the reviewer's request or if they violate our Terms of Service.
If you have questions or believe we should re-evaluate a published review, let us know.
Provider Review
I suffered from serious acne through my teens which left me with a lot of scarring. Once I was in my early twenties I decided it was time to do something about it. At first, I visited a shopping-centre clinic (Clearskincare) which offered laser treatments, which I assumed was the best way to treat my scarring. Hundreds of dollars later with no results, I did some online searching and discovered the laser used at these types of clinics (typically staffed by beauty therapists) was nowhere near the strength required to treat my scarring. I found Dr Davin Lim highly reviewed on RealSelf (especially for acne scar treatment) and decided to ask my GP for a referral. I live in Brisbane, so it was convenient to see him. Davin's reputation in the medical community preceded him, as my GP knew who he was and said I would be in good hands. Since my scars were visible without makeup from a conversational distance, I was eligible for 80% Medicare rebates on my treatments after I reached a certain threshold (something like $2000). This made the overall cost of treatment much easier to manage. I strongly recommend getting a GP referral if you can, to become eligible for this rebate. Once I had my referral, I booked an initial consultation with Davin. He looked at my scarring and explained the type of scars, as well as the treatments he would try. He gave it to me straight -- my scars were serious, and we would need to do multiple treatments. While was difficult to be told I would never see a 100% improvement in my skin, I appreciate that he was honest with me (unlike the beauty therapists). My first treatment was something I had never heard of or considered -- subcision (with filler). Davin explained how my scars were tethered and held down by fibres beneath the skin, which could be broken by using a needle. It was a quick procedure, I didn't have to look at the needle and the pain was very tolerable. Best of all, for this treatment there is almost no downtime. And it produced an immediately visible difference on the particular deep scars he treated. I then had 4 subsequent treatments of both subcision and laser, spaced out around once per month. Davin would use local anaesthetic, perform subcision, and then perform laser. I can't remember the exact model or strength of lasers he used as it wasn't always the same machine, however I know they were strong lasers as I could see and smell my skin being vaporised...! There was some pain during these procedures but it was manageable. These treatments had significant downtime, keeping me out of public for around 5-7 days each time. I usually had these treatments on a Thursday, took Friday off work and could be wearing the recommended makeup at work the following Monday (although the texture of my skin would still be a little crusty). I've included some before pictures with angled lighting, a healing picture, and after pictures. I had a hard time replicating the exact same lighting for the after pictures, but hopefully you are able to see the overall severity of depressions has reduced. The after shots are taken today, about 2 months after my last treatment. While I know I may never have totally smooth skin, I think the treatments made a good improvement. I would also consider having more treatments down the track. So, if you are considering treatment for acne scars and can get to Brisbane, I can recommend Dr Davin Lim and his laser nurse Emily Hyde at Westside Dermatology.