What in-office treatments are most effective for improving acne scars?

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What in-office treatments are most effective for improving acne scars?

There are many cosmetic procedures to choose from. You and your dermatologist will discuss the best options for your acne scars. It is not unusual for a patient to have repeat procedures, or need two or more types of procedures to restore their skin.

Resurfacing Procedures:

  • Chemical peels: This treatment uses special chemicals to remove the top layer of old skin. Typically whenever the top layer is removed, the new skin that grows in is smoother and has fewer scars.
  • Dermabrasion: This treatment uses a special tool that produces friction to remove the top layers of skin, much like a sander removes the top layers from a plank of wood.
  • Microdermabrasion: Microdermabrasion, similar to dermabrasion, uses a special machine to remove the upper layer of skin.
  • Laser resurfacing: A laser delivers heat to the scarred collagen under the skin. This relies on the body’s wound-healing response to create new, healthy collagen. This encourages the growth of new skin to replace it. There are two different types of laser resurfacing: ablative and non-ablative. Your dermatologist will determine which type is best for your skin type and nature of your acne scars.

Other Procedures:

  • Steroid injections: In this treatment, steroids are injected into a raised scar. Steroids soften the fibrous tissue, causing the scar to flatten.
  • Dermal Fillers: With this treatment, a substance is injected under a depressed scar that lifts the skin upward.
  • Microneedling: This treatment uses small needles to purposefully injure your skin to stimulate collagen production that can smooth scars. Microneedling can be done alone or with heat (i.e. microneedling radiofrequency). Microneedling radiofrequency has shown to help with textural improvement from acne scarring and can prevent further acne from forming.
  • Excision: With this technique, the dermatologist cuts into the skin, removes the acne scar and then uses stitches to close the wound.
  • Subcision: This treatment uses a needle to break apart fibrous bands that pull down scar tissue into the lower levels in your skin. The skin is released so that it can return to the surface and can lay smooth naturally.
  • Punch grafting: With this treatment, the scar is removed like it is in an excision, and then a skin graft taken from another area of the body, typically behind your ear, fills the area where the scar was removed.
  • Cryosurgery: This treatment uses liquid nitrogen to freeze raised scar tissue. The scar tissue dies and then falls off.

Ask your dermatologist about other options that might work best for you.

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