As with all forms of acne scar treatment, one treatment modality may be used to treat a variety of acne scars. The key differences are:
- Choice of parameters. More severe scars needing more intense treatment.
2. Response. Deeper scars respond less compared to shallower scars. Deep ice-pick scars remain most challenging to treat and often require punch excision to convert them to shallower linear scars before additional resurfacing procedures are carried out to even out the appearance.
Pico-lasers tend to work reasonably well with shallower acne scars e.g. superficial boxcar scars. Pico-lasers also help improve overall skin texture, reduce pore size and lighten facial pigmentation and improve skin clarity, which may be viewed as value-added benefits.
For deeper boxcar scars, fractional CO2 laser & subcision may offer better results. For very deep ice-pick scars, punch excision is recommended as the first stage.
