Acne scar treatment should be deferred until active acne is completely treated and when you are free from active acne for at least several months to years.
The reasons being:
- Active acne will cause more marks and scars, hence undoing the benefits of expensive acne scar treatments.
- Acne scar treatment e.g. fractional CO2 laser may be associated with acne flares especially when acne is still active, leaving new unwanted marks and scars.
- Treatment will be more painful if active acne is present due to ongoing inflammation.
- The cosmetic benefits: cost ratio of active acne treatment is generally greater than that of acne scar treatment, hence active acne treatment should be prioritized over that of acne scar treatment when both are being considered.
