Is there any safe treatment for acne scars while being on Accutane?

Hi

The issue of treating acne scars with lasers or other forms of phototherapy while on Accutane has always been the perceived increased risk of wound healing and scarring.

However recent consensus studies on this issue does not seem to indicate that there is an increase risk while the relative conservative approach on this has been the fear of medico legal issues should complications arise.

I personally have used both ablative lasers like CO2 and non ablative lasers to treat such patients with no complications .

However it is worth mentioning that the doctor should also take into consideration the skin type of the patient as well as the existing skin condition and the dosage of Accutane before deciding on whether to proceed with a laser based treatment .

In cases whereby the laser based treatments micro needle RF are contraindicated one can consider the use of a kinetic energy based device like Enerjet to treat the scars.

There have also been instances of doctors using Rejuran for scar treatments who have reported good outcomes .

Ultimately I feel that it would have to be a decision that has to be made by both the doctor and patient as to what modality of treatment would be acceptable and result in the best outcome after the consultation.

Hope this helps.

Regards
Dr Chew

The latest studies have shown that laser treatment of acne scars can be performed safely whilst patients are undergoing treatment with Accutane. From your photos, there are 2 issues that can be addressed:

1. Keloid scars along the jawline can be treated with a combination of VBEAM laser and steroid injections. Usually, 3-5 monthly treatments are required and you will likely see excellent results.

2. The atrophic scars on your cheeks can be treated by fractional CO2 laser to resurface the skin and improve collagen remodelling. 4-5 monthly treatments are usually recommended and you can expect around 30-50% improvement.

Both of these lasers are usually suitable for use even when you are on Accutane treatment, although your doctor will need to assess your skin closely and ascertain if they are happy to proceed as such. Other treatments such as TCA Cross or punch excision for deeper scars can also be considered, although the appropriate timing to do so will need to be discussed with your doctor further. Hope this helps.