Acne scars, regardless of type, will benefit from most treatments that are available. The real question is how much each type of scar will benefit from each treatment.
The aim of scar treatment is to:
1) attain the largest improvement
2) with the least downtime/side effects and
3) preferably as cost-effectively as possible.
The picosecond lasers have a rather novel way of scar tissue treatment - the focused beams of rapidly pulsed light cause air bubbles within the superficial portions of skin, causing a subcision like effect.
This helps lift superficially tethered scars and stimulate collagen production and remodelling over time.
As such, good improvements can be seen with moderate, minimally tethered box/rolling scars. The better thing about the picosecond laser is that it allows safer treatment in darker skin while minimising downtime.
Other forms of treatments, such as:
1) Fractional CO2/Erbium lasers: Good also for box and rolling scars, with minimal tethering. Longer downtime with peeling and redness. Less safe in darker skin with possible post-inflammatory pigmentation forming and taking weeks to subside
2) TCA CROSS: Good for deep, ice pick scars. Less safe in darker skin with high risk of post-inflammatory pigmentation forming and taking weeks to subside
3) Subcision with or without fillers: The choice for deep and tethered scars. Typically has a longer downtime with bruising and bumps lasting a few weeks
And so on.
As you can see, several factors are taken into consideration when choosing a procedure for one's scars.
Typically, a combination approach is necessary to maxmise results, minimise cost, and minimise downtimes. If you choose to use a picosecond laser as a sole modality, results tend to stagnate and might leave you disappointed (especially if you have a combination of different scar types)
It would be best for you to be assessed physically so a thorough plan can be worked out and discussed before committing yourself to any therapy.
Cheers,
Dr Shane Abucewicz Tan
