How to get rid of acne marks? (photo)

If I hear you correctly, you have red marks left from previous acne. These are not obvious on your picture indeed, but they are a very common sequela of acne vulgaris.

The name of that condition is post inflammatory erythema (PIE for short) and it is usually accompanied by post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH).

Whereas Epiduo could help with PIH, it doesn't do very much for PIE. Proper treatment of PIE (your condition) includes the proper use of skincare, and the correct type of lasers to speed up their removal.

Sunblock is of paramount importance as those PIE spots can darken very badly when exposed to sun.

Using the correct lasers to deal with acne and acne scarring is important as there are many different types of acne as well as acne scars.

Scars don't just present as marks, they can be bumpy (hypertrophic/keloid) as well as depressed (atrophic box, rolling or icepick). This is why I have a wide variety of lasers and skin treatments.

Red acne marks will usually require long pulse lasers to handle as the long pulse duration properly targets hemoglobin that is causing the redness.

Hope this was helpful!

Hello J,

Thank you for your question. Good to hear that your acne is now under control. There are different types of acne scars and they can be treated in a few ways:

• Topical retinoids (differin/ retin A)
• Chemical peels (glycolic acid/ TCA/ Jessner)
• Fractional ablative laser resurfacing (CO2/ Erbium)
• Microneedling fractional radiofrequency device (Infini RF)
• Needle subcision
• PDRN microinjection (Rejuran Healer)

Treatments can be combined for better/ faster results.

The entire treatment process usually takes a few months as collagen remodelling and new collagen formation takes time.

Most people will have a combination of scars (boxcar + atropic + ice pick), and hence each treatment is customised based on your scar type.

Consult a doctor/ dermatologist to get a thorough examination of your acne scar marks first before deciding on your treatment plan. All the best!

Regards,

Hello J,

Your picture is not very clear but it does look like post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) marks from old acne.

Use of topical retinoids such as tretinoin or epiduo may help but they usually take a longer time to work.

I prefer to use a combination of bleaching agents (hydroquinone/arbutin) and laser treatment 1064nm wavelength on the spots for quicker results. As Dr Wu also mentioned, PDRN injections into the PIH marks will also speed up the recovery.