How to get rid of moderate acne scars caused by hormonal acne? (photo)

Doctor's Answers 2

The photos do show depressed scars with pigmentation. In general, it is advisable not to squeeze your pimples as there is greater tendency to leave scars if pimples are squeezed. It is also important to ensure that active acne is controlled to prevent new scars from forming.

Topical treatments with retinoids like tretinoin cream may help to lighten the pigmentatation and improve scarring, though the effect on depressed scars is very mild.

There are many different treatment options for acne scars. Chemical peels is a non-invasive treatment that can help reduce the pigmentation, unclog pores, help fine wrinkles and depressed scars, though it is more difficult to address the deep scars with chemical peels.

For deeper depessed scars, a combination of treatments like subcision and fractional laser may be considered. The fractional laser an effective treatment of the depressed scars but a few treatments spaced every 4 to 6 weeks may be needed to optimize the results.

It is best to see your doctor or dermatologist for a proper assessment and discussion of the various treatment options available.

Hi,

Moderate acne scars can be improved and smoothened to a significant extent - improvement by a few grades on the acne severity score or up to 80% improvement.

Acne scar treatments start with diagnosis of your scar type, skin type and ability to handle down-time (recovery time).

Your acne scar types are a mix of ice-pick scars, rolling acne scars and box car acne scars.

The most suitable treatments to give you good results are:

1. Subcision with collagen stimulating fillers - To release tethered (held down) scars and to stimulate collagen production

2. Fractional Laser resurfacing (eg CO2/Erbium fractional lasers like Edge Fractional CO2 lasers)

3. RF micro-needling (eg Infini, Intracel)

Several treatment sessions are required and I use a combination of acne scar treatments in each session to give faster results.

Each of these treatments works synergistically.

I suggest a face to face consult with a doctor who focuses on acne scars treatment for an accurate treatment plan.

Side note: you might want to go easy on facial extractions as aggressive facial extractions might cause scars or worsen facial acne scars!

Hope this helps!

Warmest regards,

Dr Justin Boey

Similar Questions

How effective are the various types of chemical peels for acne scars?

Medical-grade Chemical Peels are highly effective treatments for Acne Scars. It is proven that TCA Cross 70% alone can give you good to excellent improvement (> 50% improvement) of atrophic acne scars, especially severe boxcar scars. I routinely perform TCA Cross for ice pick scars and deep box acne scars. TCA Cross, which stands for Trichloroacetic acid, is a medium to deep chemical peel. There is a wide range of concentrations of TCA cross (from 35% to 100%). I usually combine this with subcision, Lasers and Rejuran injections for enhanced results in treating ice-pick scars.

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Are there any topical products that can help with pitted acne scars, or must I opt for fractional laser treatment? (photo)

Hello Bemme Thank you for your question. You can try topical retinoids (retin A/ differin) which will help with mild acne scars, acne control, skin texture and oily skin. Use it at night for 1 to 2 months, and you should be able to see some results. However it is not enough to shrink your pores. A fractional resurfacing laser or microneedling fractional radiofrequency treatment can be done in combination for better results and more severe acne scars and uneven skin texture. It will also improve small to medium sized pores. Speak to a doctor to find out more. Hope this helps!

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Dr Jiwei Wu

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