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Frustrated with acne scars? Options exist to get rid of them

You’ve gotten your acne under control and now you are ready to get rid of the acne scars. What are your options? Depending on the type and severity of acne scar, there is a variety of treatments that can help.

Skin discoloration from acne

Brown discoloration from acne usually goes away on its own, but sometimes it can take a while. To speed things up, these brown spots can be lightened with daily topical application of bleaching agents such as hydroquinone or kojic acid. It’s important not to forget to apply sunscreen with an SPF 30 regularly to avoid these spots from getting darker in the sun.

Red marks that remain after acne flares also fade in time but lasers such as the pulsed dye laser or the Starlux Icon can help the redness fade faster. Several treatments are usually recommended for best results. Another benefit of these light-based treatments is that they can stimulate collagen and help smooth out skin indentations.

Acne scars treated with Restylane

Indented acne scars

Focal indentations, where the skin looks undulated in certain lighting, can be treated with subcision, a technique that releases tethering, followed by injections of a hyaluronic acid filler such as Restylane, Juvederm or Belotero.

Extensive acne scarring

For extensive acne scars, covering a large area such as the cheeks, chin, forehead or temples, fractional laser treatments with the Fraxel Restore, Dekadot, or Fraxel Repair can promote significant collagen remodeling and improve acne scars.

Acne scars treated with Fraxel laser

With the Fraxel Restore, a series of 3-6 treatments at 4-6 week intervals is usually recommended. Recovery time for the Fraxel Restore typically consists of a few days of the skin looking pink and swollen, similar to a sunburn appearance. The Fraxel Repair and Dekadot systems deliver more intensive treatments for those patients who prefer to have their acne scars treated in a single treatment session. There is a 1-2 week recovery period after the procedure.

In some cases, a combination of subcision, injections of hyaluronic acid filler and fractional laser treatments may be recommended for optimum results

So if you’re frustrated with your acne scars and you want to know what you can do, let SkinCare Physicians’ dermatologists help you to determine the best approach to treat them. We will carefully evaluate your acne scars and develop a comprehensive treatment program. Request a consultation online or contact our Boston practice at (617) 731-1600 to schedule your appointment.

Photos courtesy of Restylane and Fraxel

One Response to Frustrated with acne scars? Options exist to get rid of them

• Rob Cole says:

  October 29, 2013 at 10:25 am

  Hi,

  I have quite bad scarring on my face from when I had acne as a teenager. Thanks for the info. I will be getting in touch to see if it will work for me.

  Reply