Acne scar treatment

Acne can leave scars that change the texture of the skin, such as dents, pits and raised areas. Different types of scars respond to different treatments, so most people do best with a plan that combines more than one.

If you still get breakouts, treating active acne comes first. Dark or red marks without a change in texture are not scars and are treated differently, see post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

Types of acne scars

• Rolling scars: broad, shallow dips that give skin a wavy look
• Boxcar scars: round or oval dents with sharp edges
• Icepick scars: narrow, deep pits
• Raised scars and keloids

Treatments we use

• Lasers: Fraxel, Fraxel Re:pair, CO2 laser resurfacing and ProFractional
• Microneedling; radiofrequency microneedling such as Morpheus8 requires separate risk assessment because burns, scarring, fat loss and nerve injury have been reported
• Subcision: releasing the bands that pull rolling scars down
• Chemical peels, including focal peels for icepick scars
• Fillers for some rolling scars
• Steroid injections for raised scars

What to expect

Your provider looks at your scars, skin type and schedule and recommends a plan. Most plans involve a series of treatments over several months. Improvement is gradual.

Where it is offered

Q&A

Related treatments

• Fraxel
• Microneedling
• Morpheus8
• Acne
• Scar revision