Acne scars are not one condition. The American Academy of Dermatology notes that effective treatment requires knowing which types of scars you have and where they are; ice pick scars, for example, need different treatment than rolling scars.
Acne scars are usually permanent, but they can often be made less noticeable. No single treatment is best for everyone, and many plans combine more than one approach over time.
First: get active acne under control
If you still have breakouts, a plan usually starts by treating acne, because new inflammation can create new scars. Tell us about any acne medications you use or have used in the last two years, since some scar procedures can cause unwanted effects during or soon after certain medications.
Matching scar types to options
- Ice pick: Narrow, deep, V-shaped. Often considered: focal treatment such as TCA CROSS, applied precisely to individual scars after assessment.
- Boxcar: Wider, round or oval with defined edges. Often considered: RF microneedling, fractional laser resurfacing, and TCA CROSS for selected scars; chemical peels only for selected superficial texture.
- Rolling: Wide with sloping edges, often caused by bands tethering skin down. Often considered: subcision to release tethering, frequently combined with RF microneedling or microneedling.
- Raised: Hypertrophic or keloid scars behave differently from depressed scars and need individualized medical evaluation; they are more common on the jawline, chest, and back.
- Flat discoloration: Flat brown or red discoloration after acne is not a textural acne scar. It often fades with time and is approached differently.
Why combinations are common
Most people have a mix of scar types. A plan might release rolling scars first, then address texture with resurfacing over several sessions. Collagen remodeling happens gradually, so improvement is typically assessed over months.
Skin tone, downtime, and risk
Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and keloid scarring are more common in skin of color, so energy settings, treatment choice, and pre- and post-care are individualized. Possible side effects of scar treatments include redness, swelling, bruising, infection, darker or lighter patches, and further scarring.
Downtime ranges from a few days of redness with microneedling-type treatments to longer recovery with ablative resurfacing. Your budget, schedule, and tolerance for downtime are a legitimate part of choosing a plan.
Explore treatment paths
- Acne Scars & Hypertrophic Scars
All scar treatment paths
- Subcision
- RF Microneedling
- TCA CROSS
- Laser Resurfacing — Erbium
- Laser Resurfacing — Thulium
- Acne & Breakouts
Treat active acne first
Sources
Your consultation options
Patient care coordinator consultations are complimentary. A consultation with Dr. Kim is $150, applied toward a service or package purchased the same day.