Acne scars can be a psychologically distressing aftermath of teenage acne. Usually the areas affected are the face, chest and back. Until the early 90's, dermabrasion was used, but with the introduction of the CO2 laser and later, the Erbium laser, it became possible to minimise acne scars much more safely and effectively.

There are many different types of acne scars, each type requiring a specific approach to treatment. Sometimes a number of different treatment modalities are required to achieve the best result in a particular patient and can include excision, subcision, grafting and fillers (to reduce the appearance of indentations).

Subcision is where a small needle is used to cut the scar tissue holding the indentation in place, allowing it to return to its natural alignment.

Active acne can also be treated by laser, please refer to the section on Active Acne.

As part of a treatment plan for facial acne scars, Erbium laser or combined Erbium and CO2 laser procedures are very useful and still often the best. This treatment is only for people with medium to fair skin.

Another treatment for all skin types is the FRAXEL laser (Erbium fractional resurfacing) - see below.

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The treatment is performed under local anaesthetic, with or without sedation, at our state-of-the-art clinic at Neutral Bay. Usually one to two treatments are required, about six months apart. Immediately following treatment, the area is red and weepy. Healing time is a week to ten days and the treated area remains pink for a number of weeks requiring the use of makeup or a tinted sunscreen. Improvement continues for up to six months resulting in a reduction of up to 65% of scarring.

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For more information visit the section on Wrinkles

The Erbium FRAXEL laser and the CO2 FRAXEL laser are our latest state-of-the-art lasers - an exciting new development for the treatment of acne scars. They can be used in isolation or in conjunction with other treatment modalities. Unlike other lasers they can be used on patients of all skin types, including those with darker skins who are unsuitable for laser resurfacing.

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It is important to understand that worldwide, there is not yet a perfect treatment for acne scars and patients must have realistic expectations. Additional treatment options are available in conjunction with laser treatment to improve results.

The main issue with the treatment of acne scars is that patients have realistic expectations. The percentage improvement we can achieve depends very much on the type of scarring, but on average is of the order of 35 to 50% overall with the FRAXEL laser and up to 65% with CO2 laser resurfacing. This may not seem very much but for people with acne scarring whose self esteem is significantly compromised, the results are greatly appreciated.

The above laser treatments are the best which can be offered with presently available technology.

Dr Jim Walter, Dr Terence Poon, Dr Marianne Nolan, Dr Helena Torpinski and Dr Melanie Brown are skilled and experienced in the treatment of acne scars. For an initial consultation, please contact the clinic on 02 9953 9522.

If you would like to find out more about these procedures, please phone the clinic on 02 9953 9522 to speak to one of our receptionists. They are very skilled in answering questions about the treatments we provide and will be able to assist you.