How to Treat Acne Scars

  • Do you hate how your face is never smooth…

  • Do your friends make fun of your rough face?

  • Would you like to be able to go out without thick concealer?

Acne Scar Illustration

You are not alone!  Literally, thousands of people like yourself suffer needlessly every day in Singapore.  The reason is that they thought that there is no solution for deep pimple scars and depressed acne scars.  Well, they could not be more wrong! With modern technology, deep acne scar treatment is a real possibility.   Read on and I’ll tell you more about how we have been successfully treating our patients with conditions ranging from MILD TO SEVERE acne and pimple scars* (results may vary from patient to patient).

Are deep pimple scars really treatable?

In the past, there WERE already treatments available to treat acne scars.  However, these treatments, including subcision, dermabrasion, and CO2 resurfacing, were highly traumatic, required weeks to months of downtime and had lots of complications.  However, that is now in the past.  With the latest in present day therapy, treatment for acne scars is now a reality.

As a doctor, I see patients with acne and acne scar patients every day.  One theme that I’ve encountered over and over again, is that these patients have LOST a huge amount of CONFIDENCE and are extremely SELF CONSCIOUS.  You see, this is the undeniable psychological impact of deep acne scarring.  It does not help that many of these patients have also gone from doctor to doctor, beautician to beautician hoping for a cure, and several thousand dollars and much pain later, they have still not found a good solution.  Are you one of these people?  Do you feel depressed when you look at the mirror every day?  If you are, then please read on.  I have prepared this page especially for you.

Deep Pimple Scars
Is this you? Give us a call at 65322400 today!

 

Here are 3 important facts to remember:

Fact No 1. Acne Scars can be treated with the RIGHT technology

Fact No 2. Treatment takes investment of time, money and pain (YES, PAIN! I’ll get to that later)

Fact No 3. Acne Scars are DIFFICULT to treat, but you will see improvements with EVERY SESSION* (results may vary from patient to patient)

What causes Deep Acne Scars?

To be convinced that we can treat scars, it is important to understand why we develop them.  Acne scars develop because, during the infected phase of a pimple, lots of tissue is destroyed by the inflammation process.   This damaged tissue is healed by the body, which produces scar tissue to replace this damaged tissue.  This scar tissue consists of thick ropes of collagen, that STICK the surface of the skin DOWN to the deep tissues below the skin.  This is the reason why no matter what kind of superficial pimple scar treatments you do, that doesn’t cause pain or only take off the superficial layer of skin, they will have ALMOST ZERO IMPACT on the acne scars.

This is the harsh reality that I have come to accept after so many years of research and trials into scar treatment:  In order to treat DEEP ACNE SCARS, you will need a DEEP SKIN TREATMENT.

That’s why in my clinical practice, I have been using Infini on an almost daily basis to treat pimple scars with GREAT and CONSISTENT RESULTS*(results may vary from person to person).  After researching for many years on acne and pimple scar treatments, I finally chanced on Infini, a deep radiofrequency treatment.  This treatment is able to treat the skin all the way down to 3.5mm deep.  Comparing this to conventional ablative CO2 or Erbium YAG or Erbium Glass lasers which can only penetrate to a safe  maximum of 1 mm to 1.5 mm depth, it is obvious which treatment will get you the best result.* (results may vary from person to person)

If you want to find out more about how to treat your deep acne scars, please call us at 65322400 for more information.  Better skin awaits you!

Don’t get me wrong, in my practice we still use various lasers like the Q-Switched Nd:YAG laser or the Fractional CO2 laser with good results, but this is usually for different conditions, such as pigmented scars, or superficial pitted scars.  However, for deep acne scars, the treatment of choice, and my personal gold standard treatment is still the Infini device.  After having tested so many different lasers and radiofrequency devices, such as eMatrix, eTwo, Scarlet, Intracel, Sciton Profractional, Fraxel, Pixel, SmartXide2, Finescan etc… I am still utterly convinced that Infini is the best treatment for deep acne scars.*

About me

dr_g

My name is Dr Gerard Ee MBBS (London), MRCS (Edinburgh),  and I obtained my medical degree from St George’s University of London in the United Kingdom. I worked in the Singapore General Hospital (SGH), National University Hospital (NUH), as well as Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. In 2012, I achieved the Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh) in 2012.  Today, I work at The Clifford Clinic, and for years, I saw and treated acne, pimple and pimple scar problems every day of the week.  Being a sufferer of acne and pimples when I was younger, and into early adulthood, I completely understand the distress and embarrassment that every patient goes through when they suffer from pimples and acne.  After working for so many years in treating acne and pimple problems, I have honed and refined my technique and protocols to provide solutions to many of my patients’ conditions. *(Results may vary per individual.)

When I started out using the Infini device, I was not getting the kind of results I was hoping for.  It was only after much refinement of my clinical protocol, that I managed to evolve a treatment protocol that gives patients a HIGH SUCCESS RATE in their scar treatment, with low pain and low complications* (results may vary from person to person). Today, I can confidently say that most patients who come to me with deep acne scars will see a visible improvement in their scarring after only ONE treatment.*  (Please note, however, that this does not mean that your scars will vanish overnight. Acne and Pimple scars are difficult to treat and may require multiple repeat sessions to get a much better effect. In addition, because of the varied nature of human healing, your results may vary from person to person).

Would you like to take the first step to improving your acne scars?  Call 65322400 now for an appointment.

 

Important note:  The Ministry of Health of Singapore does not allow the publishing of before and after photographs and patient testimonials in advertising materials.  We try our best to respect and abide by all MOH guidelines on advertising and would be happy to show you more photographs and pictures when you come in for the consultation.

* Disclaimer:  While we endeavour to provide the typical results that each patient may get from our treatments, because of the varied nature of human healing and disease, you may experience differing results.  We, therefore, make no guarantee as to the results that you will obtain.  However, we promise to treat your condition to the best of our abilities and to be honest and sincere in our treatments.

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71 thoughts on “How to Treat Acne Scars

    1. For scar treatment, the cost ranges from $400+ for fractional CO2 laser to $2500 for Infini. One session is needed to see some improvements. After you have gotten those improvements, you will want to do more. The final result really depends on how smooth you would like your skin to be. The variation is there because different people heal to different extents. Patients who are younger, non-smokers and ladies tend to get better results, because their skin heals better. If you’re older, expect to have more sessions to have the same result as a young person.

       
  1. Hi sir,
    How many session do I have to go through. My acne always come out even when I’m still 24. How much do I really have to pay to stop all this acne.

     
  2. Hi, I’m already in my 40s recently I suffered a series of breakout and now my skin is filled with acne scar n red marks. I have hyper sensitive skin now due to a fractional Co2 laser done 6 years ago which causes a bad acne breakout for a year. Please advice if I can still undergo laser treatment as I have phobia undergoing treatment again.

     
    1. Hi Anne,

      It is possible to treat these acne red marks with a Q-switch laser. The Q-switch laser is a very safe treatment with no down time and will be safe to perform despite some skin sensitivity.

       
  3. Hi, I have acne scarring (I think depressed scars), mostly old scars. Can I know the cost of the laser treatment and the payment? Do u offer any instalment plan? Thanks.

     
    1. Hi Melinda,

      There are two main options to treat depressed scars. The first one is Edge Fractional CO2 laser. The other would be Infini Fractional Radiofrequency. Please ring up the front desk at 6532 2400 to find out more regarding the prices. Yes we do offer instalment plans.

       
  4. Hi, i have gone through about 8 fractional lasers to treat the pitted scars on my face. Although there is a huge improvement, i have noticed that i have 2 indents on my chin area. Do u think this could be caused by the lasers? Is there a limit of the no of time we can go through laser on the face?

     
    1. Hi Kris,

      There is no limit the number of times you can do the fractional laser. The 2 indents could be caused by many different reasons. It is difficult to comment on the cause of these indents without first looking at it.

       
  5. If the scars are really deep or “ice pick” scars, then a filler using collagen or hyaluronic acids could be used to “plump up” the scar, making it blend in better with the surrounding skin.

     
  6. Hi
    I have sensitive skin which turns red easily and a red keloid bumb on the side of my face. My skin has a few raised scaring due to easy formation of keloid. May I know is laser suited for me?

     
    1. Hi Koh,

      Yes we can still do lasers for you. In fact the lasers can help to improve the colour of the keloid and very often we inject steroids into the keloid to bring down the height.

       
      1. Hi!
        I have the same situation with KHO, i am on my treatment procedure but i have still a question, how about if i want to treat my pimple mark and i am keloid patient there’s some possibility that my pimple mark scar can form like a keloid too?

         
        1. Hi Amir,
          Yes we do see keloid formation from pimple marks. Those are most commonly found on the jaw line and they can be treated as well with steroid injections and Q-switch lasers.

           
  7. Hi,i have deep pitted scars on my left and right cheeks what is the vest treatment for me?how much is the cost?how long it would take for the treatment.

     
    1. Hi Cher,

      Either fractional CO2 or Infini would be the treatment of choice. Fractional CO2 trials are at $350 a session although my clinic does do trials at $200, while Infini microneedle fractional frequency is at $2550 per treatment. It takes a few months for the collagen to grow and for you to see a smoother looking skin thereafter.

       
    1. Hi Angel,

      AGNES only helps controlling active stubborn recurrent Acne. For Deep acne scars, either Infini Fractional Radiofrequency or Edge Fractional CO2 would be more appropriate

       
  8. Hi, I am concerned will there be any complications post-treatment after doing the infini if I have a chronic condition related to immune deficiency for example, weak immune response during skin healing?

    Also, it is better to do TCA Cross (not TCA peel) or any other scar revision procedures like microdermabrasion, excision, subcision, chemical peels before this Infini treatment to achieve better results for ice-pick acne scars?

    Thanks! Hope this thread hasn’t expired 🙂

     
    1. Hi Tricia,

      Infini can be done even if you have an auto-immune condition or if you have any immune deficiency. I have not seen encouraging results from TCA Cross. Microdermabrasion does not help with ice-pick scars. Excision tends to leave scars. Chemical peels do not have any results for ice-pick scars. Subscision works and can be done either before/after or during the Infini

       
  9. Hi! How do you get a trial session for fractional laser? What will be the total cost? I’ve been wanting to diminish acne scars and large visible pores on my face. I dont have very deep scars but my face really looks overly dry and rough.

     
    1. Hi Jhoana,
      Yes we do have a first time trial for all new patients. That would be at $200 for the first Edge Fractional CO2 session. That would help your scars, pores and general appearance of the skin.

       
  10. Hi,

    Hi I understand that CO2 lasers will be good for deep scars, But what would be the best treatment for discoloration of the skin, eg. dark spots and patches on my face. Would a CO2 laser treatment fix deep scars as well as dark patches on my face?

     
    1. Hi Gil,

      The CO2 works best for depressed scars, and it can help dark patches as well. However the Q-switch laser works even better for hyperpigmented scars. The Q-switch laser also has no down time making it a much better procedure if your main concern are these patches. However if you do have deep scars as well, then a fractional CO2 would be more appropriate.

       
  11. Hi, I have ice pick scars and im 30 this year. I have previously tried fractional CO2 laser at another clinic but it didn’t seems to improve. Is there any way to treat and what is the cost of the treatment?

     
    1. Hi Bangbang,
      You may consider treatment with Infini Microneedle Fractional Radiofrequency or using Fraxel. Infini cost $2550 and Fraxel cost $1000. You can consider the edge Fractional CO2 which is the latest CO2 in the market. That would cost about $350 per session.

       
  12. Hi, Thank you for your reply and how many sessions is required? Is there any downtime and any installment plans allowed?

     
    1. Hi Bangbang, Usually 2-3 sessions is needed. Yes there are instalments available. Sorry for the delays in my replies. I have been busy!

       
  13. Hi ,

    May i know what treatment do i have to seek if im having reccurent acne , almost everyweek i have a new breakout . And im only 17 this year , could i be signs of puberty ?

     
    1. I have tried medications such as doxycycline,dalicin t 1% , oxy 5 & adapalene . Results are short-term . After i have stopped using it , cystic acne starts to breakout over my whole face again

       
      1. This is a very poor way to treat acne. The creams you use are inadequate. You are also not supressing the bacterial load and sebaceous glands properly. You should start on a couple of sessions of the Q-switch laser for better acne control and for clearance of pigmentation.

         
    2. Hi Joechang,

      There is definitely hormonal changes involved with puberty. At 17, I would best advise a combination of prescription creams with the Q-switch laser.

       
  14. Hi.
    I’m a breastfeeding mom and have sensitive skin with deep acne scars. Which treatment suitable for me to clear my acne scars? And how much is the treatment cost? Thanks.

     
    1. Hi Tia,

      The Infini microneedle fractional radiofrequency and the Edge fractional CO2 works very well for deep acne scars.
      Infini cost $2550 per treatment. Edge fractional CO2 cost about $350 per session package price.

       
  15. Hi,
    does the clinic provides fraxel?

    I had 6 session of fraxel treatment which ended 3 years ago.
    should i continue with fraxel or should i start out with CO2 for acne scare?

    why is there such as great cost difference ?

     
    1. Hi Joe,
      Q-switch laser cost about $200 per session package price. Come down for a trial at $50 and you can experience the laser for yourself.

       
  16. i have a combination of acne and pitted acne scars at the age of 18 , what treatment should i do and if i were to do it does my face heal more faster than older individuals??

     
    1. Hi Nick,
      We need to stop your acne first followed by scar treatment. You will need to come down for a full consultation for this as acne treatment requires quite a lot of explanation and is not something I can do over here.

       
  17. Hi there,

    I used to have very bad acne (Hormonal) , and was put on a 2 years course of Accutane when I visited a skin specialist. The pimples did cleared up and my face became smooth with no issue after. However, this only lasted for 2-3years. The pimple recently came back again, but it look different from what i have then, it’s redder and bigger, and i tend to occur back on the same spot (all over my forehead). I do not wish to go back on the medication again as I am aware of it’s side effect.

    What is your treatment recommendations? If it is AGNES, how much is one session of AGNES.

    Thanks.
    Happy Chinese New Year.

     
    1. Hi Angie,
      AGNES treatment cost $1000 to $1500 depending on the severity.
      The issue with these oral medications is that the results are often not lasting. We can do the AGNES treatment on the forehead, followed by some Q-switch lasers to lighten the marks, reduce oil gland secretion and also to kill the bacteria causing the acne.

       
  18. Dear Dr. Ee,

    Are Fractional CO2 by Lutronic & Edge Fractional CO2 same or different? Which one is better to treat acne scars?
    Is the $200 trial for Edge Fractional CO2 still available at your clinic? I’m interested.
    Thanks

     
    1. Hi Jenny,
      They are completely 2 different machines. Edge Fractional CO2 is far newer than the Lutronic version.
      Yes it is still available. Do give my clinic a ring at 6532 2400 to schedule an appointment.

       
  19. Hi,
    Just to clarify …… the total amount to pay for the Q switch Laser trial is $50 and to add another $70 for the consultation fee? Any GST on top of this? Thanks

     
  20. Hi
    I have box and rolling scars on cheeks and temples. Used to take few courses of Accutane and antibiotics to clear the acne before. Still have acne breakout but lesser than before. Done 3x infini and 1x pixel pro without much improvements. Please suggest what other treatments available.

     
    1. Hi MK,
      Where did you do the Infini treatment? The Infini is a very complex machine to operate and is highly operator dependent. Hence I would not rule out the efficacy of this treatment.
      You can consider subscision, edge fractional co2 and the fraxel as good alternatives.

       
    2. Hey There. I found your blog the use of msn. That is a very smartly written article. I will be sure to bookmark it and come back to learn extra of your helpful info. Thank you for the post. I’ll deieiftnly comeback.

       
  21. would there be any downtime for Edge Fractional CO2 treatment? Normally how many sessions is required for this treatment to see results for slightly pitted scars.

     
    1. Hi Aileen,
      The Edge fractional CO2 treatment has about a 2-4 days of down time. Slighted pitted scars would do well with 5 sessions.

       
  22. Following Aileen’s question, what is the downtime like for Edge? Will there be scabs, crusting or swelling? How many sessions are needed for rolling and boxcar scars? Is it true that a combination of different modalities of treatment is best to treat atrophic scars?

     
    1. Hi Eric,
      About 2 days of redness and 2-3 days of scabs.
      No crusting. Negligible swelling.
      Rolling and boxcar scars all depends on the severity of the scars, to determine how many sessions are needed.

      Yes I often combine different modalities to treat all scar types.

       
    1. Hi Jamea,

      Subcision varies according to the amount of work needed as different people have different number of scars, average price is from $300-1000.

       
  23. hi is the trial for edge fractional laser still at $200? is it including gst?

    it is suitable for pitted scars?

     
  24. Hi! Can i know whats the pain level like (on a scale of 1-10)for subcision, fractional CO2 and infini respectively? and also, I have small bumps on my chin area and nose area. can they be removed as well when I do the scar treatments? and last, is there a method to minimize acne growth after the scar treatment? as i am afraid that all scar treatments will go down to waste if my acne cant stop appearing, esp during certain period of the month where there will be a number of large cystic acne. Thanks!! 🙂

     

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