I feel your pain, it's hard not to be confused with so much information out there on acne and acne scar treatments!
These are the principles that I follow for treating active acne and acne scars.
1. I treat Active Acne first, before treating Acne Scars.
- this is because active acne can cause more scars.
- certain acne scar treatments like ablative lasers can trigger active acne flares too.
2. Effective Active Acne Treatments in Singapore
I treat active acne with creams first, followed by oral medications and lasers if they do not improve.
Creams
- Benzoyl peroxide gel
- Clindamycin gel,
- Differin cream or a Retinoic acid
- Epiduo (combination of Retinoic acid and Benzoyl peroxide)
Oral Medications
- Antibiotics (Doxycycline/ Erythromycin)
- If your acne does not improve or even worsens, you might have to consider oral Isotretinoin (commonly known as Roaccutane).
Chemical Peels and Lasers can also help.
3. Best Acne scar treatments are treatments that are customised for each scar that you have.
I tailor my treatments according to the type of scars that my patients have.
Rolling/ Atrophic Scars
Treatments of choice:
- Fractional CO2,
- INFINI Fractional RF,
- Fractional PicoLaser
Ice-pick and Boxcar Scars
Ice pick and boxcar scars are deep scars and tethered down by fibrous tissue
Ice pick scars
Boxcar scars
Treatments of choice:
- Subcision with fillers,
- TCA cross,
- Fractional CO2
Pigmented Brown scars – also known as Post-inflammatory Hyperpigmentation
Treatment of choice:
- PicoPlus Laser
Hypertrophic Scars/ Keloid
Treatment of choice:
- Corticosteroid Injection
In my experience, most patients have a combination of scars.
As such, a combination of treatments are needed to target the various types of scars precisely.
I usually combine several types of lasers and peels in each treatment session to achieve optimal results.
For more details, you can check out this comprehensive Guide to Acne Scar Treatment Costs in Singapore.
Hope that this helps!
Warmest regards,
Dr Justin Boey
