Hi,
There are several effective treatments for acne scars, the choice of which depends of several factors which include: type of scars, effectiveness vs side-effects/downtime, expertise, costs, etc. Current treatments include fractional laser, fractional RF, subcision, scar excision and TCA-cross.
In general, deeper scars tend to improve less compared to more shallow scars, more severe scars will require more effective modalities albeit more potential side-effects and downtime, a combination of acne scars will probably benefit from a combination of treatments.
Even with the best treatments, an average of 30-50% overall improvement is achievable. Claims of improvement greater than 75% and even total scar effacement are almost impossible to achieve in real life.
In my own practice, Fractional CO2 has proven to be very effective in many patients. Factors for poor response may include inadequate laser parameters, deeper scars that may require alternative more effective treatments such as scar excision, too short a duration of observation, will be good if you can be reviewed by your performing doctor, review the pre-post laser photographs, determine the degree of improvement and discuss if alternative treatments may prove more effective.
Dr Chin YC
