Acne Scar Treatment in Alpharetta
Acne scars can soften with the right approach, and the right approach depends on your scar type and your skin tone. Several options can help. Here’s how they differ, and how we’d work out what fits your skin.
What kind of acne scars do you have?
Most dented scars fall into three types, and each responds to different things.
- Ice pick scars are narrow, deep pits. They go deeper than most treatments reach, so they’re the hardest to improve and are often handled one at a time by a dermatologist.
- Boxcar scars are wider dents with sharp edges. Approaches that soften those edges tend to help most.
- Rolling scars are broad, shallow waves. They tend to respond to treatments that build new collagen, such as microneedling and laser resurfacing.
Raised scars, including keloids, are more common on the jaw, chest and back, and more common in darker skin. They’re handled almost the opposite way, which is one reason we map your scars before suggesting anything. Most people have a mix.
Why your skin tone matters
Brown and deeper skin often reacts to injury by making extra pigment. That includes the small, controlled injury of a treatment. The result can be dark marks left behind after the irritation, and that’s the main thing to plan around when working on scars in darker skin.
So stronger isn’t better. A heat-based laser that works well on lighter skin can trade a scar problem for a dark-mark problem on deeper skin. That’s why we start with your skin tone and history, then choose the approach and the pace for your skin.How skin tone changes the plan.
What can help
- Microneedling uses tiny needles to make small channels in the skin, which prompts new collagen. It uses no heat or light, which makes it a common starting point for darker skin. The microneedling device we use is FDA-authorized for the treatment of facial acne scars in all skin types. How microneedling works.
- Laser resurfacing is a gentle resurfacing laser that works beneath the surface while leaving the outer layer intact. It’s well studied for rolling and boxcar scars in light to olive skin. For brown or deeper skin, it’s a careful conversation that starts with a test spot, never a default. About laser resurfacing.
- Chemical peels don’t rebuild collagen at scar depth, but they can even out the discoloration that often sits over scars. How chemical peels work.
- A referral, when it fits better. Some deep or tethered scars need procedures a dermatologist performs. If something else will serve your skin better, we’ll tell you.
Common questions
Do acne scars fade on their own?
Flat red or brown marks left after a breakout usually fade over months. True scars, where the skin is dented or raised, are a change in the skin’s structure and usually don’t go away on their own.
Which approach is right for my scars?
It depends on your scar types, how deep they are, and your skin tone. Rolling scars respond differently than deep pits, and brown or deeper skin changes which options make sense. That’s what an in-person assessment works out.
Is microneedling an option for darker skin?
It can be. The microneedling device we use is FDA-authorized for the treatment of facial acne scars in all skin types. Whether it’s right for you is decided at your assessment.
Why not just use the strongest laser?
In brown and deeper skin, strong heat-based lasers raise the chance of dark marks. More power doesn’t mean better results. Often it means more pigment to deal with.
How many sessions does scar work take?
Most plans involve a series of sessions spaced about a month apart, and the skin keeps changing for months afterward. Your plan is set at your assessment, not guessed from an average.
What does a consultation cost, and what happens in it?
Pricing is published on opening day. The visit covers your skin tone, a map of your scars, your history with dark marks and raised scars, photos, and a written list of options, including the option of waiting.
How we assess it
Your acne scar assessment covers:
- Your skin tone, and how your skin has reacted to past breakouts, cuts and treatments.
- A scar map: which types you have, where, and how deep.
- Any personal or family history of raised scars or keloids.
- Whether acne is still active. Calming breakouts comes before scar work.
- Photos in the same light at each visit, so progress is measured, not guessed.
- A written plan with your options, a test spot before any laser, and a referral if the right procedure is one we don’t offer.