Is There Help for Stubborn Acne Scars?

Acne can leave its mark in different ways. First, each year in the United states, about 50 million people struggle with active acne. As if these outbreaks weren’t bad enough, many people are left with ongoing reminders of the skin condition in the form of acne scars. 

Unfortunately, the scarring can become more prominent as you age.

The good news is that our team here at Los Gatos Dermatology can help clear away the past. Under the direction of board-certified dermatologist Dr. Bruce Saal, we offer several highly effective solutions for acne scarring.

If you want to put the past where it belongs, explore your options for acne scarring below.

Fill it up

Acne scars can either be raised (hypertrophic) or sunken (atrophic). If you have depressed pockmarks left over from your acne, these scars can appear more prominent as you get older. With the loss of collagen, your skin becomes less taut, which allows blemishes like pockmarks to become more noticeable.

If you have a few pockmarks that you would like to minimize, we can inject a dermal filler into the scar that adds enough volume so your skin appears uniform and smooth. And the best part? Your results are immediate. Keep in mind that maintenance would be needed.  Laser skin resurfacing

No matter what type of acne scarring you want to address, our innovative laser skin resurfacing technology can make a big difference. 

Using pulsating beams of light, we can gently peel away the outermost layers of your skin, one at a time, to reveal healthier layers below that don’t have scar tissue.

This light technology destroys damaged skin cells and breaks up scar tissue to encourage new tissues to come in.

We offer packages of four laser resurfacing treatments, which we feel work best for acne scarring. We space these treatments out over several weeks to allow time for your skin to respond in between. After a few months, you’re rewarded with smooth, scar-free skin.

Microneedling for acne scars

Another treatment for acne scars — namely depressed acne scars— is microneedling. As the name suggests, we use tiny needles to create a matrix of channels across the surface of your skin. These micro-injuries not only break up acne scarring; they create a call for new collagen, which lifts and tightens your skin.

Our clients love microneedling. You may experience some redness, generally within 3-5 days we can resume wearing makeup. Over the next several weeks, your skin slowly rebuilds from below and your acne scars fade away.

If you’d like to explore the many options we offer for getting rid of stubborn acne scars, we invite you to contact our office in Los Gatos, California, to schedule a consultation.