Acne Scar Removal: Microneedling, Laser Treatment Or Both?
Anyone who suffers from acne knows what happens when they scratch or pop their pimples – dreaded acne scars.
In fact, the most prevalent acne scarring is called the atrophic scar – accounting for over 11% of all acne cases. They occur due to the inflammation that happens during an acne flare-up, which in turn causes the destruction of the skin’s structural collagen and hindering its normal healing response.
This means that in order to get rid of acne scars, the dermis layer of the skin needs to be rebuilt and restored to its original condition, which can be done through treatments that encourage the production of collagen.
While there are many treatment options available today, including subcision, chemical peels, fillers and laser treatments – microneedling is undoubtedly one of the best ways to effectively improve unsightly acne scars.
What is Microneedling?
How does it work? Essentially, microneedling utilizes fine, tiny sterile needles to puncture the first layer of the skin and cause micro-trauma. Doing so triggers the skin to produce more collagen in order to heal and rebuild itself – thus fading scars and improving the overall texture of your skin.
It is extremely effective as an acne scar treatment– a 2009 study revealed 100% of participants reporting a vast improvement in the appearance of their acne scars after undergoing several microneedling sessions.
The best part? Microneedling is a minimally invasive procedure that is well tolerated and well accepted by majority of patients; however, doing it alone only provides temporary results.
Typically, a 1.5mm needle is enough to notice an improvement in the appearance of scars. However, for severe acne scars, longer needles will be required in order to produce maximum results. This is where laser treatments come in.
Laser treatment for acne scars
While both microneedling and laser treatments are considered skin resurfacing solutions that stimulate collagen – both are extremely different procedures that each come with their own set of pros and cons.
While laser treatment for acne uses highly-targeted light energy to successfully focus on specific spots on the skin, microneedling is a mechanical method that creates thousands of tiny injury sites over a larger treatment area.
In the hands of a good doctor, laser treatments can provide quicker, more noticeable and enduring results as compared to microneedling. However, there are more risks involved when dealing with lasers – meaning to say that doing the treatment with an experienced and competent doctor is key to seeing the results that you desire.
Can both treatments be effectively combined together?
In short, the answer is yes. And that is called Radiofrequency (RF) Microneedling.
Combining both laser and microscopic needles – RF microneedling is able to direct powerful heat energy to deeper layers of the skin – successfully treating severe and harder-to-treat acne scars without risking damage to the skin.
Offered as a more potent solution called INFINI RF and Secret RF at The Clifford Clinic, both of these treatments are the latest and most effective laser treatments for acne scar removal in the market to date.
As compared to the 1.5–1.75mm needles typically seen in microneedling, our INFINI RF treatment is able to deliver energy up to depths of 3.5mm – and patients with severe acne scarring are able to see improvements in their scars by as much as 50–75% after several sessions!
While INFINI uses insulated microneedle radiofrequency, Secret RF uses non-insulated microneedle radiofrequency – both of which have seen great results. In fact, we often use both as part of a multi-therapy, combination acne scar treatment plan to give our patients the best of both worlds.
If you find yourself struggling to see results with at-home and over-the-counter solutions, consider consulting our doctors to discuss your goals, expectations and treatment options that are best suited to your specific skin type and concerns.
Acne scar removal treatment is one of our clinic’s signature treatments – and with over 18 years of experience in dealing with acne, we promise to provide the best acne scar treatment and customized care to support you throughout your acne-free journey!