Deep Acne Scars

Question:

My daughter has deep acne scars on the right side of her face. She has tried out many methods like IPL, dermaroller, Laser and AHA peeling. There has not been much improvement. Do serious acne scars require surgical excision? Is it possible to remove the scars totally? And how much will it cost?

Answer:

Deep acne scars unfortunately do not improve much with the methods you have listed. These methods are generally more helpful for shallow acne scars.

Surgical excision can be performed on small, well-defined, deep acne scars and can give fairly satisfactory results. This is performed by using a small punch biopsy tool which has a circular blade of varying widths.

Local anaesthesia is applied to the area and the tool is used to remove the scar. The skin edges of the defect are then sutured together and the subsequent scar produced from treatment is linear and slit-like rather than round and indented and is typically less noticeable than the original scar. The cost of such a treatment would be from $200 upwards, depending on the number of scars excised.

I would advise your daughter to consult a dermatologist for a proper assessment to determine if she is a suitable candidate for this form of treatment.