Acne Scar Treatment Options and Costs
Taking good care of our skin is as important as how we maintain our internal parts and overall health. Not just because it’s the largest organ in our body, but because it also protects us from direct exposure to harmful microorganisms that we come across everyday. But, no matter how we take extra good care of our skin, it’s inevitable for it to get reactions and conditions that aren’t pretty.
Acne breakouts are one of the many skin issues probably all of us have gone through but lucky are those who didn’t have scarring at all. If you have acne scars on the common areas such as forehead, nose, chin and on your back, you may want to check some treatments like laser resurfacing. Know more about these acne scar removal options and how much does acne scar laser removal cost, when you read this article.
In this article:
Tips Before Choosing Acne Scar Treatment
Acne Scar Treatment Options
Laser Treatment for Acne Scars Cost
Summary
Tips Before Choosing Acne Scar Treatment
It’s important to be ready financially and emotionally before undergoing any acne scar removal treatments for the possible costs, side effects, and essentials post procedure. Below are some of the tips you might want yourself to be reminded of:
- Identify the acne scar type you have.
There are basically 3 types of acne scar that can appear on anyone’s face. These are ice pick acne scars, boxcar acne scars, and rolling scars (read more about this in the article entitled: Types of Acne Scars and Treatments. There are specific treatments for each kind of acne scar that should be applied for it to be more effective.
- Know what to do before and after treatments.
Your dermatologist should orient you with the what and what not to do before, during and after the procedures. To give you an idea, here are some of them:
- Improve your lifestyle – quit smoking, frequent showers, eating healthy foods.
- Give extra time for skincare
- Medical consultation before the treatment
- Clean the treated area
- Use hypoallergenic makeup products
- Apply sunscreen
All these and more are in my previous article. Read more here.
- Research about acne scar treatment options available near you.
There are several scar removal procedures available as technology nowadays becomes more advanced. You may want to do a quick research on what procedures and which clinic nearby can help you solve your problem.
Acne Scar Treatment Options
You may have now come to know that acne scars differ by type through my previous article, you can now also understand that specific types of acne scars call for specific treatments. Below are the common treatment types that dermatologists may suggest depending on what kind of acne scars you have:
- Resurfacing Laser Treatments
This treatment uses a laser to reduce the damaged skin layer. Most rolling acne scars may require this kind of treatment because they can be hard to treat. Know more about laser resurfacing, how it works and its types in my article here: Sheen on Skin: Laser for Acne Scars
- Chemical Peels
Also known as peeling, this treatment reduces the depth of acne scars by using a concentrated acid to peel the outer layer of the damaged skin. This will make your skin smoother and balanced but you might get through redness and exfoliation first before that.
- Dermabrasion
This option can be best for depressed acne scars because it makes the scars shallower and less visible to the naked eye, through the use of a high-speed tool to reemerge the cells of the skin.
- Micro-Needling
Atrophic acne scars such as icepick scars can be best treated with this option. This process uses fine needles that prick your skin which encourages collagen production to heal the small wounds from the needles.
- Dermal Fillers
This treatment type is appropriate for boxcar acne scars. In this process, the depressions of the skin are filled with collagen or fat to help make the deep scars less visible.
- LED Treatments
This treatment uses varying wavelengths of light, including red and blue and side effects are rare, but may include increased inflammation, redness, and rashes.
Laser Treatment for Acne Scars Cost
Laser acne scar removal cost can be difficult to assess since many factors need to be considered. Dermabrasion, laser skin resurfacing, and dermal skin fillers top the list of the most expensive cosmetic procedures for acne scar treatments.
Skin Resurfacing Laser treatments can range from $1,650 to $3,420. According to an article by Caren Weiner, MSIS and Maria Robinson, MD, MBA, plastic surgeons in 2020 charged an average fee of $2,509 for ablative laser skin resurfacing and $1,445 for non-ablative laser treatments.
Apart from the severity of the scar and the surface area that needs to be treated, the type of laser to be used will also impact the overall charges. The V-Beam laser treatment, for example, costs around $800 per session and you might need three or four sessions in total while the Fraxel laser can be upwards of $1,500.
Summary
If having acne breakout lets you feel frustrated, what more could acne scarring let you feel as they’ll be conspicuously marking on your skin. While the feeling is normal, the good thing now is that you can get help in removing these scars through a lot of treatment options available.
Although laser acne scar removal costs high and may not erase the scars completely, you may do the treatment as your first step in getting rid of these scars and carefully follow skincare routine with the use of recommended products to eventually heal and remove acne scars.