Laser acne scar treatment in Singapore might seem like an extreme resort to some, but for those of us who have already tried every oil, serum, resurfacing treatment and acid under the sun, sometimes it is a dermatologist's best recommendation to smooth over your skin, reduce redness, and make sure the left-over reminders of pesky pimples are permanently put to rest.
Scarred skin, whether it's ice pick, boxcar, rolling, atrophic or something more extreme like a keloid or hypertrophic, is super sensitive and fragile, meaning it's extremely important to speak to a skin specialist before deciding on a treatment. If you have lasting damage of any kind that you're finding it hard to treat, it might be the time to head to a skin clinic.
1. Who is suitable for laser treatment for acne scars?
Before any treatment of your acne scars, it's important to address the infective or inflammatory component of the acne itself to make sure you don't run the risk of infecting different areas. For this reason, a laser is generally suitable for patients who are no longer suffering from acne breakouts. For active acne, it would be best advised to undergo a good treatment plan with a dermatologist or skincare aesthetician to help balance and settle the skin before undergoing any laser treatment, with skincare products, topical ointments or prescriptive oral medication, in some cases lifestyle and diet are also discussed.
2. What types of acne scars are most suitable for laser treatment?
It's no secret that there's a full range of scars caused by different types of acne that can be difficult to treat, from sunken or atrophic scaring to hypertrophic or raised scars. Atrophic scars, we tend to classify according to the shape of the scar. Cobblestone scarring tends to be easier to correct, followed by box-car type scars. Ice-pick scars are so-called because of their narrow opening and extensive scarring underneath, these can be more difficult to manage.
3. What types of high energy devices are available for treating acne scars?
Lucky for us, technology is advancing so fast these days that there are a bunch of options for individual issues and aspects of scarring such as thread lift treatments in Singapore too, with a number of devices that can address the consistency of the dermis. From radio-frequency devices for skin tone to pressure injection devices for dermal thickness, resurfacing lasers for smoothness and colour lasers for the colour difference, everyone's treatment will be different. Acne also causes discolouration of the scarred skin, which can be targeted by yet another different set of lasers.
4. How do high energy devices work in acne scar removal work?
The majority of acne scars tend to be atrophic, and the dermis underlying these scars tends to be thinned and scarred. Management of these scars is therefore to release the tethering that holds these scars sunken down, and repair the dermis. There has been some real innovation here with the introduction of jet volumetric remodelling technology, which injects medications at very high pressure into the skin, in a pain-free needle-free way. The compressed injection blasts the scar, filling the resulting cavity with medication that the body replaces with its own collagen. Another real innovation in the field is subcutaneous single bare fibre. In this expert procedure, laser energy is delivered under the skin through single fibreoptic probes, thinner than the diameter of a single hair, allowing much deeper and complex scarring to be addressed.
5. What are the risks of laser acne scar removal?
When you're treating any skin with a laser, the light energy used exposes you to photosensitivity in your healing period. Because of this, your all-important SPF becomes even more essential. Patients will be advised to use sun cream of factor 50 and apply regularly to avoid hypo or hyperpigmentation.
6. What's the aftercare for laser acne treatment?
Aftercare is super important, and the skincare used in the days immediately after laser acne removal treatment is a crucial determinant of success. It's important to always listen to what your aesthetician or doctor advises for your particular treatment. Just how important the correct after medication can be. For non-ablative lasers, it is still quite important to use the moisturisation regime prescribed and avoid direct sunlight, together with SPF use.
Expect redness, slight swelling and heat in the area during and after your treatment for up to 48hours. Avoid saunas, steam rooms, gym and hot baths for at least 48hours after your treatment. Avoid perfumed products and resurfacing skincare on the area for up to 5-7 days. Avoid tight and synthetic clothing to be worn on the area being treated. A minimum of an SPF50 must be worn and reapplied daily throughout the course of the treatment on the area that is exposed to daily UV
7. How long does laser acne treatment last?
At the beginning of any treatment consultation, it's important to have a frank discussion with your doctor to identify what can realistically be achieved, what the endpoint will be and make sure this is in keeping with your expectations. Results might not be permanent, you may require a lot of sessions, and each session time may vary.
Conclusion
Even in the most expert of hands, with the very best technology, complete erasing of scars isn't yet possible. High energy devices rely on stimulating the body’s own healing process, however, so the results achieved may well be long-lasting.
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