Laser treatment of acne scars

Getting rid of acne scars isn't easy! And laser treatments take time and is really expensive. So let us guide you to the right treatment.

Author Mads Timmermann

Mads has 14+ years of experience as a skin expert and has written/read this article.

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Question: “Laser treatment of acne scars”

Hey Mads

I would like to start by thanking you for some amazing products! You’ve really helped me get rid of my pimples. Danish Skin Care is the only brand that has ever worked and I am so pleased with the result. Just a year ago I had pimples all over my face, now I have almost no pimples.

The problem is, however, that I previously was plagued by a lot of pimples and therefore I have some skin scars. It’s just hard not to press and squeeze a big yellow pimple when it appears and I’ve really had a lot of pimples.

So now I’m thinking of getting laser treatments to remove my scars and I want to hear what you recommend?

Again, thanks for some FANTASTIC products – I will with out a doubt continue to use them.

Mie (If you remember, we met at one of your lectures in Aalborg)

Answer to: “Laser treatment of acne scars”

Hi Mie

Thank you very much for your sweet words! I am incredibly pleased to hear that you completely eliminated your problems with acne and you no longer get pimples. It’s really amazing! And all this happened in just a year! I remember that we talked to each other at Fitness World in Aalborg when I was there a year ago – you went with a friend did you not? I can clearly remember that you really suffered from acne and had a lot of pimples … so many thanks for the photo! You look amazing!

I Would love if I could share your photo with everyone else so others might see your amazing transformation – please send me a confirmation if I’m allowed to show your photos :-)

In relation to your question, it is, unfortunately, as the old saying goes, when it rains it pours.

Acne and pimples can really give some ugly scars on the body and in the face. And sadly they can often be visible for many years after you have become free of acne and pimples. And scars on the face are definitely frustrating! Especially when you just seem to be free from pimples – suddenly discovering that a problem is replaced by a new one.

Therefore, it was also very important when I developed the Danish Skin Care skincare series, that the series should also help against scars, acne and redness in the skin. Therefore, I am very pleased to say that, with the Danish Skin Care series, you have already treated your scars while you have solved your problems with acne and pimples. So they should be a lot smaller, than they would otherwise have been.

The problem with the treatment of scars, however, is that it is really difficult to treat, as it is precisely decay of the skin – so scars are marks in the skin which has to be removed.

Obviously, I understand that it may be frustrating to wait – but the scars could be removed simply by using Danish Skin Care. It only takes time.

If you simply cant wait, laser treatment of your acne scars can be a solution. And I would like to tell you more about laser treatment of scars, there are some things you should be aware of – and also some risks that you need to think about. Especially when you’ve just got rid of your pimples and your acne problem.

However, as said, laser can remove scars. Fortunately! However, I do not think that you are so violently attacked by acne scars in the picture, but of cause I can see that you have suffered a bit – but it is no more than I’m sure that the Danish Skin Care products can handle it.

But ff you really have a lot of scars and suffer from acne scars, luckily there are treatments that are more effective than my Danish Skin Care series. Thus, treatments of acne scars, which can either completely or partially remove acne scars. Laser treatment of scars is just one of these methods.

– Click here to read about skin sanding and peeling, which can also be used to remove and treat acne scars.

Let me start by telling you a little about how laser treatment of scars works.

First of all, I would like to emphasize that if you choose to get laser treatment for your acne scars, then you should go to a dermatologist. There are a lot of cosmetologists who offer laser treatments of scars and acne scars, and cosmetologists certainly do a good job – however, the problem is that they do not use the right light intensity needed to remove scars most effectively.

Similarly, I would like to discourage you from using many of the new machines that is made for laser treatments at home. They are not strong enough. If you want to use laser on the skin, you should seek help from a dermatologist. The treatment time is the same, the irritation of the skin is the same and so forth. The only difference is that a dermatologist uses a laser at higher light intensity and therefore you will get far better results.

Having said that, laser used by dermatologist works as follows – a concentrated light source – shines on the skin, removing either a small part of the outer skin (epidermis) or the entire epidermis in a larger area. The last mentioned is used if there are larger areas with scars, burns and the like.

When having a laser treatment, the outer skin is removed – the skin is almost burned away. A bit like a skin scratch. Or if you have burned your self at the gym by lying on the floor. Laser treatment of scars does not make a hole on the skin, it only removes the outer layer of the skin – the epidermis.

In short laser treatment of scars works by peeling off the skin’s outer layer – removing scars and similar problems in the skin. Exactly like when we usually get a wound, a pimple or the like, the skin immediately begins to repair itself and make new skin. This new skin will then be without the scars and problems that you wanted to remove.

By removing the outer skin layer with laser, the skin will look very red. It looks like the skin is burned – its best compared to getting a lot of sunshine, where the skin has become hugely red. There may also be sores on the skin over a few weeks as a result of the skin’s outer layer being removed.

Precisely because laser treatments only removes the outer skin layer, it is necessary to have the treatment several times. But further treatments should only take place once the skin is healed and completely fine. Once new skin has been created, a new laser treatment can remove it.

The number of treatments needed depends on the depth of the scars. In comparison, I can say that removing a tattoo usually requires 3-4 treatments, and here the color is just superficial. One can thus quickly imagine that a deeper scar requires quite a few more treatments before achieving a satisfactory result.
Because laser needs to work slowly, treatment with laser is a rather slow treatment. It usually takes 1-3 months between each treatment and even if the treatment has worked correctly, many treatments are needed before you get to the bottom of the scar and have completely removed the entire acne scar. So the treatment can easily take years.

Additionally, while it will take months and years of laser treatment to remove your scars, you will also become very red in the skin for long periods of time and experience skin sores. Just because the laser treatment of your scars constantly removes the outer skin layer.

Now, you might think why not just remove more at a time and get it done faster? You can not do that! You would not be able to tolerate it and it would just be too painfully. Plus, the risk of completely destroying your skin, rather than ensuring the creation of new, beautiful skin is enormous.

So before you begin laser treatment, it’s important to make it clear to yourself that it takes time. Laser treatment is not just a quick fix to remove scars. Scars is extremely difficult to treat, but it can be done with laser treatment.

Before I continue to tell you about laser treatments, I will quickly say that you only have very small scars, so the Danish Skin Care series can solve it – it is not necessary to begin with this slow and rather violent treatment of The skin that laser treatment of scars is. Also its quite an expensive treatment of scars.

If you only have a few and completely superficial scars, the Danish Skin Care series is quite enough to solve your problem – and the time the treatment will take, is about the same as it will be with laser treatments. Additionally, you avoid the side effects from the laser treatments entirely l – but I will talk more about the side effects further down.

WHAT IS THE PRICE OF LASER TREATMENTS FOR ACNE SCARS?

The price of laser treatments of scars with CO2 laser depends on how big a part of the face which has to be treated. The price depends on how many scars you have, just like the price of scar treatment depends on the depth of your scars – and how much treatment you need to have.

If it’s only a single area that has to be treated, it often costs between 10,000 and 15,000 kr. However, on the other hand, larger parts of the face can cost over 30,000 kr. There is really a big difference in the price of laser treatments, as the price of laser treatment depends precisely on the size of the area to be treated, the number of treatments and the desired result. In addition, of course, laser clinics and dermatologists take different prices, so be sure to check prices and get a total price for the number of treatments you are recommend.

And be aware that it will very likely require more than one laser treatment before you will achieve visible results at all. You should therefore expect more treatments.

However, you should not only look at the price, but also on how much experience the clinics have and whether it is the place you want to be treated. Choose first and foremost a serious and competent clinic and then look at the price. And make sure to choose a dermatologist who use the right and best laser. So you should contact a laser clinic, dermatologist or plastic surgeon.

WHAT ARE THE SIDE EFFECTS OF LASER TREATMENTS?

Laser treatment of acne scars is a simple, fast and, not least, safe treatment. You do not have to be on sick leave after a treatment and you can attend school or work the following day. However, you should be aware that your skin will be red and you may be sore, so depending on your work, a few days off sick leave may be necessary.

In relation to the treatment of scars with laser – and after a laser treatment – be aware that sun, solarium and sunbathing should be avoided for a long time after your laser treatment. In fact, you should completely avoid sunlight in the days after your laser treatment. For up to six months after laser treatments, be careful to minimize sunlight on the skin. Therefore, after laser treatment, you should also pay extra attention on remembering sunscreen – get sun protection factor 20 – 30 with UVA and UVB solar filter. But of course you already remember sunscreen every day – don’t you? ;-D

There is also a risk that you can not get the same tan as you could before the treatments in the treated area. Therefore, in relation to laser treatment, make it clear to yourself that you should not sunbathe, take a solarium and the like as the sun and sunlight may damage the skin – and make the skin lighter in the areas you have had laser making the skin seem darker around the treated area. Instead, you can choose self-tanning if you want some color in your skin during your laser treatments.

It is also important to mention that with laser – as you may now know, is a violent form of skin treatment and essentially the outer skin layer is burned – so there is a risk that you can provoke a new acne outbreak. Irritation is one of the main causes of pimples, acne and unclean skin. And because the laser treatment is violently irritating to the skin there is a greater risk for new outbreaks of acne and pimples.

Of course, a new acne outbreak and pimples can be treated again – and removed as you’ve done it through the last 12 months with my skin care series – I’m just mentioning the risks so you are aware of the possible risks.

WHAT ARE THE RESULTS OF LASER TREATMENTS

Laser treatments is thoroughly documented and most people experience good results, but of course there are also some where it does not work properly.

Laser treatment is also a relatively new treatment. Especially in Denmark, laser treatment is very new. However, it does not change the fact that laser treatment of scars is one of the best treatments for deep scars when you’re ready to get repetitive treatments and patience. Treatment of scars with laser takes time – a long time! And it is a rather uncomfortable form of treatment, in which the skin after a treatment is very red. Plus one has to take the consequence of the treatment of scars with laser and really stay away from the sun for a minimum of 6 months after the end of the entire treatment period. And afterwards it is not necessarily ready to get a sun tan. But if you suffer from ugly and deep scars, then maybe it’s a consequence you’re ready to take.

Otherwise, I would clearly discourage any treatment of scars with laser – and instead recommend a daily care with good skin care products containing ingredients that will help to reduce and remove scars. Among other things, salicylic acid, vitamin A, niacinamide works well for the treatment of scars – and the Danish Skin Care series naturally contains all 3 ingredients, so you can effectively treat the pimples and scars with the Danish Skin Care skin care series.

– Get skincare and skincare products for the treatment of scars after acne, pimples and blemished skin.

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