Treat acne scars in Vancouver (Surrey) with our latest lasers, surgeries, facials and more

Bellafill® is a long-lasting filler. For some people, it can solve pitted acne scars for years. Tiny injections of the solution are applied to acne scars one-by-one, to help volumize the tissue that forms these tiny concaves. 

The reason this solution lasts so long is because of a special ingredient: polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) microspheres. These are not absorbed by the body, so your skin forms proteins around it. This builds up new tissue, thus raising the treatment area. 

Read more about Bellafill® here.

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This solution is similar to the concept of using Bellafill® to raise acne scars, noted above. Depending on the needs of the patient, and the discretion of a doctor, this alternate, long-lasting filler can also be used to raise pitted scars. It does this by building up the collagen around them. However, instead of PMMA, Sculptra® uses poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) microparticles. 

This method is also used in conjunction with subcision (see below). 

Read more about Sculptra® here.

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For raised acne scars, which come in the form of keloids or hypertrophic scars, a steroid formula can be injected to remove the excess tissue that has formed. This can take multiple treatment sessions.

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This is a surgical procedure that intentionally cuts out existing, indented scars with a special tool. They are closed shut with sutures. This does make another scar, but a much smaller one, which is far less noticeable.

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Another surgical procedure for indented scars, subcision is also referred to as subcutaneous incision. It is helpful for scars with tissues that form ‘bands’ inside the skin. 

With subcision for acne scars, a needle-type instrument is inserted beneath the skin where the scar tissue subsides. These fibrous strands are ‘cut loose’ to release the scar tissue from the dermis, resulting in a much less noticeable scar. This is performed one-by-one, like the punch excision method. The post-procedure collagen release, as a result of your body’s natural healing process, also helps reduce scar visibility.

In the past, subcision methods would result in bruising and swelling. However, nowadays, we use a blunt cannula with a large gauge, to help significantly reduce this temporary side-effect.

Often, it is recommended that this procedure be done in combination with other acne scar treatments, to both help the collagen build up, and improve skin texture. For example, using dermal fillers like Bellafill®, or even Sculptra®, at the site of the subcision, can help give the skin a foundation to build up its collagen fibers. On top of that, we can use Infini™ RF microneedling or chemical peels to help smooth the textured skin after subcision.

This procedure does not work for ice pick scars, which are deeper than other indented scars. It is also not advisable for those who are prone to forming keloids.

This method works for chickenpox scars, and other similar types of scarring. Ask us for details if you have an indented scar you’d like addressed.

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An advanced form of microneedling, this fractional, radio frequency, heat-based treatment inserts tiny holes into your skin, called micro-coagulation zones (tiny lesions, basically). It uses up to 49 small needles in a single, square centimetre.

This technology helps acne scars by stimulating collagen and elastin production, the effects of which continue for weeks or months after a treatment series. Deep acne scarring can require 4 to 6 treatments, to start, and possible maintenance thereafter.

The great news is that the same treatment also helps with skin tone, aging skin and general skin rejuvenation needs.

Read more about the Infini™ RF microneedling treatment here.

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This cosmetic laser helps acne scars by removing old skin cells through many micro-punctures. When the tiny skin wounds heal, they ‘push out’ the old, dead skin cells, and regenerate a new, fresh layer. This can then remove the acne scars that were residing in the dermis (which were, of course, made up of skin cells).

Read more about the Fraxel® Dual laser here.

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A CO2 laser can help to intentionally remove a top layer of skin by making many tiny holes in the dermis. The key that makes this treatment different from radio-frequency microneedling or even a Fraxel® DUAL laser treatment, is that it goes deeper into the skin. It is much more intense, and requires longer healing time, too. That said, it can do a lot more in one session, than other laser treatments, which often require a series of treatments to notice significant results.

The intense resurfacing of skin with a CO2 laser can  treat acne scars from deeper lesions in the dermis.

This treatment is sometimes referred to as a laser peel, though true laser peels can happen at much lower intensities (which we also offer).

Read more about CO2 laser resurfacing here.

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Chemical peels can help with macular acne scars. These are, essentially, the red or brown pigments that remain in the skin after an acne lesion has healed. They can go away on their own, in time. But, by removing a thin layer of skin, the body’s natural shedding process goes faster, thus also removing these dark spots sooner.

This option is usually combined with other technologies for a method called “pigment blending,” to even out the skin’s colour.

Read more about chemical peels here.

These are depressed, or indented acne scars. They come in the following sub-forms:

Icepick scars – these are deeper and narrower than other pitted scars.

Boxcar scars – these are depressed, but wider and uneven in shape.

Rolling scars – these are longer, bumpy and irregular ‘slopes’ of indents in the skin.

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These are, namely:

Keloids – these are like lifted, smooth and hard ‘hills’ in the skin, which expand their growth over time, even beyond the original wound site. They can become pink, red, purple or other hues in that category. They are more common on ‘hard’ parts of the body than on the face, such as the chest and shoulders.

Hypertrophic acne scars – these are similar to keloids, but are usually red or pink, and less than 4 millimeters above the skin.

Note: it can be hard to distinguish between the above two types of raised acne scars, as they are very similar. They are both more common in darker skin types. Keloids tend to reform after being removed. Therefore, each is treated differently.

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These are not actually scars, per se. They result from a condition known as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, usually from broken blood vessels at the site of the wound. They go away in time, and can look like:

• Red spots (erythematous spots)
• Brown spots (hyperpigmented spots)