Acne scars remains one of the most challenging condition to treat. In short, there is no one single treatment that is best for everyone. That being said, I see many patients whom are extremely frustrated after trying treatments that are not effective for their type of acne.
The carbon dioxide (CO2) laser is an effective treatment for atrophic (slightly depressed) scars. In the recent years, it has been used less as others are trying “simpler” procedures with little or no downtime, although with far less benefit. In this study over 77% of participants reported at least mild improvement, while 40% of the participants noted moderate to significant improvement.
That being said, this is not the only treatment for this type of scarring. Dermabrasion and medium depth chemical peels (i.e. TCA – trichloroacetic acid) are good options as well. Short term options include fillers, such as Restylane.
Citation: Elcin G, Yalici-Armagan B. Fractional carbon dioxide laser for the treatment of facial atrophic acne scars: Prospective clinical trial with short and long-term evaluation. 2017;32(9):2047-2054. doi:10.1007/s10103-017-2322-7.
