Acne Info

Laser for Acne Scars - Is It for You?

Have you been considering laser for acne scars that look ugly and livid?

Laser and light-based therapies are up-and-coming treatments that have been getting much ink space and few practical applications.  How come?  Well, for the most part, people can’t afford them.  But let’s remove price out of the equation, shall we?  Let’s suppose you can pay for laser for acne scars.  Does this make laser for acne scars the best solution for you?

Several types of light and laser therapies have shown promise in treating scarring.  These include:

Diode laser treatment. Diode lasers destroy the thick middle layer of your skin without harming the outer layer.  Before this procedure is done, analgesics are applied to your skin, to minimize pain.  However, there’s really no drowning the pain.  After the procedure, you can expect temporary swelling and redness of treated areas.

Heat energy and pulsed light therapy. This treatment supposedly destroys P.acnes and at the same time, decrease your skin’s oil production by shrinking the sebaceous glands.  Among its expected side effects is temporary redness and swelling of the treated area.

Blue light therapy.  Among all the therapies mentioned, this is the only one that’s painless.  However, it also requires multiple exposures to low-intensity blue light.  What that means is that you will have to undergo a series of sessions before you will see any changes.

The upside to using laser for acne scars is that the treatment could work.  However, “could” is the operative word here.  At the end of the day, you may still be better off sticking to creams and medications.  Why do I say so?

1.  It’s not clear what type of scars respond to laser therapy.

2.  The effectiveness of laser for acne scars is not known.  Equally ambiguous are its long-term risks and benefits.

3.  Effects of laser therapy are not permanent.  You will need repeated treatments.

4.  Getting laser for acne scars is expensive.

5. Laser therapy for scars is not covered by most insurance companies.

Ultimately, you will have to weigh the pros and cons of getting laser for acne scars and see, if all things considered, it’s worth it to you.