CO2 laser resurfacing acne scars

Laser resurfacing is best for superficial to medium depth scars. These include boxcar scars, shallow pick and ice pick scars, superficial rolling scars as well as hypertrophic scars.

Lasers will also improve skin quality, shrink pores & reduce pigmentation. They can improve the light reflex & radiance of your skin. 

CO2 lasers are the gold standard in scar revision. They have more evidence behind them in comparison to non-ablative lasers, microneedling & radiofrequency treatments. 

CO2 can be delivered with a full beam, covering all the skin’s surface, or fractional laser resurfacing, covering between 5 to 60% of the surface area. Fractional resurfacing provides great outcomes with minimal downtime, risks & costs. 

Laser work by stimulation of collagen as well as breakdown of scar tissue. Controlled heating of lasers stimulates a cascade of pro-inflammatory mediators through HSP or heat shock protein. This results in generation of new collagen production in the deeper layers of skin. “Cold” devices like microneedling are useful for delivering agents into the skin, but do not generate HSP, hence are not as effective for scar revision. 

Book a consultation with our dermatologists, they will assess your scars & guide you through the revision process.

Cutis also runs a nurse-led scar assessment & revision clinic. Our senior nurses can assess your skin & provide a comprehensive no obligation treatment plan. The nurse led clinic provides affordable treatments for all patients. 

Yes, but settings matter. CO2 lasers are best for fair to medium skin tones. If you have darker skin colour, we use special lasers to reduce the chances of post treatment darkness. 

Our clinicians will match your skin tone to specific lasers, ensuring that outcomes are optimal, whilst minimising side effects.

Fraxel is a name brand that has many different lasers including Fraxel Re:Pair, a CO2 laser. We did use this laser for 3 years, but the results were underwhelming, so we gave back the laser. The CO2 lasers we now use are much better, with less downtime, costs, less side effects, & far better results. The CO2 lasers we now use are-

• • eCO2 by Lutronic. Probably one of the best lasers out there
  • Ultrapulse laser by Lumenis. The most powerful laser in the World (but power is not everything)
  • Mixto laser. Great laser, made in the USA
  • CO2RE by Candela. A good all-around laser
  • Sciton Modulated erbium / CO2: for ablative work

Cutis also does R&D for many brands, hence if a laser is good, we keep it. 

One to four sessions. It depends on factors such as-

• Skin type. Darker skin will require more sessions.
• Scar type. Deeper scars require more treatments.
• Downtime. Shorter recovery means more sessions.
• Expectations. Self-explanatory. 

Our aim is to improve your scarring in the minimum number of sessions, respecting your skin colour & downtime. Your dermatologist will give you an accurate estimation prior to treatments. 

Pain relief is tiered according to the depth & coverage of the laser. We got you covered.

• Superficial laser resurfacing: numbing only
• Medium laser resurfacing: numbing, blocks & gas
• Deep laser resurfacing: conscious sedation, numbing, & blocks

Post procedure and throughout the recovery process, there is no pain. 

You look worse than you feel. CO2 lasers give epic results, but also longer recovery times. As a guide; 

• Superficial or level 1-2 resurfacing: 2-4 day recovery. Red for 4-6 days.
• Medium or level 2-4 resurfacing: 3-5 day recovery. Red for one to two weeks.
• Deep or level 4-5 resurfacing: 6-8 day recovery. Red for 1-3 months.

We will give you an accurate time frame of the recovery process. For deeper resurfacing, recovery can be sped up with LED, vascular lasers & pico lasers.

Results are seen as early as one week after resurfacing, with maximal gains at 4-6 months. It takes this long for collagen remodelling. 

With a series of treatments, results will compound over a period of 6-12 months. Outcomes are predictable providing you have your acne under control. Active acne leads to inflammation. Inflammation slows down collagen production.

No comparison. CO2 provides much better results compared to microneedling in the context of atrophic scars. It is primarily due to the heating achieved with lasers over microneedling. We apply lasers in a special way to reduce side effects & downtime. 

We do however use microneedling to treat some forms of scarring, including tethered scars & hypertrophic scars. Microneedling is useful to deliver topicals into the deeper layers of skin. 

Cost depends on the complexity of laser resurfacing, your Medicare benefits / insurance cover, as well as the settings of the laser. As a guide-

• Light resurfacing by our nurses: $590-$890 per session.
• Medium resurfacing: $650-$990
• Deep resurfacing by dermatologist: $1890 upwards

Medicare covers treatments by a dermatologist. The amount you get back ranges from $200 to $1500, depending on the procedure. Your specialist will discuss the projected fees prior to any procedure. 

Our dermatologists and nurses perform other scar revision techniques, apart from CO2 lasers. We approach scar revision by matching a treatment to the scar type. These include; 

• Deep focal peels: TCA or Phenolic acid. This is known as CROSS or paint. 

• Laser resurfacing (full ablation): Erbium 

• Fractional lasers: MixTo, eCO2, CORE 2, Ultrapulse Deep Fx, Scar Fx, Fraxel, C+B

• Subcision: Nokor, blunt cannula, hypodermic, Taylor, dove-tails

• Surgical: Punch elevation, excision, grafting, dermal grafting, fat transfer, micropigment transfer

UV prolongs the recovery from lasers. Sun exposure can make redness worse as well as pigmentation. It is important to choose a cosmetically elegant stand-alone sunscreen. La Roche Posay or Invisible Zinc are good brands. Use as follows;

AM: 2-3 ml application face, neck

Noon: 2-3 mls Re-application