Best treatment for acne scars
The best treatment for acne scars is rarely just one treatment: dermatologists clear active acne first, then combine subcision, resurfacing and fillers over several visits. The order matters as much as the method.
Looking for a scar plan with a real finish line?
Maybe laterThat first stage is where most plans stall. Send acne.today one selfie and a handful of answers; it scores how active your breakouts are, zero to four on the scale dermatologists grade with, then lays out a 12-week plan. Scars stay with your dermatologist.
Start stage one on acne.todayLast reviewed · stages drawn from AAD, DermNet and FDA pages
Build your best treatment for acne scars, stage by stage
Answer two questions and the plan below marks which stages apply to you now. Every stage is something a board-certified dermatologist decides with you after looking at your skin.
Stop new scars
Your plan begins with acne treatment, because stopping breakouts calms inflammation and prevents new scars. Scar work usually starts once acne is under control and you're using medicine to keep it there. Tell your dermatologist every acne treatment you've used in the last two years; some scar procedures cause side effects if started during or soon after certain acne medicines.
Release
Some rolling scars are pulled down by fibrous bands under the skin. Subcision slides a needle under the scar to cut those bands so the skin can rise. DermNet notes three to six visits, at least a month apart, cover most moderate cases, and that it isn't used for deep ice pick scars.
Resurface
Laser resurfacing, microneedling and chemical peels all push the skin to make new collagen and elastin. Microneedling is often paired with radiofrequency, a peel or platelet-rich plasma; radiofrequency microneedling can give less noticeable scars than either one alone. A mild peel often means 3 to 5 sessions given every 2 to 4 weeks.
Fill
A filler adds volume to what is still sunken. Most fillers last 3 months to 2 years and need touch-up visits; a permanent filler may still need touch-ups as skin ages.
Care after treatment
Dermatologists recommend proper skin care after each procedure to get the most from it. Before a peel, sun protection helps prevent new discoloration.
Raised scar track
Raised scars need the opposite approach, since they come from too much collagen. Hypertrophic scars may be treated with lasers, corticosteroid injections or a prescription medicine on the scar. Keloids usually need two or more treatments together, and some return.
Why the best treatment for acne scars is a combination
Most people with acne scars have more than one type of sunken scar, and each type responds to different tools. That is why dermatologists often stack treatments: the AAD's own example is surgery to lift some sunken scars, followed by a filler to give them more volume.
The research supports this patient, layered approach rather than a single winner. A 2016 Cochrane review found a lack of high-quality evidence comparing scar treatments head to head, and moderate-quality evidence that injectable filler can help sunken scars (PMID 27038134).
Key Tips for Choosing Care
Clear active acne first
Stage zero is ordinary acne care done well; the best acne treatments are compared by acne type if you're not sure where to start.
Expect multiple sessions
Almost every stage is a series. Peels, subcision and fillers all come in rounds, and some lasers need more sessions than others. Medical insurance does not cover scar treatment, so plan the budget across the whole sequence.
Combine therapies
Ask how the stages fit together for your skin: which one goes first, how long to heal between them, and whether platelet-rich plasma or radiofrequency would add to the result. A good plan for the best treatment for acne scars names the order, not just the procedures.
Matching Treatments to Scar Types
| Scar type | Where it fits in the plan |
|---|---|
| Rolling & Boxcar Scars | Wide, shallow dips and round dips with sharp edges. Resurfacing in stage two, then filler for what stays sunken. |
| Tethered Rolling Scars | Rolling scars pulled down by bands under the skin. Released first with subcision in stage one. |
| Ice Pick Scars | Small at the surface but deep. DermNet lists a focused strong peel (TCA CROSS) or punch excision; subcision doesn't suit them. |
| Raised or Keloid Scars | Their own track: lasers, corticosteroid injections, prescription medicine, often combined. |
| Flat Discoloration / Dark Marks | Flat brown or red marks aren't scars at all and fade on their own; acne dark spots covers what speeds that up. |
Who scars more easily
Scars are common. In a one-week survey of 1,972 people seeing US dermatologists for acne, published in 2017, 43% had acne scars (PMID 28300850). The deeper a breakout goes, the more likely it is to scar, so cysts and nodules carry the most risk. Picking, popping or squeezing raises it too, and so does having a close blood relative with acne scars.
Deep breakouts that return along the jaw every month tend to leave the most marks, and that pattern usually points to hormonal acne.
Raised scars are more common in darker skin tones. A hypertrophic scar usually appears on the jawline, chest or back 1 to 2 months after a breakout clears, while a keloid starts as thickening skin 3 to 12 months later.
Questions people ask
What are the different types of acne scars?
Sunken scars come as ice pick, rolling and boxcar scars. Raised scars are hypertrophic scars, keloids and papular scars.
What is the hardest acne scar to remove?
Ice pick scars, because they go deep into the skin, and keloids, because some come back even after treatment.
Can you actually fix acne scars?
You can make them much less noticeable, usually with two or more treatments done in order. Fully erasing a scar is rare.
Can retinol help with acne scars?
A retinoid applied to the skin can make mild scarring less noticeable. It can't lift a deep or tethered scar.
What do dermatologists recommend for acne scars?
A plan built for your scar types, skin tone and goals, started once active acne is under control.
Sources
- Acne scars: Consultation and treatment, American Academy of Dermatology, 2023.
- Subcision, DermNet.
- Acne scars: Signs and symptoms, American Academy of Dermatology, 2023.
- Acne scars: Who gets and causes, American Academy of Dermatology, 2023.
- Interventions for acne scars, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2016, PMID 27038134.
- Prevalence and Risk Factors of Acne Scarring Among Patients Consulting Dermatologists in the USA, Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2017, PMID 28300850.
- Dermal Fillers (Soft Tissue Fillers), US Food and Drug Administration.
- Microneedling Devices, US Food and Drug Administration, 2025.
- Acne scarring, DermNet.
- Keloids: Diagnosis and treatment, American Academy of Dermatology.