Why scar type matters
Acne scars are not all the same shape. Some are narrow pits. Some have sharp edges. Others are shallow dips held down by bands under the skin. A method that helps one shape may do little for another.
A careful plan therefore starts by naming the scars on your face. It then sets a realistic goal. This guide is general information. Your plan depends on an examination by the doctor.
Where the treatment pages fit
This guide gives the overview. For the layered protocol used on mixed scarring, read about 4D Scar Reconstruction. For deep ice-pick and boxcar scars, read about the S3 Resurfacing Lift. Separate guides cover ice-pick, boxcar and rolling scars.
Acne scar treatment Singapore: matching method to scar
| Scar type | Usual approach | Point to note |
|---|---|---|
| Ice-pick | TCA CROSS into each pit, with S3 for the skin around it | A tiny drop of strong acid is placed at the scar base |
| Boxcar | FSX Laser if shallow, S3 if deep | Depth decides the device |
| Rolling | Subcision first, then resurfacing or radiofrequency | Bands are released before the surface is treated |
| Tethered | Subcision, sometimes with filler support | Radiesse may be placed in a released space where volume is lost |
| Raised | Injection into the scar, vascular laser | A different problem from pitted scars |
The main methods in plain words
S3 uses a 10,600 nm fractional CO2 laser on the DEKA SmartXide Tetra platform, at several depths. It is used for deep ice-pick and boxcar scars.
Used for superficial scars, with a shorter recovery than S3.
Secret RF and Secret DUO are added for shallow rolling scars and skin quality.
Insulated needles release heat only at the tip, in the dermis. Depth can be adjusted.
A fine needle passes through a small puncture under local anaesthetic to free a tethered scar. There is no incision.
Peels and skin boosters support skin quality. They do not treat pitted scars.
How a mixed-scar plan is built
Who it may suit
Treatment may suit you if you have depressed ice-pick, boxcar or rolling scars, or a mix on one face. Your acne should be quiet or well controlled. You also need to accept a goal of improvement, not clear skin. If acne is still active, control comes first, because new spots can leave new scars. Our acne treatment page explains that step. Red or brown marks left by acne are not true scars. They are pigment or vessel problems and are planned differently, as our pigmentation guide explains.
Who should wait or avoid treatment
Active or inflamed acne, recent isotretinoin, a current infection or cold sore, or a fresh tan.
Treatment is not planned during either.
Keloid tendency, blood-thinning medicines or a bleeding tendency, and allergy to a product, anaesthetic or injectable.
Single scars too deep or wide for non-surgical methods go to plastic surgery. Marks of uncertain diagnosis go to dermatology.
What treatment cannot do
No treatment erases scars completely. The aim is to remodel skin so that scars become shallower and less obvious. Facials work on the surface and cannot change scar depth. Creams and make-up cannot free a tether or fill a pit. Skin boosters neither fill nor release scars, and peels do not reach the depth of ice-pick, boxcar or rolling scars. Surgical excision, elevation and grafting are not done by Dr Sin Yong. He refers these out.
Risks, sessions and recovery
After resurfacing, expect redness, swelling and pinpoint scabs. After subcision, expect bruising and swelling, with no stitches. These settle as the skin heals. Less common problems are prolonged redness, darkening of the skin, infection, or a scar that looks different. Darkening is more likely in deeper skin tones and with sun exposure. Injectables can cause lumps and swelling. Treatment is usually a series. The number of sessions is set at review, and the interval follows how you heal, so no fixed figure can be given here. Injectables disturb the surface less than resurfacing, and our CO2 laser downtime page explains that recovery in more detail. Contact the clinic the same day for worsening pain, spreading redness or warmth, pus, blistering, a wound that is not healing, or marked swelling. Skin turning pale or dusky after an injectable needs urgent assessment by your injector or A&E now. See complication care for more.
How fees are worked out
Fees are not published. They depend on your scar types, how severe they are, the number of sessions and the methods used. Plans are individual, not fixed packages. The first visit is a medical consultation with its own fee, stated at booking. A written quote follows the assessment. Our cost factors page gives more detail.