Everything You Need To Know About Laser Treatment For Acne

How much is laser treatment for acne scars?

 

If dealing with can is hard, let me tell you about finally clearing your skin and still looking like you have acne. Acne scars are almost as bad as having acne itself, making your skin look blemished even when you don’t have an active breakout. Sometimes the acne lasts a day or two, but the scar it leaves behind can take months to years to go away.

No one wants to deal with acne scars their whole life, especially after winning the battle with acne. The worst thing is no matter how good your skincare routine for acne is, it can’t do much against acne scarring. You’ve probably tried some of the best skincare for acne, but if you want to treat more severe acne scars, then you might want to check out laser treatment for acne.

Here’s the deal.

Dealing with acne is not easy, especially when there’s a permanent mark left after every breakout. What if I told you there’s a treatment that can give you fresh, baby clear skin free from acne scars? I will be informing you on everything you need to know about laser treatment for acne scars, including how much does laser treatment cost and if it’s truly worth it.

If you’re thinking about getting laser treatment to remove acne scars, it’s a good idea to first treat your acne. What is the best acne treatment? Once you’ve dealt with the acne and no longer get breakouts, you’ll be good to go for laser treatment and on the road to clear skin.

Take a seat and let’s get through this.

What is laser treatment for scars?

How does laser treatment for acne scarring work?

Laser skin resurfacing is a treatment that can help reduce wrinkles, age spots, scars as well as blemishes. If you want to tighten your skin and balance skin tone, then laser treatment could be for you. Since they can be used to treat a range of problems, it’s important to know what kind of laser is right for you, as well as what results you want.

When to get laser skin resurfacing

Believe it or not, there’s actually an ideal season to get laser done. Autumn is a good time to get it since laser treatment skin is hypersensitive to sun exposure. Autumn and winter months have less light and since it’s colder you tend to spend more time indoors away from the sunlight.

Types of lasers

The truth is, there isn’t one laser fits all. Depending on the skin problem you wish to treat, there are a variety of lasers available.

Co2 Laser- These are ablative lasers used to treat scars, wrats, wrinkles and deeper skin flaws, Some of the best brands include AcuPulse by Lumenis, MiXto Pro laser by Lasering USA and CO2RE by Candela.

Pulsed-Dye Lasers- These are non ablative and heat the skin to absorb pigments such as redness, hyperpigmentation, broken capillaries, and rosacea. Vbeam Perfecta by Candela is a good brand.

Erbium (Er:YAG) Lasers– Either ablative or non ablative, they promote collagen remodeling and are good for treating fine lines and wrinkles, skin laxity and age spots.

Fractional Lasers- Fractionated laser treatment breaks up laser energy into tiny beams, so you can treat a specific area of the skin. They are both ablative or non ablative, and can treat age related blemishes. Fractora by inMode and Fraxel by Solta Medical are popular options.

IPL (intense pulsed light) -Not a laser, but they are used to treat similar concerns such as sun damage, vascular lesions, acne, and hyperpigmentation as well; as rosacea. inMode makes two IPL’s named Vasculaze and Lumecca.

It’s important to ask yourself what issue you wish to address and discuss this with a qualified skincare professional trained in laser resurfacing to recommend the right laser treatment for you.

What you need to know before getting Laser treatments

Here are some things about laser treatments you need to know before signing up for one.

You might need multiple treatments

Sometimes it’s true that you may only need one single laser treatment to treat your skin. most non ablative lasers require more than one treatment for best results. Although this means no downtime treatment, once the series of treatments are finished the results are better and long-lasting.

You might need downtime

Laser treatments as a whole are considered non surgical, but some of them require downtime. Laser resurfacing has a varied recovery time, depending on the kind of laser and your own health.

For non ablative lasers don’t require downtime usually, but ablative lasers need 2-3 week healing process. It depends on how quickly the new skin has fully healed.

Downtime doesn’t mean you need to stay home, but it does mean your skin will be raw and scab over as it heals. Of course, that probably means you’ll want to avoid leaving the house as much as possible since your skin will be hypersensitive.

Sun protection is vital before and after laser treatment

You won’t be able to get laser treatment if you have a tan or a sunburn, since laser can cause serious harm to your skin. After having laser treatment fone to your face, you also need to protect your skin from the sun until it is fully healed. Having sun exposure after laser treatment can cause another scar.

Before getting laser treatment

There’s a few changes you may need to do before going to your first laser treatment session. You need to quit smoking for at least 2 weeks prior to your treatment, and using skin care products that contain retinoid or glycolic acid for around a month before. You shouldn’t be taking vitamin e, or medications that delay healing such as aspirin.

Of course, avoid the tanning bed and sunlamp after your treatment, and if you tend to get cold sores then use cold sore medication.

Results take time

Treating acne scars will not produce instant results. It can take months to see the results, although you might see a small improvement first.

You might need more than one laser treatment to get long lasting results. This is especially more so if you use a non ablative laser. You will need to follow the dermatologist’s instructions to care for your skin at home after laser treatment. This will help you have long-lasting results with minimal side effects.

How much does laser treatment cost?

Now here comes the big question. You may be interested in knowing that insurance will not cover the cost of laser scar treatment. Although laser can ease the pain and itching that scarring can cause, and for serious scars that limit movement it can also help. Aside from these issues, insurance will not usually cover the cost as it is considered a cosmetic treatment.

The best way to find out if you can get laser treatment covered is by meeting with a board-certified dermatologist.

As a whole, if you’re using ablative lasers then it will cost around $2,500. if it is for non ablative is will cost less around $1,440. This does not include extra expenses.

Final Thoughts

Laser resurfacing procedures can help treat acne scars and residual scarring, converting your skin back to healthy skin cells. It’s best to consult a board-certified dermatologist to treat skin cells. Multiple treatments deliver significantly better results. You can choose whether you want ablative laser resurfacing or non ablative laser treatments with infrared lasers.

A light treatment such as scar peels can also help heal scar tissue, as well as non ablative laser resurfacing. Only a dermatologist can prescribe the perfect acne treatment for your skin type. A treatment plan of light therapy for scarred tissue can help acne disappear. Of course, light therapies and lasers pose a risk, especially for asian skin tones or darkly pigmented cells on dark skin or lighter toned African american.

Medical expertise shows that the type of laser best for acne includes pulsed dye, carbon dioxide and erbium yag lasers, amongst other light treatments. Skin resurfacing via laser procedures is a way of boosting collagen production to reduce residual scarring.

Are you considering a laser treatment to treat acne?