Acne & General Scarring

Scars may produce persistent redness, hyperpigmentation, or even hypopigmentation. Discoloration of the skin may be addressed through topical treatments and scar gels, and it may also be improved through in-office procedures, such as lasers, chemical peels, and microneedling. The cosmetic team at UDA will assess your issue and help to formulate a plan that fits your specific needs. Lasers that treat red and brown discoloration include:

Chemical peels vary based on ingredients within the peel and depth of penetration of the peel. These treatments can be light procedures with no downtime or peeling, or they can be very aggressive with significant redness and peeling. Chemical peels are tailored to your skin type, severity of discoloration, and lifestyle.

Dyspigmentation of the skin can also be improved through microneedling treatments with SkinPen. This procedure helps to break up the pigment in the skin and stimulate collagen production. Microneedling may be paired with PRP (platelet rich plasma), which is the application of your own plasma that is rich in growth factors), in order to enhance the collagen stimulation process and speed your results.

When we treat scars, protocols often change and evolve as we see your scars improve.

Some scars produce textural changes in the skin–pits, craters, and textural irregularities. These kinds of scars require treatments that stimulate collagen to renew and regenerate dermal tissue. These are treatments done over time in combination with collagen stimulating creams. Laser treatments at UDA that can induce collagen growth include:

As with discolored scars, microneedling, microneedling + radiofrequency energy, and microneedling + PRP can be used to enhance collagen production.
These treatments may be alternated with chemical peels to address different aspects of scar tissue formation. This multimodality approach works best for challenging scars.

Sometimes, procedures and cream help to soften the appearance of scars, but very deep scars may still have noticeable indentations in the skin that do not fully resolve with treatments. In these instances, we can inject dermal filler to elevate the skin. We use hyaluronic acid fillers, such as Juvederm and Restylane, or collagen-stimulating fillers like Sculptra.

At UDA we are also able to treat keloid and hypertrophic scars. These scars are usually elevated, firm, and either red or hyperpigmented compared to normal skin tone. Keloids may form from any type of injury to the skin. These scars are a cosmetic concern, but they frequently cause discomfort like itching and tenderness. For mild keloid scars, simple steroid injections may work very well. For more severe keloid scars, the UDA team may employ lasers and microneedling to improve color and texture. In very severe cases that are beyond noninvasive treatments, we also offer removal with adjunctive superficial radiation. This is a safe, proven method to remove keloid scars with less risk for recurrence.