Acne Scar Treatment
in St. George, Utah

There's no single 'best' — the right treatment depends on the scar type. Rolling scars respond best to microneedling with PRP. Boxcar scars (sharper-edged) respond to laser resurfacing combined with microneedling. Ice-pick scars (deep, narrow) often need TCA cross or punch excision before resurfacing. Hyperpigmentation marks (PIH) respond to topicals and gentle laser. Most patients have a mix and need a combined plan. Janessa builds tier-by-tier: address active acne first, then PIH, then atrophic scars in order of difficulty.

Realistically, 6–12 months for visible improvement of moderate scarring. Microneedling with PRP courses are 3–6 sessions spaced 4 weeks apart. Combined laser + microneedling protocols add another 3–6 months. The body is remodeling collagen the whole time — final results aren't visible until 3 months after the last session. This is a long process; anyone promising fast results is misrepresenting the biology.

At Aera Medical Aesthetics, individual session costs are: Microneedling alone $300–$450, Microneedling with PRP $500–$700, ClearLift laser $300–$450, IPL Dye-VL for pigment $350–$500. A typical comprehensive plan addressing both texture and pigment runs $3,000–$6,000 over 6–12 months. Janessa builds plans in phases so you can pace investment.

Mild scars often resolve almost entirely with treatment. Moderate scars typically improve 60–80%. Deep ice-pick scars and significant atrophic scarring rarely return to fully smooth skin even with aggressive treatment — but the appearance can be dramatically softened. Honest expectations matter: meaningful improvement is realistic; perfection often isn't.

Active acne should be controlled before aggressive scar treatment. Treating scars while inflammation is ongoing produces unpredictable results and risks new pigmentation. Janessa typically prescribes or refines an acne management protocol first (topicals, sometimes oral medications), waits for active acne to be controlled for 2–3 months, then starts scar treatment.

Different tools, different scar types. Microneedling with PRP excels at rolling scars and overall texture — mechanical channels stimulate collagen rebuild. Laser (ClearLift, fractional non-ablative) excels at boxcar scars and pigmentation. Most patients with significant scarring benefit from BOTH, alternated over a 6–12 month plan. We do not currently offer fully ablative CO2 fractional, which can give faster scar improvement but with significant downtime.

Topicals can't fix structural scarring but they help adjacent issues — pigmentation marks (PIH), texture, and active acne control. Tretinoin, niacinamide, vitamin C, and tranexamic acid are core. Janessa often prescribes a compounded protocol alongside in-office treatments to maximize results.

Yes — microneedling and ClearLift are both safer than aggressive lasers for Fitzpatrick IV–VI patients. Microneedling doesn't target melanin, and ClearLift's sub-surface energy delivery has a strong safety profile across skin tones. Aggressive ablative lasers (CO2, fully ablative fractional) carry higher hyperpigmentation risk in darker skin and are typically not the right tool here.