Show patients their result before they treat.
Pits, raised marks, and discoloration left behind after breakouts heal.
Sarah Jenkins
Plan #4003 • Overall
Recommended Protocol
Microneedling
Bellafill • For Acne Scars
Silicone scar gels
At-home maintenance
Acne scars are textural and pigment changes left after breakouts heal — pitted icepick, boxcar, and rolling scars, raised scars, or lingering dark and red marks. They're treated by remodeling the skin with microneedling, RF microneedling, fractional laser resurfacing, subcision, and filler, typically across several sessions to rebuild smooth, even texture.
Acne scars are areas of textured or discolored skin that remain after active acne has healed. They can appear as pits or depressions (icepick, boxcar, rolling scars), raised thickened areas, or lingering dark or red marks where breakouts used to be. These scars disrupt the smooth surface and even tone of the skin, often making pores look larger and skin appear rough or uneven.
Patients who have cleared their acne frequently return asking about the marks left behind, making scar revision a natural next step from acne treatment. The provider's goal is to remodel texture and even tone through resurfacing, microneedling, or filler — typically over multiple sessions. Because progress is incremental and easy to lose patience with, showing the projected end-state on the patient's own photo helps justify a multi-treatment plan.
Acne Scars
Where it appears
Face, Back
Facial area
Overall
Treatment paths
23
From in-clinic procedures to at-home regimens, Afters maps the full range of options — so patients can see what each one would do for them, on their own photo, before they commit.
Professional procedures performed by a provider to target the concern directly.
Energy-based and resurfacing devices used to treat the concern in clinic.
Branded injectables and medical products providers use for this concern.
Medical-grade products patients use between visits to maintain results.
The named injectables, products, and devices patients search for — each lets them preview the result before they commit.
The only FDA-approved semi-permanent filler — a collagen gel with PMMA microspheres that lasts up to 5 years.
View brandA polynucleotide 'salmon DNA' injectable popular in Korea for repairing skin from within.
View brandThe most-searched RF microneedling device — combines microneedling with deep radiofrequency to tighten and remodel skin.
View brandA versatile RF microneedling system that runs both monopolar and bipolar energy in one device.
View brandA comfort-focused RF microneedling device with robotic precision and built-in LED therapy.
View brandLutronic's RF microneedling system with real-time energy feedback for precise, consistent delivery.
View brandPatients rarely come in for just one thing. Browse other concerns Afters can visualize.
Common questions patients ask about acne scars — and what practices should be ready to answer.
Most acne scars can be significantly improved but rarely erased entirely. Combining treatments — resurfacing, microneedling, subcision, and filler — produces the best texture and tone correction.
Fractional CO2 or erbium laser and RF microneedling are gold-standard for pitted scars; subcision and biostimulators release and fill rolling scars; filler such as Bellafill addresses deeper depressions.
Most patients need 3–6 sessions spaced 4–6 weeks apart, with collagen remodeling continuing for several months after the last treatment.
Topical numbing is applied first, so procedures are tolerable. Expect redness and mild swelling for a few days with resurfacing or microneedling.
Dark or red marks (post-inflammatory pigmentation or erythema) are temporary discoloration that fades or responds to peels and lasers; true scars are permanent texture changes that require resurfacing or filler.
Afters simulates the outcome on a patient's own photo and builds a visual 12-month plan — so consults convert and average ticket climbs.