Sometimes the skin around acne scars puckers. With a technique called subcision, your doctor inserts needles under the skin to loosen fibers below a scar. Using a minor procedure called punch excision, your doctor cuts out individual acne scars and repairs the wound with stitches or a skin graft. Results are subtle, and you may need repeat treatments. It has minimal risk of discoloring the skin. It's a safe, simple and possibly effective technique for acne scarring. Your doctor rolls a needle-studded device over the skin to stimulate collagen formation in the underlying tissue. Potential side effects include changes in skin color, especially with deep peels used on dark skin. You can repeat mild and medium peels to maintain results. Your doctor applies a chemical solution to the scar tissue to remove the top layer of skin and minimize the appearance of deeper scars. Potential severe side effects include scarring and changes in skin color. Surface scars may be completely removed, and deeper acne scars may appear less noticeable. Your doctor removes the top layer of skin with a rapidly rotating brush or other device. This procedure is usually reserved for more severe scarring. Results are subtle, and you might need repeat treatments. Pulsed light sources and radiofrequency devices help make scars less noticeable without damaging the outer layer of skin. This technique has an increased risk of side effects for people with darker skin or a history of keloids. This approach is increasingly popular and is often used on scars that were once treated with dermabrasion. Injecting steroids into some types of raised scars can improve the appearance of your skin.

This method has little risk of changes in skin color. Results are temporary, so repeat treatments are needed to retain the effect. The goal is to make the scars less noticeable. Injecting collagen, fat or other substances under the skin can plump the skin over indented scars.

Some medicated creams, such as those containing azelaic acid or hydroxyl acids, might help too.

Using sunscreen can help limit the contrast between unscarred skin and a scar. One or a combination of the following approaches might improve the appearance of your skin, depending on your scar type, your skin type and the severity of the scarring. Acne scars are stubborn, and no single treatment is best for everyone.

How to get rid of acne scars