Question: I’m a 24-year-old male with significant acne scarring. I’ve read about dermabrasion, chemical peels and laser treatments. How do I determine which one of these is right for me? Do any of these options offer significantly less downtime after the procedure? I live alone so I’d like to be able to return to my job and resume my routine, daily activities as soon as possible.
Answer: The best skin resurfacing for you depends on your skin type and color, your race and your type of acne scars and the locations of the acne scars. The deeper the treatment, the better the results but also the longer the downtime. A deep CO2 laser or dermabrasion can have 2-3 week of downtime. Lighter skin resurfacing such as FRAXEL or other fractionated laser treatments will have 5 days of down time but you will need multiple treatments on your face. As a male, you are also limited by the fact that you cannot wear makeup to cover post laser redness.
