Acne Scar Revision

Different scars, different plans.

Scar revision, written for your skin.

Name: Acne Scar Revision
Brand: Laser Treatment
Price: 890.0 AUD
Availability: InStock

A skin-type-matched, fractional-always toolkit. Combined and sequenced at consultation. Doncaster, Melbourne.

Book a free skin consultation View treatment options

Pink Laser Clinics scar revision patient portrait, Doncaster Melbourne

The shape of acne scarring.

Some marks are scars. Some just look like them.

“Scars” is the word patients arrive with. The skin tells a more specific story.

True scars

True acne scars are permanent changes to the dermal architecture. Indented (atrophic) scars in the shapes the morphology dictates, and rarely raised (hypertrophic) scars where the body laid down too much collagen during healing. These need procedural treatment. The dermis was reshaped during inflammation, and reshaping it again is what scar revision is.

Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH)

PIH is the brown, tan, or grey-brown flat marks left where breakouts used to be. PIH is melanin, not architecture. The skin is not indented; the colour is uneven. PIH usually fades with time and the right topical and laser support, especially on darker skin where it lingers longest. The Australasian College of Dermatologists is explicit that this is not scarring.

Post-inflammatory erythema (PIE)

PIE is the pink-to-red flat marks left where breakouts used to be. PIE is vascular. The dilated capillaries near the surface have not constricted back. PIE responds to vascular treatment, not to resurfacing.

Most patients have a mix. The plan is matched to the mix.

The scar-type guide that follows names what we treat and how. It also names what is not a scar so you can read your own skin and follow the plan that fits.

The scar-type guide.

Seven kinds of mark, matched to the plan that fits.

Each card names the morphology, what causes it, what we use for it, and what realistic improvement looks like. Tap any card to read further. Some of what is listed below is not technically scarring; we keep it on this page because patients arriving with “scars” are usually looking at a mix.

Atrophic

Icepick

Narrow, deep, sharply marginated indentations in the skin, usually less than 2mm wide. They look like small puncture marks and run vertically into the deep dermis or subcutaneous fat. Most common on cheeks and around the nose.

Icepick scars form where deep cystic or nodular acne destroyed tissue past the depth that surface healing can reach. Picking and squeezing accelerate the depth. Around 60 to 70 percent of all atrophic acne scars present this way, which makes icepick the most prevalent type we see.

Pink’s first-line for icepick is TCA CROSS, applied focally at high concentration into the scar channel. Repeated sessions at two to four week intervals stimulate collagen replacement from inside the channel rather than resurfacing the skin around it. Where icepick scarring sits alongside other types, TCA CROSS is sequenced inside a wider plan.

The scar shape softens. Makeup applies more evenly. The deepest channels become less prominent rather than disappearing.

Talk to us about your skin→

Atrophic

Rolling

Wide depressions over 4 to 5mm across, with sloping edges that create an undulating surface. They show most prominently under raking or oblique light. The skin surface is relatively normal; the depression is mechanical.

Rolling scars are tethered. Fibrous bands beneath the surface anchor the dermis to the subcutis and pull the skin downward. The scar exists because the tether exists. Rolling scars are the only atrophic morphology where mechanical tethering is the primary pathology.

Pink’s approach to rolling scars is fractional resurfacing matched to skin type. On lighter skin, Er:YAG fractional resurfaces the overlying dermis and stimulates collagen remodelling. On darker skin, Q-Switched Fractional Nd:YAG achieves comparable remodelling while bypassing melanin. FRAC3 long pulsed Nd:YAG can be sequenced in for deeper dermal collagen stimulation. The goal is gradual lift over a course.

The rolling pattern softens visibly under standard light. Photographs feel less revealing. Makeup sits more evenly across the cheek.

Talk to us about your skin→

Shallow boxcar acne scar morphology, Fitzpatrick III skin, close-up showing round to oval depressions with sharp vertical walls

Atrophic

Boxcar, shallow

Round to oval depressions with sharply demarcated vertical walls and a flat base. Shallow boxcar scars sit less than half a millimetre below the surface. Most common on cheeks and temples.

The boxcar shape forms where inflammation destroyed collagen in a defined zone without producing the band tethering of rolling scars. The walls are vertical, the base is normal, and the resurfacing pathways respond well.

Shallow boxcar is one of the strongest responders to fractional resurfacing in Pink’s stack. Er:YAG fractional on lighter skin and Q-Switched Fractional Nd:YAG on darker skin are both first-line. Photoacoustic Toning adds a gentler tone-evening pass when pigment is also present. Multi-modal courses outperform single-modality treatment; we sequence accordingly.

Visible flattening of the depressions. Skin reads more even under makeup and in photographs.

Talk to us about your skin→

Deep boxcar acne scar morphology, Fitzpatrick IV skin, close-up showing deeper vertical-walled depressions on the cheek

Atrophic

Boxcar, deep

The same vertical-walled shape as shallow boxcar, deeper than half a millimetre below the surface. The base may not respond to surface resurfacing alone.

Deep boxcar is harder. The collagen deficit reaches further into the dermis, and a single modality applied at standard depth produces partial improvement only. Multi-modal approaches are the rule here, not the exception.

Pink sequences deep boxcar treatment between Er:YAG fractional for the wall edges, FRAC3 long pulsed Nd:YAG for deeper dermal stimulation, and TCA CROSS where the base architecture supports a focal application. The plan is written at consultation and revised across the course as the skin responds.

Gradual softening across the course. Deep boxcar rarely flattens completely; visible improvement is the realistic goal, not erasure.

Talk to us about your skin→

Raised

Hypertrophic

Raised, firm, sometimes erythematous (red) scars that stay within the original wound boundary. Hypertrophic acne scars are uncommon on the face and more common on the trunk, shoulders, jawline, and posterior neck where skin tension is higher.

They form when the body laid down too much collagen during healing. Some hypertrophic scars regress on their own over months to years. Complete regression is uncommon.

Pink’s role in hypertrophic acne scarring is honest. Where the scar sits within Pink’s scope, FRAC3 long pulsed Nd:YAG can flatten and soften the raised area, and Photoacoustic Toning can address residual pigmentation. Where the morphology shows keloid behaviour, with scar extending beyond the original wound boundary or progressive growth, that pathway belongs with a dermatologist for intralesional steroid and combination management. We say so plainly at consultation.

Gradual flattening and colour evening over a course. Where the scar is keloid-pattern, we refer.

Talk to us about your skin→

Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, Fitzpatrick V skin, close-up showing flat brown macules where breakouts used to be

Post-inflammatory mark · Not a scar

PIH

Flat brown, tan, or grey-brown macules where breakouts used to be. No textural change. PIH is melanin deposited in the epidermis, where it responds well, or in the upper dermis, where it responds more slowly.

PIH predominates in skin types IV through VI because higher baseline melanocyte activity amplifies any inflammatory signal. It is one of the most common acne sequelae on darker skin, and it is also the mark patients most often confuse with scarring.

Pink’s first-line for PIH is the SA-mandelic family within the PinkRX peel range, which is among the safest peel chemistries for darker skin. Q-Switched 1064nm Nd:YAG targets pigment selectively where peels alone are not enough. Photoacoustic Toning evens tone across the field. We sequence after active acne is controlled, not during.

Visible lightening across a course. Epidermal PIH typically responds substantially; deeper PIH responds gradually and benefits from continued sun protection between sessions.

Talk to us about your skin→

Post-inflammatory erythema, Fitzpatrick III skin, close-up showing flat pink to red macules where breakouts used to be

Post-inflammatory mark · Not a scar

PIE

Flat pink to red macules where breakouts used to be. No textural change. PIE is vascular: dilated capillaries near the surface that have not constricted back to baseline. More visible on lighter skin where vascular events read through.

PIE often fades on its own across three to twenty-four months. Where it persists past six months, it generally needs vascular treatment to clear.

Pink’s vascular tool for PIE is long pulsed 1064nm Nd:YAG, delivered at parameters appropriate for the patient’s skin type. Photoacoustic Toning supports overall tone evening. The wavelength is safe across skin types and addresses the vascular component without thermal aggression on the surrounding skin.

Visible reduction in redness across a course. Fresh PIE responds faster than long-established PIE; either responds.

Talk to us about your skin→

Stephy, Dermal Therapist and Multi-Modality Laser Specialist at Pink Laser Clinics

The clinical lead

Stephy leads. The team delivers.

Dermal Therapist & Multi-Modality Laser Specialist.

Multi-modality is what scar revision asks for. Acne scars do not respond to one wavelength. Icepick channels need TCA CROSS. Rolling and boxcar atrophic scars need Q-Switched Fractional Nd:YAG on darker skin and Er:YAG fractional on lighter skin. Hypertrophic scars need long pulsed Nd:YAG. Stephy Wu sets the protocol across every modality used for scar revision; the team delivers on it, calibrated to your skin and your case.

Her Fitzpatrick IV to VI expertise is the structural piece. The single biggest variable in darker-skin laser outcomes is operator skill. The standard Stephy sets is to adjust parameters per skin type at every session, not as an exception.

The strongest thing a laser specialist can do is decline to treat skin that isn’t ready. If your skin needs to be prepped before scar revision begins, we say so. If a presentation needs time, patience, or a different tool entirely, we say so. You leave knowing what you actually need.

Your plan is written to Stephy’s protocols. The operator on each session is matched to your skin and your case.

Read about Stephy and the team →

Treatment is matched to your skin and the morphology of your scars.

Fractional, always. Skin-type-matched, every time.

How a laser is used matters as much as which laser. The combination is decided when we see your skin.

Fractional, always.

Every laser modality Pink uses for scar revision is in fractional mode. That is a deliberate clinical choice, not a hardware constraint. Fractional mode treats the skin in microscopic columns, leaving healing islands of untreated tissue between them. Recovery is faster. The risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is lower. That makes fractional treatment safe across the full Fitzpatrick range.

Skin-type-matched.

Skin-type-matched means the modality is chosen to fit the skin in front of us. On lighter skin (Fitzpatrick I to III), Er:YAG fractional resurfacing is the workhorse. On darker skin (Fitzpatrick IV to VI), Q-Switched Fractional Nd:YAG at 1064nm bypasses melanin and reaches the dermis without surface heat. FRAC3 long pulsed Nd:YAG and Photoacoustic Toning sit alongside both, layered as the case warrants. TCA CROSS handles icepick channels where laser cannot reach. For patients whose scarring is icepick only, TCA CROSS is the entire course.

Operator skill.

Operator skill is the variable that decides outcomes. Laser energy is absorbed by melanin, and the safe energy delivery for Fitzpatrick I to III skin differs fundamentally from the safe energy delivery for Fitzpatrick IV to VI. Across the published laser-complication literature, user error accounts for between 29 and 45 percent of adverse outcomes. Pink calibrates per skin type at every session. Patch testing, parameter modulation, conservative starting fluences with response titration, and structured post-treatment review are protocol, not optional.

Outcomes, not technologies.

Pink sells outcomes, not technologies. The plan is written for what your skin needs across the course, and the modality used at any given session is the one that fits that session. The course is clinical capability shaped to your response. Same price tier across the laser slate; the choice is clinical, not commercial.

Treatment-process photograph, scar revision protocol, Pink Laser Clinics Doncaster

The toolkit, named.

Specificity matters.

Two laser platforms, four on-platform modalities, four supporting tools. Each named, each placed.

Laser platform · Fotona StarWalker MaQX

StarWalker MaQX

A Q-Switched Nd:YAG platform delivering nanosecond pulses across four wavelengths. The mechanism is photoacoustic: rapid energy delivery creates pressure waves that fragment pigment chromophores rather than heating bulk tissue. Two on-platform modalities sit in our scar revision protocol.

Q-Switched Fractional Nd:YAG 1064nm, fractional

Fractional delivery of nanosecond 1064nm energy. Reaches dermal depth without engaging melanin in the surface layers. Used for atrophic scar revision in skin types IV through VI where ablative resurfacing carries higher PIH risk.

Photoacoustic Toning 1064nm Q-Switched

Full-face nanosecond delivery for tone evening across the treated field. Sequenced when pigment uniformity is part of the goal alongside structural scar revision.

Laser platform · Fotona SP Dynamis Pro

SP Dynamis Pro

A dual-wavelength platform: Er:YAG at 2940nm (the peak water-absorption wavelength, ablative) and long pulsed Nd:YAG at 1064nm (millisecond pulse, deep thermal). Two on-platform modalities sit in our scar revision protocol.

Er:YAG fractional resurfacing 2940nm, fractional ablative

Fractional ablative delivery in microscopic columns. Less thermal coagulation than CO2 fractional, faster recovery, lower PIH risk profile in darker skin. Published clinical evidence supports Er:YAG fractional resurfacing in skin types IV through VI.

FRAC3 long pulsed Nd:YAG, 1064nm

Sub-surface dermal remodelling through millisecond thermal delivery. Stimulates collagen type I synthesis. Layered alongside fractional resurfacing for deeper structural revision where the morphology calls for it.

Focal application · Trichloroacetic acid

TCA CROSS

The reference treatment for icepick scars. High-concentration TCA applied focally into the scar channel, never as a full-face peel. Stimulates collagen replacement from inside the channel. Sequenced at two to four week intervals across multiple sessions. Combines well with fractional resurfacing in adjacent areas of the same face.

Photobiomodulation · 590nm, 633nm, 850nm

MediSOL LED

Yellow 590nm, red 633nm, and near-infrared 850nm photobiomodulation. The role in scar revision is recovery support after ablative laser sessions: yellow calms post-treatment redness, red supports cellular renewal, near-infrared supports wound healing. Reduces the inflammation and PIH risk that can follow ablative treatment on darker skin. Skin-type neutral. Available as an add-on to scar sessions.

Chemical · SA, mandelic, glycolic, TCA

PinkRX peels

Pink’s chemical peel range. The salicylic-mandelic family is the safest peel chemistry for darker skin and is first-line for PIH that often accompanies scarring. Glycolic and TCA peels sit at higher concentrations for specific protocol stages. Peels are sequenced before laser to prepare skin and after laser to manage any residual PIH.

Assessment · Multi-spectral imaging

VISIA

Canfield’s multi-spectral imaging system. Quantifies the skin we are reading: porphyrins, RBX brown for PIH burden and depth, RBX red for PIE and post-acne erythema, pores, texture. Used at intake for baseline, every four to six weeks during active treatment, and at six- and twelve-month milestones to track response. VISIA is an assessment tool, not a treatment.

How treatment runs.

Plan written together, modality matched as your skin responds.

Step 01

Free skin consultation

Reading the skin, hearing the history, agreeing the scope. Plan written together. Single sessions, packages, and customised plans are all on the table, and we’ll talk through what fits your skin and your budget.

Book a free skin consultation→

Step 02

VISIA assessment

Quantitative imaging across porphyrin, brown, and red channels at baseline. Establishes what the skin is showing now and what we will track across the course.

Step 03

Course start

The first session. The modality used is the one that fits the skin and morphology on the day. On the laser slate, Er:YAG fractional, Q-Switched Fractional Nd:YAG, FRAC3, and Photoacoustic Toning all sit at the same price tier. The choice is clinical, not commercial.

Step 04

Through the course

Sessions sit at appropriate intervals: two to four weeks for non-ablative treatment, four to eight weeks for ablative. Modality and parameters are revised per session as the skin responds. PinkRX peels and MediSOL LED layer in where they help. TCA CROSS focal sessions are scheduled where the morphology calls for it.

Step 05

Recovery and maintenance

MediSOL LED supports recovery after ablative sessions. Sun protection is non-negotiable. Maintenance peels at monthly cadence preserve the result between courses.

Step 06

Re-assessment

VISIA at three- and six-month milestones. The next stretch of the plan is written from what the imaging and the skin show, together.

Book a free skin consultation→

Three ways in.

Single session, package, or a plan we write together.

Path 01

Single session

Try one.

Per-session pricing for each treatment is below. Single sessions cost more per visit than they would inside a package, and we still write them when that is the path that fits your budget. Results compound across sessions, so a single is a beginning, not a course in itself.

Path 02

Package

A sequenced course.

Two, three, or six sessions per area. Built from years of writing customised plans, sequenced for how the skin tends to respond. Many patients fit one of the package shapes as written.

Path 03

Customised plan

Written at consultation.

The team reads your skin, hears your history, and writes a plan that fits both your skin and the budget you’ve come in with. Plans are modified to budget. The starter-pack version of any plan is offered when budget is tight. The goal is for you to start.

On the laser slate

All laser modalities Pink uses for scar revision sit at the same price tier on our books. The choice between Q-Switched Fractional Nd:YAG, Er:YAG fractional resurfacing, FRAC3 dermal remodelling, and Photoacoustic Toning is clinical, not commercial. What is right for your skin and your scars on the day is what is used.

Build your plan.

Laser sessions

Treatment Area

No. of Sessions

Laser sessions: $890.00

Add to your plan

TCA CROSS From $350.00

Focal application of high-concentration TCA into icepick channels. Pick your own area and session count.

Treatment area

No. of sessions

LED Revive From $99.00

Yellow, red, and near-infrared photobiomodulation. Recovery support after ablative laser sessions.

No. of sessions

Total

$890.00

Or book a free skin consultation first →

What this page treats, and what belongs elsewhere.

What’s in scope, and what isn’t.

This page is for atrophic and post-inflammatory acne scarring as named in the scar-type guide above. Icepick, rolling, boxcar (shallow and deep), and hypertrophic acne scars are within Pink’s scope. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and post-inflammatory erythema are also within scope. We treat these daily.

A few presentations belong with a dermatologist, not with us. Severe nodulocystic acne that is still active, or active acne being treated on the isotretinoin pathway, sits with a specialist while the disease is being managed. We come in alongside that pathway when the patient comes back to us for the marks left behind. Keloid-pattern scarring (scar tissue extending beyond the original wound boundary, progressive growth) belongs with a dermatologist for intralesional steroid and combination management.

If your presentation is a fit for Pink, we will say so. If it is not, we will say that too, and tell you what would be.

The free consultation is the place this conversation happens. You bring your skin. We read it. The plan or the referral is written from there.

Common questions.

Answered plainly, before you ask them.

Is laser scar revision safe for darker skin?

Yes, and it is one of the structural reasons Pink’s scar protocol is shaped the way it is. We use Q-Switched Fractional Nd:YAG at 1064nm and long pulsed Nd:YAG as first-line for skin types IV through VI. Both bypass surface melanin and reach the dermis directly. Er:YAG fractional is sequenced in at conservative parameters with patch testing and pre-treatment preparation.

The single biggest variable in darker-skin laser outcomes is operator skill, and we adjust for skin type at every session, not as an exception.

What is the difference between scarring, PIH, and PIE?

Scarring is permanent change to the dermal architecture, indented or raised. PIH is brown or grey-brown flat marks, melanin only, no texture change. PIE is pink or red flat marks, vascular only, no texture change. Most patients have a mix. The plan is matched to the mix. The scar-type guide above breaks each one out.

What scar types do you treat?

Icepick, rolling, boxcar shallow and deep, hypertrophic, plus post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and post-inflammatory erythema. Each has its own protocol and each is named in the guide above. Where a presentation sits outside our scope, for example keloid-pattern scarring, we say so and refer.

How does treatment for icepick differ from rolling or boxcar?

Icepick scars need TCA CROSS as the reference treatment, applied focally into the channel rather than across the surrounding skin. Rolling and boxcar scars respond to fractional resurfacing matched to skin type: Er:YAG fractional on lighter skin, Q-Switched Fractional Nd:YAG on darker skin, often layered with FRAC3 long pulsed Nd:YAG for deeper structural revision. Many patients have multiple morphologies and the plan sequences across them.

How long until I see something?

Most courses produce visible change between week eight and week sixteen post-session, with peak result at three to six months after the final session as collagen continues to remodel. Single sessions often show a softening at four to six weeks. We track with VISIA so the change is visible in imaging before it is visible in the mirror.

How many sessions will I need?

The plan is written for the morphology and skin in front of us. Mini courses run two or three sessions. Full courses run six. Some patients respond inside a mini course; others need the full course or a multi-modal sequence. The plan is revised across the course as the skin responds. There is no fixed protocol applied to everyone.

Can I have scar revision while I’m still getting active breakouts?

Active inflammatory acne is a relative contraindication to scar revision. The risk is that a session can flare or extend the breakout, and any active inflammation drives PIH risk on top of the procedure. We treat the active acne first or alongside, with long pulsed Nd:YAG for inflammatory acne, peels, and LED, then start scar revision once the disease is settled.

What does treatment cost?

Per-session and package pricing is on this page through the variant selector. All laser modalities Pink uses for scar revision sit at the same price tier, and the modality used is the one that fits your skin on the day. TCA CROSS and MediSOL LED are priced separately and added where they help. Customised plans are written at the free consultation and modified to budget.

What if my scarring is severe?

Severe scarring usually means a multi-modal plan across a longer course, sometimes alongside topical medication during the course. The plan is realistic about pace and outcome. Visible improvement is the goal we will agree on. Erasure is not what scar revision produces, on any device, anywhere. We will tell you in plain language what we expect.

How do I start?

The first step is a free skin consultation. We read your skin, hear your history, and write the plan from there. Bring photographs of how your skin has behaved across the breakouts that left these marks if you have them. They help.

If a single session is the path that fits your budget, we will write it. If a course is right, we will say so. Either way, the plan is written together.

Book a free skin consultation→