I am 22 years old. Can microneedling treat my acne scars?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 22-year-old woman and still have acne scars. I feel insecure without makeup. There are red marks all over my cheeks. I have had acne, followed by scarring, since I was 14 and have tried everything to improve my skin.

Nothing has worked, and I feel discouraged. I almost took Accutane in high school, but I was concerned about its side effects. I am wondering what might help at this point. My mom had acne during her college years.

I have heard about microneedling. Is it painful? Is it expensive? And would it actually work?

Please advise.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

Based on your description, I would say that you have post-inflammatory erythema (residual red marks after acne), rather than acne per se or true deep scarring, which is quite common in fair to medium skin types and may persist for many years unless properly treated.

The critical part is that you cannot get rid of the residual redness just with topical acne medications, which is why it appears to be ineffective. Microneedling will work, especially with the texture and initial scarring, but for the redness, it might be less effective than the vascular lasers (like pulsed dye laser - PDL), or combination treatment. Of course, microneedling will also work great for improving the skin's overall condition and collagen synthesis.

Microneedling is well-tolerated, with local anesthesia, and pain is mostly perceived as a pressure or scratching sensation. The procedure requires 3-6 sessions with monthly intervals between them.

Accutane (Isotretinoin) is not indicated if you do not have active, severe acne. A realistic treatment plan would include strict daily sunscreen use, a gentle retinoid if tolerated, and procedural treatment guided by a dermatologist. Most importantly, this condition is treatable; your skin is not failing; it simply needs the right type of therapy rather than more products.

I hope it helped with your query.

Thank you.