Flawless skin: it’s one of the most unattainable beauty goals. Despite all the pricey cleansers and face scrubs we’ve experimented with, our skin still remains blotchy, oily, and perhaps even scarred with angry blemishes. Puberty might’ve happened years ago but the acne scars still remain – it seems like there’s no true escape from your adolescent woes.
But it’s now the year 2019 and acne scar removal treatments have changed drastically.
In one last-ditch attempt for clear skin, we tried acne scar removal at Sozo Aesthetic Clinic.
Dr Justin Boey of Sozo Aesthetic Clinic will give you a thorough skin analysis before starting.
Typically, anything with the word treatment sends us into immediate flight mode. But at Sozo Aesthetic Clinic, medical director Dr Justin Boey gave us a better understanding by going through the treatments available for acne scarring.
A mix of acne scars.
Image credit: Sozo Aesthetic Clinic
Feel free to discuss any skin issues you face or any concerns you have about the treatment here. In our case, our subject had a mix of ice-pick, boxcar, and rolling scars – it sounds like an overload but really, these are all common scars caused by severe acne.
We were recommended the customised 360° Acne Scar Treatment Program, a combo of the most suitable treatments. This involved 3 different treatments: Subcision + Filler, Fractional CO2 Edge Laser, and INFINI Laser.
Slathering the skin with numbing cream.
This step is Subcision + Filler, a.k.a. the breakdown stage that’ll make your acne scars easier to remove. Dr Boey does this by using sharp needles – depending on your scar severity and location – to break through the bands of scar tissue. Rejuran S Fillers will also be injected for a fresh, new start, to fill and plump out any concave scars. Unlike cosmetic fillers, these have long-lasting effects!
If you’re sensitive to pain, not to worry: numbing cream will be applied so you won’t feel a thing. Those still reading this with slight apprehension will be pleased to know that you can ask for even more numbing cream – if you’ve got low pain tolerance, that is.
Approximate downtime of Subcision + Filler: 2 to 7 days
Sessions needed of Subcision + Filler: 2 to 4 sessions, spaced at least 2 weeks apart
Price of Subcision: From $400
Price of Rejuran S Filler: From $500 per syringe
The Fractional CO2 Edge Laser is a fractional laser for acne scar removal. The laser cleverly targets scars but leaves all healthy tissue untouched. We noticed that the subtle imprints of tiny grid marks will appear the next day, but this vanishes fast enough.
Approximate downtime of Fractional CO2 Edge Laser: 2 to 3 days
Sessions of Fractional CO2 Edge Laser needed: 3 to 5 sessions, spaced at least 3 weeks apart
Price of Fractional CO2 Edge Laser: From $450
The INFINI Laser targets scars with surgical precision, meaning less damage to the surrounding skin.
If you’ve got a case of severe acne scars, then the INFINI Fractional RF Laser is a treatment to consider. When applied with others, it helps smoothen deep depressed acne scars – it targets up to 3.5mm deep! The treatment uses insulted micro-needles, which means that all energy’s pinpointed towards the needle tip.
But sciencey jargon aside – what this laser does it to heat up the acne scars to break down damaged collagen. This is said to be at least twice as effective as the CO2 laser, but of course, treatments come at a steeper price.
Approximate downtime of INFINI: 1 to 3 days
Sessions needed of INFINI: 2 to 5 sessions
Price of INFINI: From $850
Having struggled with breakouts through my teen years and acne scarring as I enter adulthood, having clear skin was a pretty unattainable fantasy for me. While acne scar treatments can’t magically erase the scars, they’ll bring you one step closer to smoother skin.
For those plagued by severe acne scarring or have slight pockmarking, consider Sozo Aesthetic Clinic for their range of acne scar removal treatments.
They’ll give you a small tub of recovery cream after every session – you’d need to use it twice a day for 2 days.
In total, we went for 4 treatments – here’s the breakdown of what we did:
For us, the biggest concern was pain. I don’t have a particularly high pain tolerance but if I had to rate the discomfort I felt on a scale of 1-10 (unbearable), I would score it a 2. The sensation is similar to that of a needling twinge, but some lighthearted conversation did well to distract me from it all.
Image credit: Sozo Aesthetic Clinic
It helps that he has a ton of credentials too, everything from completing his MBBS at NUS to certificates in Aesthetics.
Image credit: @sammsation
They say confidence is the most attractive thing you can wear and they’re absolutely right!
Address: 1 Raffles Place, #5-12/13 One Raffles Place, Singapore 048616
Opening hours: Mon to Fri: 10AM-8PM, Sat: 10AM-3PM (Closed on Sundays)
Telephone: 6935 1811
This post was brought to you by Sozo Aesthetic Clinic.
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