McKeown Medical
167 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 4SQ
Can You Get Rid of Acne Scars? Your Questions Answered
Published by Dr Rhona Cameron
Date posted — 7.05.25
If you’ve struggled with acne, you’re likely all too familiar with the scars it can leave behind. Acne scarring can be an extremely distressing condition to deal with, particularly since it serves as a constant reminder of the emotional trauma at the time of the original acne. While there are plenty of at-home treatments promising results, the truth is, many of these solutions aren’t effective in significantly improving scars. There are effective treatments available in clinics that can significantly improve the appearance of your scars, especially laser treatments, although no treatment is able to get rid of scars completely.
What are acne scars?
Acne scars occur when acne lesions inflame the skin deeply enough to damage the tissue beneath it. When your body tries to heal these damaged areas, it does so by creating scar tissue. Acne scars can look different depending on their type:
- Atrophic scars: These are scars that are indented in areas where tissue has been permanently lost. There are three main types of atrophic scars: ice pick, which look like a small slit in the skin, similar to what you might imagine an ice pick might make; rolling scars, which are depressed areas of the skin; and boxcar scars which are said to look more ‘punched out’. The thing that all of these scar types have in common is that they are the result of tissue loss.
- Hypertrophic scars: These are raised scars that are caused by too much collagen production during healing. They look more like raised bumps on the skin and are often associated with red or brown marks on the skin, which are the result of longer-term inflammation.
Understanding your acne scars can help you choose the right treatment.
Can acne scars be removed permanently?
While completely removing acne scars might not be achievable, significant improvement is possible, especially when combination treatments are employed. Acne scars are famously stubborn, and results can vary greatly from person to person depending on scar severity. However, advanced combination treatments can reduce the appearance of acne scars, enhancing your skin’s texture and boosting your confidence.
What are my treatment options?
Acne scarring treatments fall into several categories:
At-home treatments
- Topical creams and gels
- Microneedling devices
Dermatological treatments
- Chemical peels
- Steroid injections (particularly effective for hypertrophic scars)
- Botox (used occasionally to reduce the appearance of scars by relaxing surrounding skin, especially on the forehead or around the eyes)
- Filler injections – this is especially effective for atrophic scars, where loss of fat below the scar makes the lesion look deeper and more noticeable.
Surgical treatments
- Minor surgical techniques, such as punch excision. This is especially helpful for ice pick scars.
Laser treatments for acne scarring
Laser treatments are particularly effective and are generally considered the most effective treatment. At McKeown Medical, we specialise in several advanced laser treatments:
- Full Laser Resurfacing: Ideal for deeply scarred skin, this intensive treatment significantly improves texture by removing the outer layers of skin and stimulating collagen production during the healing process.
- ProFractional Laser Treatment: Targets specific areas with precision, allowing for faster healing despite going very deep within the skin.
- HALO Laser Treatment: Combines both ablative and non-ablative technology to deliver impressive improvement in scars associated with poor skin texture. This treatment has the benefit of less downtime.
- BBL® Treatment: Intense pulsed light therapy that gently addresses redness and pigmentation issues often associated with acne scars. We normally use this as an adjunct to other types of lasers when treating acne scars.
Each treatment has its own indications, and at McKeown Medical, we’ll help identify the best approach tailored to your skin and your particular pattern of scarring.
Getting the results you want at McKeown Medical
While acne scars can be tough, achieving clearer, smoother skin is entirely possible. McKeown Medical has proven results in reducing acne scarring, helping many patients regain their confidence. Our expert team will work closely with you to achieve the best possible outcomes through advanced laser treatments.
At McKeown Medical, we can help you achieve the results you desire with our range of laser treatments. Check out our gallery to see patient results.
Book a consultation to discuss the options that would be right for you.
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I’ve been back in the clinic for a week and we are right into laser season!
Thank you so much to this lovely patient who has allowed us to share her pictures with you. She was concerned about sun damage and deep lines and wrinkles on her face, especially on her forehead, on her cheeks and around her mouth. She opted for full laser resurfacing which is unrivalled for repairing this level of damage to the skin, but does come with slightly more downtime compared to other laser treatments.
These after pictures are six weeks after this patient’s initial treatment, and while she’s still a little pink (little enough that light make up will cover it!), you can see the she already has beautifully refreshed skin and her deep lines have been significantly reduced.
The true results for full laser resurfacing are usually seen after six months so we’ll share some pictures of this patient then so you can see the final result, but she’s absolutely delighted with the improvement so far!
What do you think?
We often talk about the deep plane facelift being the gold standard technique for facelift, and we’re proud to have the talented @bramhallplasticsurgery performing it in the clinic.
Here’s Russell explaining how the deep plane facelift offers longer lasting and more natural results than other techniques. By lifting and repositioning the deeper facial structures rather than just tightening the skin, this advanced approach creates a result that looks natural, moves naturally, and continues to age beautifully over time.
If you have any questions about the deep plane facelift just send us a message, or you can see more about the procedure at the link in our profile.
Our 5ml protocol is designed for patients looking for a general refresh - perfect at the earlier stages of the aging process or a gentle start for those further into the process.
This lovely patient came to us with concerns about her nose to mouth lines, some lost volume in her cheeks and her jowls. We used the 5ml protocol to give her an overall rejuvenation which gives her a really natural result that we can build on in the future.
You can a see video of this patient’s treatment at the link in our profile.
What do you think?
This patient had deep lines and folds in her face which she wanted to address as naturally as possible, so went for our signature volumetric facelift - a fully non-surgical approach but can have significant results.
With this, we want to restore natural lift, structure and definition to her face and by carefully rebuilding volume where it’s been lost, we softened her folds and lines while maintaining a completely natural expression.
The patient is delighted is really pleased with her result so far - what do you think?
Here`s another fabulous result from our amazing consultant vascular surgeon, Dr Alex Vesey.
This patient was bothered by visible varicose veins around her knee. After treatment with foam sclerotherapy the veins have been cleared, leaving behind smoother, and healthier-looking skin.
If you have varicose veins that have been bothering you, now is a great time to have them treated. We use the minimally-invasive techniques to treat both the cosmetic and medical aspects of varicose veins, and can offer effective treatments with little to no downtime.
If you’d like to know more about how we can help with varicose veins, check the link in our profile.
Thank you to this lovely patient for allowing us to share her results.
She wanted some help with her jowls, so we used some filler to restore structure in her cheeks, chin and jaw. She was delighted with the immediate improvement.
What do you think?
If you`d like to know more about how we can address jowls, visit the link in our profile.
When four become five! The newest Cronin-McKeown decided she was so excited to meet her daddies and big sister that she arrived a month early. Despite almost giving her daddies a heart attack with her premature appearance, Ottilie is absolutely thriving and Ophelia already loves being a big sister ❤️
We posted this lovely patient`s selfie before and afters a few weeks ago and we wanted to update you now on how things look with the proper clinical photos, so you can really scrutinise the details. This patient had full laser resurfacing five months ago to rejuvenate her skin, before undergoing a deep plane face and neck lift and upper blepharoplasty with our fabulous plastic surgeon @bramhallplasticsurgery two months ago to complete her refreshed look.
Although selfie-style photos are a great indicator of a result, and what you normally see on social media, we always like to follow up with clinic photos because thats how you see the details!
The patient is over the moon with her results. What do you think?
Here`s another fabulous result from our talented surgeon @bramhallplasticsurgery.
This lovely patient had a wide awake deep plane face and neck lift under local anaesthetic. The deep plane technique is the most technically challenging facelift to perform, and Russell remains the only surgeon in Scotland offering it. Unlike more traditional lifts, it goes much deeper to reposition the facial tissues rather than simply pulling them tight.
The outcome is a much more effective rejuvenation and results that last far longer than a standard facelift.
She is nine months post-surgery and absolutely delighted with her results.
What do you think?
For more information on the deep plane face and neck lift, check out the link in our profile.
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Our dedicated team of experts are on hand to help you as you navigate your journey with us.
When you first make contact with us you will be assigned your own personal Patient Relationship Manager. They’ll start by understanding your needs and liaising with our doctors to book you an appointment with the most suitable specialist. For any additional questions or needs, you can message or call them anytime and they’ll be delighted to assist you. Our entire team is dedicated to providing you with the best possible treatment and care tailored to your needs.
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