Skin Resurfacing

Acne Scar Treatment in Rawalpindi

Acne scars are not all the same, and this is the entire reason so much acne scar treatment disappoints. A rolling scar, a boxcar scar and an ice-pick scar are three different physical problems, and a treatment that transforms one will barely touch another. Most patients who tell us a previous course did nothing had a reasonable treatment applied to the wrong scar type.

The first thing we do is work out what you actually have, in what proportion, and how deep. Nearly everyone has a mixture, which is why the plans that work are usually combination plans staged over several months rather than a single device used repeatedly.

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Assessment: Scar type mapping at consultation
Typical course: 3-6 sessions, 4-6 weeks apart
Downtime: None to 7 days, depending on treatment
Realistic result: Substantial improvement, not erasure
Best season: Cooler months, for the stronger treatments
Prerequisite: Active acne must be controlled first

The scar types, and what each one needs

Knowing your scar type tells you most of what you need to know about your treatment and your realistic outcome.

Rolling scars — shallow, wide, wavy depressions tethered from below. Respond best to subcision that releases the tether, then resurfacing. Often the most rewarding to treat.
Boxcar scars — sharp-edged, flat-bottomed craters. Respond to fractional resurfacing such as CO2 laser and to microneedling, gradually, over a course.
Ice-pick scars — narrow, deep, needle-punched pits. The most stubborn. Usually need focal treatment such as TCA CROSS rather than general resurfacing, which cannot reach the base.
Post-inflammatory marks — flat brown or red marks with no texture change. These are not scars at all. They fade with time, pigment treatment and sun protection, and do not need resurfacing.
Keloid and hypertrophic scars — raised rather than depressed, more common on the chest, back and jawline. Treated completely differently, usually with injections rather than resurfacing.

Why so many people are treating the wrong thing

A large share of patients who come in asking to have their acne scars lasered do not have textural scarring at all — they have post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, which is flat. Running a laser over flat brown marks on brown skin is unnecessary, expensive, and carries a real risk of making the pigmentation worse.

The test is simple and we will show you at consultation: under angled light, true scars cast a shadow because they have depth. Flat marks do not. It takes a minute and it regularly saves patients an entire course of the wrong treatment.

The treatments we use

Most effective plans combine two or three of these, staged rather than stacked.

CO2 fractional laser — the strongest resurfacing option, best for boxcar scars and general texture. Real downtime of about five to seven days.
Microneedling, with or without radiofrequency — stimulates collagen with far less downtime, suits brown skin well, works over a course.
Subcision — a needle released beneath a tethered rolling scar. Often the step that unlocks results resurfacing alone could not deliver.
TCA CROSS — focal application into individual ice-pick scars, the only approach that reliably reaches them.
Chemical peels — useful for surface irregularity and for the pigment component alongside.
PRP and skin boosters — used alongside resurfacing to support healing and collagen response.

What improvement actually means

A good course of acne scar treatment typically delivers a meaningful reduction in scar depth and a face that reads as smooth in normal light and normal photographs. It does not deliver skin that looks as though you never had acne, and anybody promising that is selling.

The honest framing we use in clinic is this: scars that currently catch the light and are visible across a room become scars that you know are there and other people do not notice. For most patients that is the difference that matters.

Brown skin, and why we treat conservatively

Fitzpatrick IV and V skin — the majority of our patients — carries a genuine risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation after aggressive resurfacing. The scar improves and the skin darkens, and you have traded one problem for another that then takes months to settle.

We manage this by priming the skin beforehand, choosing conservative settings, spacing sessions properly, and scheduling the stronger treatments for the cooler months rather than running CO2 laser on a patient heading into a Rawalpindi July. It is slower. It is also why our patients do not come back with new pigmentation.

Clear the acne first

Scar treatment on skin that is still breaking out is treating a moving target. New lesions form new scars, resurfacing on inflamed skin carries more risk, and you end up paying for a second course.

If your acne is still active we will treat that first. It is not a delaying tactic — it is the difference between one scar course and three.

What affects the cost

Acne scar treatment is priced as a course, because a single session of anything will not do it. What changes the cost:

Scar type and severity, which decides which treatments are needed
Number of sessions in the course, typically three to six
Whether subcision or TCA CROSS is needed alongside resurfacing
Area treated — full face versus cheeks or temples only
Whether PRP or boosters are added to support healing
Loyalty membership, which applies across the repeat sessions

We quote the full course in writing at consultation rather than per session, so you know the total before starting. Send us photos on WhatsApp in good angled light if you want an indication beforehand.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can acne scars be removed completely?

No. Scars are permanent structural changes in the skin and any clinic promising complete removal is misleading you. What is achievable is substantial improvement — typically scars that are obvious across a room becoming scars that only you know about. For most patients that is the outcome that matters.

How many sessions will I need?

Most patients need three to six sessions spaced four to six weeks apart, sometimes combining treatments. Deep or mixed scarring needs more. You will be given a realistic number at consultation rather than being sold one session at a time.

Is CO2 laser safe on brown skin?

Yes, when it is done carefully. The risk on Fitzpatrick IV-V skin is post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, which is managed by priming the skin beforehand, using conservative settings, spacing sessions, and scheduling treatment outside peak summer. A clinic that runs the same settings on every skin tone is the risk, not the laser.

How much downtime does CO2 laser involve?

Realistically five to seven days. For the first two to three days the skin is red and swollen, then it flakes, then it settles pink for a week or two under makeup. Plan it around work and events rather than around a weekend.

Do I need treatment if my marks are flat and brown?

Probably not resurfacing. Flat brown marks are post-inflammatory pigmentation, not scars, and they fade with pigment treatment, time and sun protection. We will show you the difference under angled light at consultation — it regularly saves patients an unnecessary laser course.

Can I have scar treatment while still getting breakouts?

We strongly advise against it. New lesions create new scars and resurfacing inflamed skin carries more risk. We control the acne first, which usually means the scar course that follows is shorter and more effective.

Visiting us in Rawalpindi

Our clinic is on 4th Road in Satellite Town, Rawalpindi — a few minutes from Commercial Market and 6th Road, and a short drive from Chandni Chowk, Saddar, and most of Islamabad.

Address: Basement, B, 994 4th Rd, Satellite Town, Rawalpindi, 46300, Pakistan

Commercial Market
6th Road
Chandni Chowk
Murree Road
Saddar
Islamabad

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