Steroid injections: Thick scars (keloids) can be injected with cortisone to make them softer and flatter. Dermal fillers: Certain scars can be filled with a substance that elevates the depressed areas, such as hyaluronic acid. This can make the surface of the skin more even, and get rid of shadows. It s important to note that the most commonly used fillers aren t permanent, but they can last about a year. Lasers: These can be helpful in reducing the redness associated with acne marks and scars. I use a pulse-dye laser called the V-Beam for red scars. When treating older scars that are no longer red, I like to use the Fraxel laser. When lasers are used to treat acne scars, the results can differ dramatically based on two things: how many treatments you have done, and how much social downtime you re willing to accept as part of the recovery process. Punch excisions: This is especially helpful for those deep scars that are sometimes referred to as ice pick scars. Your dermatologist will numb up the area and use a tiny cookie-cutter like device to cut out the scar, and then sew it closed with a tiny stitch. The stitch is removed in less than a week. Mix and Match: Since acne scars vary, so do treatments. Depending on the individual, I often use a multimodal approach to treating acne scars. First, I might use Fraxel treatments to smooth out the skin texture. Then, I often use a combination of the fillers Restylane and Belotero to lift the depressed scars. Finally, I perform a few punch excisions to surgically remove any deep scars that may remain.