An acne scar will not disappear completely, but its relief and colour improve clearly with well-chosen treatment. The starting point is to classify it: ice-pick, boxcar or rolling scar, hypertrophic scar, or simple brown mark. In Marrakech, Dr Sara Zahid examines each scar, then combines, depending on the case, Dermapen, Fotona fractional lasers and PRP, with cautious settings on olive skin. She only starts once the acne has settled, so as not to treat skin that is still inflamed.
An ice-pick scar is narrow and deep, like a puncture. A boxcar scar has sharp edges and a flat floor. A rolling scar gives the cheek an undulating appearance. A hypertrophic, raised scar is rarer on the face but common on the back and chest. An ice-pick scar does not respond to a laser the way a rolling scar does: this is why the examination comes before the choice of treatment.
Many patients call flat brown or red marks left after a spot "scars". They are not sunken, and they often improve over time with sun protection and a suitable depigmenting or vascular treatment. On olive skin they are the most common after-effect and need a strategy of their own.
Microneedling (Dermapen) creates fine, controlled micro-punctures that restart collagen production. Combined with PRP (platelet-rich plasma, prepared from your own blood), it can strengthen the quality of repair. It is a gradual option, suited to shallow scars and to the general texture of the skin.
The fractional Er:YAG laser vaporises very fine columns of skin to remodel the relief, and the fractional picosecond Nd:YAG stimulates collagen at depth. Settings are adjusted to the depth of the scars and to skin type. The clinic's protocols generally involve three to eight sessions depending on the indication, a few weeks apart. Downtime is short, from zero to five days depending on the intensity.
We wait until the acne is under control: treating scars on active acne exposes you to new lesions. The skin must also be prepared and protected from the sun before and after each session, which often leads to scheduling sessions in autumn and winter in Marrakech. Improvement is gradual; photos taken under the same conditions allow it to be judged objectively.
A thick, keloid or old scar, on the face or body, calls for a different treatment: local care, infiltration, laser and, in some cases, surgical revision. It is examined separately, because some procedures are not advised in people who form keloids.
No, but they can be clearly softened: less pronounced relief, more even texture, more uniform colour. The result depends on the type of scar and on the skin.
Once the acne is under control. Intervening on skin that is still inflamed exposes you to new lesions and brown marks.
Fractional laser remodels the relief at depth, Dermapen stimulates collagen through micro-punctures, sometimes with PRP. They do not suit all types of scar or all skin types in the same way: the indication, or a combination of both, is decided after examination.
Generally three to eight depending on the type of scar and the technique, a few weeks apart. The exact number is given after examination.
Yes, with cautious settings, skin preparation and strict sun protection to avoid brown marks. This is one of Dr Zahid's areas of training.
You feel tingling or heat. An anaesthetic cream can be applied, and the laser is cooled.
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