Treating active acne and treating the scarring it leaves are separate projects, and the order matters: resurfacing scars while the acne is still active tends to disappoint, because new lesions keep arriving. Getting the acne itself under control usually comes first, and that is frequently a prescribing conversation rather than a spa one.
For scarring, the approach depends on the scar type. Rolling and boxcar scars respond differently from ice-pick scars, and the pigment left after a spot heals, which fades on its own over months, is a different thing again from a true textural scar. Someone who assesses which you have before quoting a package is doing the job properly.
How it gets treated
These are the approaches used locally. A provider may offer one of them or several, which is why the same name appears under more than one heading on this site.
- Prescription medication, topical and oral
- Chemical peels, particularly salicylic acid
- Extractions and treatment facials
- Microneedling and RF microneedling, mainly for scarring
- Laser resurfacing, for scarring and texture
What to ask a provider
- Is my acne controlled enough to start treating the scarring?
- What kind of scarring do I have, and which treatment suits that kind?
- Do I need a prescriber involved rather than only in-clinic treatments?
Who offers this near Boulder
88 of the providers in our directory treat this, detected from their own published service pages. Scores are our 0 to 100 rating of the business, not of this treatment specifically, and they are never for sale. How we score.
Related: MicroneedlingChemical PeelsFacials
This page is information, not medical advice. Annette Thompson is a medical technologist writing from public data and firsthand visits, not your clinician. Decisions about any of this belong in a conversation with a qualified clinician who knows your history.