Laser Resurfacing for Acne Scars in Fairfax, VA: Will It Work on Scars This Deep?

Your cystic acne is finally under control after a course of Accutane. What’s left is a handful of deep, pitted scars along your cheeks, and you’d like to know whether laser resurfacing for acne scars in Fairfax, VA will work on scars this deep and how soon you can start. Here’s how Waseem Garbia, PA-C, maps your scars and picks the device at Dontage.

Is Laser Resurfacing for Acne Scars in Fairfax, VA Safe This Soon After Accutane?

At the beginning of your complimentary consultation, you’ll show Waseem the date of your last capsule. If it was less than six months ago, he’ll typically ask you to wait and book your first session for later in the year, since your skin is still drier and thinner than it will be. If it was a year ago, you’ll move on to the mapping that same visit.

Then you and Waseem will look at your cheeks under a bright light, and you’ll point to the scars that bother you most. He’ll stretch the skin beside each one to see whether it flattens, since the scars that flatten respond well to a laser and the ones that stay put need treatment from underneath.

Which Treatment Reaches My Deeper Scars, and How Much Will They Improve?

At your first Halo Tribrid session, Waseem will apply numbing cream and leave it on while the two of you go over what to expect that week. During the pass you’ll feel warmth and a mild prickling. By evening your cheeks will look bronzed. Over the next week the bronzed skin peels off at home.

For the deeper, tethered scars, you’ll be back four to eight weeks later for Vivace RF microneedling. Under the numbing cream it feels like a gentle prickling with warmth, and you’ll be sunburn-red for a day or two afterward. Three or more sessions are typical, and at each visit you and Waseem will look at your cheeks under the same bright light and decide whether the next one is Halo or Vivace.

If your skin flushes easily or is on the darker side, he’ll typically book SkinPen microneedling first and hold the laser for a later session. Your sessions run out of our office on Williams Drive, where Waseem sees patients until 7:30 p.m.

Elevate Your Look at Dontage

You’ll leave your consultation with Waseem Garbia, PA-C, knowing which kind of scars you have, when your skin is ready, and which device comes first. Call Dontage at 703-962-4772 or text 571-581-1020 to book your acne scar consultation.