Skin Care · Downtown Chicago
Acne Scar Treatment And Post-Acne Mark Removal In Chicago
The acne is gone, but scars, texture changes, red marks, or brown spots remain? That is one of the most frustrating places to be. You did the hard part. You got the breakouts under control, and your skin still does not look finished.
Most of what acne leaves behind can be improved. The catch is that a pitted scar, a flat red mark and a brown spot can sit side by side on the same cheek, and each one needs a different approach. We look closely at what your skin is actually showing before we recommend anything.
Start With The Diagnosis
Most people who come to us for acne scars have tried something already. Usually it was a brightening serum, a retinol or an at-home roller, and usually the result was a little disappointing. That is rarely because the product was bad. It is because it was aimed at the wrong problem.
A true acne scar is a change in the structure of the skin. The collagen underneath was damaged during the breakout, and the surface sank or pulled down with it. No cream reaches that deep. A post-acne mark is different. It is flat, it sits in the skin’s color rather than its structure, and it can be red, pink, purple or brown.
At your consultation at our Old Town studio on N Larrabee St, we look at your skin in good light, check the texture, and tell you what we see. Many people have a combination, and the order you treat things in matters.
Know What You Are Looking At
Acne leaves two kinds of changes: scars you can feel, and marks you can only see. They look similar in the mirror and respond to completely different treatments.
Changes in the skin’s structure. These need treatments that rebuild collagen.
Wide, shallow dips with soft, sloping edges that give the skin a wavy look, especially in side lighting. Bands of scar tissue tether the skin to the layers underneath. They tend to respond well to microneedling, which helps release those bands.
Round or oval depressions with sharper, more defined edges, a bit like a chickenpox scar. Shallow boxcar scars often improve noticeably with a course of microneedling. Deeper ones take more sessions.
Narrow, deep and pointed, like a small puncture in the skin. These are the hardest acne scars to treat. They take longer and sometimes need another approach alongside microneedling. We will tell you honestly if that is the case.
Flat changes in color or surface. These respond to peels, laser or collagen work.
Flat marks left where a breakout used to be, often called post-inflammatory erythema. They come from small blood vessels that stayed dilated after the inflammation settled. Brightening products do very little for them, which is why they can seem stuck.
Flat brown, gray or dark marks called post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. The skin made extra pigment in response to the breakout and has not cleared it yet. More common and more stubborn on medium and deeper skin tones. Read more on our pigmentation and dark spots page.
Even without distinct scars, years of acne can leave skin looking rough, bumpy or dull, with pores that look larger than they used to. This usually improves as the skin’s collagen is rebuilt. See uneven skin tone and texture.
Three Treatments, One Clinic
Some skin only needs one. Many clients get the best result from two used in the right order.
Stimulates collagen remodeling to improve the appearance and texture of appropriate acne scars.
Microneedling is our main treatment for pitted and textured acne scarring. We use SkinPen, the first microneedling device to earn FDA clearance and one cleared specifically for improving the appearance of facial acne scars. It uses sterile, single-use cartridges and a depth setting that stays consistent across the whole pass.
Very fine needles create thousands of microscopic channels in the skin. Your body treats them as small injuries worth repairing and responds with new collagen and elastin. In scarred skin, the needles also help break up the fibrous bands pulling the scar down, and the healing response fills that released space with new collagen.
In our experience, rolling and boxcar scars respond fastest, with visible change usually showing by the third session. Ice pick scars take longer. Full detail is on our microneedling in Chicago page.
Rolling scars, boxcar scars, rough texture and enlarged pores.
May help improve superficial post-acne discoloration and skin irregularities.
A chemical peel works on the top layers of the skin. The solution loosens the bonds holding old, discolored cells in place so your skin sheds them faster and brings fresher skin to the surface. We use superficial peels with acids such as glycolic, lactic, salicylic or mandelic, and choose the type and strength based on your skin and how it has reacted to treatment before.
Peels suit flat brown marks, mild surface roughness and dullness after acne. They will not lift a pitted scar, so if you have both marks and scars, we often pair peels with microneedling. One peel rarely impresses anyone. A series usually does.
For the first two or three days your skin may look slightly darker and feel tight, then it flakes. That flaking means the treatment is working. Picking at it can set off new dark marks, so please leave it alone.
Brown post-acne marks, surface irregularities and uneven-looking skin.
May be considered when remaining discoloration represents an appropriate pigmented or vascular target.
Some post-acne marks stay put even after the skin has healed and the texture has improved. When what is left is a defined brown spot or persistent redness that fits what the laser is built to treat, the GentleMax Pro Plus can target it directly. It is a Candela platform with built-in DCD cooling that protects the surface of the skin while the energy reaches the target. It is the same system we use for laser hair removal, and it is safe across every skin type.
Laser is not the right choice for every mark, and it is not a treatment for pitted scars. We use it selectively, only after a free test patch, and only when your marks are the right kind for it.
Lingering brown spots or red marks that remain after other treatments, or that are well defined enough to target directly.
Matching Treatment To Skin
This is how we usually think about it. Your consultation is where we confirm it.
Many people have scars and marks together. In that case we often treat the texture first and clean up the leftover color afterward, so you are not paying to treat pigment that would have faded during your microneedling course anyway. We will also tell you plainly if something is not a good fit for what we offer.
Your Appointment, Step By Step
You leave your consultation with a recommended treatment plan, a realistic number of sessions and a price.
Free, about twenty minutes, held with a $50 deposit. We look at your skin, ask how long the scars or marks have been there, and go over what you have tried. Tell us about active breakouts, cold sores, recent sun exposure, retinoids, isotretinoin (Accutane), and whether you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
If laser is part of your plan, we treat a small area first and have you come back before doing anything larger. It costs nothing.
Peels take about thirty minutes. Microneedling takes closer to an hour, including numbing time. Most clients describe microneedling as closer to an electric toothbrush than a needle.
After microneedling, expect redness like a mild sunburn for 24 to 72 hours, with some tightness and light peeling around day three. Makeup and sunscreen go back on after 24 hours. Many clients book on a Friday and are back to normal by Monday.
Aftercare
Sunscreen every day is part of the treatment, not an extra. Sun exposure on freshly treated skin is one of the most common reasons post-acne marks come back darker.
Keep your routine gentle for the first few days. Skip exfoliants, retinoids and active acids until we tell you it is safe to restart them. Do not pick at flaking skin. If you notice a new breakout during your treatment course, let us know before your next session so we can adjust the timing.
Timeline
For acne scarring, a typical microneedling plan is four sessions spaced about four weeks apart. Collagen builds slowly, so your skin keeps improving for several months after the last session. Some clients are happy after two or three. Others come back once a year to maintain results.
Peels are done as a series a few weeks apart, and most people see their tone even out around the third. Laser marks usually clear within a couple of weeks, though a stubborn spot may need a second pass. Deeper scarring and ice pick scars take longer, and we will give you a realistic estimate at your consultation.
Timing Matters
In most cases this is not a permanent no. It is a timing conversation, and we will have it with you at your consultation.
We treat around mild, occasional breakouts, but not over active acne. If you are still breaking out regularly, getting that under control comes first.
Treating scars while new ones are forming means starting over. Once your skin has been clear for a while, the collagen work you pay for can actually hold.
Pricing
Pricing depends on which treatments you need and how much area we are covering. For microneedling, we publish the full number.
The price we give you is the price you pay. Numbing cream, sterile single-use cartridges and post-treatment products are included and never show up as extra line items.
We book through Vagaro, which offers Buy Now, Pay Later through Affirm. If your plan runs over several months, you can spread the cost the same way. Applying takes a couple of minutes and does not affect your credit score. Rates and terms come from Affirm, not from us.
SkinPen Microneedling
Four sessions over roughly four months
Chemical peels and laser are priced individually. We quote them once we have seen your skin.
Answers
Anything we have not covered here, ask at your consultation, or call the clinic and we will talk it through.
Pitted acne scars can usually be improved, often a lot, but “completely gone” is not an honest promise for most people. The goal is smoother skin where scars are much less noticeable, especially in everyday lighting. Flat red and brown marks are a different story and can often fade fully with the right treatment.
A scar changes the texture of your skin. You can usually feel it or see a shadow in it. A mark is flat and only changes the color. Scars need treatments that rebuild collagen, like microneedling. Marks respond better to peels or laser.
Yes, for the right kind of scars. Rolling and boxcar scars tend to respond best. SkinPen, the device we use, is FDA cleared for improving the appearance of facial acne scars. Studies comparing microneedling with ablative laser resurfacing have found similar improvement in texture with much less downtime.
Red marks come from blood vessels, not pigment, so brightening serums made for dark spots do not do much for them. Many fade slowly on their own. When they do not, they may be a candidate for laser once we have looked at them.
We treat around mild, occasional breakouts, but not over active acne. If you are still breaking out regularly, the priority is getting that under control first, otherwise new marks keep forming while we treat the old ones.
Yes, when the treatment is chosen carefully. Microneedling uses no heat, so it is usually the safest starting point for deeper skin tones. Peels are started gently, and laser is only used after a test patch.
We apply numbing cream before microneedling, and most clients find it very manageable. Peels usually feel warm or tingly for a few minutes. Laser feels like a quick snap, and the built-in cooling helps.
Microneedling results build gradually over months, with rolling and boxcar scars often showing visible change by the third session. Peels usually start evening out tone around the third treatment. Laser marks tend to clear within a couple of weeks.
Yes. Many of our clients see us for both electrolysis or laser hair removal and skin care. We plan the timing so the two do not overlap on the same area while your skin is healing.
Booking
Your skin may be showing one thing or several. We will evaluate it, recommend the most appropriate treatment or combination, and tell you plainly if the answer is something we do not offer.
Electrolysis 100% Permanent Hair Removal & Skin Care sits on N Larrabee St in Old Town, minutes from the Gold Coast, Lincoln Park and the Loop.
We’ll determine whether you’re seeing a scar, pigmentation, redness, or a combination, and build your treatment plan accordingly.
If you’ve never had electrolysis or laser hair removal at our location, we require a consultation before scheduling your first appointment.
For out-of-state clients, consultations can be conducted online.
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