Acne Scarring & Skin TextureNewstead, Brisbane

Acne scars form when inflammation reaches deep into the skin and damages collagen, the protein that gives skin its strength and structure. As the skin heals, it can lay down too little collagen, which leaves a sunken or indented scar. Or it can lay down too much, which leaves a raised, lumpy one. Most people get the sunken type. Raised scars are less common and tend to show up on the jawline, chest and back. The biggest thing that decides whether a scar becomes permanent is how long the acne stayed inflamed before it was treated. Picking makes it worse. Adult jawline cystic acne carries the highest scar risk of any kind of acne. True scars are permanent changes in the skin. That is different from the brown and red marks, which fade on their own.

There are four kinds of true acne scars. Ice-pick scars are narrow, deep pits, as if the skin has been punctured. Box-car scars are wider pits with steep sides and a flat floor, a bit like small craters. Rolling scars are shallow, wave-like dips across the cheeks, pulled down by small fibrous bands under the skin. Hypertrophic and keloid scars are the raised, lumpy ones, often pink, and more common on the jawline, chest and back than on the face. On top of these, most people also have flat marks left by recent breakouts. The brown marks are called PIH (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation), and they are more common in olive and darker skin. The pink or red marks are called PIE (post-inflammatory erythema), and they are more common in lighter skin. PIH and PIE are not true scars. Both fade on their own over six to twelve months. Skincare, gentle peels and, for the red marks, vascular laser can speed that up.

The key thing to understand is that most people have a mix of these, not just one. A typical face has rolling scars on the upper cheeks, a few ice-pick marks near the temples, some box-car pits lower down, and either brown or red marks around the jawline. Trying to treat all of that with one machine is the most common reason people end up disappointed. Each kind responds best to a different approach. Rolling scars do well with RF microneedling. Ice-pick scars are narrow and deep and need a focused technique matched to that shape. Box-car scars respond to RF microneedling and sometimes fractional laser. Raised scars need anti-inflammatory care and vascular laser. The flat marks need skincare and gentle peels. So the right plan is personal, and it is built in stages.

Treatment follows a clear order. First, we get any active acne under control, because every new breakout can create a new scar. That is where good skincare, in-clinic options like AviClear, and, where needed, medical management of active acne come in. Second, we map the scars in person and decide which treatments to combine, and in what order. Third comes the treatment itself, usually two or three approaches spread across several sessions. Recent thinking has moved towards starting scar treatment earlier, rather than waiting for the acne to settle completely, because younger scars respond more easily than older ones. The approaches we offer at Body Dezign House, such as RF microneedling with Morpheus 8 and Vivace, skin needling, gentle peels, collagen-stimulating treatments, Clear & Brilliant, Skin Booster, Rejuran and Healite II LED, cover most mild to moderate scarring well. For very deep or complex scar patterns, or scars that have not improved with standard care, some approaches sit outside what we offer, and we focus on the parts that fit our scope.

Our Newstead clinic serves clients across Brisbane, including New Farm, Teneriffe, Fortitude Valley, Hamilton, Ascot, and the broader inner north.