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Acne Treatment Singapore: Acne Scar FAQ —
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Atelier Aesthetics · Medical Director: Dr. Sin Yong · Updated 25 Oct 2026

This page gathers short answers on acne scars for anyone weighing acne treatment in Singapore. Each answer is brief and links to the Atelier page that covers the subject in depth; general questions about the clinic are on the main FAQ.

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The Short Answer

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Acne scars are treated by type, after the acne itself is under control. Most faces have more than one type and need a staged combination rather than one device, and the aim is clear improvement, not erasure. Dr Sin Yong maps every scar before anything is planned, as acne scar treatment explains.

Diagnosis

Acne Scars Singapore: Telling Them Apart

Could what looks like a pit just be a large pore?

Yes. A small ice-pick scar and an enlarged pore can look much the same in a mirror. They are told apart by examination, scar by scar, because a pore is managed with pore reduction while an ice-pick tract needs focal treatment.

Do raised acne scars flatten on their own?

Keloids, which spread beyond the original spot, rarely shrink by themselves. Hypertrophic scars stay within the spot's margin and behave more kindly. Both follow a different path from depressed scars; see keloid treatment.

Treatments

Acne Treatment Singapore: Scar Treatments In Brief

Does filler fix acne scars?

Only one kind of problem: lost volume beneath broad scars. It is placed after any tether has been released, never instead of release.

Does RF microneedling release tethered scars?

No. It heats the dermis to remodel collagen, which helps texture and some boxcar scars, but it does not cut fibrous bands, treat deep ice-pick tracts alone or clear pigment. See RF microneedling for acne scars.

Is surgery ever used?

Rarely, for an isolated, very deep scar. It is assessed at Atelier; surgery is arranged by referral where needed.

At Atelier

How This Is Assessed At Atelier

Dr SY grades any active acne, examines each scar under side light with the skin stretched, and asks about isotretinoin, keloids, cold sores and pregnancy. The plan is written down in order, with the option of no treatment. For longer answers, read five acne scar questions explained; for general clinic questions, the main FAQ.

Acne Scar Treatment

FAQ

Acne Scars — Common Questions

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With the acne, not the scars. New spots keep making new marks, so active acne is brought under control first. The scars are then mapped type by type under side light, and the plan follows an order: tethers released, narrow pits treated, then resurfacing. Flat red or brown marks are handled separately, because they are colour rather than texture.
No single interval applies. The old advice of six to twelve months came from small case series in the 1980s, and recent analyses found too little evidence for it with several procedures. Fully ablative laser is still not done during a course. Timing depends on the method, its depth, your skin type and your dose, as the isotretinoin and laser timing article explains.
The DEKA Tetra Pro, a 10,600 nm fractional CO2 laser, used in the Tetra Pro Scar³ protocol. Point shots go into individual pits, then fractional passes cover the skin around them, at a density set for your skin type. It suits boxcar walls and texture. Dr Sin Yong holds a Key Opinion Leader appointment with DEKA.
It varies within one session. Shallow passes of around half a millimetre work on texture just beneath the surface, while passes of two millimetres or more reach the level where scar tethering and dermal thinning sit. Several depths are often stacked in the same treatment. The depths are chosen zone by zone after examining your scars and skin type.
Scar procedures are usually postponed until after pregnancy, and resurfacing is deferred. The time can still be used: acne is controlled with treatments considered suitable in pregnancy, picking is avoided and sun protection continues, which limits new marks. A consultation can map the scars so that a plan is ready for later. The acne in pregnancy page covers what is usually considered.
Yes, in the same plan. Chickenpox scars are also depressed scars, though they tend to be a few rounded pits on the forehead, temples or cheeks rather than a dense field. Each pit is assessed on its own: a tethered floor is released, a narrow pit is treated focally, and an uneven edge is resurfaced, as in 4D Scar Reconstruction.

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Related at Atelier

Related
Acne Scar Treatment
Ice-pick, boxcar and rolling scars, and the order in which they are treated.
Related
Acne Scar Treatment — Tetra Pro Scar³
The DEKA Tetra Pro CO2 protocol and how each scar type is matched to a method.
Related
Acne Scar Types
How scars and marks are told apart, and why type decides the method.

References

  1. Jacob CI, Dover JS, Kaminer MS. Acne scarring classification. J Am Acad Dermatol, 2001.
  2. Goodman GJ, Baron JA. Qualitative global scarring grading system. Dermatol Surg, 2006.
  3. Davis EC, Callender VD. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation in skin of colour. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol, 2010.
  4. Ministry of Health, Singapore
  5. HealthHub, Singapore — public health information

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