Medically reviewed by Dr Sin Yong · Last reviewed · Doctor-performed, never delegated · Jump to questions
Acne scar treatment in Singapore makes depressed scars shallower and less visible by remodelling the dermis; it does not erase them. Ice-pick, boxcar, rolling and tethered scars each need a different method. Dr Sin Yong maps every scar first, then stages subcision, TCA CROSS, RF microneedling and fractional CO2 laser scar by scar, with settings chosen for Asian skin.
Aftercare Day-by-day aftercare, what to avoid and when to call
Dr Sin Yong · MBBS (NUS) · MRCS (Edin) · MSc Aesthetic Medicine with Distinction (Queen Mary, London) · MSc Practical Dermatology (Cardiff) · Global Key Opinion Leader
Acne scars are not all the same — boxcar, rolling, ice-pick and pigmented marks each respond to different treatments. Dr Sin Yong matches the method to the scar, combining subcision, resurfacing lasers, RF microneedling and collagen stimulation to smooth and refine acne-scarred skin.
Also called: pitted scars, pockmarks, 痘疤, 痘坑, ニキビ跡
Acne scar treatment in Singapore is a sequence, not a single machine. Each scar is graded by type and depth. Tethers, the bands that pull a scar down, are released. Pits are treated at their floor. The surface is resurfaced last. A scar is a change in the structure of the dermis, the deeper layer of the skin. So treatment reduces its depth and its visibility under ordinary light, rather than erasing it.
Atrophic (depressed) scars come in recognisable shapes, and most scarred faces carry more than one, which is why a single-device plan under-treats.
Raised (hypertrophic or keloid) scars are over-healed rather than missing tissue, so they take a different path. Flat red or brown marks are colour on smooth skin, not scars at all. Telling these apart is the first step, and you can sort the common patterns at home with the acne scar type checker. The types are explained in depth in acne scar types: ice-pick, boxcar, rolling.
Why One Machine Can't Fix All Your Acne Scars
Watch on YouTube: Acne Scar Treatment Singapore: Why One Machine Can't Fix All Scars
Scar treatment suits depressed scars you can feel, on skin where acne is now quiet, with a realistic aim of smoother, shallower scars. A mix of scars and marks is planned as one sequence.
| Group | What it looks like | What usually happens |
|---|---|---|
| Tends to suit | Ice-pick, boxcar or rolling scars, or several types on one face, with acne now controlled | Scars are graded and a sequence is written |
| Better to wait | Active, inflamed acne; recent isotretinoin; a current infection or cold sore; a fresh tan; pregnancy or breastfeeding | Acne is controlled first through acne treatment; timing is agreed at consultation |
| Weighed first | A keloid tendency; blood thinners or a bleeding tendency, relevant to subcision and injections; allergy to an anaesthetic or injectable | Some methods are avoided or adjusted |
| Starts elsewhere | Flat red or brown marks alone, or a raised, itchy or growing scar | Marks get pigment or vascular care; raised scars an injection-based path on keloid treatment |
| Referred on | Isolated scars too deep or wide for non-surgical methods; lesions of uncertain diagnosis | A plastic surgery or dermatology specialist |
Before you book, declare all medicines, including isotretinoin and blood thinners. Avoid sun and tanning. Pause strong retinoids and acids as advised. Bring photographs and records of any earlier laser, peel or microneedling. If you are on a course or have recently finished one, read about isotretinoin and treatment timing. Questions worth asking any doctor are listed on the consultation process page.
Dr Sin Yong grades each scar at the consultation and assigns it a tool. The table is the logic he uses; the fee follows the plan, not the device.
| Scar type | How it looks | What Dr Sin Yong uses | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice-pick | Narrow, deep, sharp-edged pits | TCA CROSS first; S3 Resurfacing Lift for the surrounding texture | A pit deeper than it is wide is treated at its base, not sanded from the top |
| Boxcar (shallow) | Flat-bottomed, defined edges, shallow | FSX Laser | Superficial scars suit the shorter-recovery option |
| Boxcar (deep) | Flat-bottomed, steep walls, deep | S3 Resurfacing Lift (multi-depth fractional CO2) | Deep scars need an ablative column that reaches the scar floor |
| Rolling | Wave-like, soft edges, worse under angled light | Subcision first, then RF microneedling or S3 | Tethers must be released before resurfacing can lift the surface |
| Tethered | Dimples that deepen when the face moves | Subcision, sometimes with calcium hydroxylapatite (CaHA) in the released space | A fibrous band is the problem; energy alone does not cut it |
| Mixed or previously treated | Several types on one face, or scars that did not respond | 4D Scar Reconstruction | Sequencing across layers, not a single device, is what changes |
Depth decides between the two lasers. FSX Laser is used for superficial scars, where its shorter recovery matters. The S3 Resurfacing Lift on the DEKA SmartXide Tetra CO2 is used for deep ice-pick and boxcar scars. It first fires point shots into individual pits, and fractional passes then cross the skin around them. RF microneedling (Secret RF) is added for shallow rolling scars and skin quality. On Fitzpatrick III to V skin, meaning medium to brown skin, the passes are lighter and staged. Pigment care is built around sun protection. The methods are compared on subcision vs laser for acne scars and acne scar laser treatment. How depth decides the laser for boxcar scars is set out on boxcar scars treatment.
“A rolling scar is tethered from below. Resurfacing the surface of a tethered scar treats the wrong structure.”
Dr Sin YongOn matching method to scar type
No method returns the skin to a state in which the scar never formed. Anything marketed as complete scar removal should be read as scar remodelling: the goal is a shallower, less visible scar under normal light, judged by you at the review. Some scars improve less than others, particularly deep or tethered ones. Two other boundaries matter.
No. A facial works on the surface of the skin, and a depressed acne scar sits in the dermis beneath it: a narrow tract, a flat-floored box, or a broad dip held down by a band. Cleansing, light exfoliation, hydration and sun protection keep the surface comfortable and help the flat marks between scars, but they cannot change the depth of a pit, release a tether or rebuild a scar floor. The same applies to chemical peels and skin boosters, which have a supporting role at most. One question sorts them from scar treatment: which layer does this reach? If your texture feels better after facials but the dips are the same, the next step is an examination.
Whether scar surgery is ever needed, and what subcision is, is explained in scar removal surgery vs non-surgical methods.
Marks are a separate question. Red marks (post-inflammatory erythema) turn pale when pressed. They respond to acne control and to treatment aimed at the small blood vessels; see red acne marks. Brown marks (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation) respond to sun protection, topical care and pigment-directed laser. Resurfacing brown marks can make them darker.
Expected effects depend on the method: redness, swelling and pinpoint scabbing after resurfacing, a brief sting with TCA CROSS, and bruising where subcision has been done. These settle as the skin heals. Less often, treatment can cause prolonged redness, darkening of the skin (more likely in deeper skin tones and with sun exposure), infection, or a scar that looks different from before. Injectables carry their own risks, including lumps, which are discussed before they are used. How the skin responds varies, and outcomes are never fixed in advance.
Contact the clinic the same day for pain that increases instead of settling, spreading redness, warmth or pus, or blistering or a wound that is not healing. Call the same day for marked swelling or skin colour change after an injectable. See what to do if something feels wrong after a treatment.
The first visit is a medical consultation with its own fee, stated when you book. It does not commit you to anything, and no package is sold on the day. Dr Sin Yong does the whole examination himself, and it grades six things before any plan is written. What is graded, and who should wait, is set out in full on am I suitable for acne scar treatment.
A pressing-glass test separates red marks from pigment and true scars. Standardised photographs are taken at the first visit and each review; they are part of your medical record and are not published. You leave with a written plan that names which scar gets which method and in what order, lists the fee factors and keeps the option of no treatment.
The course. It runs in a set order. Release comes first, with subcision dividing the bands under tethered and rolling scars. Support comes second, with CaHA where a volume deficit exists and TCA CROSS into narrow ice-pick tracts. Resurfacing comes last. Most methods are carried out under local or topical anaesthetic. Each stage is reviewed against the photographs before the next is timed, and the interval follows healing. The number of stages is set from what review shows, not fixed at the outset. The course visit by visit, with the trials behind the sequence, is set out in what to expect from acne scar treatment in Singapore.
“You can resurface a tethered scar indefinitely. The tether keeps pulling it down.”
Dr Sin YongOn why release comes before resurfacing
Aftercare. Keep the skin clean, let scabs fall away on their own, avoid heat, heavy exercise and active skincare until advised, stay out of the sun and restart retinoids only when the clinic says. Recovery by method is on acne scar treatment downtime, and the resurfacing checklist on CO2 laser aftercare. What to do after each stage is set out in the aftercare guide for acne scar treatment in Singapore.
Who treats acne scars in Singapore, and what a specialist title means, is explained on 4D Scar Reconstruction.
Fees are not published. The fee follows the plan, which is written down with its fee factors after the assessment:
Labels such as premium have no clinical meaning; what changes the fee is the plan. Each factor is explained on what decides the cost of acne scar treatment in Singapore and how we quote.
| How many sessions | Usually 3–6 sessions spaced 4–8 weeks apart, combining subcision, TCA CROSS, fractional CO2 laser and RF microneedling by scar type. |
| Downtime | 3–7 days of redness and swelling after fractional CO2; 1–3 days after RF microneedling; bruising for up to a week after subcision. |
| How long it lasts | Scar remodelling is a lasting change in the tissue; results are judged at review after the last stage, and new acne can still form new scars. |
Figures are typical ranges from Dr Sin Yong's practice and the published literature; your plan, including the number of sessions, is set after the assessment and may differ. Fees are given in writing after the assessment: see how we quote.
Question not answered here? Ask on WhatsApp, use the enquiry form, or browse 100 questions patients ask.
Medically reviewed by Dr Sin Yong, MBBS (NUS), MRCS (Edinburgh) · Last reviewed 8 November 2026 · Editorial policy
Multi-depth CO2 resurfacing for deep scars.
For superficial scars and post-acne marks.
Releasing the bands under tethered scars.
Narrow tracts treated at their floor.
Release before resurfacing.
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Book an acne scar assessment with Dr Sin Yong at his aesthetic practice on Orchard Road, Singapore.
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