Acne & General Scarring

Self-assurance is feeling comfortable in your skin and with your skin - its appearance, complexion, pigmentation, touch, and texture. Gorgeous, glowing skin is no accident; it’s the result of constant care and customized combination treatments from an innovative, board-certified cosmetic dermatologist like Dr. Jason Emer, reducing acne scarring for Beverly Hills patients seeking result driven treatments.

For those struggling with acne, particularly those with deep, painful histories of severe scarring and discoloration, Dr. Emer provides a meticulous, multi-layered methodology that is found nowhere else in the world. A renowned scarring authority, Dr. Emer has an intention-driven, strategic approach to Beverly Hills acne scar treatments: Each scar is treated individually based on its appearance and root cause.

For lasting, dramatic improvements, scars are treated with a tailored combination of procedures prompted by your particular concerns. Dr. Emer draws upon numerous cutting-edge modalities as well as his own wealth of experience to create a personalized treatment plan that suits your unique condition and repairs every category of scars.

Depending on the types of scars and the severity of your condition, Dr. Emer draws upon numerous cutting-edge modalities and his own wealth of experience to create a personalized treatment plan.

In addition to microneedling with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and growth factors, Dr. Emer utilizes Intensif, a fractional radiofrequency (RF) microneedling device that uses micro-needles to deliver RF energy deep beneath the skin and stimulate long-term collagen production. Fractional, non-ablative lasers, such as the Fraxel or Clear + Brilliant, provide light resurfacing of the skin, while the ablative CO2, or carbon dioxide laser, vaporizes the entire outer layer of the skin, achieving a thorough resurfacing and regenerating new cells.

To further enhance these treatments, Dr. Emer uses a YAG laser for skin rejuvenation; NovaThreads - or smooth resorbable threads overlapped in the desired areas - to increase volume beneath the skin; microdroplet Belotero filler injections to aid in rebuilding tissue in the affected areas; IPL photofacial, which delivers intense pulsed light beneath the skin to reduce redness and improve skin tone and texture; and various peels, including the Cosmelan face-peeling mask and RevePeel, to enhance textural improvements and further stimulate collagen production.

Dr. Emer is also specifically trained and a renowned authority in treating all skin types and ethnicities, including Asian, Middle Eastern, Hispanic, and African American, all of which are at significant risk for pigmentation issues and discoloration.

Skin discoloration manifests in red, red-brown or brown-black discolored spots and is often the result of increased melanin production or blood vessel dilation from inflammation.

Dr. Emer has treated countless patients afflicted with post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, skin tone irregularities, burns and discoloration,

Dr. Emer uses a combination of techniques - including skin care preparation, LED light therapy and peels along with lasers, intense pulsed light (IPL), radiofrequency and microneedling with platelet rich plasma (PRP) and/or stem cells - to achieve vast improvements in complexion and color. Contact our office to schedule a consultation for some of the best acne scar treatments Beverly Hills has to offer.

Thick, raised, and dark red to purple in color, hypertrophic (or “keloid”) scars can result from chronic inflammation, cystic acne flares, surgery or skin trauma, an excess of collagen production during the acne healing process, or pure bad luck.

To improve the look and feel of hypertrophic scars and accelerate the healing process, Dr. Emer employs various treatments in a combination approach: skin care, intralesional injections, and energy-based devices such as lasers, radiofrequency, and microneedling with PRP and growth factors.

In this multi-step process, Dr. Emer aims to soften and shrink the scars by disrupting the disordered connective tissue, shrink the thickened collagen beneath the scar, resurface the scar’s texture, and reduce the amount of skin discoloration.

Also known as “rolling” or “boxcar” scars, atrophic scars give the appearance of sunken, pitted indentations in the skin. Atrophic scars are often more visible in side or overhead light and can appear worse when makeup is applied. Dr. Emer uses a custom 3-step approach and a variety of minimally invasive procedures to improve these scars.

First, Dr. Emer injects soft tissue fillers - Sculptra, Bellafill, fat injections, silicone, or hyaluronic acid-based fillers like Juvederm, Restylane, or Belotero - to plump and lift the scars and build collagen long-term.

Next, subcision (internal sharp needling) is used to release tethered scars that are bound down and depressed due to an underlying scar tissue.

Lastly, a tailored combination of lasers, peels, microneedling, and fractional radiofrequency or radiofrequency microneedling are used to resurface the skin’s texture; the precise combination is determined based on your skin type, the severity of the scars, and anticipated downtime.

Characterized by very deep, narrow pits in the skin’s surface, “ice picks” are pore-like scars that do not respond well to lasers or peels alone - but rather to a select combination of treatments. To treat ice pick scars, Dr. Emer employs a series of procedures that do more than address the surface of the skin; these focused treatments must go much deeper in order to produce dramatic improvements.

Dr. Emer’s groundbreaking approach to these depressed, highly noticeable acne scars in Beverly Hills begins with TCA Cross, a procedure in which trichloroacetic acid (TCA) is applied with a toothpick or needle to each scar, causing a controlled scab to form. Once the scab peels and the skin heals, the scar shrinks inward, decreasing in size. When accompanied by a combination of superficial treatments, such as lasers, peels, microneedling, and microneedling with radiofrequency, the end result is much more shallow scarring with improved skin texture.

If you suffer from acne scarring, whether the scars are brown, red, white, superficial or deep, rolling hill or icepick, you will definitively benefit from laser therapy. Ideal candidates are in good mental and physical health with no major medical problems to speak of. They do not have active acne, but rather are dealing with acne scars.

They should be realistic in their expectations for improvement. Usually a 30-70% reduction in acne scarring can be achieved. Dr. Emer will examine your skin during your Beverly Hills consultation and will walk you through the process of your procedure step by step, ensuring it is the best option for your cosmetic goals.

Patients may experience some minor swelling for 24-48 hours after their procedure, as well as itching and tenderness. The old skin will peel off after around 5-7 days. You should use oil-free makeup for 2-3 months after your treatment to help protect and nourish the skin, as well as wearing the appropriate sunblock to prevent sun damage to your new, beautiful complexion.