“Laser for acne scars” is four different treatments, and the reason so many people are disappointed by laser is that they had the wrong one for their scar. Two lasers rebuild the skin’s surface and are for true scars: fractional CO2 and Fraxel 1550. Two lasers target colour and are for the flat red and brown marks that are not scars at all: V Beam and Q-switch. This page sets out which laser I use for which scar, how many sessions, what the downtime is, what each costs, and the two scar types for which no laser is the right first step. Lasers for active acne are a different subject, covered on light and laser therapy for acne.
Lasers are one part of a plan; the full acne scar treatment guide for Singapore sets out where subcision, TCA CROSS and RF microneedling fit around them.
First, which kind of scar you have
A depressed scar, whether a wide shallow rolling scar, a sharp-edged boxcar or a narrow deep ice pick, is a loss of tissue and needs a treatment that rebuilds collagen. A flat red mark is post-inflammatory erythema and a flat brown mark is post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation; both are colour without a change in surface, and both fade, slowly, on their own. Resurfacing a mark does nothing for it, and treating a scar with a colour laser does nothing for the scar. If you are not sure which you have, the acne marks vs acne scars page has the test, and the types of acne scars page describes the scars.
Fractional CO2 laser: the strongest laser for depressed scars
Fractional CO2 is an ablative laser at 10,600 nm that vaporises microscopic columns of scarred skin and heats the dermis around them, so the skin heals with new collagen and a flatter surface. It is the laser I use for boxcar scars and for rolling scars once any tethering has been released, and it produces the most remodelling per session of any laser here. The price of that is downtime: three to seven days of redness, swelling and flaking, longer at higher energy, and a real pigment risk in darker skin, which is managed by lower settings and pigment-suppressing preparation. A course is three to six sessions, four to eight weeks apart, from $390 for a single session. The service page is fractional CO2 laser treatment, the device page is Edge fractional CO2, and the evidence comparison with Fraxel is on CO2 laser for acne scars.
Fraxel 1550: the non-ablative laser for scars in skin that pigments easily
Fraxel Dual’s 1,550 nm wavelength coagulates columns of dermis without removing the surface, so the epidermis stays intact and downtime is a day or two of redness and fine flaking. It remodels less per session than CO2 and needs more sessions, three to five, two to four weeks apart, from $1,000 per session, but it has the better safety record in Fitzpatrick III to V skin and is the laser I choose for boxcar scars and texture in patients who cannot take downtime or whose skin tone carries a higher pigment risk. Its service page is Fraxel laser in Singapore.
V Beam: for red acne marks, not for scars
V Beam is a pulsed dye laser at 595 nm, absorbed by haemoglobin, and it closes the dilated capillaries that give a healed spot its red or purple colour. It is the treatment for post-inflammatory erythema, two to four sessions from $280 per treatment, and it does nothing for a pit or a rolling scar. It is also used alongside the core acne treatments to clear the redness that active acne leaves behind. The service page is V Beam and the mark itself is explained on red acne marks (PIE).
Q-switch: for brown acne marks, not for scars
The Q-switch Nd:YAG laser breaks up the melanin left in the skin after inflammation, which is the brown mark that Asian and darker skin is most prone to. A course is four to six sessions, from $1,100 for five, with sun protection between sessions deciding whether the result holds. Like V Beam it treats colour only. The service page is Q-switch laser and the mark is explained on brown acne marks (PIH).
Which laser for which acne scar
| Scar or mark | Laser | Sessions | Downtime | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boxcar scars | Fractional CO2; Fraxel 1550 in pigment-prone skin | 3–6 / 3–5 | 3–7 days / 1–2 days | $390 / $1,000 per session |
| Rolling scars | Subcision first, then fractional CO2 or a biostimulator | 3–6 | 3–7 days | $390 per session |
| Ice pick scars | TCA CROSS, not laser, as the first step | — | — | See TCA CROSS page |
| Uneven texture and pores | Fraxel 1550 or fractional CO2 at lower energy | 3–5 | 1–7 days | $390 / $1,000 |
| Red marks (PIE) | V Beam | 2–4 | None | $280 per treatment |
| Brown marks (PIH) | Q-switch | 4–6 | None | $1,100 for 5 |
Prices are before GST and are the treatment fee per session, not a package; the full scar price list is on the acne scar treatment cost page.
When a laser is the wrong first step
Two scar types do not respond to laser alone. An ice pick scar is a narrow pit too deep for resurfacing to reach; it is treated with TCA CROSS, a drop of high-strength acid placed in the pit, and lasered afterwards if at all. A rolling scar that is tethered to the tissue beneath will spring back after any laser until the tether is cut; that is subcision, and the laser or biostimulator follows it. RF microneedling, Infini and Secret RF, is not a laser but does the same remodelling job through needles, with a lower pigment risk in darker skin; how it compares is on RF microneedling in Singapore. Most faces have more than one scar type, which is why a plan usually combines two or three of these over about six months rather than repeating one laser.
If you are searching for laser treatment for pimples, meaning active acne rather than scars, the lasers and light therapies for active acne are compared on does light therapy work for acne.
Laser for acne scars in Asian skin
Post-inflammatory pigmentation after a laser is the risk that matters most in Singapore, and it rises with ablative energy and sun exposure. Three things keep it low: choosing Fraxel 1550 or RF microneedling over CO2 where the scar allows, preparing pigment-prone skin before an ablative session, and strict sun protection for the weeks after. A laser session in the week before a beach holiday is the commonest avoidable cause of a brown patch that outlasts the scar it was treating.
What a laser session involves
Numbing cream for 30 to 45 minutes before an ablative session, the treatment itself in 15 to 30 minutes, then cooling. Redness and a sunburn sensation follow for hours to days depending on the laser, then flaking. Results build over one to three months as collagen matures, and the course is judged at the third session, not the first. Preparation is three days without sun tanning and no sunburn before treatment and, for ablative lasers, a pause in topical retinoids for a few days.
Common questions about laser treatment for acne scars
Which laser is best for acne scars in Singapore?
For boxcar scars, fractional CO2; for the same scars in skin that pigments easily, Fraxel 1550. Neither is best for ice pick scars, which need TCA CROSS, or for tethered rolling scars, which need subcision first.
How much does laser treatment for acne scars cost in Singapore?
At my clinic, fractional CO2 is from $390 a session, Fraxel from $1,000 a session, V Beam for red marks from $280 a treatment and Q-switch for brown marks from $1,100 for five sessions, all before GST. A combination plan over six months is from $4,000.
Does laser remove acne scars permanently?
The collagen a laser builds is permanent, so improvement holds. No laser removes a scar completely; a realistic course improves depressed scars by a visible fraction, and the deepest scars need combination treatment.
Is laser safe for acne scars in darker skin?
Yes with the right choice and preparation. Fraxel 1550 and RF microneedling carry the lower pigment risk; fractional CO2 is used at lower energy with pigment-suppressing preparation.
Can laser treat active acne and scars at the same time?
Active acne is controlled first, with the treatments on the acne treatment page, because a laser over inflamed skin worsens both the acne and the pigment risk. Scars are treated once the acne is under control.
Book a consultation with Dr Gerard Ee at The Clifford Clinic
Dr Gerard Ee consults and performs laser treatment for acne scars at The Clifford Clinic, 50 Raffles Place, Singapore. Consultations are by appointment. Message the clinic on WhatsApp, or call 6532 2048.
This page is written by Dr Gerard Ee from his own clinical practice. It is general information and not a substitute for a consultation. Prices are before GST and may change.
