Different scars need different tools, often in the same treatment plan.
Acne scarring rarely responds to one single treatment, because different scar types form differently and need different tools to treat them. At Kirei Clinic, Dr Mei and Dr Rosie build a combined protocol matched to your scarring, drawing on subcision with dermal filler, TCA CROSS and CO2 or picosecond laser, rather than applying one technology to every scar.
What Does This Protocol Involve?
Subcision with dermal filler releases scars tethered to the tissue beneath the skin, then fills the released pocket to support the skin surface. This suits rolling scars, and some boxcar scars.
TCA CROSS applies a targeted, high-concentration trichloroacetic acid solution to individual ice pick scars, stimulating collagen production at the base of each scar. This suits ice pick scars specifically, and is not used across a wider area.
CO2 laser or picosecond laser resurfaces the wider treatment area, improving texture, tone and surface irregularity. Your clinician selects between CO2 and picosecond laser based on your skin and the depth of your scarring. Full detail on each laser individually sits on our CO2 Laser and Picosecond Laser pages.
Why Kirei Clinic?
Dr Mei and Dr Rosie assess your scarring at consultation, identify which scar types are present, and build your protocol from these tools rather than a fixed package. Most patients need more than one of these approaches, delivered across a course of sessions, since acne scarring rarely presents as a single scar type.
Benefits
- A protocol matched to your specific scar types, not one technology for every scar.
- Combines subcision, dermal filler, TCA CROSS and laser resurfacing as your scarring needs them.
- Assessed and delivered by GDC-registered dentists.
- Sequenced across a course of sessions, spaced to let your skin recover between treatments.
FAQs
What scar types does this protocol treat?
Rolling and boxcar scars respond to subcision with dermal filler. Ice pick scars respond to TCA CROSS. Wider texture and tone irregularity responds to CO2 or picosecond laser. Most patients have a mix of scar types, so your protocol usually combines more than one approach.
How many sessions do I need?
This depends on your scar types, their depth and how many areas need treatment. Dr Mei or Dr Rosie assesses your scarring at consultation and gives you a realistic sense of how many sessions, and which combination of treatments, to plan for.
Does treatment hurt?
Discomfort varies by technique. Subcision and dermal filler use a cannula technique, keeping discomfort low. TCA CROSS causes a brief stinging sensation limited to each treated scar. Laser resurfacing uses topical numbing beforehand, detailed on our CO2 Laser and Picosecond Laser pages.
How is this different from CO2 laser or picosecond laser alone?
CO2 laser and picosecond laser each treat texture and tone across a wider area, on their own. This protocol combines whichever laser suits your skin with subcision, dermal filler and TCA CROSS where your specific scar types need this, rather than relying on laser resurfacing alone.
Who is this suitable for?
Adults with acne scarring, including rolling, boxcar or ice pick scars. Suitability for each individual technique depends on your skin and scar type, confirmed at consultation.
Availability
Subcision, dermal filler and TCA CROSS are available at Kirei Clinic Leeds and at Perfect32 Dental Practice in Beverley. The laser stage of this protocol runs from our Leeds clinic only, since CO2 laser and picosecond laser are Leeds-based treatments. Your clinician sequences your protocol around this at consultation.