42 minutes ago, Thea831 said:

Hi everyone Ive finally decided to do something about my acne scars. I just wanted to know if I should doTCA Cross first or should I do laser?

By laser, I take it you mean a fractional laser. Fractional laser is used to produce collagen from beneath the skin, so its main purpose is to fill the pit and tighten the skin. TCA works the other way around. Its main purpose is to remove the skin surface and make the scar edges look softer.

The problem is your body rarely ever produces enough collagen tofill the hole. You might see some improvement, but it won't be much. The downside is you're still left with the scar edge that, when light is reflected, magnifies the scar even more.

Unlike the laser, smoothing out these scar borders is not that difficult since you're not trying to make anything.

FYIstudies have come out reportingthat TCA strength above 90% tends to widen scars, so if you stick to 90% or lower, you should be fine. It's worth noting though scars don't only widen, they also become flatter. So overall appearance is not that bad (speaking from experience).

I believe both will help. TCA Cross is best for icepick scars and narrow boxcar scars. Many doctors suggest a series of Cross treatments to lift your scars closer to the level of the normal skin. Then you can laser away. My personal opinion is that, while this logically makes sense, there are other factors in play, mainly the long recovery from fractional CO2 laser. It's hard to take 1-2weeks off of work so I would do that treatment when I have time.

Don't both with non-ablative or weak lasers otherwise you'll just be wasting your money. Go to an experienced doctor who knows how to use deeper settings.