Hi! XXXXXXX

Thank you for the query,

Firstly, it is very important that you get a complete cure of your pimples. You have just taken half the dose of sotret (3 months). It is usually given for 6 months depending upon ones body weight.

Please don't get hurried up for getting the scars treated. And yes, if your go for dermaroller now , may be that it may aggravate your pimples. Otherwise dermaroller is a good alternative to lasers (esp if lasers are not available or if one can't afford a laser treatment).
And yes. dermaroler treatment is inferior to the laser treatment also. So there is no point for going for dermaroller first and then going for laser. That way you would end up paying for both.

So if you are getting a facility of laser then directly plan for a good laser treatment.

Now it also depends which laser you are getting in your city.There are different types of lasers available for acne scars, like there is fractional Co2 laser or there is Erb:yag(erbium) laser .
Fractional Co2 is the latest of the two, but Erb:yag laser is more safe for Indian skin type. Now a day it is very difficult to find a Erb:yag laser in India because of its high cost. Most of the laser centers are keeping Fractional Co2 laser.

As far as safety of laser is concerned, it is very important that you get treatment under a experienced dermatologist. There is a chance that one may get hyper-pigmentation following the laser treatment (esp with Co2 laser). This is usually temporary, but may take long time to go. Also that with the fractional laser you may need 3-4 sittings for a reasonably good result. But the advantage is that it has nearly zero downtime.

Since I myself was in Delhi attached to few of the most prominent laser centers (before joining Apollo hospital), I am fully aware of all the laser treatments. I've personally done many many lasers for acne scars. Dermaroller and subscission are other two common procedures which we commonly perform.

Subscission on the other hand, is a slightly painful procedure, but has good result. It can be combined with either dermaroller or even with lasers. It is usually done for deeper scars.

In the end my advise would be that

1. "You first get you acne treated completely and then plan for scars".

2. "If facility of laser is available and if you can afford it then you should go for lasers directly". It is very important to choose the right laser and a the right doctor.
Its not just the machine ,but the man behind the machine also which is important.

'Hope I have answered your query & also that this would help you understand your line of treatment better.'

In case of any doubts, I will be available for follow up query if any.

Regards,
Dr.Bharat chawda

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Hi XXXXXXX

Thank you for writing back,

You are on a low dose of sotret (10mg) at present. And I think you should first complete the course of tablet and then plan for any lasers for the scars. The complete cumulative dose of sotret is 120mg per kg body weight. So it would approx come to be 6-10 months atleast.

If the facility of lasers is available then you should directly plan for lasers treatment (after completing the course of sotret), rather than going for derma rolle and laser alternatively. Actually derma roller is a cheap alternative to the laser (esp if laser is not available). Going for both doesn't make sense.

Ultra pulse co2 is a good laser, provided it is done under safe hands.

I haven't heard of ADIVA (probably it has opened recently ) even though I myself was in Delhi for more than 10 years. I hope they have experienced dermatologist. Just see that you take treatment from a dermatologist only.

There are many laser clinics in NCR, but the most important thing is that which laser they are using and how much experienced they are.

Since you have a fair complexion its an advantage to you; as laser response is good in fair complexion patients.

The only side effect of ultra pulse co2 laser is post inflammatory hyper-pigmentation (PIH). This means that there can be pigmentation following lasers over the scars. This is usually temporary but may take months to go. Another worst side effect would be "a unsatisfactory response " to lasers. So you should talk to your doctor regarding the level of improvement before hand.

On long run lasers doesn't have any side effects .

Post laser care is only that one has to use a sunscreen daily thrice. If needed Alovera cream can be used initially for a short period.

Hope I have answered your query. Should you have additional concerns regarding this issue I would be happy to address them.

Regards,
Dr.Bharat chawda

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