Subcision: Treatment, Results & Recovery

Subcision is a procedure for treating and improving the appearance of valley scars, or scars that are depressed. The effectiveness of the subcision procedure depends on several factors, including the nature of the injury or scar, your body’s healing mechanism, the size and depth of the wound, and the thickness and color of your skin.

Treatment Results and Recovery

After local anesthesia, a needle with a lanced tip (“Admix needle”) is inserted under the skin, and by repetitive shearing movements, the fibrous bands that firmly bind the skin to the subcutaneous fat are cut off. The skin, thus freed from the adhesions, returns to its original position and shape, thus greatly reducing the appearance of acne scars.

Subcision can be used by itself or in combination with laser resurfacing, the Smoothbeam laser, or even Thermage (the latter for deep and shallow dish-type acne scars).

To help along this process, we often inject small amounts of Sculptra® into the space thus created. This stimulates collagen production and further improves the results.

Like most surgical dermatology procedures, most subcision treatments are minimally invasive and do not require any downtime. Patients may experience mild swelling, discoloration, and discomfort in the treated area for one to two weeks but will likely experience immediate, noticeable results. Patients will no longer have to worry about the appearance of their scars. Full results may take several months to appear but are usually long-lasting.