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Acne scars often stick around long after breakouts and inflammation are gone. Even after trying serums, peels, and other products, it is understandable to feel frustrated if you see little improvement. This is usually because these treatments do not reach the deeper layers of skin where acne scars form.
At EmpowerMed Longevity & Wellness in Loveland, CO, we use Procell Microchanneling to treat acne scars at the deeper level where the damage starts, not just on the surface like many other treatments.
Why Acne Scars Are Structurally Different from Normal Skin
Acne scars are more than just marks on the surface. They are caused by real damage to the dermis, the deeper layer of skin that gives it firmness and texture. When a breakout causes a lot of inflammation, the tissue below the surface is affected. The body tries to repair this by making new collagen, but the new collagen is often uneven and not as smooth as healthy skin.
The most common type of acne scar, called atrophic scarring, happens when the skin does not make enough new tissue during healing. This leaves behind the dents or depressions many people notice. Since this problem is deeper in the skin, treatments that only work on the surface cannot fix it.
What Makes Acne Scars So Difficult to Treat
Topical retinoids, brightening serums, and similar products can help with surface issues like pigmentation and texture by working on the top layer of skin. However, they do not reach the deeper collagen network where scars form. Chemical peels also only treat the surface, so they can improve color but not the depth of atrophic scars.
The main challenge is biological. After the body thinks a wound is healed, it stops sending repair signals to that area. Old scar tissue is seen as finished, so the skin does not try to fix it further. Without something new to trigger healing, the skin will not rebuild the scarred area.
Can microchanneling reduce the appearance of acne scars?
Microchanneling creates controlled micro-injuries in the skin that trigger the body’s collagen repair response, gradually remodeling scar tissue into smoother, more even skin. It is a minimally invasive skin renewal treatment that reaches the dermal layer where acne scars form, making it one of the more targeted options available for acne scarring treatment in Loveland, CO.
How Microchanneling Creates the Conditions for Scarless Healing
Microchanneling gives the skin a new reason to heal by creating tiny, precise channels in the treatment area. At EmpowerMed, we use the Procell device, which uses fine filaments in a stamping motion to make thousands of these microchannels. Each one is a small, controlled injury that tells your body to start repairing, leading to new, organized collagen and elastin.
Crucially, Microchanneling preserves the epidermis between each channel rather than removing it entirely as laser resurfacing does. Recovery time is reduced, and the healing response is directed inward toward the dermal layer where treatment for acne scar reduction is actually needed.
What further sets the Procell system apart is the addition of human growth factor serums derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, applied immediately after treatment while the channels are open. These serums are clinically associated with scarless healing and minimal inflammation, absorbing far more deeply than they would on intact skin.
What Happens to Scar Tissue During and After Microchanneling
The healing process after each Microchanneling session follows a predictable biological sequence:
- Immediately after treatment: The skin enters the inflammatory phase of wound healing. Circulation increases and fibroblasts, the cells responsible for collagen synthesis, become active in the treated area. Mild redness is expected and typically resolves within 24 to 48 hours.
- In the weeks that follow: New collagen begins filling the structural deficit beneath atrophic scars, with depressed areas gradually rising toward the level of surrounding skin.
- Across successive sessions: The collagen boosting treatment for scar repair response compounds, accelerating cellular turnover and fading the pigmentation irregularities that often accompany post-acne marks.
This process builds with each treatment, leading to lasting improvements in your skin’s texture after acne.
How Microchanneling Differs from Microneedling for Acne Scars
Traditional microneedling uses a rolling motion to create channels across the skin, which can introduce inconsistent depth and epidermal drag. Microchanneling uses a precise stamping motion instead, placing each channel at a uniform depth without lateral movement across the surface.
For acne scars specifically, this precision ensures the collagen signal is consistent throughout the treatment zone rather than uneven across areas where scar depth varies. The result is a more controlled minimally invasive skin renewal treatment outcome for scarred tissue.
What a Microchanneling Treatment Series Looks Like for Acne Scarring
Every session at EmpowerMed follows a simple and comfortable process:
- Consultation and skin assessment: Your provider evaluates your scar type, distribution, and skin condition to determine the appropriate channel depth and growth factor serum pairing.
- Preparation: The treatment area is cleansed and a topical numbing cream is applied for comfort.
- Treatment: The Procell device creates thousands of precise microchannels across the scarred areas, after which the growth factor serum is applied to absorb directly into the dermis.
- Aftercare: Mild redness resolves within 24 to 48 hours, and aftercare instructions are provided to support healing between sessions.
Most patients benefit from a series of sessions spaced four to six weeks apart, allowing each healing cycle to complete before the next collagen stimulus is introduced. Beyond scar remodeling, the cumulative collagen renewal also delivers pore refining skin treatment benefits, as progressively tighter, more structured tissue visibly reduces the appearance of enlarged pores over the course of the treatment series.
Your Skin Has More Capacity to Heal Than You Might Expect
Not all types of scars respond to Microchanneling in the same way:
- Rolling and boxcar scars usually respond well because Microchanneling targets the collagen loss that causes their indented look.
- Ice pick scars are narrower and deeper, so they may improve more slowly and sometimes need a combination of treatments.
- If you have active breakouts, it is best to wait until the inflammation has gone down before starting treatment.
The Skin You Want Is Closer Than You Think
If acne scars have been a persistent concern despite consistent effort, Microchanneling at EmpowerMed Longevity & Wellness offers a clinically grounded path toward skin rejuvenation for post-breakout damage that goes deeper than what most treatments can reach. Patients who commit to a full treatment series consistently report visible progress in their ability to improve post-acne skin texture in ways that years of topical products simply could not deliver.
Contact us today to find out which approach is right for your skin’s specific pattern of scarring. to get started. Schedule your microchanneling session consultation at EmpowerMed Longevity & Wellness in Loveland, CO.
