Acne Scars & Skin Texture
Acne Scars & Skin Texture
Acne clears, and the dents and rough patches it left stay. No cream makes that skin look smooth. Most people notice it in side light. The acne itself is long gone. What it left is pitted and uneven, and makeup sits in the dents rather than over them. It is one of the most common reasons people in their twenties and thirties come in. It is also one of the most fixable. Acne leaves several kinds of scar, and each kind responds to something different. The treatment has to match the scar.
Acne Scars & Skin Texture
Acne Scars & Skin Texture
Acne clears, and the dents and rough patches it left stay. No cream makes that skin look smooth. Most people notice it in side light. The acne itself is long gone. What it left is pitted and uneven, and makeup sits in the dents rather than over them. It is one of the most common reasons people in their twenties and thirties come in. It is also one of the most fixable. Acne leaves several kinds of scar, and each kind responds to something different. The treatment has to match the scar.
WHAT CAUSES IT
Why it happens
Acne leaves four kinds of mark, and each responds to a different treatment. That difference is why the skin is assessed first. Choosing a treatment from a list is a guess. The same appearance can have different causes, and the right treatment follows the cause.
01
Ice-pick and boxcar scars
Narrow, deep pits and wider, sharp-edged dents where the skin's collagen was destroyed and never rebuilt. These need the collagen rebuilt beneath them.
02
Rolling scars
Broad, soft dips where bands of scar tissue tether the skin down from below, so the surface undulates in side light.
03
Rough texture and enlarged pores
Skin that healed unevenly, with pores stretched open, so the surface never looks smooth.
04
Post-inflammatory marks
Red or brown marks left where spots were, which are colour rather than texture and fade with different treatments.
WHAT ACTUALLY TREATS IT
What actually treats acne scars and skin texture in Barrie
Acne leaves several kinds of mark, and depth decides which treatment can reach them. Both surgical and non-surgical treatment is available here, so the plan follows the kind of scarring you actually have rather than one option.
Morpheus8
A treatment that delivers radiofrequency through needles, to the depth where the scar sits. It is aimed at the scar below the surface rather than at the surface above it.
For deeper boxcar and rolling scars: the wider, sharp-edged dents and the broad, soft dips that undulate in side light. It is not the treatment for red or brown marks, which are color rather than texture.
Boxcar and rolling scars sit below the surface, where collagen was destroyed or where bands of scar tissue tether the skin down. Morpheus8 reaches that depth rather than the surface above it. It is delivered by the trained clinical team under Dr. Tumi's direction.
Three sessions, with two to three days of redness after each. The result builds over three to six months. Deep pits are sometimes released or excised individually first.
Microneedling with Exosomes
A series of three microneedling sessions with exosomes. It is aimed at shallow scarring, rough texture and enlarged pores rather than at the depth a deeper scar sits at.
For skin that healed unevenly, with pores stretched open and a surface that never looks smooth. It is the route for shallow scarring rather than for deep pits. Exfoliating scrubs and acids smooth the top layer and cannot reach a scar that sits below it.
Shallow scarring and stretched pores respond to a course rather than to one session, which is why three are planned. Treating the surface while acne is still active makes both worse, so the acne is settled first. It is delivered by the trained clinical team under Dr. Tumi's direction.
Three sessions, with a day of pinkness each time. The glow shows within a week of each session, and the effect on texture over two to three months after the series.
HALO Laser
A laser session that resurfaces the surface of the skin and rebuilds collagen beneath it. It treats rough texture and the shallow scarring in it in one session.
For rough texture, enlarged pores and shallow scarring, as the alternative to a microneedling series. It suits you if a single session with a few days of bronzing fits your life better than a course of three.
Halo works on the surface and on the collagen under it at the same time, so texture and the shallow scarring in it improve together. Laser treatment is delivered by the trained clinical team under Dr. Tumi's direction.
A session leaves a few days of bronzing. Clarity shows at two weeks and keeps improving for three to six months.
BBL Photofacial
A light treatment for the red and brown marks acne leaves behind. These are color rather than texture, and they respond to different things than a pit or a dent does.
For post-inflammatory marks: the red or brown marks left where spots were. It does nothing for a pit or a dent, and the treatments that work on texture do nothing for these.
Red and brown marks are color, so they respond to light rather than to anything aimed at the depth of a scar. Creams marketed for scars fade color at best. Light treatment is delivered by the trained clinical team under Dr. Tumi's direction.
Planned and priced as a series. The consultation, in side light, decides which kinds of mark you have and in what order to treat them.
Chemical Peels
A series of peels, used for the color acne leaves rather than for the texture. It is the alternative to light treatment for red and brown marks.
For red and brown marks, where a series of peels is preferred to light treatment. Like BBL, peels are aimed at color and do not reach a scar below the surface.
Peels are planned as a series rather than as a single session. Treating the skin while acne is still active makes both worse, which is why the acne is settled first. Peels are delivered by the trained clinical team under Dr. Tumi's direction.
Priced and planned as a series. The number of sessions is set at the consultation, once the kinds of mark you have are identified in side light.
Filler placed into a single pit lifts it for a year and does nothing for the rest of the scarring.
Scars improve substantially rather than vanish, and the improvement lasts.
Active acne is settled before the skin is treated, because treating the surface while the acne is still going makes both worse.
What to expect
Microneedling with exosomes shows its glow within a week of each session and its effect on texture over two to three months after the series. Halo shows its clarity at two weeks and keeps improving for three to six months. Morpheus8 builds its result over three to six months after three sessions, with two to three days of redness each. Scars improve substantially rather than vanish, and the improvement lasts. The plan and timeline for your skin are confirmed at the consultation. See before and after results
What will not fix it
Exfoliating scrubs and acids smooth the top layer and cannot reach a scar that sits below it. Filler placed into a single pit lifts it for a year and does nothing for the rest. Creams marketed for scars fade colour at best. And treating the surface while acne is still active makes both worse, which is why the acne is settled first. This is worth saying plainly, because it is where people spend the most money for the least change.
Cost
Fees are quoted at the consultation, once your skin has been seen in the right light. Microneedling, Halo, Morpheus8 and BBL are different treatments, and each one is priced as a series. You receive the figure in writing. Not covered by OHIP. Financing available through Beautifi, Medicard and Credit Medical.
Financing
Not covered by OHIP. Financing available through Beautifi, Medicard and Credit Medical.
Who provides your care
Surgeon-led care you can verify
You are assessed by Dr. Kamal Tumi, M.D., F.R.C.S.(C), a board-certified plastic surgeon with more than 28 years in practice and over 3,500 surgeries performed, and a consultant plastic surgeon at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre since 2004. The surgeon who assesses you is the surgeon who operates. Injectable treatment is performed by Dr. Tumi himself. Non-surgical treatment is delivered by our trained clinical team under his direction, including Priscilla Carvalho, medical aesthetician, phlebotomist and skin therapist. Smoking materially affects healing for most procedures, which is why you will be asked about it. His CPSO registration is public and searchable.
“I will not do a surgery on you if you do not need it.”
An assessment and a conversation.
You do not need to arrive knowing which procedure you want. Describing what bothers you is enough. You are not committing to surgery by booking a consultation.
FAQ
About Barrie Plastic Surgery
Yes. He holds an M.D. and is certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada as a specialist in plastic surgery. That certification separates a plastic surgeon from a physician who offers cosmetic treatment. He has been a consultant plastic surgeon at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre since 2004.
In everyday use they are used interchangeably, and both terms describe most of what we do. Strictly, plastic surgery is the recognized surgical specialty, which includes reconstructive work. Cosmetic surgery describes procedures done to change appearance. Dr. Tumi is qualified in the specialty.
It depends on the procedure. Some, including upper eyelid surgery, are done in our own office under local anesthetic. Larger procedures are booked in an operating room, and which setting applies to you is confirmed at your consultation.
Yes. Male patients are a normal part of the practice. Eyelid surgery and gynecomastia are the usual reasons, and skin procedures are common too. ---
Unit 24, 222 Mapleview Drive West in Barrie, just off Highway 400 at the Mapleview exit. Consultations, injectables and the office procedures happen here. Operations that need a general anesthetic are done at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre, where Dr. Tumi has been a consultant plastic surgeon since 2004.
Dr. Tumi performs facial, breast and body surgery. Skin procedures are part of the practice too: mole removal, skin cancer removal, scar revision. On the non-surgical side he injects the neuromodulators and fillers himself. Laser, CoolSculpting, Morpheus8 and skin treatments are delivered by the clinical team under his direction.
Yes, for anything surgical, and for most non-surgical treatment too. The consultation is an examination and a conversation. Dr. Tumi looks at what is actually causing what you see, tells you what can and cannot be changed, and gives you a written quote afterwards. You are not asked to decide on the day.
Dr. Tumi performs every surgery and every injection himself. The surgeon who assesses you is the surgeon who operates. Laser, CoolSculpting, Morpheus8 and skin treatments are delivered by the clinic's trained clinical staff, under his direction.
Yes. Cosmetic procedures are not covered by OHIP, and we work with three financing providers: Beautifi, Medicard and Credit Medical. Every quote is given in writing at the consultation, so you know the full figure before you decide anything.
Dr. Tumi examines the area himself. He explains what he finds in plain language, including what he would not recommend, and offers the smaller option where one exists. You leave with a written quote and time to think. If nothing surgical is the honest answer, you will be told so.