How to treat chickenpox scars

Chickenpox scars are extremely common. Scars are much more severe in when adults develop chicken pox compared to when chickenpox develops in childhood. The more severe the bout of chicken pox the more severe the scarring.

Chicken pox scars can develop on any area, however scars are most visible on the forehead, temples, cheeks, nose and chin areas- namely facial areas. There are only 3 reliable methods to decrease scars- namely surgical, laser and dermal fillers. This form of scar revision is very similar to the treatment of atrophic acne scarring.

Dermal fillers, in my opinion, is the preferred option. Why? Because this procedure has the least amount of downtime, and has instant results. Dermal fillers have come a long way over the past few years. Cross-linking of Hyaluronic Acid (HA Fillers) such as Juvederm Volift and Juvederm Volbella has extended the longevity of dermal fillers from 3-6 months (Restylane), to 12-24 months. A simple 5 minute in office procedure can banish scars with no downtime to the patient. Performed by a Specialist, this procedure has minimal risks, with excellent results. The downside? Fillers need to be repeated every one to two years. Bellafill is a permanent filler for acne scars, however off label this can work very well to fill chicken pox scars as well.

Surgery can be useful – especially treating isolated chicken pox and acne scars. A simple procedure known as a punch excision can remove the scar, and the wound is closed with one or two fine sutures. Healing takes place over 5 days. Ideally a fine straight scar replaces the divot or depressed pox scar. Another surgical method is called punch elevation, this involves, as the name suggest, elevating the chicken pox scar, without suturing.

Laser treatment can be used after surgery or fillers as a final ‘touch up’. Fractional lasers such as Fraxel, ProFractional Sciton, CO2 Fractional can also be used to help elevate the scars and remodel collagen. In fractional mode, patients will benefit from 3-5 sessions, spaced 3-4 weeks apart. This can improve chicken pox scars by up to 50%. The results are permanent. I also use a device called INFINI to treat scars, however this is early in the development and I will keep subscribers up to date as more studies are done.

Lasers can also be used in fully ablative mode- this can markedly diminish scar lines following surgery, and also ‘buffer the edges’ following filler. Laser resurfacing should not be used on deep chicken pox scars as this can extend the width of the scar. For scars that are narrow, and shallow, resurfacing is an option.

In summary, a combined approach is best. This entails filling, surgery and lasers, over 2-6 sessions, depending on the severity of chicken pox scars. Not all scars can be treated, but a combination of treatments can yield a good outcome and make chicken pox scars less prominent.



Dr Davin Lim
Lasers and Lifts
Laser, surgical and aesthetic dermatologist
Brisbane, Australia


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