Acne Laser Treatment, Inflammatory Injections, Extractions, or Medication: Which is Most Effective?

Acne is often considered a symbol of adolescence, but many people continue to experience it well into adulthood. This is because acne itself is a chronic disease with frequent recurrences. So, among extractions, inflammatory injections, lasers, and oral medications, which treatment is right for you? To put it simply, there isn't one single answer; the combination of treatments varies depending on your current skin condition and the degree of inflammation.

Today, we will explain why acne is so persistent and how each of the representative treatments works.

Sometimes sebum is deeply embedded in the pores and doesn't drain well. Forcibly squeezing it with your hands can worsen inflammation, so it's recommended to consult a dermatologist and receive treatment appropriate for your symptoms rather than attempting to squeeze it at home.

The season when skin worsens varies from person to person. Some people find their skin improves in summer, while others experience the opposite. Dryness can also be a cause of acne aggravation, so when your skin feels tight, maintaining moisture with a light moisturizer can help improve symptoms.

Opinions differ on the relationship between acne and food. Eating spicy food does not cause acne in everyone, and it's difficult to conclude that frequently eating ramen or fried chicken applies to everyone.

However, if you repeatedly notice acne worsening after eating certain foods, it's best to avoid them. In particular, spicy and hot foods can aggravate facial redness, which causes the face to flush easily, so caution is needed if you have severe facial redness.

Here are some items to check in your daily life:

• Do not squeeze with your hands
• Adjust moisturizing according to the season and skin condition
• If certain foods worsen your acne, record them and avoid them
• Avoid spicy and hot foods if you have facial redness
• If symptoms recur, consult a specialist instead of self-treating

Many people worry that acne extractions will cause pitted skin, but this is largely a misconception. Extractions themselves do not cause pitted skin.

The problem lies with inflammation. If acne becomes severe, the pore can rupture, and in such cases, whether you extract it or not, it can result in acne scars. Therefore, it is advisable to use inflammatory injections to calm acne before it leads to scarring.

The effectiveness of inflammatory injections depends not so much on the practitioner but on the current state of your symptoms. If you have large, red, inflamed acne, you can expect help from inflammatory injections.

Conversely, if there is no inflammation, such as with whiteheads, or if the acne is excessively small, or if the inflammation is too severe, inflammatory injections may not be sufficiently helpful. If injections do not show improvement, we recommend consulting a dermatologist and changing direction to a method suited to your individual symptoms.

If you are concerned about marks left after acne has subsided, you can also consult about Pitted Acne Scar Treatment.

For questions, inquire via chat consultation for acne treatment methods

When Gold PTT particles are applied to the skin, they penetrate the pores. When a laser is then applied over them, heat is generated inside the pores, destroying acne bacteria and sebaceous glands. By simply reducing excessively produced sebum, you can see an improvement in acne.

It is reported that people with oily skin prone to acne who receive Gold PTT treatment experience reduced sebum, a relatively long-lasting treatment effect, and an improvement in overall facial tone.

Agnes treatment is an insulated needle treatment, where a needle, similar to an injection needle, is inserted into the skin to generate heat and destroy sebaceous glands one by one. It allows for selective treatment of severe areas, so good results can be expected by inserting the needle into areas with concentrated inflammation.

However, if acne is severely spread across the entire face, it is realistically difficult to insert needles into all pores, making Agnes less suitable in such cases. If overall improvement is needed, a method like Gold PTT laser, where particles are applied to the entire face to penetrate pores and reduce sebaceous glands, is more appropriate.

For fundamental recurrence management, there are two main approaches:

The first method is long-term medication. If isotretinoin, a sebum-suppressing drug, is taken consistently for more than 4 months at 6 pills a day for individuals weighing 60kg or more, the recurrence rate may decrease. Accumulating a cumulative dose through long-term use can help prevent recurrence. However, it may realistically require several years of use, and acne does not disappear in everyone. Generally, a reduction in acne and recurrence suppression is reported in about 9 out of 10 people.

The second method is laser treatment. Treatments like Gold PTT help reduce sebaceous glands and recurrence. In the clinic, many patients see a reduction in the frequency of acne outbreaks, and consistent treatment can lead to a more refined skin condition than before. If you wish to manage multiple stages, considering a multi-stage program like the Triple Acne Package can be an option.

In summary, extractions are part of management to prevent scarring, inflammatory injections are effective for large, red inflammatory acne, lasers are strong for sebaceous gland reduction and recurrence management, and medication has strengths in long-term recurrence suppression. The key is to combine them according to the current degree of inflammation and skin type, rather than one method replacing all others.

Chief Director Lee Sang-joo (MD, PhD, Yonsei University College of Medicine and Graduate School; completed dermatology residency at Severance Hospital; President of the Korean Dermatological Association) Chief Director Lee Sang-joo's Profile First published 2023-08-21 / Last reviewed 2026-06-16

This article provides general information, and since the pattern and suitable treatment for acne can vary from person to person, please consult with medical staff for an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.