Acne & Acne Scar Treatment by a Triple Board-Certified Dermatologist

Acne shapes more than your skin. It shapes how you leave the house. How you show up in photos. How much mental energy goes toward something that should not require this much of you.

For a teenager it feels public and relentless. For an adult the question is quieter but just as heavy: why is this still happening? For a parent it is the urgency of watching your child struggle and not knowing when to act. You should not have to filter your face to feel confident in it.

At Springs Dermatology MD, Dr. Shereen Timani brings over 22 years of experience and dual board certification to every acne patient she sees. The evaluation goes deeper than most practices can offer, and the treatment plan reflects your skin specifically, not a general protocol.

Located in Sandy Springs, we care for acne patients from Atlanta and throughout Metro Atlanta.

Why Acne Treatment Needs to Go Beyond the Breakout

Clearing active acne is one part of the picture. The other part is what acne leaves behind: scarring, discoloration, textural changes, and a skin barrier that has been through repeated inflammation and needs to be rebuilt. Most acne care addresses one without the other. We address both, in the same practice, under the same physician. 

That is not a cosmetic add-on. It is how comprehensive acne care actually works.

Our 360-Degree Approach to Acne and Acne Scar Care

Medical Acne Treatment

Our medical treatments are physician-supervised and tailored to the type, severity, and history of your acne. We do not apply a standard protocol and adjust from there. We build from your skin.

Treatments include:

• Prescription topical therapies to reduce inflammation, regulate oil production, and clear pores

• Oral or injectable medications for moderate to severe cases, including cystic acne

• In-office steroid injections to rapidly calm painful, inflamed cysts

• Professional comedone extractions to clear clogged pores under controlled conditions

• Light therapy (phototherapy) as a targeted, in-office option for persistent breakouts

• Personalized at-home skincare recommendations to support your treatment between visits

Cosmetic Restoration for Acne Scarring

Once active acne is under control, we turn to what the skin has been left with. Cosmetic restoration is not vanity. It is the completion of the treatment process, and it belongs in the plan from the beginning.

Our cosmetic treatments for acne scarring and post-acne skin include:

• Microneedling (Collagen Induction Therapy) to improve texture and stimulate collagen repair in scarred areas

• Scar subcision to release deep, tethered scars that pull the skin downward

• Gentle, highly targeted, customizable chemical peels to fade dark spots, even skin tone, and smooth surface texture

• Microdermabrasion and medical-grade Hydrafacial for gentle exfoliation and pore refinement

• Filler treatments to restore volume in areas where deep scarring has left depressions

Understanding What is Driving Your Skin

Acne rarely has a single cause. Before we recommend anything, we evaluate your skin, your history, your lifestyle, and every treatment you have already tried. When we need to go deeper, dermatoscopy, biopsy, or lab analysis, we do. What we prescribe is only as good as what we understand first.

Every Patient's Acne Is Different. So Is Every Plan.

We treat all forms of acne and acne scarring. The presentations below are the most common we see.

Teenage Acne

Often the first and most emotionally charged encounter with acne. Hormonal shifts during adolescence drive excess oil production, clogged pores, and inflammation that can spread quickly. Early intervention matters, not just for the skin but for the confidence that goes with it. The earlier we treat, the less ground scarring has to gain. We also work with parents to build a routine their teenager can realistically maintain.

Adult and Hormonal Acne

Acne does not stop at 25. For many adults, particularly women, hormonal fluctuations tied to the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, or perimenopause keep acne active well into adulthood. It often concentrates along the jawline and chin. It responds differently than teenage acne and requires a different clinical approach.

Cystic and Severe Acne

Deep, painful nodules and cysts that do not respond to over-the-counter treatment. This form of acne carries the highest risk of permanent scarring and requires physician-supervised medical treatment, not stronger face wash. Waiting makes it harder to treat.

Persistent and Treatment-Resistant

Acne If you have tried multiple prescriptions, topicals, or treatments and are still breaking out, something in the approach is not matching your skin. That is a diagnostic problem, not a willpower problem. We re-evaluate from the foundation.

Acne Scarring

Scarring is not an afterthought in our practice. It is a primary focus. Whether you are dealing with ice-pick scars, rolling scars, boxcar scars, or post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, there are medical and cosmetic treatment pathways that can meaningfully improve what you see in the mirror. We assess scarring at the same appointment and build it into the plan from the start.

Ongoing Care, Built Into Every Plan

Acne is not a one-visit condition, and we do not treat it as one. Your plan evolves as your skin responds. We monitor, adjust, and communicate throughout the process so that you always know where you are, what is working, and what comes next. If something is not performing the way we expected, we adapt rather than wait.

Why Patients Choose Springs Dermatology MD for Acne

Triple Board Certification

Our lead, Dr. Shereen Timani, physician holds certification in dermatology, dermatopathology, and Mohs surgery. For an acne patient, that means a physician who can evaluate your skin at a depth that most practices cannot match, including when biopsy or pathology is part of the diagnostic picture.

22 Years of Clinical Experience

Experience means pattern recognition, nuanced judgment, and a track record of managing acne across every skin type, age group, and severity level. What works for one patient may not work for the next. We know the difference.

Skin of Color Expertise

Acne presents differently across skin tones, and so do the scars it leaves. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is more pronounced and more persistent in deeper skin tones. Treatment approaches that work for lighter skin can cause harm in skin of color if not applied correctly. We have deep clinical experience across the full spectrum of skin tones, and that expertise is built into every plan we create.

Medical and Cosmetic Under One Roof

You do not need two practices, two referrals, or two separate treatment timelines. We manage your active acne and your scarring in the same place, with the same physician overseeing both. That continuity produces better outcomes and removes the gap where most patients fall through.

Family-Owned, Not a High-Volume

Chain We are not a franchise. We are not rotating providers. We are a physician-led, family-owned practice where you will see the same doctor, build a real treatment relationship, and receive the kind of attention that larger operations simply cannot offer.

Acne Questions We Hear Every Day

When should I stop trying over-the-counter products and see a physician? If your acne is painful, producing cysts, or leaving marks on your skin, the time is now. Over-the-counter care has a role in mild acne, but it cannot address the underlying drivers that physician-supervised treatment can reach. If you have been consistent for eight to twelve weeks without meaningful improvement, that is the signal.

My child has acne. How do I know when it is serious enough to come in? If the acne is causing your child distress, producing scarring, or affecting their willingness to engage socially, it is serious enough. Early treatment is the most effective tool we have against permanent scarring. There is no advantage to waiting.

Will acne scarring improve on its own over time? Surface discoloration, known as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, can fade partially over time, though it is slower in deeper skin tones. Structural scarring, including ice-pick, rolling, and boxcar scars, does not self-resolve. These require active treatment, and multiple effective options exist depending on your scar type and skin.

I have been on prescriptions before and my acne came back. What is different here? Treatment-resistant or relapsing acne usually means the underlying driver was not fully identified or the plan was not adjusted as your skin changed. We start with a full re-evaluation rather than repeating what has already been tried.

Is acne curable? For most patients, acne is a chronic condition that responds to management rather than a single cure. Many patients reach extended periods of clear or near-clear skin with the right physician-led plan. Our goal is to get your skin there and sustain it.

Do you have experience treating acne in patients with skin of color? Yes, and we bring specific expertise to it. Acne in darker skin tones requires careful selection of both medical and cosmetic treatments to avoid worsening pigmentation or causing additional skin stress. Every treatment decision we make accounts for your skin tone from the start.

Do I need a referral to be seen? No referral is required. Contact our office directly to schedule.

Schedule Your Acne Consultation in Sandy Springs

Whether you are dealing with your first breakout or a condition you have been managing for years, you deserve a treatment plan built for your skin, not borrowed from a general protocol.

Our practice is located in Sandy Springs and serves patients from Atlanta, Dunwoody, Roswell, Brookhaven, Marietta, Alpharetta, and throughout Metro Atlanta. 

Schedule your consultation today. Physician-led acne care that goes as deep as your skin needs.