Which treatment do I need for acne scars?

It depends on the scar type. Rolling scars that flatten when you stretch the skin are tethered from beneath and need subcision. Boxcar scars with sharp defined edges respond to resurfacing. Ice pick scars are narrow and deep and generally need TCA CROSS or punch techniques. Flat brown marks are pigment rather than scarring and need a pigment laser. Most patients have more than one type.

Which treatment do I need for wrinkles?

Lines that appear when you make an expression are dynamic and respond to neurotoxin. Lines visible when your face is completely relaxed are static and need resurfacing or filler instead. Hollowing or flatness is volume loss, which requires filler or a collagen biostimulator such as Sculptra.

Which treatment do I need for dark spots?

Discrete brown spots from sun damage respond well to picosecond laser. Melasma is a separate condition that is heat-sensitive and needs conservative picosecond treatment alongside strict photoprotection, not ablative laser. Flat brown marks left after acne are post-inflammatory pigmentation and also respond to pigment laser.

Which treatments are safe for darker skin tones?

Picosecond laser, microneedling, RF microneedling, and subcision are all appropriate across Fitzpatrick IV through VI. Ablative CO2 laser carries meaningfully higher post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation risk above Fitzpatrick IV, and IPL is generally not appropriate above Fitzpatrick III.

Which treatment has no downtime?

Neurotoxin, filler, SkinVive, and picosecond laser all allow return to normal activity the same day. Microneedling involves one to two days of redness. RF microneedling involves two to three days. Fractional CO2 requires five to seven days, and full ablative CO2 roughly two weeks.

Newport Beach · Treatment Finder

Which Treatment Do You Actually Need?

Five questions. A real recommendation matched to your concern, your skin tone, and the downtime you can actually take — including when the answer is something cheaper than you expected.

Prefer to Skip the Quiz?

Find your concern in the tables below. Every row links to the page explaining that treatment, including the rows where the answer is "none of the above."

Direct Routing by Concern

Acne scarring

What you have

What it needs

Broad depressions that flatten when you stretch the skin

Subcision

Sharp-edged craters that don't change when stretched

CO2 resurfacing

Narrow deep pinholes

TCA CROSS or punch

Raised, firm scars

Corticosteroid

Flat brown marks — smooth to the touch

Pico laser

Flat red marks

Often fade untreated

Still breaking out

Treat the acne first

Lines and wrinkles

What you have

What it needs

Lines that appear when you make an expression

Neurotoxin

Lines visible when your face is completely still

Resurfacing or filler

Fine crepey texture

Microneedling

Neurotoxin has stopped working

Myobloc — type B

Volume and structure

What you have

What it needs

Hollow cheeks or temples

Sculptra or filler

Undefined jawline

Jawline filler

Wide or square lower face

Masseter Botox

Chin sits back in profile

Chin filler

Soft, pinchable fullness under the chin

Kybella

Face changed after GLP-1 weight loss

Ozempic face guide

Loose skin you can grasp and lift

Surgical — not injectable

Pigment and spots

What you have

What it needs

Discrete brown sun spots

Pico laser

Symmetric patches on cheeks or upper lip

Melasma protocol

Small red dots

Cherry angioma removal

Raised brown mole or growth

Examination first

Not sure what the spot is

Identification guide

Skin quality and texture

What you have

What it needs

Dull, dehydrated skin

SkinVive

Rough texture, enlarged pores

Microneedling

Mild laxity

RF microneedling

Dry, finely lined lips — not thin

SkinVive lip hydration

Both pigment and texture

Pico + CO2 combination

Other

What you have

What it needs

Filler you regret or that migrated

Ultrasound-guided dissolving

Shoulder and neck tension, bulky traps

TrapTox

Thinning hairline

Hairline restoration

Want to lose weight medically

GLP-1 program

Deeper skin tone, unsure what's safe

Skin tone guide

Can't take downtime

Downtime comparison

Educational guidance only — not a medical diagnosis or treatment plan. Every recommendation at Plump Medical Spa is made by Dr. Amir Mortazavi, MD following an in-person consultation and clinical assessment. The assessment frequently identifies something different from what the patient expected, and that's the point of having one.

Bring the question with you.

Sorting out what you actually need is most of what a first consultation is for.

Book a Consultation All Treatments & Pricing