Dent After an Acne Steroid Injection: Will It Fill Back In?

Will a dent after an acne injection fill back in?

Temporary skin atrophy can improve over time, but some dents persist. A dent noticed only a few days after an injection is not automatically a permanent scar.

The reviews below come from a search for dents after acne injections. Counts include past dents and experiences involving other treatments.

Is every dent left after the swelling goes down an injection side effect?

Skin atrophy after an injection must be distinguished from a scar caused by acne inflammation. Steroids used for acne injections reduce inflammation, but can also thin the skin or underlying fat at the injection site.

Bethel Dermatology Clinic explains that acne inflammation itself can leave a depressed scar. An existing scar may also become more visible as swelling subsides, so appearance alone does not establish the cause.

When assessing injection-related atrophy

The clinician checks whether the dent matches the injection site and whether the skin has become pale or thin.

When assessing an acne scar

The clinician also looks at whether the dent existed before the injection and how severe the inflammation and extraction were.

What to bring to the appointment

Show photos from before treatment and give both the injection date and the date you first noticed the dent. Mention any extractions or other injections performed at the same visit.

When does a dent appear, and how many months should I wait?

A dent can become noticeable weeks later, and recovery can take months. Tell the clinician both when you had the injection and when you first noticed the dent.

Three months does not automatically mean a permanent scar, nor must everyone wait six months. Follow the actual changes in the dent alongside the clinic's guidance.

Should I see the clinic now, and what should I do at home?

Do not delay medical care if denting comes with marked swelling, redness, pain or discharge. The British Association of Dermatologists lists these as signs that require assessment for infection or an abscess at the injection site.

Tell the clinic if the skin turns pale or the dent spreads. Do not diagnose permanence or depth of damage yourself from a photo.

Only a dent remains and the skin has healed

Avoid pressing or rubbing it, and follow up with the treating clinic. Photos taken under the same lighting help compare changes.

A wound or fluid leakage remains

Avoid irritating the area with peels or strong massage, and have the wound assessed first.

Makeup does not hide the dent

Discuss the color mark and the depression separately. Also ask whether the skin has healed and when makeup can be resumed.

Will saline injections make the dent improve faster?

Saline injections are one treatment option, not a necessary procedure for every dent. Dermatologist Hong Gwang-cheol describes considering saline and other injections according to when the dent developed and the degree of atrophy.

A 2026 review included 16 reports covering 41 patients treated with saline. The injection sites and methods varied, and natural recovery may have contributed. It is not enough to set a treatment count or recovery date for facial dents after acne injections.

Before booking, ask whether saline is appropriate for your dent and when improvement will be assessed. Also discuss whether to continue the same procedure if there is no change.

Can I immediately have Rejuran, Juvelook, filler or laser treatment?

Decide on further procedures after the cause of the dent has been assessed. Observation and treatment differ between a dent that is still changing and one that has persisted for months.

In a case published in 2021, dermatologist Hong Gwang-cheol described a woman in her twenties with a forehead dent after an acne injection at another clinic. The dent persisted for months and saline treatment had not helped enough, so further treatment was used.

The published treatment course

Treatment combined fractional radiofrequency, picosecond fractional treatment, and scar injections using Rejuran and PDRN.

The clinician's reported outcome

The clinician described the depression as almost resolved. The article does not give an exact total treatment count or duration.

How the case differs from your situation

This was one patient who received several treatments together. It does not justify immediately using the same procedures for a mild dent noticed only days after an injection.

If I have had a dent once, must I avoid all future acne injections?

Tell the clinician about the previous dent before deciding whether an injection is needed for a new inflamed lesion. Mild comedones should not be managed by repeated steroid injections.

Datena Clinic warns that frequent acne injections increase risks such as skin atrophy. Discuss further injections into an already depressed area and other acne treatment options with your clinician.

The drug and previous treatment

Explain what was injected, where the dent appeared and when. The treating clinician decides the concentration, amount and injection placement.

Recurring acne

Ask whether medication to reduce new inflamed lesions is needed instead of repeatedly injecting the same spot.

What should I do first in my situation?

First look for changes that need medical assessment now, rather than simply deciding how long to wait.

You first noticed a dent a few days ago

Give the clinic the injection date and the date you noticed the dent, and have the cause assessed. Appearance over a few days does not establish a permanent scar.

A shallow dent is stable

Follow the reassessment schedule agreed with your clinician. Do not press it flat or massage it.

The dent is deepening or the skin is turning pale

Tell the clinic about these changes rather than waiting for your scheduled follow-up.

There has been little change for months

Have injection-related atrophy distinguished from other scarring, and discuss whether saline or scar treatment is suitable.

Swelling, pain or discharge develops

Seek assessment for infection or a wound instead of waiting for recovery.

Will a dent after an acne injection fill back in?

Frequently asked questions

Sources and review dates

1. Datena Clinic: acne injection ingredients and recovery from temporary dentsChecked on 2026-10-23
2. Bethel Dermatology Clinic: Dr. Cho Eun-a on acne injections and acne scarsChecked on 2026-10-23
3. Dermatologist Hong Gwang-cheol: a case of treating a dent after an acne injection, October 26, 2021Checked on 2026-10-23
4. GangnamUnni: reviews in the search for dents after acne injectionsChecked on 2026-10-23
5. Babitalk: treatment reviews in the search for dents after acne injectionsChecked on 2026-10-23
6. DermNet: skin atrophy and color changes after intralesional steroid injectionsChecked on 2026-10-23
7. British Association of Dermatologists: intralesional steroid therapy patient leaflet, public version updated November 2022Checked on 2026-10-23
8. Bai et al.: systematic review of saline injections for corticosteroid-induced skin atrophy, 2026. Sixteen mostly case-based reports, 41 patients, varied sites and treatment methodsChecked on 2026-10-23

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