To Anonymous...



You said your skin looks worse than before. I recommend that if it doesn't get better you look into taking that surgeon to court. Because after a certain amount of weeks you should see some type of improvement in your appearance. Also, I wouldnt even recommend continuing treatments unless you see your skin improving (now). My recommendation to anyone getting this type of procedure is to look at a list of things before determining what surgeon/dermatologist you want to choose. Make sure he/she is a member of the board of plastic surgeons (legitimate) their is a whole list of things to look for...experience, past cases etc etc...Don't just go by word of mouth. Some of these people are not fully qualified to do these procedures or may have a bunch of lawsuits against them that you may not know anything about. As, I was watching abc channel 7 they were discussing this topic...in short, just becareful and do your homework before getting either procedure done and deciding who you will trust or who is trustworthy... I have had acne for about 15 or so yrs. Now I am looking into laser resurfacing but want to be extra careful about it...trust me I understand how anxious all you are to get rid of your acne/scars once and for all but again ...do your research pls.



ps: A great pill that has helped me really control my acne is tetracycline...very good pill. A friend from my College had been using it and recommended it to me (her skin looked great). Remember acne starts from within, so taking something orally b4 an ointment ...makes sense (tetracycline, you guys). Before your doc prescribes this pill to you he/she will go through a bunch of do's/don'ts and warnings.

I had (Co2) laser resurfacing 8 days ago and had the silicone mask removed 3 days ago. I did quite a bit of research, and had the surgery performed by a plastic surgeon who insisted that the whole face procedure was better than only doing the areas that were scarred as he wanted to insure even skin tonalities in the result of hypo-pigmentation. I don't know... I know I need to be patient here, but I look like a total monster, and worse, I have completely broken out because I have to stay covered in greasy antibiotic ointment. Distressed, I contacted the doctor who told me to be patient and that I would be better in a few days. He probably has never suffered from acne and doesn't understand that more acne = more scars and I've just spent a bundle trying to minimize them. The upside is that my scars, although still there, are not as deep, and also my forehead lines and those around my eyes are gone. Will post another update after next re-check.

I had pulse dye lazer eight years ago for broken veins, I was left with some marks but I can cover with makeup. my dermatoligist referred me to another clinic nine months ago. I had a test patch done on my cheek with a erbium yag lazer. i only had a few fine veins on my cheek, I am devastated nom as I am left with pigmentation, un even skintone pitted scars and vertical lines from lazer. I am wearing dermablend cover cream which is very good but you can see the scarring as it has affected the texture of my skin, I believe lazer treatment can be very good, I must have sensitive skin as I was unfortunate.

Hi, I went to the Laser and Derm institute of California. The docter said they can permanently get rid of acne with no side effects. Well, the cost was outragious, but I figured if the results were permanet it was worth it. I had only mild acne ( a couple breakouts here and there, but nothing severe) I wanted to completely get rid of any breakouts and not have to worry about applying make-up. WOW, let me tell you...I've had two laser treatments so far and my skin is worse than EVER! After th first treatment my skin just errupted. I mean my skin had never been this bad! I literally did not want to go out of the house! So when I went in for my 2nd treatment and asked if this was a normal response and I was told that yes sometimes the lasers bring all the "gunk" up to the surface and can make your skin worse. Fisrt off, what the hell kind of explanation is that from a highly educated docter and secondly, thanks for not mentioning that before the treatment! After my 2nd treatment my acne is still bad and now I have scars that I never had before!!!!! I am praying that my skin will start to get better, I was wondering if anyone has had anything similar to this. I still have 5 more treatments, so I can only hope that my skin gets better (Or my God, at least to as good as it was before!)

I had full face CO2 laser resurfacing 16 days ago. The recovery is toughest the first 5 days. I was given pain meds, but only needed to take them the first two days. Coming home completely banadged like the invisible man was hard, as was the skin weeping stage. I still have to coat my face with vaseline at night, but have been put on a special cleanser and mosturiser to use durng the day. I went out of the house for the first time today with makeup on(to cover the redness) and must say I was very pleased with how smooth my skin looked. I had moderate scarring and have had full face dermabrasion done before with no where near these results. I had my laser procedure done by a plastic surgeon who has been using lasers for 11 years. I felt he was honest with me as to what to expect in terms of results and recovery. so far I am very pleased with my results!

I had a C02 laser done almost 10 years ago now for mild acne scars. The first Dr I went to refused to do the laser on me because he felt I didn't need it. He was a famous dermatologist, and i was really hoping he'd do it. I then went to a plastic surgeon who was willing to do it. I actually saw several plastic surgeons, and many of them were a little shady so be careful.

I asked the Dr to err on the side of conservatism because i had heard about pigment problems and such. I only had my cheeks done with some pain but really not much. One cheek was almost scar-free following the procedure and the other side showed some good improvement. I have 3 ice pick scars that were only minimally improved. There can be marks left from the laser--I had a slight ridge where the Dr stopped the laser, and while it's gone now, I'd have my whole face done to avoid it if i were to do the procedure again. If you have mild to moderate scarring, I think it's worth the money. It is also good if you have shallow scars with clearly defined edges, as I found that they become much less apparent when the edges of the scar ae diminished by the laser.

I actually had several strangers tell me how beautiful my skin was after the procedure, but I do think the first year is misleading because the skin is still a bit swollen and the pores look smaller than they will when the area is fully healed. I did not find additional improvement due to collagen growth 6 months after the procedure like many Docs will promise. I also hated having to wear so much make-up for several months after.

Ultimately, I would do the procedure again and would recommend it for someone with mild to moderate scarring--but do your whole face to avoing ridges or scarring where the laser is stopped.

I really hope this helps someone out there.

The laser resurfacing completely burned my face. It took over a month for the redness to go away and I still have a line around my face. Thankfully it is slowly going away. But if you decide to do it make sure that your doctor is good at what he does. Mine was good but he set the laser too high and burned me.

I had the Smooth Beam performed by Dr. Nissan Pilest in Irvine California. 1 session for $1000. A complete waste of money. I saw no change except maybe for the worse. I had red scarring from the laser and that took months and lots of bleaching cream to get rid of. Also the doctor was arrogant and misleading about the results. Do not go to him!
I have since twice had a laser procedure done called ELOS which is far less expensive and I can see improvements to the collegen and I have a constant glow to my skin. I highly recommend it for full face improvement. The doctor, correction: The Esthetician (way cheaper) also put me on 4% Hydroquinone and Duoc for acne. Major difference!

i just tried laser resurfacing. it was suppose to cost 3500 dollars but only cost 600 dollars. i am still a little red and i havent seen the final result of my surgery but im hoping for the best. i only went through one pass of the laser becuase i felt the laser too much. so if there is still problems with my skin i may have another procedure with the laser or ai may get collagen injection or maybe a chemical peel or maybe the nlite laser. if anyone has any advise about shallow scars atrophic scars i think they are called please notify on this page.

Hi I wanted to reply to Sandra in Australia, I have tried to send you an email but have not heard from you. For others interested, an update on my recent treatment for my skin. I have just completed a series of 5 non ablative laser sessions, my husband has noticed my skin looks fresh and healthy and silky!! I had a laugh at that last discription bess him! As for any improvement on my scaring, I have to say, not as dramatic a result as the ablative surgeries I have had in the past. But I do like these non- ablative treatements as ongoing assistance in keeping my skin goodlooking for my age. An upside to having acne is (there is one?!) we don't seem to look as old as we are and the collagen stimulation created by the treatments will enhance this. It seems obvious to me that one has to be a certain type of skin and scarring to have great success with the more invasive types of lasers. If there are any doctors out there researching, can you comment on who is most likely to have good results and who not? we already know that darker skined people have problems with pigmentation scarring and should not have ABLATIVE LASERS OR DERMABRASION until a technology invents something for them. But what about this? any doctors willing to comment?