314 replies to this topic

[pepo]

No i meant since you are skeptical, try a small area to test it and to see if it actually does anything after a few months. And if it does, then go ahead and apply to everything, with the knowledge of knowing that it works. Because if it does work, a large area like that would take significantly longer to see changes than it would to a little one.

oh i see what you mean. since i have lots of stretch marks in the areas i am treating the size of the scars differ a lot. some are just a few millimetres long and a few millimetres wide whereas others are 5 inches long and much wider than others. so i guess we will be able to see how it effects scars of all different sizes (or stretchmarks at least).

hey guys,

yeah I am still thinking the same things. Shall I use it on only one scar or on a huge area? I don't know.

@pepo: Did the stretchmarks get red or show any other sign of difference after 4 month? Even the slightest?

It is really frustrating that this works so slow.

Hm, we will see.

NEO

i know its hard deciding whether to treat just one scar or a larger area. with me, i have so many stretch marks that even if the lugols does work and it completely gets rid of scars in 3 months (hypothetically), it would still take me years and years to rid myself of them completely, as i have so many and on so many different areas. because of this i decided to treat a large area because it is covered up and so wont effect me. basically i didnt want to wait to see if it worked, i went in head first so if it does work i dont lose any time. either way it doesnt really matter. i guess whether you treat one scar or a large area depends on you and your current condition.

regarding whether i saw any signs, yes i think i did. its very hard to tell though because of the colouring and because (on me at least) it makes my skin very dry and eventually it peels. when i first started applying lugols i applied it for a month and then stopped for a short while to let the skin heal. the process my skin went through was very much like a chemical peel, only less aggressive. after my skin healed i started applying again and applied for a little over 2 months straight, without any breaks. what was strange this time is that my skin didnt peel like last time, it just got hard and tough, i dont think 'scab' is the right word to describe it, it was more leathery. i couldnt understand why it didnt peel/flake like last time. i stopped to let my skin heal again as everytime i applied lugols it seemed to be staying on the surface, rather than being absorbed. this appears to be because my skin was tough and leathery. it took longer to heal this time round. it didnt really peel in the healing process either it just remained dry and tough. when it eventually did heal i started applying lugols again (a couple of weeks ago) and this is where i am now.

my stretch marks are a mix of white/silver/purple all in one. ive had them a few years. i would say they are mostly white. whilst treating them with lugols i did notice them turn very red and swollen. obviously stretch marks are depressed scars but whilst using lugols they did rise. they are not raised at the moment but im only a couple of weeks back into the process as i stopped to let them heal. when they were red and swollen if i applied pressure and rubbed my finger over the scars i could still feel the deep ridge. the depth has not changed in the past four months neither has the length, width or colour (once i let them heal). the redness and swelling seems to be because of micro brusing. it can be very deceptive. i initially thought the redness and swelling was very positive (and it may well be) but it doesnt seem to have had an effect on anything yet. it cant be a bad thing and it suggests that something is going on, but i remember my stretch marks became red and raised once after i scrubbed then violently with a mini brush. when everything heals they always just go back to normal. ive done chemical peels before and the same thing happend with them, they became red and raised, then my skin healed and they were exactly the same.

i think thats about as detailed as i can get. make of it what you will. i shall carry on for now as i have nothing to lose. its not like we have much of a choice. everything in my head and what ive seen so far tells me this wont work, but you cant argue with a very credible source.

[NeoMike]

Thanks Pepo for your long story. I wish you all the best. I chose to treat a larger area too.
And yes, I have striae everywhere too. But in my case it's a little bit more serious because the striae got burned and now they are scars. Difficult to describe.

I think a little redness and swelling is a good sign. Keep up the good work. And maybe we will see soon if it works.

NEO

[Maldition]

Thanks Pepo for your long story. I wish you all the best. I chose to treat a larger area too.
And yes, I have striae everywhere too. But in my case it's a little bit more serious because the striae got burned and now they are scars. Difficult to describe.

I think a little redness and swelling is a good sign. Keep up the good work. And maybe we will see soon if it works.

NEO

@neo

I to hope that it goes out juvista instead of proving things of this nature.

[seabs135]

No i meant since you are skeptical, try a small area to test it and to see if it actually does anything after a few months. And if it does, then go ahead and apply to everything, with the knowledge of knowing that it works. Because if it does work, a large area like that would take significantly longer to see changes than it would to a little one.

oh i see what you mean. since i have lots of stretch marks in the areas i am treating the size of the scars differ a lot. some are just a few millimetres long and a few millimetres wide whereas others are 5 inches long and much wider than others. so i guess we will be able to see how it effects scars of all different sizes (or stretchmarks at least).

hey guys,

yeah I am still thinking the same things. Shall I use it on only one scar or on a huge area? I don't know.

@pepo: Did the stretchmarks get red or show any other sign of difference after 4 month? Even the slightest?

It is really frustrating that this works so slow.

Hm, we will see.

NEO

i know its hard deciding whether to treat just one scar or a larger area. with me, i have so many stretch marks that even if the lugols does work and it completely gets rid of scars in 3 months (hypothetically), it would still take me years and years to rid myself of them completely, as i have so many and on so many different areas. because of this i decided to treat a large area because it is covered up and so wont effect me. basically i didnt want to wait to see if it worked, i went in head first so if it does work i dont lose any time. either way it doesnt really matter. i guess whether you treat one scar or a large area depends on you and your current condition.

regarding whether i saw any signs, yes i think i did. its very hard to tell though because of the colouring and because (on me at least) it makes my skin very dry and eventually it peels. when i first started applying lugols i applied it for a month and then stopped for a short while to let the skin heal. the process my skin went through was very much like a chemical peel, only less aggressive. after my skin healed i started applying again and applied for a little over 2 months straight, without any breaks. what was strange this time is that my skin didnt peel like last time, it just got hard and tough, i dont think 'scab' is the right word to describe it, it was more leathery. i couldnt understand why it didnt peel/flake like last time. i stopped to let my skin heal again as everytime i applied lugols it seemed to be staying on the surface, rather than being absorbed. this appears to be because my skin was tough and leathery. it took longer to heal this time round. it didnt really peel in the healing process either it just remained dry and tough. when it eventually did heal i started applying lugols again (a couple of weeks ago) and this is where i am now.

my stretch marks are a mix of white/silver/purple all in one. ive had them a few years. i would say they are mostly white. whilst treating them with lugols i did notice them turn very red and swollen. obviously stretch marks are depressed scars but whilst using lugols they did rise. they are not raised at the moment but im only a couple of weeks back into the process as i stopped to let them heal. when they were red and swollen if i applied pressure and rubbed my finger over the scars i could still feel the deep ridge. the depth has not changed in the past four months neither has the length, width or colour (once i let them heal). the redness and swelling seems to be because of micro brusing. it can be very deceptive. i initially thought the redness and swelling was very positive (and it may well be) but it doesnt seem to have had an effect on anything yet. it cant be a bad thing and it suggests that something is going on, but i remember my stretch marks became red and raised once after i scrubbed then violently with a mini brush. when everything heals they always just go back to normal. ive done chemical peels before and the same thing happend with them, they became red and raised, then my skin healed and they were exactly the same.

i think thats about as detailed as i can get. make of it what you will. i shall carry on for now as i have nothing to lose. its not like we have much of a choice. everything in my head and what ive seen so far tells me this wont work, but you cant argue with a very credible source.

IMO the different reaction to lugols will be one of two things, your body is getting more used to the lugols, or the lugols weakened over time. It will be interesting to see how your wound area reacts to your new bottle.

BTW a similar thing happened to me after I stopped then started again, my paranoia thinks it the lugols weakening.

[seabs135]

Pepo, I dont mean to be nosey, but could you tell me the area size of the area you are treating?

im treating my shoulder and a smaller patch on my arm (bicep).

the area on my shoulder is about 6 inches by 3 inches.

the area on my bicep is about 3 inches by 2 inches.

these are very rough estimates.

just so everyone knows im treating stretch marks. i dont know how much they differ from keloid scars, surgical scars etc but i did contact doctor derry before i started applying lugols and he said it should work on stretchmarks. i believe he said the same thing to another member aswell. i understand that too much iodine in the system can be dangerous but after 4 months of use i havent noticed any changes in general at all. i dont think im applying anywhere near enough to be at dangerous levels.

the most worrying thing for me is that i havent seen any improvement at all after 4 months. i knew it was going to be a long process but after 4 months i think i should be able to notice some changes by now if it does work. i will carry on going for now as i have nothing to lose i suppose. if it does work i think it will take a LONG time, at least for my scars. i hate to say it but things arent looking too good, but we will see.

I'm not even a third of a way through my bottle but I'm testing an area way smaller, though I'm tempted to go much more and include a lot of my scarring.

Edited by seabs135, 30 March 2010 - 10:59 PM.

[pepo]

just a quick update because i dont want this thread to die,

not a lot happening with my skin. still exactly the same. the longer i go without seeing any results the more i lose hope in this method.

anybody else having any success?

[pepo]

anyone?

seabs135 how is your treatment going? hows your skin reacting to the lugols? any improvements?

ive just emailed dr derry asking him his opinion on why im not seeing any results after 4 months. lets see if he replies.

[pepo]

ive just emailed dr derry asking him his opinion on why im not seeing any results after 4 months. lets see if he replies.

i received a reply from dr derry very quickly (6-7 minutes after i emailed him). this is what it said:

Thank you for the excellent description of what has been happening.

The leathery description sounds a bit like a scab over the scar. If it is then I would not put on any more lugol’s on--- Just let it heal. It may take months to heal but scabs have something to do with regeneration. Once you have them you can leave them alone. The Lugol’s is going into the scar because I think it doesn’t need more.

Are you taking pictures? It sure helps.

So I would try just leaving it alone until it completely heals and no further sign of leathery material is there.

I believe regeneration is occurring it is just that every scar heals differently so predicting is difficult.

I hope that helps.

David

Derry

[seabs135]

anyone?

seabs135 how is your treatment going? hows your skin reacting to the lugols? any improvements?

ive just emailed dr derry asking him his opinion on why im not seeing any results after 4 months. lets see if he replies.

Pepo I really do not know if it is working, I can only say that the day my scarring or part of it is completely regenerated with the iodine. I'm still cracking on with it, and I will continue to do so.

Heres my run down,

Things I've noticed (please note this is interpretation and could be me wanting to see this) on the sample of scarring I'm treating:

I'm still looking at my scarring more than I used to. I should learn to understand if it is working I will not see the micro progression.

During my recent application phase part of the wound looked flat when I was applying it. I thought I was cracking it. However after my break from application I found it was not as flat or regenerated. This suggests the peeling skin and the skin coating gave that illusion and caught me out again which frustrated me. IMO I have to learn not to judge progress when I'm applying lugols as in my opinion I will have a placebo type bias. I will only attempt to judge it when I'm resting from applying the lugols, even then if it is not regenerated it could be something I want to see.

I'm currently in my rest from application so I can get a look at it without iodine application and I currently do thnk it could be flatter in part (but are my eyes deceiving me?) and in context with the surrounding skin, the photos I took today also look slightly better than earlier ones. However I'm now using a different camera and the sun was shinning more throught the window of the room were I took the photos which I'm fairly sure warped the image. I do not put any authority on the pictures I took today.

I also currently percieve when I gently rub or massage my scarring it seems flatter and there are less bumps, is the iodine removing the bundled collagen creating the bumps? I also note the sunken parts of this scar seem to be more in context too.

Also I noted today after exercise my scarring I'm treating seems more sunken after exercise, you can see the outline much more, but when I cool down it fattens up again to flatten. I theorise this might be because the scar wall on the fibrils is being broken up? (Maybe be from the bottom up like Derry says how it regenerates in his paper?) Which has removed the tough structure of this tissue whilst it is healing. This in my thinking could be a good thing it could be a sign the scar wall is being broken up making it easier for the stem cells and intercellular cells to crawl through the fibrils??

What I'm going to do from now on,

I'm also considering applying it two to three times a day, instead of one or two.

I'm going to try it for months yet, when I'm applying it, because I'm treating oldish scarring, I'm going to have at least one day a week were I massage my scar with a finger knuckle, I reckon this will break up my scar by micro injury, and because iodine inhibits fibroblast proliferation, the wound will not get excess collagen to replace the excess collagen? which means the only thing it can do is regenerate???

Edited by seabs135, 26 April 2010 - 03:20 PM.

[appleberry]

have been using iodine for my face scars continuously for 1.5 month. have decided to do it for at least 4 month before quitting if nothing really happens. really difficult to judge at the moment. sometimes it seems that they are really diminishing, then in between peels when new skin reveals they look pretty same. as mentioned in previous post. (i only peel, never got any scabs) i also suspect that it may cause some skin swelling from micro inflammation, that i guess skin does experience from such treatment. however it seems that i have started to notice much smaller scars that i have not noticed, hence treated, before. could be that the major ones are diminishing making others in comparison look more pronounced. generally it seems like scars are changing for better. also even though i spot treat, lugol seems to work well generally for skin as the non treated areas look somehow healthier. lugol not acnegenic for me at all, however this risk was mentioned in several sources.
also when i think about the deformed tissue behind the scar i absolutely realise that even with most potent treatment that would take time to change it. still i must admit that even though i have some hopes in the treatment, the thing that really makes me doubt is the comments of Dr Derry himself. he does not seem very convincing in his replies. i also wonder how his scars are going after 4+ years of treatment.. have someone asked?

[appleberry]

i also wonder if this peeling is really the skin, because it also, at least partly, looks to me like lugol dried residue.

[pepo]

im on another break at the moment due to my skin being very hard and scab-like again. its very hard to apply lugols for a decent period of time before you have to stop and wait for it to peel. ive only been applying lugols for 2-3 weeks again and im already having to break off to wait for the area to heal. applying the lugols to the area in its current state is useless as it just stays on the surface of the tough skin.

ive started treating my other shoulder with a 2mm derma roller i got a while ago. so on one shoulder im using lugols and on the other im using the derma roller. im not expecting anything from either treatment. ive heard of various ways to use the derma roller, some say use it everyday, others say once a month.

Edited by pepo, 30 April 2010 - 08:17 PM.

[pepo]

the area has almost healed now.

still exactly the same as before.

not sure whether to carry on trying it.

[seabs135]

the area has almost healed now.

still exactly the same as before.

not sure whether to carry on trying it.

I'm going full on throttle from now till late august, hopefully with no stops, this would give me about 8months of time since last October of apllication down time and about 2months of rest. Even after that I'll probably go on a little while more even if the result is the same. I always think it will be working from the bottom up if it was to work. Its disappointing I've yet to percieve any results after 4+months of trying.

[appleberry]

even though i was planning to stick to 6 month before quitting, after 2 month+ of continuous treatment i have stopped.
i decided to give a break for a week to only realise that there was no improvement at all. after several cycles of complete skin renewal (i guess it is 28 days) there had to be at least slight changes to better. it even somehow seems that the shallow scars got a bit wider, which could possibly happen because of spot treatment and so many peeling cycles.
i believe that my initial positive impression was really due to the microswelling that made skin look plumper and the skin top layer drying before coming off that made scars less noticeable. i must admit that i did get better results with Contractubex gel.
so now i am on to microneedling. will combine it with copper peptides which i have purchased ages ago but tried for really short period of time. after 2 month of iodine staining i guess this routine will be much easier to follow..
but still wish the luck to seabs and pepo and all others doing the iodine. and will check back.

[pepo]

im ready to give up on lugols now i think. i still havent seen any results.

ive been reading alot about MSM lately so im going to give that a try, orally and topically. if nothing else it will help my joints. ive heard some say they noticed improvements in scars from taking it orally and they werent even using it for scars in the first place. ive heard others say it did absolutely nothing, but they didnt apply it topically. it seems to be one of the few substances that the skin actually absorbs which is what interests me really. ive heard good things about topical application.

i dont have high hopes for it but im really at a loss as to what else there is to try.

[seabs135]

im ready to give up on lugols now i think. i still havent seen any results.

ive been reading alot about MSM lately so im going to give that a try, orally and topically. if nothing else it will help my joints. ive heard some say they noticed improvements in scars from taking it orally and they werent even using it for scars in the first place. ive heard others say it did absolutely nothing, but they didnt apply it topically. it seems to be one of the few substances that the skin actually absorbs which is what interests me really. ive heard good things about topical application.

i dont have high hopes for it but im really at a loss as to what else there is to try.

I'm going to keep going. Altogether I havent even done the 6month point yet.

Edited by seabs135, 31 May 2010 - 01:28 PM.

[Maldition]

im ready to give up on lugols now i think. i still havent seen any results.

ive been reading alot about MSM lately so im going to give that a try, orally and topically. if nothing else it will help my joints. ive heard some say they noticed improvements in scars from taking it orally and they werent even using it for scars in the first place. ive heard others say it did absolutely nothing, but they didnt apply it topically. it seems to be one of the few substances that the skin actually absorbs which is what interests me really. ive heard good things about topical application.

i dont have high hopes for it but im really at a loss as to what else there is to try.

I'm going to keep going. Altogether I havent even done the 6month point yet.

So, Seabs do you have any improvement?

[seabs135]

im ready to give up on lugols now i think. i still havent seen any results.

ive been reading alot about MSM lately so im going to give that a try, orally and topically. if nothing else it will help my joints. ive heard some say they noticed improvements in scars from taking it orally and they werent even using it for scars in the first place. ive heard others say it did absolutely nothing, but they didnt apply it topically. it seems to be one of the few substances that the skin actually absorbs which is what interests me really. ive heard good things about topical application.

i dont have high hopes for it but im really at a loss as to what else there is to try.

I'm going to keep going. Altogether I havent even done the 6month point yet.

So, Seabs do you have any improvement?

I do not know yet. I'm going till late august and probably way beyond. I've decided to wait untill late august to make a progress judgement, this should be my 7.5 to 8month point.

There is nothing else on the market I can get a hold of so I'll stick with it.

I've also used two cameras, and the pictures do look different, but this could be down to the fact the cameras react different to lighting etc.. So when I next take photos I'm using the two cameras. This should also give me a better perception.

[ylem]

I tried this with iodides tincture for months and never saw any results.