159 replies to this topic

[alphabetpony]

Hey Pjord, are you still using the retin A? How is it working for you? My dr took me off accutane and switched me to the Retin A .05% cream after I made my earlier post and my skin is starting to look really smooth now. But my dr told me to use the retin right away--like the day I quit taking accutane--and the first week I was using it my face looked SO BAD. I dunno if my skin was inflamed from irritation or what, but I swear to god, it looked like I had full-on rolling scars for a couple of days. At the same time, it seemed like my indents were literally melting away--and I guess they have 'cause it's only been a couple weeks and my face looks SO MUCH smoother now! Did this happen to you? Also, do you use your retin before or after moisturizing?

[Pord]

alphabetpony, on 25 November 2011 - 02:20 PM, said:

Hey Pjord, are you still using the retin A? How is it working for you? My dr took me off accutane and switched me to the Retin A .05% cream after I made my earlier post and my skin is starting to look really smooth now. But my dr told me to use the retin right away--like the day I quit taking accutane--and the first week I was using it my face looked SO BAD. I dunno if my skin was inflamed from irritation or what, but I swear to god, it looked like I had full-on rolling scars for a couple of days. At the same time, it seemed like my indents were literally melting away--and I guess they have 'cause it's only been a couple weeks and my face looks SO MUCH smoother now! Did this happen to you? Also, do you use your retin before or after moisturizing?

I am still using the Retin-A micro gel 0.1%. It has been alright. It is too early to tell I think. I have been using it for a few weeks now about every other day. I have not noticed major improvements yet. How long have you been using it now? I use Retin-A before moisturizing.

[Fmylife91]

Aw man, I was going to tell you to do Lactic Acid peels (40% and the move up to 50%) like I did because my face looked liked yours (only my red marks were darker) and the lactic acid really worked wonders. But I don't think it's a good idea to use lactic acid while on Retin-A (I might be wrong but please be careful and research it.)

I've tried Emu Oil and it didn't help me at all.

Lactic Acid is really the only thing that worked for my red marks. I saw a huge improvement after 2 or 3 peels.

As for the shallow scarring, I also have the same thing. I can't help ya there, since I'm trying to figure out that bit myself. I may try skin needling/dermarolling but I'm trying to gather more information on it before i take the plunge.

Good luck though I hope everything works out.




P.S. I was on Retin-A w/Minocycline 100mg x2 a day. and the Retin A did NOTHING for my red marks. Absolutely NOTHING. It' helps prevent breakouts however since it unclogs your pores, but it doesn't "burn" the red marks off like lactic acid does.

Edited by Fmylife91, 30 November 2011 - 12:44 AM.

[Pord]

Fmylife91, on 30 November 2011 - 12:42 AM, said:

Aw man, I was going to tell you to do Lactic Acid peels (40% and the move up to 50%) like I did because my face looked liked yours (only my red marks were darker) and the lactic acid really worked wonders. But I don't think it's a good idea to use lactic acid while on Retin-A (I might be wrong but please be careful and research it.)

I've tried Emu Oil and it didn't help me at all.

Lactic Acid is really the only thing that worked for my red marks. I saw a huge improvement after 2 or 3 peels.

As for the shallow scarring, I also have the same thing. I can't help ya there, since I'm trying to figure out that bit myself. I may try skin needling/dermarolling but I'm trying to gather more information on it before i take the plunge.

Good luck though I hope everything works out.




P.S. I was on Retin-A w/Minocycline 100mg x2 a day. and the Retin A did NOTHING for my red marks. Absolutely NOTHING. It' helps prevent breakouts however since it unclogs your pores, but it doesn't "burn" the red marks off like lactic acid does.

Thanks for the comment. How long were you on Retin-A?

[alphabetpony]

Fmylife91, on 30 November 2011 - 12:42 AM, said:

Aw man, I was going to tell you to do Lactic Acid peels (40% and the move up to 50%) like I did because my face looked liked yours (only my red marks were darker) and the lactic acid really worked wonders. But I don't think it's a good idea to use lactic acid while on Retin-A (I might be wrong but please be careful and research it.)

I've tried Emu Oil and it didn't help me at all.

Lactic Acid is really the only thing that worked for my red marks. I saw a huge improvement after 2 or 3 peels.

As for the shallow scarring, I also have the same thing. I can't help ya there, since I'm trying to figure out that bit myself. I may try skin needling/dermarolling but I'm trying to gather more information on it before i take the plunge.

Good luck though I hope everything works out.




P.S. I was on Retin-A w/Minocycline 100mg x2 a day. and the Retin A did NOTHING for my red marks. Absolutely NOTHING. It' helps prevent breakouts however since it unclogs your pores, but it doesn't "burn" the red marks off like lactic acid does.

Fmylife, I think it probably doesn't help your red marks because you're on Minocycline. Minocycline tends to prolong hyperpigmentation and sometimes, it actually makes it worse.... I was on it for like 2 years, and I definitely noticed that it did this (don't worry it's not permanent). Retin A seems like it's bleaching all the color out of my face, but then again, it also makes my face red sometimes--probably because it's an irritant. Either way, my hyperpigmentation seems to be getting lighter.

I have only been using it for 3-4 weeks, but I've already noticed that even while this stuff seems to be improving my skin, it also seems to be making my pores bigger! I've stopped using it every night--i think it's way too strong for my skin--and now I'm afraid to use it without moisturizer underneath. I have never been one to care about pores, but I figure I don't need giant pores on top of the rest of my skin problems. The only thing is, I can't quit using it completely because it's keeping me clearer than accutane ever did (I've had ZERO zits since I started using this crap). Also, if it's really supposed to build collagen I figure i need it. I'd rather have scarred pores than boxcars or rolling scars--and it looked like I was developing a bunch of those a month ago.

[Pord]

alphabetpony, on 05 December 2011 - 11:00 PM, said:

Fmylife91, on 30 November 2011 - 12:42 AM, said:

Aw man, I was going to tell you to do Lactic Acid peels (40% and the move up to 50%) like I did because my face looked liked yours (only my red marks were darker) and the lactic acid really worked wonders. But I don't think it's a good idea to use lactic acid while on Retin-A (I might be wrong but please be careful and research it.)

I've tried Emu Oil and it didn't help me at all.

Lactic Acid is really the only thing that worked for my red marks. I saw a huge improvement after 2 or 3 peels.

As for the shallow scarring, I also have the same thing. I can't help ya there, since I'm trying to figure out that bit myself. I may try skin needling/dermarolling but I'm trying to gather more information on it before i take the plunge.

Good luck though I hope everything works out.




P.S. I was on Retin-A w/Minocycline 100mg x2 a day. and the Retin A did NOTHING for my red marks. Absolutely NOTHING. It' helps prevent breakouts however since it unclogs your pores, but it doesn't "burn" the red marks off like lactic acid does.

Fmylife, I think it probably doesn't help your red marks because you're on Minocycline. Minocycline tends to prolong hyperpigmentation and sometimes, it actually makes it worse.... I was on it for like 2 years, and I definitely noticed that it did this (don't worry it's not permanent). Retin A seems like it's bleaching all the color out of my face, but then again, it also makes my face red sometimes--probably because it's an irritant. Either way, my hyperpigmentation seems to be getting lighter.

I have only been using it for 3-4 weeks, but I've already noticed that even while this stuff seems to be improving my skin, it also seems to be making my pores bigger! I've stopped using it every night--i think it's way too strong for my skin--and now I'm afraid to use it without moisturizer underneath. I have never been one to care about pores, but I figure I don't need giant pores on top of the rest of my skin problems. The only thing is, I can't quit using it completely because it's keeping me clearer than accutane ever did (I've had ZERO zits since I started using this crap). Also, if it's really supposed to build collagen I figure i need it. I'd rather have scarred pores than boxcars or rolling scars--and it looked like I was developing a bunch of those a month ago.

What type of Retin-A are you using? Did your derm tell you to use it for the hyperpigmentation (or are you using it for another reason)?

[Pord]

Prettywords, on 16 September 2011 - 06:55 PM, said:

QUOTE (Pord @ Sep 16 2011, 08:39 PM)
I have been thinking of getting some emu oil to maybe help.


Someone told me that I should not take any vitamins with vitamin A. They said it will make my scars worse. Is this true?



It might. It would make your wait to fix the scars longer since you need to be Vit.A (Tane) free for at least 6 months.

From the pic I don't think I'd risk TCA cross. I think your scars aren't defined enough and it could make them deeper.

Rolling may work REALLY well for you, but you need to wait at least 6 months. I'd probably wait a year just to be safe. You don't want worse scars bc you didn't wait long enough.

Why do you think rolling may work?

[Pord]

Update!

New photos can be found at the first post.

Please take a look for me. Thanks.

[DudleyDoRight]

You just happen to be in the Plastic Surgery center of the world in Brazil. You look like a good candidate for Fraxel Re:pair, and you have a world of choices in Brazil.

[blooper111]

I just saw your most recent pictures, and I literally have the EXACT same scars as you. They are really only visible if i tilt my head upwards and the light casts a shadow in the indentations.

I was wondering what kind of scars these are as well, and what can be done about htem?

And is there any chance of them healing on ntheir own?

Edited by blooper111, 21 December 2011 - 07:24 PM.

[Pord]

DudleyDoRight, on 21 December 2011 - 05:18 PM, said:

You just happen to be in the Plastic Surgery center of the world in Brazil. You look like a good candidate for Fraxel Re:pair, and you have a world of choices in Brazil.

Why do you say that? Thanks for the reply.

blooper111, on 21 December 2011 - 07:13 PM, said:

I just saw your most recent pictures, and I literally have the EXACT same scars as you. They are really only visible if i tilt my head upwards and the light casts a shadow in the indentations.

I was wondering what kind of scars these are as well, and what can be done about htem?

And is there any chance of them healing on ntheir own?

Yeah, they blow.

[DudleyDoRight]

You are really borderline between regular CO2 and Re:Pair.

[Pord]

DudleyDoRight, on 22 December 2011 - 06:07 AM, said:

You are really borderline between regular CO2 and Re:Pair.

Okay. I may look into that more. I just am somewhat iffy on the whole laser thing. I have read so many negative articles, not to mention that I didn't see a great rating on lasers on Realself.

That being said, do you think that a laser such as CO2 would help there scars in a significant way? These look like rolling scars to me and I don't know much about lasers and rolling scars.

[DudleyDoRight]

Regular CO2 works better on more superficial scars and Re:Pair penetrates deeper. They both are ablative. A whole lot of the negative comments about lasers comes from the non-ablative side. People cannot differentiate between Re:store and Re:pair, and a lot of the blame belongs on Reliant Fraxel for using such similiar names. Re:pair has a 59% approval rating and I am willing to bet the majority of those voters only had one treatment. It was between my first and second treatment that I realized the greatest improvement. Re:pair is hyped as a "one and done" treatment but for acne scars that simply is not true. Your case seems rather mild so you may get away with just 2 treatments. The depth of you scars determines your treatment. CO2 ablates up to .2mm whereas Re:pair can go 1-1.4mm. Only because of fractionalizing the laser is this possible. I had much more intense swelling from Re:pair than I did from CO2 with my first Re:pair. Subsequent Re:pairs have been much easier.

Edited by DudleyDoRight, 22 December 2011 - 05:39 PM.

[hellohellohello]

Hi Pord,

I just wanted to let you know that you have absolutely beautiful skin. I think the best thing that you could do for it is to remove yourself from this board and just keep using Retin-A for the next couple of years.

Do not do Fraxel Repair on your finely textured skin. All the complaints that I have seen from laser have come from beautifully fine skin like you have. You may get a noticeably different texture.

If in a couple of years you decide you still want to do anything, try a non-ablative laser. My daughter has worse scarring than you and she has had an amazing response to a test spot she had a month ago. She also has superfine skin. The dermatologist even turned down the energy to 25 mj in order to be safe with her and she still got great results. I'm not saying that's typical, but nobody knows how their individual skin will react to Fraxel Restore until they try it.

I have a friend who is in her forties, and she told me she had deeply pitted acne scars when she was my daughter's age...she says worse than my daughter. And you can not tell she had scarring. Some people just heal really nicely.

Please do not do anything to harm your lovely skin. The scarring is barely noticeable and is sure to get better with time and Retin-A.

[DudleyDoRight]

I certainly advocate the use of Retin-A, but scarring does not improve with time, only with treatment. By the way what is the highest % of Retin-A that anybody is using?

Edited by DudleyDoRight, 24 December 2011 - 08:19 AM.

[Pord]

DudleyDoRight, on 24 December 2011 - 08:17 AM, said:

I certainly advocate the use of Retin-A, but scarring does not improve with time, only with treatment. By the way what is the highest % of Retin-A that anybody is using?

I am using the Retin-A micro gel 0.1%.

Edited by Pord, 24 December 2011 - 02:39 PM.

[DudleyDoRight]

Pord, on 24 December 2011 - 02:39 PM, said:

DudleyDoRight, on 24 December 2011 - 08:17 AM, said:

I certainly advocate the use of Retin-A, but scarring does not improve with time, only with treatment. By the way what is the highest % of Retin-A that anybody is using?

I am using the Retin-A micro gel 0.1%.

Thanks that is just what I was thinking about ordering.

[Pord]

DudleyDoRight, on 24 December 2011 - 06:30 PM, said:

Pord, on 24 December 2011 - 02:39 PM, said:

DudleyDoRight, on 24 December 2011 - 08:17 AM, said:

I certainly advocate the use of Retin-A, but scarring does not improve with time, only with treatment. By the way what is the highest % of Retin-A that anybody is using?

I am using the Retin-A micro gel 0.1%.

Thanks that is just what I was thinking about ordering.

If you don't mind my asking; why are you ordering it?

Thanks again for the reply.

[DudleyDoRight]

Pord, on 26 December 2011 - 05:53 AM, said:

DudleyDoRight, on 24 December 2011 - 06:30 PM, said:

Pord, on 24 December 2011 - 02:39 PM, said:

DudleyDoRight, on 24 December 2011 - 08:17 AM, said:

I certainly advocate the use of Retin-A, but scarring does not improve with time, only with treatment. By the way what is the highest % of Retin-A that anybody is using?

I am using the Retin-A micro gel 0.1%.

Thanks that is just what I was thinking about ordering.

If you don't mind my asking; why are you ordering it?

Thanks again for the reply.

Because only 3 things have been proven to effect the skin in a positive way Retin-A, Lasers and I cannot remember the third.