Lee1234

I read a very interesting post from a dermatologist that seemed more than happy to speak his mind.


"AHA (alpha hydroxy acid)? Pffft. Throw it out. You're not doing yourself good with 10%.

First and foremost, let me get this out of the way. All the bullshit you hear about tea tree oil, lemon juice, toothpaste, vitamin e oil, etc. helping scars? MARKETING. As a dermatologist, I've worked for over 10 years and the evidence for these 'home remedies' is absolutely ****. Please don't waste your time with these. Sorry about the language but you have to be stern to get the truth into heads sometimes.
So, in order to understand how to get rid of acne scars, you first obviously have to understand how and why they form (colour, etc.). This is my most succinct way of explaining acne scars to my patients – it’s the same explanation but it’s damn simple to understand.
Skin renews itself everyday 28-45 days.
Your skin has four main layers.
The very top layer is the thinnest - the stratum corneum. The layer below is the epidermis. The dermis is below the epidermis. The basal membrane is between the epidermis and the dermis. Scars are only likely if this membrane is ruptured (when the pimple is so deep that it reaches the lining).
The very bottom layer is the dermis. New fat skin cells form here and move up. As they move up through your skin, through the epidermis and to the stratum corneum to be shed off, they mature and become thinner. Eventually, they are so thin that they become flakes. That is what you see on the top of your skin. The brown colour in your skin after acne is caused by the production of melanin. Melanin in your skin goes away over time which is why tans are never permanent. Depending on how deep your melanin pigmentation is in your skin, dictates how long it takes for the pigmentation to go. If the pigmentation is in the dermis, it will take a very long time. Remember that melanin pigmentation occurs as a reaction to inflammation and bacteria being there previously. If bacteria was in the dermis and not in the epidermis, this means that the infection (in this acne) is deeper.
Yes as a reaffirmation, acne scars turn brown due to a production of melanin but it goes away over time depending on the depth of infection and therefore depth of melanin pigmentation (4-6 weeks for the average pigmentation so I always suggest that the patient do nothing first (naturally) than resort to treatment immediately).

So, firstly I want you to know that most of the websites on the internet are rubbish and pure marketing.
Secondly, superificial acne will leave superifical scars (only on the epidermis) in which case a 2-3% hydroquinone cream should do the trick after 4-6 weeks (bearing in mind it takes 28-45 days for skin to renew itself by the process of moving up I just outlined). Either a cream as a topical treatment or dermabrasion as a physical treatment though my patients always choose the cream because dermabrasion is obviously harsh to your skin. REMEMBER, this is for acne scarring in the epidermis. If your basal membrane has been ruptured or the pigmentation is in the dermis, then here’s what I propose.


I always give my patients a choice. There's no point in forcing them to choose something tey may not like. The first is the use of ablative lasers to correct your skin colour. Hyperpigmentation of your skin is caused by the production of melanin in the area after collagen is sent there to rebuild damaged tissue. It is quite expensive all around the world unfortunately.

The other option is much more accessible. Start yourself on a product with azelaic acid or adapalene. I prefer adapalene because this compound promotes cell turnover so skin renews itself much more quickly. Thus, pigmentation deep down in your skin will go away quicker. Note that this process depends on the natural rejuvenation of your skin as melanin levels gradually decrease over time (months or years we're talking about).
I DON'T MESS AROUND WITH PEOPLE'S SKINS.

I have been working as a dermatologist for over 10 yrs, Dr David Wong MD. If you have any more concerns or queries, feel free to post and I would be more than glad to answer them as best I can."

I was doing a little research on PIH today and from what I've gathered, it takes 3-24 months for it to fade untreated, so why have I had PIH for 4-6+ years? and my face is LITERALLY covered in it (forehead almost completely hyper pigmented) Would I be wrong to assume that for me it's permanent? because I don't like having false hope

Been rid of acne for a while, and was content with just "enjoying the calm", but now it's spring and the sun's out again, I've had a chance to take a good look at the collateral damage. My entire forehead is just a large slab of "dark skin" (darker than the adjacent skin on the temples) and my cheeks right down to my jaw is pigmented. It makes my entire face look darker than it should be and in very good, natural lighting, you can see the two shades of skin beside each other (looks like the pigmented skin is trying to devour the original lol). Anyway, I'm looking for something natural, that someone's had personal experience and success with. If you could offer me some of your assistance, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Edit: I've had PIH for about 6-7 years now and they haven't budged. Patience is one thing, but this is just ridiculous.

Thank you.

Yes and I am not the only one, I know more than a few men who LOVE women with acne , we personally think it's beautiful and shows a lot of character, something that says "I'm human", to me, it's beautiful. With my own personal bout with acne (which is thankfully over) I've developed a profound respect for those who have acne, but don't let it cripple all aspects of their lives, and this applies to men too (all homo)

So this thread, as pointless as it may seem, is just here so that you can say that I am one of the MANY people who don't see acne as a contributing factor in finding a person attractive/beautiful.

Mods- I know this isn't a dating site and I apologise, this is the only place where I can vent this out please don't ban me.

Hi, I'd like to take some time to explain how I got clear but first, I'll explain my history with acne.

I've been suffering from acne since I turned 13, (20 atm) at first I was confused as to why there were lumps on my face, I didn't know acne existed until I was afflicted, but like many of us, I sought a quick cure from over the counter products. Initially, the products were effective, until a month down the line where they would suddenly become useless. I was young and cared little for the long-term damage this was doing to my skin, bearing in mind I still had perfect oil production on my face. Over time I grew more and more dependant on new products with the hope that every new product I bought was potentially a cure, this was never the case. I began to develop extremely dry skin no doubt due to the products I was using, my acid mantle was annihilated leaving me exposed to all, soon after came the cysts and the white heads (So at this point I had flesh coloured lumps, cysts, white heads, hyper-pigmentation, blackheads, dry skin -_- ). Around 16/17 I turned to benzyol peroxide which was undoubtedly the worst decision I ever made in regards to my acne., I developed moderate eczema and the brown marks left from healed spots were gradually darkening, hard water+benyol peroxide= Death to faces. I bought a moisturiser in an attempt to combat the dryness but little did I know it was blocking my pores thus giving me more acne *sigh*. The big 18 rolled around and I didn't look human any more, every single form of facial disorder you can get in acne prone skin, I had and I was fed up. I went to see my GP (another huge mistake) who prescribed me a truckload of anti-biotics/topicals, long story short, they didn't work. I was referred to a dermatologist and after an 8 month wait (>_>) he placed me on retin-a, which was effective for a short period but the side-effects left me questioning if it was worth it ( chemical burns, thinning skin, worse eczema. Yes I was still using moisturiser and it didn't help.). A few months on retin-a and oh joy! guess who's back with friends and family =_=. I turned 19 and enough was enough, I looked into the caveman regime which instructed me not to wash my face for a while, I tried this and the results were definitely positive, an old friend of mine complimented me on my skin texture, colour and was genuinely surprised at the lack of acne on my face (he was always the first to brutally point out how bad it was ). However, the dead skin build up and the red skin after finally washing my face (probably due to the hard water) was enough reason to drop this regime.

20 years old, here I am today, I decided to focus on the ins rather than the out to try and rid myself of this disease. Luckily, since I was 18 I've changed my diet entirely, swapping all the whites with the browns, dropping bread/dairy entirely and exchanging all sweet and coloured drinks for herbal infusions and filtered water (These were mainly due to becoming a personal trainer, but the effects on my acne were remarkable). Diet aside, I made a very big change to my regime, I dropped everything, every, single, thing. My skin over-time learnt how to lubricate itself as it once did before, my spots, what spots? and the hyperpigmentation is just fading day by day, this was the best decision I'd ever made in regards to my acne, I was free to by myself without the constraints that accompanied low self-esteem and anxiety. *Ahem* there was also another thing that I stopped doing......the ever so controversial, Masturbation=Acne debate, in my experience (note the MY) if I did the act, without fail within the following 48 hours, I would have a few new flesh coloured lumps, facial irritation (itching) and redness all over. I believe that masturbation causes hormone levels to fluctuate causing these adverse reactions (Don't know about sex as I'm still a virgin) but this only seems to apply to males with acne prone skin. I honestly don't know why this is *sigh* but that aside, this is what I've learnt in relation acne and skincare.

- Hard water does more harm than good.
- Filtered water, when drunk and used to wash is A LOT more forgiving on your skin.
- Moisturiser isn't necessary, your skin does a better job on it's own.
- The majority of skin cleansers (even cetaphil containing cancer causing ingredients) have something wrong with them. Which caused me to lose faith in all of them.

The problem with people is, they hang on the every word of those who are 'qualified' often ignoring their instincts, for example, doctors/scientists/dermatologists tell you masturbation and acne cannot be linked, end of, yet for those select few they break out every time without fail, they used to tell you that diet had no effect on acne, only to turn on their word and say dairy and acne may be linked *rolls eyes*, you know there's a problem with YOUR body yet you let those (often with contracts at pharmaceutical companies and dermatologists) tell you otherwise, you know that 2+2=4, yet, they tell you 5 and because they're 'qualified' you believe them. I did this for too long only to eventually realise that it's all about making money, the majority don't have YOUR best interests at heart and thus, offer you these products that eventually make you worse, so that you can go back time and time again, harmful ingredients and all. This is what I personally believe, I do genuinely care about those who have suffered with acne, the psychological trauma is causes is often downplayed by society and labelled as vanity, Nobody can understand what it's like to be an acne sufferer unless they've had it or have it, period. Even if you reject my beliefs, that's ok, I'm only trying to help fellow sufferers and all forms of feedback is welcome

http://a3.sphotos.ak...5_4006736_n.jpg
^^ this is somewhat an old pic from facebook lol, but whenever I get completely clear, this is how my skin looks, atm I don't have access to a way of uploading a newer picture, but believe me when I say, I'm clear