68 replies to this topic

[katy more]

I started roaccutane 3 weeks ago, since then I have developed a scab on my face. I am extremely concerned about scarring and this was the reason I took so long to go on this drug, Im 28 and terrified of more scars.

Please help me and tell me what the hell to do so my face doesnt scar with this medication, I feel I just want to die and its not coz Im depressed its because If I have scars on my face after this treatment then I cant live with that fact.

Also I have post Inflammatory hyperpigmentation from acne usually purply marks that hang round for up to 16 months or so, please tell me there is a way to prevent these marks on this medication as this is an added concern. Im almost at the point where I am wondering if its worth being on this drug as Im pretty sure I see PIH forming from a few pimples that have come up.

I cant speak to my dermatologist for another 2 days, I need someone to reply to this who can tell me if there are medications for my concerns ie topical or if there is any hope for me at all or if I should abandon this drug.

As an update I spoke to my derm who said i can get fraxel and what not after roaccutane, he didnt seem to care at all that I think my face will be a mess after this drug. i asked about spirolactone as an alternative he said he doesnt prescribe it and to get it prescribed Id have to get a hormonal profile to see if I should go on it by a gp.........I have no idea what to do no one can help me and I just want to die I hate this. Help me please tell me what I can do.

[jessicapit]

Hi,

I had post inflammatory hyperpigmentation from acne scars and it was more than two years before I did anything about it. The red marks within the scars definitely did not go away on it's own. I went to Bellair Laser Clinic in Toronto and had the Fraxel laser treatment for the textural scars and I was pleasantly suprised at how quickly the hyperpigmentation within the scars went away! It took a total of 4 treatments before I was pleased with the texture of the skin, but the post inflammatory hyperpigmentation went away after the first treatment! Although fraxel is typically expensive, I got a really good deal with Bellair for only doing my half face since my forehead does not have any scarring.

I am very Happy with my new Smooth Skin!

Jessica

[BlondeWithAcne]

I know tanning is terrible for the skin, but I can't seem to stay out of the sun and I have so many red marks on my face. I cry myself to sleep because It is so embarassing.

I find when I am tan, you cant see the red marks so that is why I continue to tan.

Is there any topical treatments that are used to get rid of these embarassing red marks?

[EsteemedRabbit]

Alpha hydroxy acids and alpha arbutin combinations work well and fast. Just make sure you buy pharmaceutical grade combinations and not cosmetic grade arbutin/aha. Pharmagrade aha and arbutin come in serum forms. While cosmetic grade come in cream.

[Bluecat25]

Hey Katy More, try putting pure vitamin e (natural, not synthetic), on that scab. You can get it at a health food store. It should keep it from scarring. I had a cyst removed off my face years ago by a plastic surgeon, and he told me that as soon as it scabbed if I would use the Vitamin E, I wouldn't have a scar. It worked!

As for the meds from the dermitologist, we went thru this too with a different script from the doctor. Three weeks later my skin was much worse than when I started. Plus, I had new red marks from all the new pimples that were developing. I dropped the prescription and started using aspirin masks every other night. Vitamin E to moisturize and sea salt water to clean. In 2 weeks, all the pimples are gone, and now I'm trying to get rid of the scarring that was left behind and much worse thanks to the meds from the doctor. I also used Tea Tree oil on the spot pimples, but I've been reading that it is also good for the scarring so I think I'll go back to using it too on the red marks. Good Luck!

[Clever]

Hi, Really good to know dat im not the only one dat suffer with red marks really they are annoying im 14 btw..and sincerely i got this huge breakouts on August in my mid 13s now the area of my cheeks are full with red marks i take vitamins eat fruit and changed the way i eat and i must say it had really improved a lot i dont touch my face i used to do it a lot.....its been 7 months since....what type of sunscreen its good? any type cuz i dont use sunscreen

[nadz123]

use sunblock all the time....

[Clever]

Hey there..hmmm one of my family members is using retinol with 100,000UI Vitamin A its natural...i heard it helps red marks....could i also use it? im taking antibiotics...and using benzoyl peroxide 5% and im clear atm although i still get some pimples here and there...

[crazydash12]

since im a guy do u think that shaving the vellus hairs that are high up on my cheek bones would help exfoliate (since shaving takes off a layer of skin) the hyperpigmentation/redness that was left from acne and gradually make it go away or would it do the opposite and make the redness more pronounced? also would the vellus hairs grow in thicker on my cheek bones??

[dvd07]

hey i have a Q. how come i only have it on one side can any one help

[juice_box]

does anyone know if differin cream can make the red marks/PIH go away?

[huiron]

I am pretty confident that BP does make red marks much worse. When I wasn't using as much BP that is suggestd by Dan (when I was on Proactiv), I was staying clear and I hardly ever had any red marks, they would only be there for maybe a week or two at the most and then they would go away. Since I have been on BP, I have had the same mark for over a month and a half without much fading. Can someone tell me the costs for the different laser treatments?

proactiv's main ingredient is BP. it has bp in it's cleanser and it's repairing lotion. Proactiv is all about BP. There's no evidence at all that bp makes red marks last longer...I'd like to see some

There are plenty of articles reporting studies that claim the ill-effects of BP on skin, namely that it causes free radicals that interfere with the healing process, among other things. I'm not able to post links for some reason, otherwise I would give one article of many that describe one of many studies done on BP's affect on skin. Googling is the easiest way to find an article detailing a study.

[JayQ]

I am pretty confident that BP does make red marks much worse. When I wasn't using as much BP that is suggestd by Dan (when I was on Proactiv), I was staying clear and I hardly ever had any red marks, they would only be there for maybe a week or two at the most and then they would go away. Since I have been on BP, I have had the same mark for over a month and a half without much fading. Can someone tell me the costs for the different laser treatments?

proactiv's main ingredient is BP. it has bp in it's cleanser and it's repairing lotion. Proactiv is all about BP. There's no evidence at all that bp makes red marks last longer...I'd like to see some

There are plenty of articles reporting studies that claim the ill-effects of BP on skin, namely that it causes free radicals that interfere with the healing process, among other things. I'm not able to post links for some reason, otherwise I would give one article of many that describe one of many studies done on BP's affect on skin. Googling is the easiest way to find an article detailing a study.

So if you apply Dan's AHA to red marks and rub it in will it help them heal faster and fade away? I have a major red spot near my nose that has stayed red forever now and i applied some AHA on it today in hopes of speeding up the healing.

I also have Retin-A too, but was told not to use it to spot treat, but really cant see how that would hurt if i just apply it to the red marks.

Any suggestions?

[erin92]

Thank the lord I decided to read this now. I was using BP and ziana to clear up my acne. It cleared up my forehead, but there are so many red marks, now I know I shouldn't use BP in areas with these bad marks. I think I'll switch to salicylic acid

[kimif]

After a breakout (especially if i mess with it) i more often than not end up with hyperpigmentation and or red marks that seem to take forever to fade away. I have been using hydroquine 2% at night in conjunction with dans aha and i have found that it is really helping speed up the process but it still is taking a long time because some are so dark. Ofcourse with any product patience is the key for me and im sure for most of you it is hard to wait

FADING FOR THE IMPATIENT... I have found that going to a tanning bed and using a sweat/water proof sunblock at least 50+ to spot treat my dark marks really evens out my skin. I dont rub the sunblock in i carefully let it sit where there is discoloration and then tan. I also put on an accelarator with bronzer to help tan all over (face included). I wash my face right after to help prevent a break out and i also have found that my makeup goes on smoother after i tan.

i know that to much sun exposure is not good for your skin but the hyperpigmentation was making me miserable and i was desperate...

[kimif]

I have this redish brown spot on my cheek from when I tried to pop a pimple. The pimple was deep so I could not get it and I think the trauma caused by the pressure I put on my skin caused the change in color. Since then (2 months ago) I have had a hard time looking at my face. It annoys me so much to see that the spot will not go away. I have repetedly tried to scratch the spot away and have made it scab a couple of times because I have gotten so angry. It usually scabs and then goes back to the same color or worse. I know it is not good to pick but I do not know what else to do. I tried proactive, I tried oxy pads, and also mederma.

Can someone help me out? Will my redish/brown mark go away? and what will speed up the process?

I know how you feel and yes picking makes it worse but its so hard not to do sometimes. when i have a open acne bumb on my face i put vaseline on it so that when its healing it doesnt heal hard and scab up instead it will heal smooth and once the skin isnt open you can start treating the darkness.

[princess004]

Retin A really works from PIH

I am light skinned black female and I suffer from inflammatory acne so I am always left with brown marks all over my face which are sometimes difficult to hide with foundation. I use Retin A daily and it really helps to fade the marks. I can see a difference after 3 weeks and after 2 months the marks are barely visible. By the 3rd or 4th month you cant even tell there was a pimple there.

[Harper17]

I think price depends on where you are. I live in NYC and laser treatments are about $375 a time. But, I am not just saying this they are amazing. Problem is results do not last long. I get the V-beam done and it repairs red marks so much faster. But, with the price I only do it when its really bad and I dont want to leave my house. There is isolaz and that basically sucks the oil out and evens out your skin. I have started doing a cocktail of both and your skin looks so much better that night. V-beam is a little painful, but so is walking down the street with a massive cyst Let me know if you have any follow-ups!

[scarred2567]

2 years? thats a long time to wait. i dont think i can even wait another 6 months with this

Im an indian male,,so i scar easily from lesions on the face,I hardly have any skin problems, but one fine day i got a huge pimple , i tried picking it with a needle, but it only got worse , so i used a nail file to remove it . Two years i tried everything possible to get rid of the 2 inch brownish -black scar on my face that resulted, and by this is mean i lived on anti-oxidant food and drink for over 6 months ,tried three pigmentation creams, always wore a cap, it was terrible,my self confidence took a really bad blow ,but theres really no other way out but TIME. the body is its own best medicine in this case. Its been over 2 and a half years from that fateful day now. and nothing remains , no scar, no border , no weird coloration,nothing!!. The thing is dont try screwing around with PIH so much ,there is no definite cure as of now. so just relax and if you want an active lifestyle just use MAKEUP.

[cookiescrumble]

I have lots of brown spots on my back from past acne (i still have like 2-3 pimples) but I was wondering.. if I keep showering twice a day with salicylic acid body wash and exfoliate at night, do you think I could fade most of my brown spots by sept.?
I stopped using BP because honestly I'm pretty sure that was making my bacne worse! Recently I've only been showering twice a day with salicylic acid for almost 2 weeks and my back is SO much more clear!