Naitch,
Man, You can bash me all you want, It doesn't affect me personally, but when people read through a thread to seek help and run across your negativity, it doesn't help anyone's cause. If you want to call me names or accuse me of something or say im faking an identity, please do so through private message.
Now to those seeking help, disregards Naitch's accusations, im not exactly sure why he's so bitter or why he targets me, but people will be people eh?
Anyway, I let this thread die because I went about it the wrong way. I felt like I, unintentionally mind you, have been unfair to Dr. Alkek. He is a great doctor and I would highly recommend him to anyone on this forum. I simply just did not go about it the right way and for that I apologize.
After another round of silicone with Dr. Lam I did not ask for the set of 'after' pictures because I did not want to revive this thread and second, I knew I wouldn't have time to update this thread as much as you guys deserve as i work non stop.
I continue to see great results. Mind you I still have some scarred areas which need addressing but if I could stress the amount of improvement I have seen after 4 treatments I would say in the majority of areas THAT WERE INJECTED, the difference is night and day. The key here is patience.
I have seen great results, Another member Dan has also. I know some have had 1 treatment and are seeing minimal results. It takes a few rounds, and also for collagen to form around the microdroplets. In other words it takes time.
This is the last time I will respond to this thread, if you have questions please PM me.. Thanks and best of luck to you all!
Drewboy - I want to say thanks for pursuing all of the various treatments that you have done and reporting back to the posters on this board. I have always found you to be unselfish in your pursuit of information. You, like me have tried everything under the sun and still are still pursuing you options. Like you I don't advocate anything, I just give my best impression of my improvements with each option that I have tried.
For those that pursue the silicone, you must be very patient. I had my 7 treatments over an 18 month period and it takes about 2 to 3 weeks to begin seeing any results. If you had much tissue loss like I did, it may take several treatments to begin seeing any results.
And by the way for you consipiracy buffs, I am not an agent of Dr. Alkek, Dr. Lam or any other doctor and also, I was not behind the grassy knoll when Kennedy was assasinated - Ha, Ha!
Drewboy - I want to say thanks for pursuing all of the various treatments that you have done and reporting back to the posters on this board. I have always found you to be unselfish in your pursuit of information. You, like me have tried everything under the sun and still are still pursuing you options. Like you I don't advocate anything, I just give my best impression of my improvements with each option that I have tried.
For those that pursue the silicone, you must be very patient. I had my 7 treatments over an 18 month period and it takes about 2 to 3 weeks to begin seeing any results. If you had much tissue loss like I did, it may take several treatments to begin seeing any results.
And by the way for you consipiracy buffs, I am not an agent of Dr. Alkek, Dr. Lam or any other doctor and also, I was not behind the grassy knoll when Kennedy was assasinated - Ha, Ha!
Have you posted pics?
Felt I should chime in. I have continued my treatments with silicone. I have had about 5 now and the last one over a month ago.
Honestly, the improvement is not that dramatic...but I think there is some improvement. Because of that I will continue to try more treatments. So currently my opinion is that it may be effective, but it may take time.
If and when I am really satisfied I will surely give an update. It is worth it? Hard to say...but in my opinion it is still worth it so I will continue. If its money wasted, then so be it. After having C02 and other harsh treatments...money is the last thing you care about if things do not go well. So far this treatment, at the very least, has had not side effects.
Silicone injections are GREAT. I am 24 yrs oold and have suffered from acne since my teens. Talk about depressing 
After years of trying virtually everything I went on accutane. It worked for me. Only problem: scars!! pitted, icepick scars, all over my cheeks. I hated the sunlight, I felt as though my face looked life a golf ball.
I contacted a plastic surgeon (after much research) to seek treatment. He recommended silicone (the silicone he used is FDA approved) injections followed by laser resurfacing. I have had two silicone treatments and already my face looks amazing 
HOORAY! I go in the sun (with sunscreen of course) and rarely wear foundation on my skin. I have net yet undergone my laser treatment and already I feel like a new woman. I cannot tell you how much pain and shame my scars gave me, I felt terrible. I owe my doctor BIG. I don't mean financially, either. My silicone treatments were 500 dollars each. I had numerous injections all over both of my cheeks. The money I paid doesn't seem like anything now that I have a new self image and have gained back the confidence I had before my acne ever started. I hope this has been helpful. I wish everyone out there the best and I good luck in your quest to fix your acne/scars.
Naitch,
Man, You can bash me all you want, It doesn't affect me personally, but when people read through a thread to seek help and run across your negativity, it doesn't help anyone's cause. If you want to call me names or accuse me of something or say im faking an identity, please do so through private message.
Now to those seeking help, disregards Naitch's accusations, im not exactly sure why he's so bitter or why he targets me, but people will be people eh?
Anyway, I let this thread die because I went about it the wrong way. I felt like I, unintentionally mind you, have been unfair to Dr. Alkek. He is a great doctor and I would highly recommend him to anyone on this forum. I simply just did not go about it the right way and for that I apologize.
After another round of silicone with Dr. Lam I did not ask for the set of 'after' pictures because I did not want to revive this thread and second, I knew I wouldn't have time to update this thread as much as you guys deserve as i work non stop.
I continue to see great results. Mind you I still have some scarred areas which need addressing but if I could stress the amount of improvement I have seen after 4 treatments I would say in the majority of areas THAT WERE INJECTED, the difference is night and day. The key here is patience.
I have seen great results, Another member Dan has also. I know some have had 1 treatment and are seeing minimal results. It takes a few rounds, and also for collagen to form around the microdroplets. In other words it takes time.
This is the last time I will respond to this thread, if you have questions please PM me.. Thanks and best of luck to you all!
I don't understand your contradicting comments. First you say it has given you great results, then you say you were going about it the "wrong way". What does that mean exactly? I'm sorry, but you had the opportunity to encourage many people to get their confidence back, but instead you choose to just forget about this 11-page thread as if it wasn't anything significant. Am I calling you a liar when you say you got great results? No, I'm not. I'm just saying that everyone has a different perspective on things; so for example, what may be a "40% improvement" to you may be "20% improvement" to someone else. Only a before and after pic can let someone decide whether going after such a procedure is worth it. And you can go ahead and say that I'm prejudice or against you, whatever, fact of the matter is that you create all this hype only to write in words "you continue to see great results" at the very end. You could've easily gotten the after pics from your doctor and posted them on here. Whatever...
read through the thread Naitch,
Im not the only one who got great results.
Signing off now - Dr. Drewboy (hahaha gotta love it)
I've just gone through 11 pages too see your after pics and there not here !
jesus
i want the last 5minutes of my life back! ! ! hahahaha
no but really...good that it's worked for you mate...with or without the pictures atleast your answering everybodys question....good man
I guess he's not posting the pictures because everybody responds differently to silicon injections. In case someone decides to go to the same doctor and doesn't get the same results. It reminds about some dermabrasions posts a few years ago that ended up pretty badly, talking about disfigured faces and lawsuits.
I agree with Drew about not posting the second set of pictures. Maybe he should put a warning at the beginning of the post stating he will not post the June pictures, and if possible delete the name of the doctor.
I do believe he and the other people got results. These are people that have been here forever and I know they are here to help, not to promote any specific doctor. Their skins responded well, not everyone will be that lucky. This is not an easy procedure and the derm has no way to know if your it will work for you.
Drewboy did recently say in another thread he would get some after pics and post a new thread with them.
I am interested in the pics but know that not everyone will get the results he got. I went for two rounds and was not impressed enought to go back. I went to Dr. Alkek. He told me I should see some good results after two but may need more. Well I think there was *some* improvement but really hard to state how much. Then I also got worried about risks so stopped. I mean if you are not sure you will get improvement, but you know there are risks involved, it is kind of questionable. Drewboy said he did see great imrovement after two sessions, so our bodies responded different. Not everyone will get results like his.
I took a step of faith and had SMD (Silicon Microdroplet) performed three weeks ago.
I flew out to Dr Lam in Dallas, and after one treatment, i'm happy with the results and I'm going back for a couple more. Here's my pics:
before:
after:
Clarifying points, so I don't have to answer the same questions all over again:
1. I made sure the lighting was "harsh" on every photo - and as consistent as possible.
2. THE RESULTS ARE THREE WEEKS AFTER TREATMENT.
3. The first two days after treatment were great -the swelling made my skin look perfect, and it wouldn't be fair for me to post those pics.
4. Dr Lam treated me. He's incredible.
5. I am not Dr Lam.
6. I do not work for Dr Lam.
7. I'm not related to Dr Lam.
8. I'm happy with the results from one treatment.
9. I'm going back for another 2 or 3.
10. The deep traumatic indention on my left side is just about gone!
11. I'm truly happy!
12. I'm truly happy!
13. It's not perfect, but it works!
14. Yes, I recommend Dr Lam or someone competent to handle your SMD injection.
15. I paid $600 for the treatment.
16. SMD injection felt like a needle inserted into the epidermis - slight sting. Much less pain than the feeling I used to get under harsh lighting!!!
17. Dr Lam is my hero! He's an amazing person, and he is not out to steal your money.
18. I was in and out in 1 hour.
19. I recommend it for anyone with moderate to deep, rolling or depressed scars.
20. I am not Dr Lam.
21. I will not allow you to treat me the way you treated Drewboy - Sorry, I just won't give you that kind of power. If you have any reason to doubt me, scoff at my results, or question the authenticity of this post, it has no bearing on me and I'm the one enjoying an elevated self esteem. My skin is not 100 perfect, and i'm going back for more, but I'm a completely satisfied customer!
If you happen to have a relevant question that I did not address, you're more than welcome to ask. I only check this site once or twice a week, so If i don't meet your demanding timeline like you imposed upon Drewboy, please take an anger management class or just deal with it.
I sat back and watched this post for month after month, contemplating whether I should go through with SMD. I finally made the choice and I'm posting my response. People like Drewboy, DanT, and others who kept posting their info and results are to be commended - many of you have treated them like trash, and that's why I have said the above statements.
Fun times,
Monteroman
Thanks montero man, drewboy and everyone who has helped in this post. I had a question about the time frame in which you get results. I've read it can take up to 2 months so a lot of doctors ask doctors ask patients to come in every two months, others every month. Any thoughts on time frame and thoughts on how long after the injections you see the full effect.
Some posters, Naitch especially, have been way out of line toward DrewBoy.
I have tried many things, with less than expected results. The only technique that I have any interest in pursuing at this point in SMD, mostly because I trust the information that has been provided by multiple, objective sources, both in this and outside this thread. Unfortunately, I am here in SF Bay Area. Going to LA is no problem, but SF would be best. I don't have time right now to fly to Dallas or NY etc.
Anyone have success with a CA SMD doc? Names?
PS: A couple years ago I posted pictures here. It is way harder than people realize to get a perfect match of up close, detailed pictures to highlight scarring (harder than I expected anyway). After realizing this, I have come to rely more on objective evaluations than on photos. Objective does not mean Fraxel literature and photos, which, while beneficial to me, was way overhyped as to efficacy.
Montero and all,
I just had another round of silicone with Dr. Alkek. Please do not judge it too early though. For the first 4-6 weeks my skin looks pretty darn good. After that, those results start to dissipate. Thanks for posting, BUT please report back after about 2-3 months and I think you will be able to give a more confident opinion about how lasting the results will be.
I am almost a week out and things looks very good now, but I will not get excited about it unless it holds at the 3 month period.
Good luck, I still believe in SMD eventhough my results have been somewhat disappointing to date. I really hope the results stick and appreciate your response since I may consider Dr. Lam at a later date. Your approach seems good too. Forget about all the crap on this site and just state what you believe can help others as best you can.
Thanks montero man, drewboy and everyone who has helped in this post. I had a question about the time frame in which you get results. I've read it can take up to 2 months so a lot of doctors ask doctors ask patients to come in every two months, others every month. Any thoughts on time frame and thoughts on how long after the injections you see the full effect.
In my experience, the first few days are swollen and look overcorrected. They are also quite lumpy. This freaked me out the first time. After a few days things will settle down and your skin will look quite good. Then over the next few weeks the swelling will go away and it may look good or maybe not, however this is still not enough time for the collagen to start building. After about 2-3 months, whatever collagen that was going to encapsulate the silicone should have done its job and then you will have a pretty good idea about where it will stay at. That is also why the docs need time before they do the next round.
doggydogg - I had 7 rounds with Dr. Alkek. I must say that I saw fairly minor changes until about the 3rd or 4th round. I guess that I had such severe tissue loss that it took several rounds to begin showing on the exterior. I did find that the results began to show for me at about the beginning of the 3rd week with each round of treatment.
It has been about a year since the last treatment and the results are still there. Based on what I have read, some have had decent results while some have had very minimal results. I am not sure why, maybe the depth of scars or individual body chemistry. I must also say that I still have a few areas that I would like one more treatment on and also the more superficial scarring remains since silicone is a deep filler and does not seem to be effective on the more superficial areas. I also have a couple of hypertrophic scars on my right cheek that bother me but obviously the silicone can do nothing for those. I also had an area on my left temple that had smaller scars, almost like golf ball dimples and the silicone did virtually nothing on those. It did help restore some of my cheek areas that had the most tissue loss.
Thanks montero man, drewboy and everyone who has helped in this post. I had a question about the time frame in which you get results. I've read it can take up to 2 months so a lot of doctors ask doctors ask patients to come in every two months, others every month. Any thoughts on time frame and thoughts on how long after the injections you see the full effect.
The time frame that you start to see the true results from the peek and valley perspective is 3-4 weeks. Some people in this forum say that after a couple months, they lost results.
From a medical science perspective, I find that very fascinating. When you understand that SMD is basically droplets injected in minute amounts in multiple areas under the scar, which do two things:
1. Stimulate Collagen
2. Serve as a foundation to add stability and increase in the atrophic areas (ever been under a raised floor?)
I guess in the case where a person experienced the collagen growth and silicon formation, something within their biology caused both to diminish. I'm not a Dr, so I cannot state the statistics about these atypical incidents.
Dr Lam said after three weeks, you will see it stabilize, and even possibly continue to improve over the next 12 months. After three weeks, my results are stable, and significantly better than before I had SMD.
I will try to post pictures in another month to prove the fact that they are lasting results.
I'll be heading to Dr Lam in November, giving me a three month window for more improvement.
Thank you for all the kind responses- it's nice to know that there are grateful people in a free forum, in a free country, in a free world.
Monteroman
Some posters, Naitch especially, have been way out of line toward DrewBoy.
I have tried many things, with less than expected results. The only technique that I have any interest in pursuing at this point in SMD, mostly because I trust the information that has been provided by multiple, objective sources, both in this and outside this thread. Unfortunately, I am here in SF Bay Area. Going to LA is no problem, but SF would be best. I don't have time right now to fly to Dallas or NY etc.
Anyone have success with a CA SMD doc? Names?
PS: A couple years ago I posted pictures here. It is way harder than people realize to get a perfect match of up close, detailed pictures to highlight scarring (harder than I expected anyway). After realizing this, I have come to rely more on objective evaluations than on photos. Objective does not mean Fraxel literature and photos, which, while beneficial to me, was way overhyped as to efficacy.
Sorry billy, i live out there too. Flying to Dallas is my only option, and it's worth it. Get this, i do it all in one day. I take one day off work, leave early early early, arrive in Dallas around 11am, rent a car, drive to Plano (20 minute drive), get the hour procedure, return the car, fly back and i'm under the covers before midnight. I go to work the next day because there's no scabs or NOTICEABLE swelling. Don't get me wrong, it swells, but it doesn't look obvious.
tickets are $300. i found it worth it for me. I'll be getting another two treatments, so 2700 spent over 9 month period. not bad.
Some posters, Naitch especially, have been way out of line toward DrewBoy.
I have tried many things, with less than expected results. The only technique that I have any interest in pursuing at this point in SMD, mostly because I trust the information that has been provided by multiple, objective sources, both in this and outside this thread. Unfortunately, I am here in SF Bay Area. Going to LA is no problem, but SF would be best. I don't have time right now to fly to Dallas or NY etc.
Anyone have success with a CA SMD doc? Names?
PS: A couple years ago I posted pictures here. It is way harder than people realize to get a perfect match of up close, detailed pictures to highlight scarring (harder than I expected anyway). After realizing this, I have come to rely more on objective evaluations than on photos. Objective does not mean Fraxel literature and photos, which, while beneficial to me, was way overhyped as to efficacy.
Sorry billy, i live out there too. Flying to Dallas is my only option, and it's worth it. Get this, i do it all in one day. I take one day off work, leave early early early, arrive in Dallas around 11am, rent a car, drive to Plano (20 minute drive), get the hour procedure, return the car, fly back and i'm under the covers before midnight. I go to work the next day because there's no scabs or NOTICEABLE swelling. Don't get me wrong, it swells, but it doesn't look obvious.
tickets are $300. i found it worth it for me. I'll be getting another two treatments, so 2700 spent over 9 month period. not bad.
I have a few questions:
#1) I am going to get a permanent filler done very soon. My biggest concern however, is having the scar being over-injected and being left with a lump. The derm that i had my restylane injections done with kind of left lumps that you can notice on very severe lighting. Has there been any lumps forming from over injecting? All i want is a doctor who will make sure that he doesnt over inject.
2) I live in Canada and the permanent filler we use is Artecoll. Do you think you would see the same results with artecoll injections. I think i would prefer silicone injections by dr. alkek, but the cost of flying down to dallas was be enormous.
3) How much improvement, percentage wise, have you seen thus far?
Some posters, Naitch especially, have been way out of line toward DrewBoy.
I have tried many things, with less than expected results. The only technique that I have any interest in pursuing at this point in SMD, mostly because I trust the information that has been provided by multiple, objective sources, both in this and outside this thread. Unfortunately, I am here in SF Bay Area. Going to LA is no problem, but SF would be best. I don't have time right now to fly to Dallas or NY etc.
Anyone have success with a CA SMD doc? Names?
PS: A couple years ago I posted pictures here. It is way harder than people realize to get a perfect match of up close, detailed pictures to highlight scarring (harder than I expected anyway). After realizing this, I have come to rely more on objective evaluations than on photos. Objective does not mean Fraxel literature and photos, which, while beneficial to me, was way overhyped as to efficacy.
Sorry billy, i live out there too. Flying to Dallas is my only option, and it's worth it. Get this, i do it all in one day. I take one day off work, leave early early early, arrive in Dallas around 11am, rent a car, drive to Plano (20 minute drive), get the hour procedure, return the car, fly back and i'm under the covers before midnight. I go to work the next day because there's no scabs or NOTICEABLE swelling. Don't get me wrong, it swells, but it doesn't look obvious.
tickets are $300. i found it worth it for me. I'll be getting another two treatments, so 2700 spent over 9 month period. not bad.
I have a few questions:
#1) I am going to get a permanent filler done very soon. My biggest concern however, is having the scar being over-injected and being left with a lump. The derm that i had my restylane injections done with kind of left lumps that you can notice on very severe lighting. Has there been any lumps forming from over injecting? All i want is a doctor who will make sure that he doesnt over inject.
2) I live in Canada and the permanent filler we use is Artecoll. Do you think you would see the same results with artecoll injections. I think i would prefer silicone injections by dr. alkek, but the cost of flying down to dallas was be enormous.
3) How much improvement, percentage wise, have you seen thus far?
I have had both silicone and artecoll (in Canada) injections. Both have been good treatments for me. I have some lumps, but they are only visible when you stretch the skin. Cannot see them during any normal circumstance. In fact, the areas that I have got the best correct are the areas that have lumps when stretched.
As far as overcorrection goes, I have had about 3 rounds of artecoll and 5 rounds of silicone and nothing is overcorrected significantly (MAYBE one spot, but its not bad). I think the process is relatively slow so you can probably put a halt to it before you go too far.
Improvement is VERY VERY hard to gage. If you fill a scar by 50-70%, the problem is there is still a scar there. Under directional light, this scar WILL show. So often times you feel like you are not getting correction, even though you are still filling in the depressions. It is so hard to say what benefits you will get.
The question is how much does it bother you, how much money do you have, and how much risk can you take on. For me, it bothers me a lot (but much less now that I have improved significantly and cared less over time), I have plenty of money, and am a risk taker by nature (also why I have money, haha). Its been a PITA and has been very frustrating and dissapointing at times, but overall...I still it is worth it. If you are short on cash, and its only a minor problem to you...maybe its not worth the potential that you may get little benefit.