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I am so happy for you man. I am considering fillers for a scar but, I am thinking that I am being a coward about it. I prob should do what you do for subcision to really handle it but, I cannot deal with a lot of time off work. I need to work and pay bills. I heard its anywhere from $250 and up per scar. That is awesome. Any photo updates? Congrats again man. Was it any one thing that made the difference or the combo of subcision and fillers?
On 2/3/2012 at 8:15 PM, mrjarjarbinks77 said:I am so happy for you man. I am considering fillers for a scar but, I am thinking that I am being a coward about it. I prob should do what you do for subcision to really handle it but, I cannot deal with a lot of time off work. I need to work and pay bills. I heard its anywhere from $250 and up per scar. That is awesome. Any photo updates? Congrats again man. Was it any one thing that made the difference or the combo of subcision and fillers?
Acne scarring is notoriously difficult to treat and to see improvement especially if your scarring is significant.
I have not had any fillers - they are temporary and expensive. I was quoted $2100 for Sculptura or something similar. It doesn't make sense to pay that kind of money for temporary improvement when I can have multiple subcision treatments and have a long-lasting and/or permament improvement.
Based upon the photos I took after I removed my bandages on day two, it looks as if my doctor went after my scars from a variety of angles to undermine them as much as possible. I think that this is one reason why I had dramatic improvement with this last round of subcision.
Next, I've been dermarolling for at least two years - one session every 42 days or six weeks. Collagen has been developing and with the tethered scar tissue broken, my skin kind of 'bloomed' in the areas that were treated. That is to say that the skin lifted.
The three scars that are gone now on my left cheek were deep and visible under certain types of lighting. The 'vacuuming' that I did for two weeks may have also helped to prevent the scars from re-attaching. It was very 'unorthodox' but it does make sense that you 'undermine' the scars from reattaching by pulling the epidermis away fibrous bands during the healing process.
I've also been appling a cream from Reviva labs which contains Ester C, DMAE, and Alpha Lipoic Acid. All three of these are supposed to help with collagen development, skin tightening, and scar revision.
In addition to this, I've been taking 50 mg of Zinc everyday.
As a reminder, my improvement was not an 'overnight' success. I've also done multiple chemical peels (70% Glycolic Acid or 70% Lactic Acid) along with one 25% TCA peel. I also have been using topical Retina-A for at least three years - I highly recommend this as it does produce collagen and make your skin look good.
It's taken a lot of procedures and time to get this far.....
Hope this helps.
On 2/4/2012 at 1:02 AM, Coppedsynergy999 said:
If you can go to the dentist and get a cavity filled, you can certainly undergo a subcision procedure. 
The worst part are the injections of anesthetic. 
No pain: No gain.
The other is the recovery period. This is not a 'lunch time' procedure meaning that you can go back to work right away if you have multiple areas treated. 
Even after two weeks post procedure, I still had bruising and some swelling. My wife bought some concealor for me and it didn't do a good job of hiding the black/blue and orangish bruises. For me, hibernating was the best option.
But, subcision has been, by far, the most effective thing I've ever done to improve my complexion and so worth it!
I would encourage you to take another look at your options.
Ciao....
I have scarring, 1 I am insecure about, 1 shallow and 1 I think box car relatively close to each other. The scars have healed, one is noticeable, the other not so much. I believe fillers will help me but, I do not have the balls to do all that you have. I have under gone a family misfortunate, lost some family, and I have responsibilites to take care of them. I was depressed about this shit since, I workout, I eat healthy, I deprive myself from all that tastes good, I have my body fat under 10%, full abs, six pack, and lean muscle mass. How do I struggle with this? It blows my mind away. I have a lot of insecurities, self esteem issues, and I have built myself from the ground up using self help. I have seeked help from all sorts of these gurus from Eckhart Tolle to Tony Robbins. For things like dating, I even dabbled into pick up which is pretty embarrassing, and even shameful. I have conquered things like approach anxiety. Even stranger is having a amateur boxing, kick boxing, and comeptive martial arts background growing up. I never cared about looks or my skin. I just fought but, I gradually got insecure with age and my skin seem to get worse acne as time went ont. I always thought it would correct itself.
Fortunately, I have my acne under control. Its not perfect but, 99% better. What has changed? Nothing. I eat healthy, I workout, I keep positive, I do some yoga, I am practicing meditation, I am doing a 10day mental challenge I read from a book to let go of negative thoughts under 2minutes or I have to start the 10day challenge again, I continue to plug away, and I do my best not to let a pretty girl pass me by without approaching. It isn't always easy but, I am working towards a higher self and getting past this crap. If I don't, my kids or future grand kids can take on this battle. I would hate for them to face it.
I understand where you come from with fillers and temporary success. Then again, there is a lot of risks involved in laser treatment, some who are even scarred far worse with these expensive treatments but, doing nothing sucks too so, I am considering fillers. Looking into juvederm, restylane, and other fillers. I am scared how I will react to it and even in situations where skin gets infected. I don't know what I would do.
I just want to say how brave you are. Thank you for sharing your success story with me. Out of curiosity, how did you meet your wife and did she ever care about it? One thing I noticed, I was out, saw a beautiful girl with my cousin, and we really hit it off. Unfortunately, this was out of state but, it was great. To my surprise, my skin was awful, broken out, and I didn't look my best. It made no difference. What is crazy is that, if I knew that, i probably wouldn't have approached her. This has stayed with me. I keep trying to reinforce positive thoughts, care and concer to others here on the forums. I never know how far gone people are with depression or negative thoughts and to what extent they will go. At times, it may be just a kind word that brings someone back down from the craziness. I know I could use a pattern change when I have negative thoughts fluttering through my mind.
I have scarring, 1 I am insecure about, 1 shallow and 1 I think box car relatively close to each other. The scars have healed, one is noticeable, the other not so much. I believe fillers will help me but, I do not have the balls to do all that you have. I have under gone a family misfortunate, lost some family, and I have responsibilites to take care of them. I was depressed about this shit since, I workout, I eat healthy, I deprive myself from all that tastes good, I have my body fat under 10%, full abs, six pack, and lean muscle mass. How do I struggle with this? It blows my mind away. I have a lot of insecurities, self esteem issues, and I have built myself from the ground up using self help. I have seeked help from all sorts of these gurus from Eckhart Tolle to Tony Robbins. For things like dating, I even dabbled into pick up which is pretty embarrassing, and even shameful. I have conquered things like approach anxiety. Even stranger is having a amateur boxing, kick boxing, and comeptive martial arts background growing up. I never cared about looks or my skin. I just fought but, I gradually got insecure with age and my skin seem to get worse acne as time went ont. I always thought it would correct itself.
Fortunately, I have my acne under control. Its not perfect but, 99% better. What has changed? Nothing. I eat healthy, I workout, I keep positive, I do some yoga, I am practicing meditation, I am doing a 10day mental challenge I read from a book to let go of negative thoughts under 2minutes or I have to start the 10day challenge again, I continue to plug away, and I do my best not to let a pretty girl pass me by without approaching. It isn't always easy but, I am working towards a higher self and getting past this crap. If I don't, my kids or future grand kids can take on this battle. I would hate for them to face it.
I understand where you come from with fillers and temporary success. Then again, there is a lot of risks involved in laser treatment, some who are even scarred far worse with these expensive treatments but, doing nothing sucks too so, I am considering fillers. Looking into juvederm, restylane, and other fillers. I am scared how I will react to it and even in situations where skin gets infected. I don't know what I would do.
I just want to say how brave you are. Thank you for sharing your success story with me. Out of curiosity, how did you meet your wife and did she ever care about it? One thing I noticed, I was out, saw a beautiful girl with my cousin, and we really hit it off. Unfortunately, this was out of state but, it was great. To my surprise, my skin was awful, broken out, and I didn't look my best. It made no difference. What is crazy is that, if I knew that, i probably wouldn't have approached her. This has stayed with me. I keep trying to reinforce positive thoughts, care and concer to others here on the forums. I never know how far gone people are with depression or negative thoughts and to what extent they will go. At times, it may be just a kind word that brings someone back down from the craziness. I know I could use a pattern change when I have negative thoughts fluttering through my mind.
Thanks for your response.
I think all of us, if we're honest, have insecurities about a lot of things. Having acne and the resulting scarring does not help build or help our self-esteem or alleviate anxieties - it can sometimes make them worse.
When I got to the point where I didn't like the appearance of the 'man in the mirror', I decided to seek out my options. My mother had had horrible disfiguring cystic acne and, up until the day she passed away, would not turn on the light in the bathroom when she entered. She didn't like how she looked.
However, this never prevented her from being successful in life. She had A LOT of friends who accepted her and family members who loved her just the way she was. She had dermabrasion done in the '1950's and even had a facelift in her 20's thinking that this would help her appearance. It didn't do a whole lot for her scarring.
But, she never seemed to let it get her down. She was, despite the scarring, a beautiful person inside and out.
Getting back to your last question, I actually met my wife in church and she has always had a complexion like Christie Brinkley - beautiful, flawless skin. When I told her that I was going to pursue laser and other treatments to help my scarring she told me that my scarring never mattered to her. She loved me for the person I was on the inside and not the person I was on the outside.
I think that we all judge ourselves more harshly than others actually do. At the heart of it, I think that we're all afraid that our acne scarring will cause others to reject us.
Matt
That was a really nice post Mr. Matt. It's defeinetly a challenge to be that person affected by the scarring. I totally agree that people see past it, because I I always look past others imperfections. But when it's on us, it's hard. No matter what anyone looks like, I just hope we all find peace and acceptance.
I have scarring, 1 I am insecure about, 1 shallow and 1 I think box car relatively close to each other. The scars have healed, one is noticeable, the other not so much. I believe fillers will help me but, I do not have the balls to do all that you have. I have under gone a family misfortunate, lost some family, and I have responsibilites to take care of them. I was depressed about this shit since, I workout, I eat healthy, I deprive myself from all that tastes good, I have my body fat under 10%, full abs, six pack, and lean muscle mass. How do I struggle with this? It blows my mind away. I have a lot of insecurities, self esteem issues, and I have built myself from the ground up using self help. I have seeked help from all sorts of these gurus from Eckhart Tolle to Tony Robbins. For things like dating, I even dabbled into pick up which is pretty embarrassing, and even shameful. I have conquered things like approach anxiety. Even stranger is having a amateur boxing, kick boxing, and comeptive martial arts background growing up. I never cared about looks or my skin. I just fought but, I gradually got insecure with age and my skin seem to get worse acne as time went ont. I always thought it would correct itself.
Fortunately, I have my acne under control. Its not perfect but, 99% better. What has changed? Nothing. I eat healthy, I workout, I keep positive, I do some yoga, I am practicing meditation, I am doing a 10day mental challenge I read from a book to let go of negative thoughts under 2minutes or I have to start the 10day challenge again, I continue to plug away, and I do my best not to let a pretty girl pass me by without approaching. It isn't always easy but, I am working towards a higher self and getting past this crap. If I don't, my kids or future grand kids can take on this battle. I would hate for them to face it.
I understand where you come from with fillers and temporary success. Then again, there is a lot of risks involved in laser treatment, some who are even scarred far worse with these expensive treatments but, doing nothing sucks too so, I am considering fillers. Looking into juvederm, restylane, and other fillers. I am scared how I will react to it and even in situations where skin gets infected. I don't know what I would do.
I just want to say how brave you are. Thank you for sharing your success story with me. Out of curiosity, how did you meet your wife and did she ever care about it? One thing I noticed, I was out, saw a beautiful girl with my cousin, and we really hit it off. Unfortunately, this was out of state but, it was great. To my surprise, my skin was awful, broken out, and I didn't look my best. It made no difference. What is crazy is that, if I knew that, i probably wouldn't have approached her. This has stayed with me. I keep trying to reinforce positive thoughts, care and concer to others here on the forums. I never know how far gone people are with depression or negative thoughts and to what extent they will go. At times, it may be just a kind word that brings someone back down from the craziness. I know I could use a pattern change when I have negative thoughts fluttering through my mind.
Thanks for your response.
I think all of us, if we're honest, have insecurities about a lot of things. Having acne and the resulting scarring does not help build or help our self-esteem or alleviate anxieties - it can sometimes make them worse.
When I got to the point where I didn't like the appearance of the 'man in the mirror', I decided to seek out my options. My mother had had horrible disfiguring cystic acne and, up until the day she passed away, would not turn on the light in the bathroom when she entered. She didn't like how she looked.
However, this never prevented her from being successful in life. She had A LOT of friends who accepted her and family members who loved her just the way she was. She had dermabrasion done in the '1950's and even had a facelift in her 20's thinking that this would help her appearance. It didn't do a whole lot for her scarring.
But, she never seemed to let it get her down. She was, despite the scarring, a beautiful person inside and out.
Getting back to your last question, I actually met my wife in church and she has always had a complexion like Christie Brinkley - beautiful, flawless skin. When I told her that I was going to pursue laser and other treatments to help my scarring she told me that my scarring never mattered to her. She loved me for the person I was on the inside and not the person I was on the outside.
I think that we all judge ourselves more harshly than others actually do. At the heart of it, I think that we're all afraid that our acne scarring will cause others to reject us.
Matt
Thanks so much man. I am having damage to the skin after years of acne. Mini imperfections, things I would dread to see of me in 1080 pi, and a scar that I want to have dealt with. I think you are brave. Unfortunately for me, I have not had much luck with my skin though, it has finally cleared up in my 20s through diet but, there is much I would like to correct. I imagine that, I will never have smooth beautiful skin like your wife. We both wont and this isn't to be cynical or negative. It just wasn't meant to be for us. I find the belief in god has been quite difficult for me. If depression and constant knocks at my self esteem were not a enough, I lost quite a bit of family, and I don't know which way is up any more (at least when things first happened).
Your success story is quite encouraging. I am considering my options. As you would know, approaching a beautiful stranger is difficult a task as is being without this curese nevermind the consciousness of acne or scars or both, the long term anxiety, and lack of confidence that it causes. I am glad you have strengthened your faith through this and found someone awesome. One of the things I never want to do is give up or jump into something cause of a feeling of lack of self worth. I am so happy with your success, with what this means but, I am shocked that even after you found your wife or have kids, and love, you still desire to reconcile this matter? That it never went to rest?
One of the amazing things I find is that, I can turn to a perfect stranger, share a kind word or even post a stranger a kind message, and yet, turn around to attack myself? I see a guy or girl and I admire them, even envy their beautiful flawless skin. How much I have dedicated to reaching that goal, to giving up sweets, junk foods, prioritizing nutrition, watching for trigger foods, and to be left with such a empty feeling sucks. I am looking into options. I think my only real hope is luck (which hasn't been on my side) and maybe advances in technology. I think our future is in stem cell research development but, that does us no good right now.
I have been forced to become mentally tough. Develop a stronger self or perish with my negative and limiting beliefs. Curl and ball and just die. This wasn't what my father or mother raised me to be but, it is very crippling and at times, feels very hopeless. I saw a beautiful young girl post a picture all upset and sad of her skin. I didn't even see what she was upset about till she pointed out exactly what. It is so overlooked and yet, we attack ourselves in the mirror. I think the biggest thing that bugs me is the misconceptions that, I don't care or that, it is poor hygiene when, it really is shitty genetics. To my astonishment, I have no record or history in my family of cystic or nodular acne and yet, my skin had slight blemishes growing up. Adult acne is the worst since, your body doesn't heal the way you do when young and when the dermis is attacked, it results in a scar. I know things can be treated to look better but, they never will be the same. If only I had Seal's strength and could love scars.
Matt and any other dermaroller pro's.....
What size of needle do you recommend?......1.5, 2.0? Any particular brand that anybody swears by?
Thanks
I use a 1.5 mm dermaroller made from surgical steel. I've had it for about a year now and I've been very pleased with it. The needles have not bent or broken.
I bought it online and don't remember which site I used to buy it.
I've been pleased with the device and the results.
Hi Matt,
I read through all the posts with great attention and delight. Im considering going to a doctor who offers subcision and plan to mention the suction technique. But one last question remains which still hasnt been completely answered. Subcision ALONE is generally considered as an effective treatment option of "rolling scars". Does the suction method change this? I mean can you treat shallow boxcar scars and maybe even ice pick scars with it ? Because the described treatment of "subcision suction" seems reasonable for every kind of scar. Why should releasing the tethers of a scar and keeping them from reattaching not work for every scar ? I mean every kind of scar is a scar because the tethers are pulling it down. Its confusing what Im saying but can you understand me? What do you thinK ? Thanks for a reply in advance
Why should releasing the tethers of a scar and keeping them from reattaching not work for every scar ? I mean every kind of scar is a scar because the tethers are pulling it down.
No, Rolling Scars are the only scars that are tethered down. Other scars like Boxcar, Icepick etc. are indented due to a loss of tissue.
So rolling scars are the easier ones to heal ? Because subcision-suction sounds so efficent. Then I guess if you are right, fractional ablative lasers (Exelo2 etc.) provide the best results as to shallow boxcar scars. Is this right ?
Supplement: Im always talking about boxcar scars. But actually Ive got chicken pox scars. Are they completely the same or do treatments differ ?
Thanks for your answer !
Sometimes you read a post that gives you some hope. I have scarring (mostly rolling and icepick) on my back, mainly across shoulders and down my spine. Would subcision be as effective on the skin on the back do you think?
Matt, you results are great, and your advice is excellent. Thanks !!
Mcgoo !
Sometimes you read a post that gives you some hope. I have scarring (mostly rolling and icepick) on my back, mainly across shoulders and down my spine. Would subcision be as effective on the skin on the back do you think?
Matt, you results are great, and your advice is excellent. Thanks !!
Mcgoo !
Mcgoo:
I, too, have scarring on my shoulders and back. I would be curious to know if there are any people on this site who have had subcision done on an area other than their face.
I would imagine that there would not be many people had had subcision done on their backs just because there aren't a lot of doctors out there performing this procedure.
If I were to guess, I would think that subcision would work on rolling scars on someone's back. Because the area is large, however, I'm sure that it might be pricey if you have alot of back scarring.
Great question!
Matt
Mr. Matt: How did the areas you treated with your kind of the subcision suction method evolve ? Is the improvement still visible ? Would you advise me to buy a cheap microdermabrasion set or should I rather opt for a totally normal handheld vacuum cleaner ? If I were to do this Im still a bit anxious about possible consequences. Is this justified or is the worst thinkable side effect only another harmless haemorrhea ? I hope its not dangerous, because so far your experiences with this technique were very encouraging ! Im glad you are still updating. Thanks for a reply in advance ! Regards.
Thanks for your post.
Yes, the improvement that I initially saw with my three scars has not diminished at all.
One of the three scars was a boxcar scar that was initially very deep. In fact, my youngest son once said to me, 'Dad, you have a deep hole in your face'.
I credit the 'suction' technique with the great results. In the past, my skin would swell after the subcision procedure and bruise. The scar(s) would fill with collagen to varying degrees.
This time, however, the tethered bands never seemed to re-attach to the epidermis. Also, I've seen improvement on my right cheek as well. I had a large 'compound' scar here that can be seen in my gallery - it was HUGE and was several rolling scars combined into one very large crater. This area has lifted substantially over the course of the four subcision treatments I've had. For me, subcision has been the single most effective scar revision technique that I've discovered.
I started suctioning on day three post-procedure and it definitely caused some hemmoraging. The recovery time for this subcision procedure was about six weeks for the bruising/swelling to completely subside. However, the results have been nothing short of remarkable. This was my longest recovery period to date but well worth the hassle.
Perhaps the increased bleeding coupled with the suctioning technique prevented the tethered bands from re-attaching and the additional 'blood' stimulated additional collagen.
As far as a device is concerned, I would recommend a small hand-held type of vacuum sweeper - mine was an Oreck and it worked very well. I used my left hand to form a 'suction cup' over the end of the hose as the suction power was way too strong for my skin. My left hand served as a 'buffer' to prevent too much suctioning power. It seems like such a strange and unorthodox thing, but it was so effective in my case.
I did two to three passes a day for two weeks if I remember correctly. I wish that I had done this after the first two procedures! I might have saved a tidy sum of cash.
Hindsight is 20/20. I was at an offsite function today for work and took a look at my face under very harsh lighting in the men's restroom and the 'man in the mirror' certainly looks a lot better than his predecessor's reflection.
I can't wait for my dermatologist to see my skin! I think that he will be surprised by the results.
Take care, everyone.
Matt
Thanks for your post.
Yes, the improvement that I initially saw with my three scars has not diminished at all.
One of the three scars was a boxcar scar that was initially very deep. In fact, my youngest son once said to me, 'Dad, you have a deep hole in your face'.
I credit the 'suction' technique with the great results. In the past, my skin would swell after the subcision procedure and bruise. The scar(s) would fill with collagen to varying degrees.
This time, however, the tethered bands never seemed to re-attach to the epidermis. Also, I've seen improvement on my right cheek as well. I had a large 'compound' scar here that can be seen in my gallery - it was HUGE and was several rolling scars combined into one very large crater. This area has lifted substantially over the course of the four subcision treatments I've had. For me, subcision has been the single most effective scar revision technique that I've discovered.
I started suctioning on day three post-procedure and it definitely caused some hemmoraging. The recovery time for this subcision procedure was about six weeks for the bruising/swelling to completely subside. However, the results have been nothing short of remarkable. This was my longest recovery period to date but well worth the hassle.
Perhaps the increased bleeding coupled with the suctioning technique prevented the tethered bands from re-attaching and the additional 'blood' stimulated additional collagen.
As far as a device is concerned, I would recommend a small hand-held type of vacuum sweeper - mine was an Oreck and it worked very well. I used my left hand to form a 'suction cup' over the end of the hose as the suction power was way too strong for my skin. My left hand served as a 'buffer' to prevent too much suctioning power. It seems like such a strange and unorthodox thing, but it was so effective in my case.
I did two to three passes a day for two weeks if I remember correctly. I wish that I had done this after the first two procedures! I might have saved a tidy sum of cash.
Hindsight is 20/20. I was at an offsite function today for work and took a look at my face under very harsh lighting in the men's restroom and the 'man in the mirror' certainly looks a lot better than his predecessor's reflection.
I can't wait for my dermatologist to see my skin! I think that he will be surprised by the results.
Take care, everyone.
Matt
Hey Matt thanks for posting your helpful tips on the board. It really helps me decide what I think I need.
You have had 4 seperate subcision treatments over time. Have you had to subcise a single scar more than once? I would like to have about 15 to 20 scars subcised in one shot (rolling and boxcar) and do the suction method and be done with all of this. But if you have had 4 of them then this might be wishful thinking to say the least.
Also do you know what gauge of needle DeSpain uses for this?
Thanks
Yes, my dermatologist did treat the same scars more than once. They all responded differently and some improved more than others.
This is a gradual process that typically takes weeks and months to see improvement. At least, that was my experience with the first three subcision treatments.
My results were not an 'overnight success' but the result of three years of acne scar revision treatments - subcision, TCA Cross, Pearl Fractional Laser, multiple at home chemical peels, and multiple dermarolling sessions.
My fourth subcision treatment coupled with the 'suction' method did yield, by far, the most remarkable results in the shortest period of time so far.
I would suggest that you ask your doctor to allow you to mark the scars you want treated. Once the needles are inserted into your face with the anthestic, your skin will begin to swell and the doctor will have a harder time seeing the depressed scar tissue.
Hope this helps.
Matt
Mr. Matt, your results seem to be incredible. I have only seen your results up to your last subcision because it says your album is private. Could you PM me your password so that I can take a look?
I will be going for my consultation in about a month to receive subcision, and I will bring the subcision/suction study to my surgeon. Fortunately I'm currently in medical school so I have access to the full study, and I am interested the technique you used for your suctioning. Did you apply suction only directly on the subcision scars or to the entire area that was subcised? The study mentioned the possibility of causing hypertrophic scarring from the suction method which is probably my biggest fear about the procedure. Did you experience any of this? How often and how long did you apply the suction to the scars for?
I will most likely purchase a home microdermabrasion kit for the suctioning and I will document my progress as you have.
Your pictures and story are truly incredible are people like you are what is so great about this forum.
Hey, I hope that you become a dermatologist and then you can perform subcision and other acne scar treatments on patients. 
Only someone who has suffered through disfiguring acne scarring can truly relate to the inner pain we all experience from our scars.
The only side effects that I experienced with the subcision/suction method was prolonged bruising and two subcutaneous nodules that formed. It looked as if my doctor had beaten both of my cheeks due to the bruising and swelling that I had. I think that he may have used more insertion points than in previous procedures because he seemed to really undermine the tethered bands. The suctioning caused some bleeding on day three and that's why I used my other hand to reduce the suctioning power - it was way too powerful to apply the nozzle directly to my skin.
By the way, the bruising, swelling, and nodules are all gone now. I had another physician at my dermatologist's office inject the largest nodule with a shot of cortisone and it finally went away about a month later.
I suctioned both cheeks (everywhere) two to three times a day for two weeks.Maximum time per cheek: 15 or 20 seconds and several passes over each cheek. My left cheek looks GREAT! The few deep scars that were there are no longer visible.
I never would have thought that something has simple has vacuuming your face with a nozzle would yield such great results. Very unorthodox but very effective for me.
I would encourage you to look at dermarolling, too. For me, I left no 'stone unturned' on my quest to improve the appearance of my scarring and dermarolling has been an important part of that process - one dermarolling session every six weeks.
Let us know how your journey progresses - we can all learn from each other.
Perhaps once I get these pesky scars reduced I'll spend more time focusing on my schoolwork to get a specialty like dermatology haha.
I'll be sure to update everyone on my progress. I will be seeing 3 surgeons next month for consultations. 2 dermatological surgeons and 1 plastic surgeon. Based on their experience and before and after pictures I'll decide which will give me the best shot for success.
The actual procedure will not happen until likely the end of May which is the beginning of the summer vacation for us which should give me plenty of time to recover from the procedure. I also plan to use the time inbetween to try to get in contact with the doctors from the study to see if they have any recommendations.
Thank you for your input on dermarolling. I'll be sure to look more into that.
By the way, the bruising, swelling, and nodules are all gone now. I had another physician at my dermatologist's office inject the largest nodule with a shot of cortisone and it finally went away about a month later.
Most people say that a cortisone shot left them with an atrophic scar. Did that happen in this case?
Great question, Pord.
The dermatologist who injected the subcutaneous nodule on my left cheek told me that a potential side effect from the shot could be a slight depression at the injection site.
I got the shot on January 2, 2012 and have not had any type of complications (scarring, pitting, etc.) from the injection. This Friday, March 2, 2012 will mark the 60 day mark from the shot, so I don't anticipate any complications at this point in time.
I still can't get over the improvement I received from this fourth round of subcision coupled with the 'facial vacuuming' I did. Very unusual method of treating scarring, but highly effective in my case.
I keep looking at myself in the mirror and marveling at the improvement. I can't wait to see my dermatologist again so that he can see firsthand the improvement.
I'm not sure that he'll be happy to know that I didn't apply pressure to my face after the procedure (sorry, Dr. DeSpain!). But, all of the bleeding must have produced quite a collagen response in response to the injury produced by the procedure.
I looked like I had been in a terrible street fight - black/blue, huge welts, - you get the picture. No pain/no gain.
Right now, I'm going to focus on dermarollling for the rest of the year and will continue to do chemical peels (70% Glycolic or Lactic Acid and 25% TCA Peels).
I'm going to wait until I take a week of vacation before I do another 25% TCA peel - I peeled like a snake last summer when I did it.
Here's to smoother skin, everyone!
Matt
