Yes, Dermal Grafting can be successful. I ve done a few cases with Robert in the past.

What we do is harvest some dermis form the back of the ear ( denude the epidermis with laser), create slits just on top of the scars, and insert dermis back into the areas. This essentially acts as a long lasting filler. ( your own collagen). Naturally this is long lasting, compared to collagen injections.

In summary- long lasting, effective, safe

Cons- will leave you with 1 mm linear scars ( slit scars) - this is usually lasered at the end.

- you ll need multiple treatments

- sometime cyst may form under your skin ( will require intralesional steroids)

I have performed less dermal grafting over the past few years now with the event of fraxel or profractional. ( though in some situations, such as deeper scars, ...then dermal grafting or collagen injections play a role.)

Hope that helps

Davin Lim

Brisbane.

May i have your e mail so i am able to contact you? Thank you very much

wary77 i have a few questions:

what is a fraxel eCO2 laser and the FDA laser - do you mean fraxel repair and restore? or a completely different brand of laser?

why were you offered subcision for boxcar/pitted scars -excision is generally the best option for these scars. you typically only use subcision on rolling scars.

have you considered tca cross? its a much simplier procedure than dermal grafting...

post some photos. other people here will be able to help you.

wary77 i have a few questions:

 

what is a fraxel eCO2 laser and the FDA laser - do you mean fraxel repair and restore? or a completely different brand of laser?

 

why were you offered subcision for boxcar/pitted scars -excision is generally the best option for these scars. you typically only use subcision on rolling scars.

 

have you considered tca cross? its a much simplier procedure than dermal grafting...

 

post some photos. other people here will be able to help you.

...scarring is so individualized, true that excision for pitted scars give a superior one off result- eg ice pick scar, punch excise 2mm punch ..one stitch, but it will still leave one with a scar- can be remodelled / ablative laser at a later stage. With one treatment for pitted scars or box car scars, excision can be a good one off fix. Consider someone with lets say...type 4 skin- darker skin type. TCA may result in greater PIH ( or hypopigmentaion ) than lets say a linear 1mm scar from a dermal graft. Also conside the scar as broad... eg 1.5 or more mm...dermal grafting may be of help rather than a broad front of possible scarring and dyspigmentation form TCA. I ve done a few dermal grafts- and look, it can be a good modality, but it s frought with risks including inclusion cysts.... ( a bit of epidermis goes into the dermis= cyst) . Need steroid injections or excisions to fix that up

essentially dermal grafts are great for scars that have loss collagen ( chicken pox scars) some boxcar scars. A filler is more convenient, but it NOT permanent. In Australia, dermal grafts carry a rebate....ie Medicare rebate. Fillers don't. Pros and cons for each.

Davin Lim

Brisbane

wary77 i have a few questions:

 

what is a fraxel eCO2 laser and the FDA laser - do you mean fraxel repair and restore? or a completely different brand of laser?

 

why were you offered subcision for boxcar/pitted scars -excision is generally the best option for these scars. you typically only use subcision on rolling scars.

 

have you considered tca cross? its a much simplier procedure than dermal grafting...

 

post some photos. other people here will be able to help you.

 

...scarring is so individualized, true that excision for pitted scars give a superior one off result- eg ice pick scar, punch excise 2mm punch ..one stitch, but it will still leave one with a scar- can be remodelled / ablative laser at a later stage. With one treatment for pitted scars or box car scars, excision can be a good one off fix. Consider someone with lets say...type 4 skin- darker skin type. TCA may result in greater PIH ( or hypopigmentaion ) than lets say a linear 1mm scar from a dermal graft. Also conside the scar as broad... eg 1.5 or more mm...dermal grafting may be of help rather than a broad front of possible scarring and dyspigmentation form TCA. I ve done a few dermal grafts- and look, it can be a good modality, but it s frought with risks including inclusion cysts.... ( a bit of epidermis goes into the dermis= cyst) . Need steroid injections or excisions to fix that up

 

essentially dermal grafts are great for scars that have loss collagen ( chicken pox scars) some boxcar scars. A filler is more convenient, but it NOT permanent. In Australia, dermal grafts carry a rebate....ie Medicare rebate. Fillers don't. Pros and cons for each.

 

 

Davin Lim

Brisbane

 

Hi doctor Davin,

do you mean that dermal grafting is not effective for most type of scars? What do you think of TCA cross and fractional CO2? Hi Monkey, the fraxel laser should be fraxel repair [ the one approved by USA FDA]. Up till now, i really do not know what type of treatment will be the best for me. Anyway, i am not a citizen of australia therefore i do not know much about the treatment in that country. This is my first time to hear of dermal grafting. Even in south korea, they do not practise such treatments.

Hi doctor Davin,

 

do you mean that dermal grafting is not effective for most type of scars? What do you think of TCA cross and fractional CO2? Hi Monkey, the fraxel laser should be fraxel repair [ the one approved by USA FDA]. Up till now, i really do not know what type of treatment will be the best for me. Anyway, i am not a citizen of australia therefore i do not know much about the treatment in that country. This is my first time to hear of dermal grafting. Even in south korea, they do not practise such treatments.

Overall, its a bit uncomfortable having Davin on this site. Whilst its nice to have a derm on the site, there are distinct rules against advertising. Davin has an education I simply do not have. Most of my info has come from chatting to people on here, roaming the boards and chatting to a variety of plastic surgeons online and in person.

The issue is Davin, like most derms is selling a service. He has his idea of what would be best for you and im sure it would work to a degree. Ultimately though, you need to see a few people to establish what is best for your scarring. What is recommended will vary between each doctor. It about getting the best possible result for you at the end of the day.

Overall, id definitely not do dermal grafts, to me it seems complicated when there are so many easier procedures out there, but its just me.

I recommend you do two things. 1) post some pics of yourself on here (you can blank out your eyes for privacy) and 2) post pics of yourself on realself.com (a place where dermatologists and plastic surgeons from all over the world can look and comment on your pics).

You will get a mountain load of responses, but i really dont mind helping you sort through them. Thats why we are here at the end of the day.

The best thing is people here have had almost every treatment imaginable and really are here to help. I've learnt so much from these people and am very comfortable in my treatment choice because of it.

Hi doctor Davin,

Overall, its a bit uncomfortable having Davin on this site. Whilst its nice to have a derm on the site, there are distinct rules against advertising. Davin has an education I simply do not have. Most of my info has come from chatting to people on here, roaming the boards and chatting to a variety of plastic surgeons online and in person.

 

The issue is Davin, like most derms is selling a service. He has his idea of what would be best for you and im sure it would work to a degree. Ultimately though, you need to see a few people to establish what is best for your scarring. What is recommended will vary between each doctor. It about getting the best possible result for you at the end of the day

 

No offence. I personally think that it is good for derms to be on this site. Rarely derms would be willing to share their practice experience for œfree in the public. It is us who benefits in the end of the day to treat our skin in a more effective way. It is good for some derms like Dr. Davin to share his knowledge in the public because rarely derms would be willing to do that-to contribute something in the public. It is true that the recommendation of treatments œmay differ from each doctor, however I have seen more than two dermatologists in Australia and they provided exactly the same treatment and does to treat my skin.

Claiming doctor status is against the board rules and is also reiterated again in the username process. This is a peer-sharing site. Why? Because most doctors who post here are not here to help, they're here to sell their services. Others aren't really doctors and we of acne.org cannot verify credentials for all who claim to be doctors.

Hi Guys,

I really appreciate everyone's comments. However, i hope that we do not politicise this topic. I sincerely hope everyone is able to contribute in their own ways so we can get more information about the different treatments. It is true that doctor should not sell their service but it will be good if they can share their opinions on the different treatments.Hopefully, everyone is able to contribute more information. Anyway Cartwheel, i understand your concern and your heartwarming help. May you PM me your e-mail address?

Posters should merely adhere to the board rules that they agree to when they sign up; that is not politicizing this topic.

Rule 17: Doctors: Due to the peer sharing nature of Acne.org, we ask that members do not represent themselves as a doctor nor have a doctor related username or profile.

I will be visiting Dr Sinclair in a few weeks. I have a few deep scars (pitted and rolling) on one side of my face. Dr Sinclair is going to give me a round of dermal grafting. He explained why this procedure is so successful. He likened deep scarring to an anchor in the skin. I.e when the pore is infected with acne, the scar tissue builds all the way down the follicle and in a way pulls the scar down (much like those sofa's with buttons). So what he does is break up the scar tissue underneath the skin to release it and then he will put my own collagen in the area to heal and plump it out. He said after about 5 weeks he will recommend a fraxel peel just to finish things off.

I have had these scars for years so I am really keen to get rid of them once and for all.

Hi all,

 

I heard that there is a famous acne scar doctor who performs dermal grafting for various types of acne scars. The doctor's name is Sinclair Robert J Dr and his clinic is located at Wickham Tce BRISBANE. Previously, there are members posting that they are able to get 70 percent or more improvement. Does anyone go to this clinic before? If you do, please kindly share your experience, i sincerely believe a good doctor will be able to make a difference in our life. I have been through a series of acne scar treatments for my boxscars and pitted scars. Those treatments compromises of erbium yag laser +subsicion, fraxel eCO2 laser, FDA fraxel laser and cooltouch. I will say i have some form of improvement but it is not worth the money. After the treatment, I happen to have more acnes and hyperpigmentations and i feel much worse. Therefore, i will really like to look for a good acne scar doctor who is able to guide me and give me realistic expectations. I believe dermal grafting is one of the best acne scar treatment that is available in the world because the side effect is minimial and one can expect significant improvement. However, one must seek an experienced and skillful doctor. As a result, i really hope someone out there can share their experiences with this particular doctor. If not, please share your type of acne scar treatments and what are the percentage of improvement? Your effort to post here will be a hope for someone else who is still seeking for a good acne scar treatment. Thank you very much.

Posters should merely adhere to the board rules that they agree to when they sign up; that is not politicizing this topic.

 

Rule 17: Doctors: Due to the peer sharing nature of Acne.org, we ask that members do not represent themselves as a doctor nor have a doctor related username or profile.

derma roller serposely can penertrate and break up the scar tissues but its, not very accurate,

tca cross seem to be highly accruate but each has it own risks

Posters should merely adhere to the board rules that they agree to when they sign up; that is not politicizing this topic.

 

Rule 17: Doctors: Due to the peer sharing nature of Acne.org, we ask that members do not represent themselves as a doctor nor have a doctor related username or profile.

 

 

 

derma roller serposely can penertrate and break up the scar tissues but its, not very accurate,

tca cross seem to be highly accruate but each has it own risks

 

agreed.

I had this procedure with Dr Sinclair.

I live in Sydney and ended up travelling to Brisbane on 4 occassions after suffering complications.

More than a year later I can say the Dermal Graft helped with making my face fuller. However my face produced too much collagen causing raised scarring. The last procedure involved cutting the raised skin out of my face and this was a mistake as it created worse scarring than what I started with. Raised scarring should be treated with cortisone injections and laser not incision.

I now have an indented curvey line in the front middle part of my face. I don't believe laser will remove it as it is too deep. Maybe subciscon and worse case grafting again.

This procedure will leave you with lumps and uneven skin tone. However provided you get no complications it is worth doing for deep scarring.

To fly overseas to see him, I don't advise it.

I also posted in the original thread on this topic.

Regards,

New Scarring

I had this procedure with Dr Sinclair.

 

I live in Sydney and ended up travelling to Brisbane on 4 occassions after suffering complications.

 

More than a year later I can say the Dermal Graft helped with making my face fuller. However my face produced too much collagen causing raised scarring. The last procedure involved cutting the raised skin out of my face and this was a mistake as it created worse scarring than what I started with. Raised scarring should be treated with cortisone injections and laser not incision.

 

I now have an indented curvey line in the front middle part of my face. I don't believe laser will remove it as it is too deep. Maybe subciscon and worse case grafting again.

 

This procedure will leave you with lumps and uneven skin tone. However provided you get no complications it is worth doing for deep scarring.

 

To fly overseas to see him, I don't advise it.

 

I also posted in the original thread on this topic.

 

Regards,

 

New Scarring

Lol HOW is Brisbane overseas from Sydney? Its interstate more than anything!

I had this procedure with Dr Sinclair.

 

I live in Sydney and ended up travelling to Brisbane on 4 occassions after suffering complications.

 

More than a year later I can say the Dermal Graft helped with making my face fuller. However my face produced too much collagen causing raised scarring. The last procedure involved cutting the raised skin out of my face and this was a mistake as it created worse scarring than what I started with. Raised scarring should be treated with cortisone injections and laser not incision.

 

I now have an indented curvey line in the front middle part of my face. I don't believe laser will remove it as it is too deep. Maybe subciscon and worse case grafting again.

 

This procedure will leave you with lumps and uneven skin tone. However provided you get no complications it is worth doing for deep scarring.

 

To fly overseas to see him, I don't advise it.

 

I also posted in the original thread on this topic.

 

Regards,

 

New Scarring

 

Lol HOW is Brisbane overseas from Sydney? Its interstate more than anything!

 

Does that mean you are going to check him out? Keep us posted..

Lol HOW is Brisbane overseas from Sydney? Its interstate more than anything!

Read my post again Gimmie.......

I wouldn't waste my time quite frankly. Dr Sinclair is a nice enough bloke but at the end of the day, you don't pay thousands of dollars just to befriend a doctor. I was promised up to 100% improvement during my initial consultation back in 2011. Here we are after two and a bit years and 9 dermal grafting sessions later, and I have yet to see any drastic progress. In fact, I am probably worse off now than when I started as I am troubled by cystic acne. Don't bother with this doctor. All he cares about is his hip pocket. If it were up to him, he would have me going back for the rest of my life.