Acne.org Products
Good luck. I wish you some more lick in recovery. Out of curiosity, how expensive was this? Feel free to pm me.
Hi, thanks for the lick (luck) lol.
I did post earlier it cost 2100. Cheaper because 1) im an existing client 2) i begged with my back story to use me for publicity if it worked (I'm a UK fitness champion- they had a Miss Scotland advertising their teeth whitening so i figured why not a Miss Britain) and 3) i think Dr ahmed felt a degree of responsibility as his laser caused the indent and lack of pigmentation (I asked him to go really deep and to be fair it did obliterate the existing scar, but leaving a scar of a different kind) This is one of the reasons i was dubious about having him do the procedure, but convenience and cost won over)
just for the record theyve not mentioned anything about publicity yet but if they DID make me a case study of it, and used Bad Light Before pics and Good Light after pics, YOU GUYS WILL KNOW THE TRUTH! (and there some of you are thinking my bad /good light is a conspiracy on you guys......quite the opposite in fact)
Good luck. I wish you some more lick in recovery. Out of curiosity, how expensive was this? Feel free to pm me.
Hi, thanks for the lick (luck) lol.
I did post earlier it cost 2100. Cheaper because 1) im an existing client 2) i begged with my back story to use me for publicity if it worked (I'm a UK fitness champion- they had a Miss Scotland advertising their teeth whitening so i figured why not a Miss Britain) and 3) i think Dr ahmed felt a degree of responsibility as his laser caused the indent and lack of pigmentation (I asked him to go really deep and to be fair it did obliterate the existing scar, but leaving a scar of a different kind) This is one of the reasons i was dubious about having him do the procedure, but convenience and cost won over)
just for the record theyve not mentioned anything about publicity yet but if they DID make me a case study of it, and used Bad Light Before pics and Good Light after pics, YOU GUYS WILL KNOW THE TRUTH! (and there some of you are thinking my bad /good light is a conspiracy on you guys......quite the opposite in fact)
Yeah, the thing I never understood is how anyone could ever experience this, find any sort of success, and not share it? The problem I have with this is that, a lot of it is about cashing in, and there are so many treatments out there, its hard to make a educated guess. The new trend is laser > accutane due to the terrible side effects. My suspicion is that they have a alternative mindset on this. I just got recommended to do PDT over accutane. The derm said he has no clue how I got my scar. My thoughts are cystic acne and especially the use of a topical like clindoxyl gel and BP over the years has left permanent damage. The PDT doctor I will meet with soon. I was quoted about $1000 for a treatment to remove acne possibly permanently. I made the mistake of leaving make up/cover up in my room, and friends are making fun of me. If they only knew how bad it was and what this felt like.
So, I am going to survey here, and see reviews on PDT. My thoughts are that, if we suffer from acne, the type that scars, its probably suggesting luck isn't in our favor. I have bad skin and I accept that. It saddens me cause, while I am happy with how I look and believe I am attractive, I find it has diminished me. I have read a lot of positive thinking books but, it has its limits. I have gotten away from the hypnosis program I have been doing which I am going to get back at starting now.
Please do post pics. I am constantly reminded that stars like Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Seal, and a countless number of other stars deal with acne and acne scarring. We are not alone and they are still considered beautiful. What bugs me more is that, there is permanency in scarring, and even deeper is the scars they leave behind that aren't on the surface. These are much more damaging. The amount of times I have flaked on dates or made excuses and missed social events angers me. What is more irritating is to be able to see a full six pack, to have good technique, to workout regularly, to eat the healthy diets, and be troubled with cystic acne. I am in my 20s and I have been battling this for as long as I can imagine since puberty. Worst of all, its gotten worse in my late teens, not better as I had expected or imagined.
Good luck.
Question,
Would you recommend this treatment, deep, shallow, rough skin texture?
What grade would you give it?
What pleased you and what didn't?
I'm not really in a position to recommend or comment on anything other than my experience.
from my treatment, i would say it works on surface level issues (pigment, texture), and helps with depth issues.
i'm pleased with the result as i expected little and see any improvement as a positive. As a matter of fact, Its improved more than i thought it would. of course i'm disappointed the scar is still visible, at all, but i couldnt realistically have expected it to be gone without a trace, and wasnt promised that.
i would have it done again, finances permitting, in an attempt to get more improvement, so i guess that says i believe in the procedure. If i didnt, i wouldnt be considering a second go.
gbl-
It looks so great!!! Even in the "bad light" when it looks a little red, it's so shallow now and seems like it could easily be covered up with makeup!! You must be so happy, and honestly even if it doesn't get to 100% perfect, it's an unbelievable improvement!!! If I saw you and you had makeup covering the redness, I don't even think I'd notice it anymore. It's incredible!
3 months after treatment (near enough)
The pinkness has virtually gone. The pigment now is slightly paler than my surrounding skin. The dent continues to improve. I know its still healing as it flushes pink easily, after washing etc. Pics here. The bottom pic is the scar now in the worst light showing the dent the most.
one more comparison
Wow! In another few months or after one more recell it will be gone I think! Amazing!
i now have a cautious optimism that one way or another it will eventually be insignificant.
As a bonus, ive noticed my skin texture generally is waaaaay better since ive been using the cocktail of products on it twice a day!
Wow, that is amazing improvement. Congratulations. I was wondering what you are doing lifestyle wise to assist healing. I know from reading your posts you are a healthy person. If you could please let us know how you are eating, what you are avoiding, how much you exercise. That would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance and again your forehead is looking great.
Wow, that is amazing improvement. Congratulations. I was wondering what you are doing lifestyle wise to assist healing. I know from reading your posts you are a healthy person. If you could please let us know how you are eating, what you are avoiding, how much you exercise. That would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance and again your forehead is looking great.
I'm using the aftercare products religiously. I teach 5 fitness classes a week , I dont eat 100% healthy - I really eat what i want although i suppose a lot of it is what people would consider healthy food. i do eat something sweet probably every day - cake or chocolates etc - but i dont eat mcdonalds / fry ups/pies. I dont eat meat. I eat dairy, wheat, milk, eggs, I dont have any intolerances so all is good with me. Most days i massage the scar when i apply the pigment oil. I wasnt told to but it made sense to me from treatments of scars over the years.
Well obviously I thought I'd check back after a while and see if there was any progress. Certainly there is, undoubtedly. I guess it was just waiting out for the healing to take place and all your skin biology products probably helped as well.
I apologize for my outburst --as I'm sure you can relate I was somewhat frustrated and also I am still quite skeptical that Earnesto(or whatever his name was) actually got any significant improvement. But you GBL certainly HAVE. I can't ascribe a percentage but it looks much, much better.
Not that I'm qualified to give a recommendation, but I'm of two minds as to what the finishing step should be(to get you bang free!). Options: 1) Laviv 2) recell and laser again 3) laser and acell matristem. Frankly I think it should actually be one of the latter two since it would experimentally most interesting to see if the recell laser combo done again would work even better (i.e. are the results progressive?). On the other hand, it would be amazing to see someone try the acell since it promises true tissue regeneration and may prove to demonstrate even more superior results.
I guess these are some of the things to think about.
Truthfully I'm very happy for you. My frustration is somewhat lessened seeing that there's at least the possibility of something not being a scam. Thanks for keeping this diary so thorough!
oh and apologies to neuroticwaif specifically, my anger wasn't directed at you specifically, just a general mounting frustration with examples such Earnesto's being used to give hope, when having followed his thread i found nothing conclusive that he got much help at all. nevertheless, i know your intentions were to be helpful and I thank you for that.
thanks Rez.I do think the pigment will continue to come in over the next 3 months. As for the indent filling in more, well I can hardly dare believe it could improve even more but who knows?
Im thinking of cmc and hoping he is also finding some results coming now, or at least a little more peace of mind.
I havent found any Laviv /Acell practioners in Scotland (or UK) yet .if you find any send the link my way!
Laser/Recell again is a possibility but i'll need to ask myself, is it worth the expense and downtime and 6 months wait chasing the notion of a progressive improvement....maybe? Or will I be able to accept how it is now? I'll be meeting with Dr Ahmed again in december and take it from there. Although I expect he'll suggest starting with something simple like PRP/needling/carboxy.
Lookin good!!!
Do you think that you could post a pic of the donor site?
thanks!
Yes, but am I correct in observing that there is still somewhat of a ridge at the right, so it's not just a matter of the rest filling in, but one or two milimeters actually need filing down to be flush with the rest? Isn't a laser still the only solution for that? And if you need a laser, you'll need recell again right?
Also, I contacted Acell and they send a fairly generic response, indicating that they only consult directly with physicians and that you should encourage your physician to contact them and they will send the doctor the protocols for use. So I think you need to put pressure on the doctor!
Yes, but am I correct in observing that there is still somewhat of a ridge at the right, so it's not just a matter of the rest filling in, but one or two milimeters actually need filing down to be flush with the rest? Isn't a laser still the only solution for that? And if you need a laser, you'll need recell again right?
Also, I contacted Acell and they send a fairly generic response, indicating that they only consult directly with physicians and that you should encourage your physician to contact them and they will send the doctor the protocols for use. So I think you need to put pressure on the doctor!
yes still a slight ridge. slight enough that anywhere else might not matter, but slap bang in the middle of the forehead catches the light. Not as much as 2mm but i get what you're saying.
I'll ask him about Acell , but really ive seen such a good result from the Recell , why use a different approach? i do feel that doing laser & recell again would get as near to perfect as can be expected. But still, i'll ask!!
Heres a photo of the donor site as requested (excuse the grubby nails........cringe!!)
Well obviously I thought I'd check back after a while and see if there was any progress. Certainly there is, undoubtedly. I guess it was just waiting out for the healing to take place and all your skin biology products probably helped as well.
I apologize for my outburst --as I'm sure you can relate I was somewhat frustrated and also I am still quite skeptical that Earnesto(or whatever his name was) actually got any significant improvement. But you GBL certainly HAVE. I can't ascribe a percentage but it looks much, much better.
Not that I'm qualified to give a recommendation, but I'm of two minds as to what the finishing step should be(to get you bang free!). Options: 1) Laviv 2) recell and laser again 3) laser and acell matristem. Frankly I think it should actually be one of the latter two since it would experimentally most interesting to see if the recell laser combo done again would work even better (i.e. are the results progressive?). On the other hand, it would be amazing to see someone try the acell since it promises true tissue regeneration and may prove to demonstrate even more superior results.
I guess these are some of the things to think about.
Truthfully I'm very happy for you. My frustration is somewhat lessened seeing that there's at least the possibility of something not being a scam. Thanks for keeping this diary so thorough!
oh and apologies to neuroticwaif specifically, my anger wasn't directed at you specifically, just a general mounting frustration with examples such Earnesto's being used to give hope, when having followed his thread i found nothing conclusive that he got much help at all. nevertheless, i know your intentions were to be helpful and I thank you for that.
Thanks Rez. I understand your frustrations. We are all in this together. I do hope you find a solution that brings you happiness. 
GBL,
I just wanted to thank you for documenting your experience with ReCell. From the images you have posted it looks as though you have made a tremendous amount of progress. I've been reading about ReCell for a while. Living in the US doesn't help much, as it is still in the FDA trial phase here. I did, however, recently get in touch with Sculpta in Scotland and they were a big help in explaining the process to me. It's amazing how after a long time of hearing that a valid treatment option doesn't exist that in just under a couple days and a few emails I learned that it not necessarily the case. Funny how it all boils down to where I live. My issue has more to do with hypopigmented (colorless) spots as a result of acne scarring. I read in an earlier post that of all the results you've experienced with ReCell, the return of pigment is one you are happy with. I'm very seriously considering taking a vacation here in the next few months and I am thinking about using some of my time to have this treatment done. The folks at Sculpta think that I would benefit from doing it and from what you've experienced I now have an actual example of someone who has benefited from it. So just wanted to say thanks again for allowing us to follow along.
hey if i can help just one person , writing this all down will be worth it. If your issue is to do with lack of pigment i would say 100% go for it, i had been considering micropigmentation (tattooing colour) I'm SO glad i went this route instead. Now Ive seen what it can do for normalising pigment, im even considering doing under my eyes at the same time if i do a second round (i have darkly pigmented shadows). That would be something pretty ground breaking i think!
Wow! Your progress has been truly amazing. Congrats on your results...it has been a month or so since you've posted any pictures. Any other improvements so far? Are you growing your bangs out yet? 
Like you, I would love to not have bangs for once. Fingers crossed that excision will allow me to feel comfortable to at least thin them out a bit. I've always wanted those wispy side bangs that don't take much effort, but I've always needed thicker bangs to cover the scar...
Also, pardon if you already said this, I skimmed through the pages, but how has the skin biology scar reduction kit treated you so far? I am thinking of buying it for my incision line once it has healed more, either that or silicone sheets. Still debating between the two...
i highly recommend the skin biology kit for after your excision. While i dont think it makes any significant difference for old scars, i do think its helped my healing. I always wanted those wispy side 'bangs' too...but unfortunately my scar is slap bang in the middle.
Update- well. Good and not quite so good. The dent still appears to be improving. The pigment is not AS fully recovered as first appeared- it is slightly paler now the pinkness has fully gone. However, full results for the pigment are up to a year , so it could still improve. the main thing is, its not white, shiny, smooth. Its normal textured but just slightly paler.
I saw Dr Ahmed a week or so ago and he was really really pleased with my result. He also shared with me some info about other people who had it. he said that sometimes he would take off the bandages and think "Oh god, it hasnt worked" but then over time that patients results would surprise him with how much it improved. Other times he would take off the bandages straight away and know it was going to be a good outcome. I think the point is, that even the doctors cant predict how well it will look or how it will end up looking. He said the main thing is to have realistic expectations. (i.e it wont be baby clear skin, ever) He advised against me Recelling it again, as the pigment / texture is so improved he would not like to laser it off again and take the risk of it not being such a good outcome. He advises PRP.
this photo shows the degree of paleness currently
