Acne.org Products
awe i really feel for you in this journey and i am really hoping that things will start to get better for you soon. i am sure its been so hard and i cant even imagine what you are going through but just try to keep your chin up and know that as each day passes you will be healing more and more. so you had the co2 done then? sorry i should go back and re-read your post about it but my plastic surgeon wants to do it on an area on my chin. it would be like a 1 1/2 inch area but if it takes that long to heal it has me wondering about it too. he said i could have redness for 6 months. that is such a long time! i havent made any decisions yet because i am still struggling to get clear but it has been something i have been thinking about it. looking forward to seeing your new pics.
i can relate on now leaving the house i havent gone anywhere but work in the last month and its been so hard. the worst is reading on fb about all the things your friends are doing and how much fun they are having. i feel like the world is passing me by sometimes and that i should just suck it up and go out but i think for me the anxiety of it all is just not worth it right now.
take care and stay strong!!
omg i feel the same way about facebook - just today i was asked to do 3 different social functions tonight... i mean really? argh... and unfortunately my mind keeps going back to how i felt the morning i went to the doc - my skin was clear, not even a red mark to cover up...I looked the best I had in months (ever i think), the last subcision was working great and the collagen had come back ... what was I thinking.. i keep playing over and over in my mind. I kept having to tell myself, its a new year, you should just do this, it will be beneficial, the "icing on the cake" as someone actually put in the thread...
ask the surgeon what exactly the procedure is - explain to them stories you have heard and you want to know if you are going to heal in one of two ways... Most stories i have read, patients get a CO2 laser of some sort (Active, total, deep) and they are red and a little blotchy, in 3 days the laser marks scab, and it peels and there skin is left looking sunburnt. I believe this is that normal healing process of the total or active laser. If he/she want to do a more aggressive treatment, tell them about my experience, because as far as what my doc is telling me, this isnt anything to be alarmed about, it just take time to heal... BUT since i cant find anyone else with this type of experience or have read an explanation of how a person should heal post CO2 laser, I would get all the answers before letting them work on your face. Do not, not do it because im experiencing things in this way... i would just really ask all the questions
Hell, if I could suggest anything, its a new year, time to get over the insecurities and get your life moving forward.. i kept telling myself because of my timeline of how this yr is going be for me and my husband that it was now or never to get a laser treatment done (i start coaching feb 1, i go to florida with the team march 2, we leave for a trip to South africa for a wedding march 16, April im coaching the entire month, May is my sisters graduation, June we have a wedding and im hosting a shower, and so on and so on... oh annnd we were thinking about TTC sometime this spring ha - god help me if i start breaking out from pregnancy after all of this...) I mean, it was the only time i could do a laser treatment.. and my hubby kept saying, post kids you arent going to want to work on your scarring because you know you wont want to spend money on those kind of things, etc. So anyway, what im really getting at is TIME IS PRECIOUS - Live your life, luckily as women we get to cover this shit up, style our hair all pretty, put a big smile on our face and work a room... dont let the world pass you by... and the best part, we have each other to get through it...
If you think about it - as someone who struggles with the daily frustrations of skin issues, you get your mind and body through a hell of a lot of stuff... as i was driving back from the doctor weds, i was thinking about to my acne journey and it gave me a sense of, "hell, i can get through anything." Yes, its never perfect, yes, ill always have to deal with acne prone skin but goodness, what a struggle its been, all the treatments, the pills, the creams, the lasers, the accutane process, the emotions, the anxiety, good god.... I should be as tough as nails at this point in my life. Its been 17 years of acne struggles, ups and down, etc. Overcoming things, even if you dont necesarily overcome acne, but the true emotional pain it causes, is a HUGE accomplishment... one day at a time, let your self LIVE.... and then hopefully over time, it will become a habit and you wont let the anxiety win.
michi31!!
Hey girl - nothing really has changed yet... still looking the same as Day 6 photos. Ill post another one tomorrow
Readytosmileagain,
I think your healing is very normal for Deep FX. I still have blotches all over my face, and I'm one month out. I only have blotches from where Deep FX hit. You really can't compare Deep FX to MixTo or Active FX. It's a totally different kind of Co2 laser. It does not resurface the epidermis. It targets deep damage in the dermis. That causes bleeding & swelling under the skin, and the recovery is slow. For me, it's caused deep hyperpigmentation. It will take months to fade.
Unfortunately, scars will look worse before they look better after Deep FX. After my first Deep FX treatment, it took about 3 months for me to realize just how much my skin had improved. Just look at my picture from before my first Deep FX:
http://www.acne.org/...e/46216-before/
The shallowing of my pits is undeniable and truly amazing. I hope you get similar results.
Honestly, if you didn't have redness at this point, I would be concerned about your potential results. To me, that would mean your treatment was not aggressive or deep enough.
Frankly, if you have pits, Deep FX is the way to go. I was disappointed a month after my first treatment, but I don't regret it at all! It was absolutely worth having blotchy skin for a couple months. It's the best thing I could have ever done for my scars.
I do think your doctor could have prepared you better.
Hang in there!
I hope I've helped relieve a little bit of your anxiety. I was also anxious and upset after my first Deep FX. My doctor did not properly prepare me for the red welts or bleeding that I experienced. I didn't realize my face would be covered in pigmented blocks for months either. He also didn't mention that Deep FX is mainly a spot treatment for deep damage. That means, you will have random patches of pigmented areas where the laser hits deep, right over your scars, scattered all over your face. He did mention the bleeding and hyperpigmentation. However, he could have done a much better job in preparing me for what I experienced.
For my second treatment, my doctor actually prescribed Xanax for anxiety. I didn't think I would need it but did take it for the first 5-6 nights. It really helped calm my nerves and knocked me out at night.
As for the Bio-gel, are you sure that's why your skin is feeling itchy? If the gel is for dermal repair & restoration, I wouldn't stop using it unless you're truly having an allergic reaction. At times, itchiness is a sign of healing. I am still using Cicalfate restoration cream. I know my doctor used to sell Bio-gel, instead of Cicalfate, because it's actually mentioned in my post-op instructions.
Hoping for the best for you! Considering your skin type, I think your skin will clear much sooner than mine. I'm a bit jealous. 
I may be flying to CA to meet with some of these doctors all you west coast people have had success with hahah... if only it were that easy!
Hi. Which doctors in CA area you referring to? I'm trying to find a good doctor here in Cali, if you have doctor recommendations that would help
Btw I just read your post above mine, don't stress. You still have 20 more days before you have to start coaching, you will be fine.
Hi readytosmileagain, the only really noticeable thing about your skin right now is the red marks. Can't really notice that it's raised or anything. Obviously the redness will fade with time, just make sure face is heavily moisturized at all times. You can make the red marks dissappear with makeup, here's a great tutorial of a girl with tons of red marks from cystic acne covering them up (
), check around 1:39, she shows what she looks like without make up at all.
I can see that you're really worried about social engagements and what not. Just use a little more make up than usual and tone it down as the red marks fade over the next few months Obviously only use it when you're going out, since makeup can clog pores and prevent your skin from "breathing", and healing, so stick to moisturizer when you're alone.
By the way, yours are the first honest photos of subcision I've ever seen. Your December photos look amazing. Honestly you went from your scars being quite noticeable and possibly distracting to a minor detail that is definitely minor enough to be disregarded in social situations. I hope that one day I can make the same kind of progress you have. Think of how far you've come from your original scars, and I bet even with tons of makeup your skin will still look WAY better than your baseline photos. So if you had the confidence to go out then, I'm sure you can manage being on a field with college girls at night.
My scarring is really similar to yours, except maybe 2-3X as bad I'll be getting subcision as soon as I can (I'll have to wait a year or so since I'm just finishing up accutane). Did you do accutane? How long did you wait? Also, I'm curious about your lifestyle since your scars seem to have healed quite well. You mentioned you exercise, something I'm picking up too. Do you try and maintain a certain diet to improve your skin?
trendycat -
I was on accutane for 7 months - did not have all of these scars prior to accutane but they started to appear over time afterward - 1 yr post was when i started to really notice them. I thought it had something to do with my use of Differin for that year but I honestly have no idea what caused them but some people have said that over time scars will show post- accutane because of the oil finally coming back to your body. IT took a little more time than most to get all my oil back after accutane (i could tell from the dryness in my eyes, lips and hair) I didnt mind it tho, but made the decision to do a microderm at the 6 month mark not thinking and that did cause some tiny linear scarring to happen on my face... live and learn i guess...
I work out every day - i think it has helped my acne prone skin but most importantly it has helped my mental state. If I cant have fabulous skin, why not try for a fabulous bod hehe - at least before we get pregnant anyway. And I have PCOS so thats something I am recommended to do every day to help with that. I also tend to have joint pain and it helps me with that also Its over all just a good thing to add to your daily routine - if you are just starting out, start small and work your way up and before you know it, it becomes a habit and not something u Have to do!
CherrySoda - thanks so much - I really wish i felt that way right now! These red spots have put me in a bit of a depression but I have to move forward, nothing will make them go away but time now. Its a very mentally taxing process but I hope more than anything it helps... I never wear a lot of make up and now I have to but that isnt fun at all. Today is my first social interaction and im dreading it completely...
Happy monday to you all
awe i hope everything goes ok for you today. i bet going out right now is so hard but i know you will get through it because you are so very strong. you have gone through so much already so i know you will be able to get through this. you are so right in everything you said before so i am going to try and start going out and doing things again. thank you for that!!
hey the place i was going to get co2 uses ultrasound to help speed up the healing process after the procedure. they recommend a few sessions afterwards so it is something you can ask your doctor about. keep us updated and i think your are healing very well. you are looking good girl!
Friends!
Last night i finally did something social... i put a tinted moisturizer all over my face, then spot treated with make up, played up my eyes big time and went to the meeting... i felt pretty good and I didnt notice anyone looking closely at my skin - it worked out fine 
Day 13 post Deep FX procedure
Photo is taken in the room with the lighting where u can see the spots but not the scars. At this point, the scars are not my concern - I know they look bad but they need time to heal and to settle down and most importantly for the collagen to grow so im desperately trying to not focus on them. Currently they are raised, as well as some of these red marks and some of the red marks are indented... im praying that isnt something ill need to worry about and its all just part of the healing process.
I also have been using the bio-gel now for 5 days. I think its been helping a little
hey i think you are healing up so well and your face looks pretty good. they just look like red marks to me but in that lighting they dont even look that red. seriously i think your skin is looking better every single day. just think how its going to look in 2 weeks or 2 months from now. i am glad your meeting went well too.
Thanks so much! Its been the longest two weeks but im hopeful that in two more ill feel sooo much better! Baby steps - Im looking forward to the day when I take that photo, exactly like the one I posted on Day 1 of this Topic! Im thinking ill wait until the 3 month mark to take it so that i know thats when all the collagen has responded but man that seems so far away haha. I know i wouldnt be happy if I took it now so I have to be patient 
I feel like PATIENT has been the "word of the day" for me for a while now but im so hoping the wait is worth it! Ill keep you posted on how the healing progresses... promise!
Thanks so much! Its been the longest two weeks but im hopeful that in two more ill feel sooo much better! Baby steps - Im looking forward to the day when I take that photo, exactly like the one I posted on Day 1 of this Topic! Im thinking ill wait until the 3 month mark to take it so that i know thats when all the collagen has responded but man that seems so far away haha. I know i wouldnt be happy if I took it now so I have to be patient
]
sounds good! i hear ya there with the word patient. ugh every time i go to the derm to get a cortisone shot they just keep telling me to be patient and that the spironolactone should start to kick in soon and then when i talk to my mom all she says is be patient - blah! its so hard to do though. why does everything take so much time?
Hey girl! Hang in there - I do think it's looking better. At least it is just redness and can be covered with makeup? How does the scarring look? From here it looks really good! I can't really see textural differences, just the redness. I know it's tough but you're doing awesome and in a few months it will be so much more faded. Have you talked to the derm again?
I already gave up on the idea that it will be faded by the lax season.... Now im just nervous about my best friends wedding march 22.... the scars are all still there - some of the red marks are indented. So nothing good to report from the procedure. I wouldnt recommend it as of this point and do regret doing it. Hate to say that, but its how im feeling... sigh.
At this point im just trying to move forward. I cant go back! So I dont really know what to do
I have not talked to my doc - the next time she wants to see me is April 3rd. Lets hope if things arent better by then, then she will have a plan for me!