panos - the indents have not filled - everywhere that a laser was used i have a hole like burn mark - or a patch - or a tiny hole - she did three passes with the laser and all three were at different levels so i think thats why i have three different types of marks on my skin....
im going to call her today, and see if she will see me before we leave for our long awaited vacation next saturday.... i honestly dont want to go at all - we are traveling to another country for a wedding that im in.... im so miserable and pissed off at myself that i cant fathom going... argh, im trying tso hard to just keep moving forward....
tracy521 - i just called my derm and one of the drs in the office are going to see me on monday... I will bring up this moisturizer. I did spend about 150 bucks on this other stuff the last time i was there - obviously im not seeing a big improvement from that... so ill discuss that with her.
will keep you posted and thank you for being there... i really appreciate it
NoUserNameAvailable - id suggest starting your own topic to get the best info from lots of different people on this site!! and post photos - I wish you the best of luck!! My only suggestion that I know did work for me at one point was subcision for rolling scars - it frees some of the bands under the skin that healing incorrectly, causing the scar to form... Its a great starting off place and, from my experience, will help raise the scarred skin. Nothing will completely eliminate the scarring from your skin... always keep that in mind.
Excuse me but there is collegeboy85(sth like this) who claims 100:% removal of box scar.Check his thread if you dont believe me.
That can be done but people need lighter and more treatments .
Could you take some clear picture of your skin ? I really cant see many things from the pictures you posted?
The white ptches you see mybe they are the brand new skin you are aiming for but they appear as hypopigmentation
due to hypepigmented surrounding areas?
do u know how to get more space on this site for photos?
So here you go friends - the reason why im sad, because i feel as if wherever the laser hit my skin, it is now scarred even more... and the redness isnt fading well at all (in those specific spots, causing quite the contrast in my skin tone across my face). its 10 weeks tomorrow.
hey i think your face looks really good! seriously though the redness is fading pretty darn fast and i think your skin looks awesome! i bet in another 2 months or so it will look even better and a lot less red. stay positive my friend because i really think you are looking good! what does your hubby think?
I agree with acnescar123 and tracy521. Your skin looks so much smoother than your earlier photos-you are doing great! Please don't despair and don't be
sad. Your comrades here can truly be more objective and see an improvement. The redness will fade. I know 10 weeks sounds like a long time but when you think of what was done to your skin.....it is still early.
Hey guys - so I just got back from the derm and she said to keep the faith and that it takes a solid three months before the redness fades and the reason why im freaking out is because she hit spots that were not visable before - both indents or red marks because she saw a scar there and wanted to treat it - Now that EVERYTHING is red, it is visually frustrating because a lot of these red marks now were scarring that I didnt see before and therefore I am seeing my skin in a way that I havent in a very long time and it is emotionally taxing.... so I have 2 more weeks until its suppose to be a lot better... and we will have to continue to wait and see....
I found myself for about 20 minutes today not thinking about my skin - it was on my drive home from the derm - i think because I allowed my emotions to go nuts in the office and I cried like a little baby but still - as I was driving home I allowed my mind, without even trying, to relax and I was just, well, me... not this crazy, insane person who cant even think about her next step without WORRYING about how she looks while doing it....
and it was the best 20 minutes ive had in a very long time.
"if only i could close my eyes, count to ten, and this nightmare would be over"... if only I lived in a world with no mirrors, no make up, no judgements... I would be fearless and such a different person... Im tired of feeling this constant poor me, poor me way about myself...its unflattering, selfish, and seriously depressing....
I toy with these emotions all the time - how do I allow myself to break free from this constant pressure on my chest that are these serious insecurities and constant day to day struggles within my self... these "serious issues" that I really can not change. Scars on a persons skin, as much as we hope to fix them cosmetically, they are uncontrollable.... and uncontrollables are things we are suppose to be able to free our mind from and not worry about... why is this so hard to do.
For all of these truly wonderful people who have been following this topic, I hope you honestly know how special, and how much I love you guys for helping me along this journey - this one hell of a struggling, uphill, both ways in the snow, barefoot, journey - and that you understand that without your support, I would feel incredibly lost....
awe you really are so sweet and i cant relate to what you just wrote so darn much! stay strong and know what we are all here for you and that each week your skin will get better and better. just think of how awesome its going to look by summer ya know? i wish you the very best because you deserve to have a great life. i feel like sometimes the best people i know are the ones that get hit the hardest with things. i dont know why that is but i know you will rise about this like you have done everything else and that you will be happy!! keep updating us on your progress as the weeks go on and good luck with everything.
dear readytosmileagain,
me also, I think that your skin looks many times better than on original post. I like actual apparance of your skin in last photos and from my own observation of healing process, Im convicted that same scars will improve (fill-in) in next 6-8months.
good luck for you
I just got a call from my derms office ( I saw a different derm yesterday than the person who did the CO2 so my regular derm wanted to follow up)
She suggested I get a laser done that eliminates the redness... and she will do it for free.... and in the future when I do more co2 procedures then what we will do is get the first one done, then wait two weeks, get the second laser done which reducing the redness, and go from there...
Needless to say, what on earth do I do about this... my heart is like "you gotta be kidding me, never use another laser on your skin...enough is a enough" but my head is telling me, "Well she is the doc, she knows what is best for helping with my issues now, so I should consider it...." They said it will be 7-10 days of more redness, then it was all completely fade...
im thinking i go on this trip, come back, and if im still pissed off, i get it done... or I just let my body do its thing and heal naturally. Thoughts?
She said that she would like me to do more CO2 lasers as she believes it worked this past time... she compared photos from the week after the procedure to the ones I took yesterday and said she believes it has helped.... and over time, with more procedures, ill be happy.
This wasnt the orginial plan in my head - i was going to do the two subcisons, finish up with one CO2 laser and be "Happy". Now that she isnt seeing much imporovement, the suggestion to do more is now on the table and Im unsure if I can mentally consider it...
hmm thats a lot to think about for sure but i would be leery about another laser for the redness. that will definitely fade in time though thats for sure. when i was going to get the co2 laser done the plastic surgeon i saw said that besides the ultrasound that they do there to heal the skin a lot faster they like the patients to use skin lightning cream to help the redness go away faster too. personally i think another laser will just irritate it more and interrupt the healing process. i would also say to quit while you are ahead only because i think going through this again would just be too much for you since you have already been through a lot.
yeah go with your gut feeling because you know deep down what to do. i know for myself anytime i have ignored that gut feeling things have not worked out well so trust yourself. i hope you are feeling better about things today. you seem like such a kick a** person that i feel bad seeing you so sad. i keep thinking about you and will send some prayers your way for a speedy recovery!
I think your skin is coming along really well!! The redness is good- it means the body is providing a good blood supply to the skin and healing is going on- I definitely wouldn't do another laser!
I agree totally with the other posters who have suggested Retin-a. A bad outbreak of acne left me with many small icepick scars and some shallow depressions. I thought I would have to live with the damage- but after 6 months of Retin-a my skin healed and the scarring became all but invisible. They say you have to give Retin-a six months to work- it was nearly six months for me. The improvements were gradual over the months- but my skin suddenly looked close to normal again after about 5 1/2 months- it almost happened overnight.
Please, please- refuse the laser but ask your derm for some Retin-a! Now would be the time to use it- before your body finishes the healing process. Some of us don't heal properly for some reason which is why we get left with scarring while others get away scar free after acne- I believe Retin-a makes us unlucky ones heal correctly- it is good.
Well its alreasy pretty much established that you are a total hottie. I really think no matter what you do you will be ok. I feel your pain. But on the bright side, you WILL improve from this point on. Theyre is still a great possibility that you will end up bieng happy with this last laser procedure. You just have to give it more time, I know thats frustrating becuase we live in a bs world that wont even let you stop and smell the roses. I think you are a very strong person. BUT, I think true emotional healing will come when you realize hey, for real. I really dont have a "problem". These things just happen in life, and before you had your laser procedure you made the best possible judgment call given your position.
Honestly the way you described it made it seem so much worse. From your latest pics, what I see is just a little hyperpigmentation that will fade with time, just be sure to keep it moisturized. I would also stay away from lasers with the same doc. She doesn't seem to have explained the consequences of the first laser effectively, and she could be making the same mistake again now.
My recommendation would be to try to repair your skin barrier. You probably still have a lot of inflammation going on in your skin right now. Some of the best soothing cream I have ever used that has a lot of great ingredients to do this is from Cervae. I love their products. You can get them at any drugstore. I would use their cleanser and heavy cream and also their pm lotion. Never breaks me out and my skin feels wonderful and it helps build the skin barrier after being stripped from cosmetic procedures/acid treatments. I would also stay away from any acids for the time being until your skin has fully healed which can take months.
Secondly you want to make sure you are using a very good sunscreen. The best one I have ever used is by a company called Burnout. Most of the drugstore sunscreens IMO are not so great at protecting the skin. But Burnout has to be ordered online.
I hope this helps. Best of luck to you and do remember that your skin will heal in time. Just make sure to baby it:)