Utlrapulse is the laser used for Total FX, Active FX and Deep FX. I'm a bit confused. When did your cosmetic derm start offering laser? Does she have any experience with the machine or are you one of her initial guinea pigs? What are the benefits to doing an Obagi peel, prior to laser treatment, when a laser penetrates deeper? Is she offering Deep FX or just Active FX?

 

The third doctor sounds interesting. Would he be using traditional, fully ablative Co2 laser on your individual scars? What did you think of his before and after photos?

 

How deep are your scars at this point? Do they reach into the dermis?

 

Hey there TokyoGirl,

SO glad that you asked me these questions before my next appointment with my current cosmetic derm tomorrow, because they gave me a couple of great ideas about questions to ask her.

In regard to your questions; I don't know when she began offering laser at her offices. That's something I need to ask her. As far as I knew, she wasn't performing it at her offices until recently, I suppose. At least, she didn't mention laser at all a year ago, or in the entire year since I've been seeing her. As to what her experience is, and if I'd be one of the first couple of people (guinea pigs) that receives laser treatment from her, I don't know. Those are also some wonderful questions to ask, and I most certainly will tomorrow.

Also, she didn't explain what the benefits to doing an Obagi Blue Peel prior to treatment were, nor did she say which of the two lasers (Deep FX or Active FX) she was going to use. Both questions that I need to bring up. I'm very glad that I ended up writing this post tonight, in fact. Your response has given me a lot of good ideas for tomorrow's consultation. I knew there were more things I needed to talk to my cosmetic derm about, and I figured that someone on Acne.org would help me organize my thoughts a little bit more. Thanks so much, I really appreciate it.

The third doctor I visited with told me that he is going to use a fractionalized CO2 (much like Fraxel) on the individual scars. If you want, I can call his offices tomorrow to get the brand name of the laser. Actually, I think I'm just going to go ahead and call tomorrow, anyway, for my own benefit. He had told me during the consultation, but my head was spinning with all the info he provided me with, and I kept thinking of a million other things to ask him, that I forgot to write the name of the laser down. Stupid me. If it were a brand that I'd already heard of (DeepFX, Fraxel, MixTo, then I would have recognized it, but I didn't).

Hmmm...I thought his before and afters were pretty good. He did show me a woman (who was in her mid-40's, I think) who had acne scarring, although not as severe as mine. He told me that he wanted me to be very sure to understand that the woman's scars were already lighter, so to please keep in mind that mine might not necessarily look like hers after my laser procedure. I was so happy with his honesty, actually.

Right now the majority of my scars look about as deep as yours do from your post-Deep FX album. Meaning that most of them are quite shallow. However, I have some that are more deep, and of course a couple on my left cheek that are longer and wider. My right cheek's scarring is so very minimal. If my left cheek looked like my right cheek, then I wouldn't really even bother with thinking about laser, honestly. It's just too bad that's not the case, and that my left cheek was home to the largest of my face's cysts.

So, to answer that very last question of yours, no. They certainly don't reach into the dermis. At least, I very much doubt it. Why do you ask?

Again, thanks for your very prompt response. Looking forward to reading what you have to say.

Take care.

Heya,

Sorry I didn't get back to you last night.

Try to find out what the third doctor uses as his Co2 laser. I'm interested to know more.

Personally, I would chose 25 years of experience over 1 year when it comes to laser. I wouldn't use your cosmetic derm and would stick to someone who has 1000s of procedures under his/her belt. Ultrapulse is a powerful machine! You can do serious damage with it, and also produce little results if you're too conservative. I really think experience makes all the difference.

I don't think there's any reason to penetrate deeper than your actual scarred tissue. That's why I was curious about the type of laser. Depth of ablation varies by type of laser/brand. Although many doctors will claim all fractional Co2 lasers produce the same results, I don't agree with this. I even pointed out to one doctor that he was quoting a wrinkle study when trying to convince me that there's no difference between fractional co2 lasers. I have yet to see a study that shows there's no difference when it comes to acne scar treatment. However, if such a study exists, I hope someone can enlighten me, as I'd like to read it.

I also don't believe Deep FX is necessary if your scars are 0.5-0.75mm in depth. Why risk further damage by going too deep? I think that's the point Collegeboy's doctor was trying to make to him by discouraging him from Deep FX.

Hope this helps in some way. Sorry if I missed any of your questions. I'm a bit in a rush.

Take care!

Heya,

 

Sorry I didn't get back to you last night.

 

Try to find out what the third doctor uses as his Co2 laser. I'm interested to know more.

 

Personally, I would chose 25 years of experience over 1 year when it comes to laser. I wouldn't use your cosmetic derm and would stick to someone who has 1000s of procedures under his/her belt. Ultrapulse is a powerful machine! You can do serious damage with it, and also produce little results if you're too conservative. I really think experience makes all the difference.

 

I don't think there's any reason to penetrate deeper than your actual scarred tissue. That's why I was curious about the type of laser. Depth of ablation varies by type of laser/brand. Although many doctors will claim all fractional Co2 lasers produce the same results, I don't agree with this. I even pointed out to one doctor that he was quoting a wrinkle study when trying to convince me that there's no difference between fractional co2 lasers. I have yet to see a study that shows there's no difference when it comes to acne scar treatment. However, if such a study exists, I hope someone can enlighten me, as I'd like to read it.

 

I also don't believe Deep FX is necessary if your scars are 0.5-0.75mm in depth. Why risk further damage by going too deep? I think that's the point Collegeboy's doctor was trying to make to him by discouraging him from Deep FX.

 

Hope this helps in some way. Sorry if I missed any of your questions. I'm a bit in a rush.

 

Take care!

 

Hey there,

Don't even worry about it. I actually gave you the wrong name of the laser that my cosmetic derm plans on using. I wrote the correct name in my datebook today, and as soon as I have a bit more time (maybe tomorrow afternoon?), I'll edit this post, and tell you which one it is. Also, I've found out that she has more experience than a year of using the laser that she's planning on using before the peel she has suggested I have. Since I'm getting super-sleepy right now, I'll go ahead and close this post.

I'll try my darndest to provide this thread with the correct information tomorrow.

Take care.

Hey Everybody,

 

I DO end this post with questions. However, I feel it does help to give a bit of a backstory first. So please bear with me. Also, this is probably the first time I have ever been able to reach out, and tell my story to those who might be able to understand where I'm coming from. My acne has caused me alot of sadness, depression, and frustration over the years, and it is cathartic for me to tell my story. If you don't feel like reading, I won't be offended. But please at least skip to the end, and give my questions a look-over. Maybe you can help me out.

 

I'm a 27 year old female with (mostly) ice pick acne scarring, and some discoloration (but that doesn't really bother me as much as the ice picks, to be honest). I struggled with blackheads, and mild acne as a preadolescent, and teen. Then, like so many others I have read about on acne.org, I began to get cysts starting at around age 21.

 

That's when things went downhill for me. My typical teenage-acne prone skin began to occasionally get painful cysts that would never quite reach the surface of my skin. They were full of pus, and bloody oil, and after squeezing about 3 of them on my left cheek, I knew they would leave major, major scars, and I should not touch them anymore.

 

By the time I realized I should not touch those painful as heck cysts, I began to get even worse acne along my lower cheeks and jawline at about age 23 or 24. Of course I didn't touch that, I knew what would happen. Nonetheless, my face was full of infection. I remember at one time, it was hard for me to even smile, because I had such pain in my lower left cheek from the infection.

 

If you're wondering what I ever did along the years to try to get rid of my acne, my answer is everything. Beginning when I was a teen, because I didn't even want those gross whiteheads in high school. I tried every over-the-counter/department store remedy imaginable. I was a slave to the Clinique 3-Step system. Using that helped somewhat as a teenage girl, but by the time I reached 21, it seemed like nothing I could buy from a store could help me. So, I went to a dermatologist in college who prescribed Differin, and Clyndamycin phosphate. Those sorta worked. Around age 22, I went to another derm to discuss Accutane, but the idea of taking something that could potentially break me out even more, and cause even MORE scarring didn't seem worth it at the time (and still really doesn't). Nothing could have prepared me, however, for how bad things were going to get.

 

I remember at that time being so depressed and unhappy with my looks, that I could barely stand to wash the layers and layers of foundation makeup I wore at the time, because then I would have to see how ugly I had become. I was pretty as a little girl, and a lovely teen, and it was devastating for me to see that as a young woman, my skin had changed texture, become more oily, and contained painful cysts, and was beginning to bear scars.

 

After gettng out of a bad relationship (which I think probably contributed to my stress levels, and therefore cystic acne at the time), my beautiful mom convinced me that I owed it to myself to get into the dermatologist once again, and take control of my acne problems. So, I scheduled an appointment. The P.A. was extremely helpful, and seemed to know exactly what I needed. I was prescribed a strong antibiotic (I forget which one, though), and used Tazorac and Vanoxide topicals for about a year and a half. According to my P.A., my acne was under control (finally), and then it was time for me to move onto the wide world of cosmetic dermatology.

 

My very kind and pretty cosmetic dermatologist has had me undergo about 3 or 4 "punch float", as she calls them, procedures, and given me three little punch grafts on my left cheek where my acne was the worst. I have been told by friends and some family that my scarring looks much, much better and smoother. What a relief. I still see myself as scarred, and not as good as I should be. But the support of others really has helped to lift my spirits.

 

Here's the question part; NOW my cosmetic dermatologists wants to give me a medium-grade Obagi blue peel for what is left of my scarring, and I want to know if that's a good idea. Or, based on my pictures, do you think I should try something else? I have done alot of research lately on Fraxel, CO2 laser resurfacing, and have no idea what road I ought to take. I still have some enlarged pores on my nose that I have no idea what to do about, and one little yucky boxcar scar that I hate, and I have no clue if the Obagi blue peel will help with that.

 

My cosmetic derm has told me that after an Obagi blue peel, my skin will look "perfect", and that what's left of my scarring will barely be noticeable. But I have gotta say, after checking out the Before and Afters of those who have done laser resurfacing, I have been blown away by some of the results. Talk about perfect, gorgeous skin! Some of y'all out there who got the Fraxel and other types of laser treatments have prettier skin than people I've seen who have never had a zit in their lives. Amazing!

 

I'm really at a crossroads, here. I don't personally know anyone who's had the kind of extensive acne scarring treatments that I've had, so I would absolutely LOVE it if someone could give me their experienced, personal opinion on the condition of my skin, and what treatment I should take. Please take a look at my pics, and let me know what you think.

 

If you want to look at my Gallery, I will post more pics there. I just thought that these 5 pics I attached will definitely get my point across.

 

Many, many thanks.

 

H

 

Hey! As others have said, your scarring does not appear to be that bad. I tend to get the same comments, but... I do know how skin often looks worse in person and under specific lighting. With that being said, I would definitely suggest an ablative laser treatment. Peels do nothing for scarring from my experience; even a 100% pure TCA cross has very minimal results (done several TCA crosses myself). Non-ablative lasers also show very minimal improvements in scarring ( I had 6 treatments of non-ablative lasers). I would recommend an ablative treatment like TotalFX, Ultrapulse and/or Repair. To avoid wasting money on useless treatments I would suggest getting second or even third opinions from a variety of doctors in your area. Good luck!

 

Hey Everybody,

 

I DO end this post with questions. However, I feel it does help to give a bit of a backstory first. So please bear with me. Also, this is probably the first time I have ever been able to reach out, and tell my story to those who might be able to understand where I'm coming from. My acne has caused me alot of sadness, depression, and frustration over the years, and it is cathartic for me to tell my story. If you don't feel like reading, I won't be offended. But please at least skip to the end, and give my questions a look-over. Maybe you can help me out.

 

I'm a 27 year old female with (mostly) ice pick acne scarring, and some discoloration (but that doesn't really bother me as much as the ice picks, to be honest). I struggled with blackheads, and mild acne as a preadolescent, and teen. Then, like so many others I have read about on acne.org, I began to get cysts starting at around age 21.

 

That's when things went downhill for me. My typical teenage-acne prone skin began to occasionally get painful cysts that would never quite reach the surface of my skin. They were full of pus, and bloody oil, and after squeezing about 3 of them on my left cheek, I knew they would leave major, major scars, and I should not touch them anymore.

 

By the time I realized I should not touch those painful as heck cysts, I began to get even worse acne along my lower cheeks and jawline at about age 23 or 24. Of course I didn't touch that, I knew what would happen. Nonetheless, my face was full of infection. I remember at one time, it was hard for me to even smile, because I had such pain in my lower left cheek from the infection.

 

If you're wondering what I ever did along the years to try to get rid of my acne, my answer is everything. Beginning when I was a teen, because I didn't even want those gross whiteheads in high school. I tried every over-the-counter/department store remedy imaginable. I was a slave to the Clinique 3-Step system. Using that helped somewhat as a teenage girl, but by the time I reached 21, it seemed like nothing I could buy from a store could help me. So, I went to a dermatologist in college who prescribed Differin, and Clyndamycin phosphate. Those sorta worked. Around age 22, I went to another derm to discuss Accutane, but the idea of taking something that could potentially break me out even more, and cause even MORE scarring didn't seem worth it at the time (and still really doesn't). Nothing could have prepared me, however, for how bad things were going to get.

 

I remember at that time being so depressed and unhappy with my looks, that I could barely stand to wash the layers and layers of foundation makeup I wore at the time, because then I would have to see how ugly I had become. I was pretty as a little girl, and a lovely teen, and it was devastating for me to see that as a young woman, my skin had changed texture, become more oily, and contained painful cysts, and was beginning to bear scars.

 

After gettng out of a bad relationship (which I think probably contributed to my stress levels, and therefore cystic acne at the time), my beautiful mom convinced me that I owed it to myself to get into the dermatologist once again, and take control of my acne problems. So, I scheduled an appointment. The P.A. was extremely helpful, and seemed to know exactly what I needed. I was prescribed a strong antibiotic (I forget which one, though), and used Tazorac and Vanoxide topicals for about a year and a half. According to my P.A., my acne was under control (finally), and then it was time for me to move onto the wide world of cosmetic dermatology.

 

My very kind and pretty cosmetic dermatologist has had me undergo about 3 or 4 "punch float", as she calls them, procedures, and given me three little punch grafts on my left cheek where my acne was the worst. I have been told by friends and some family that my scarring looks much, much better and smoother. What a relief. I still see myself as scarred, and not as good as I should be. But the support of others really has helped to lift my spirits.

 

Here's the question part; NOW my cosmetic dermatologists wants to give me a medium-grade Obagi blue peel for what is left of my scarring, and I want to know if that's a good idea. Or, based on my pictures, do you think I should try something else? I have done alot of research lately on Fraxel, CO2 laser resurfacing, and have no idea what road I ought to take. I still have some enlarged pores on my nose that I have no idea what to do about, and one little yucky boxcar scar that I hate, and I have no clue if the Obagi blue peel will help with that.

 

My cosmetic derm has told me that after an Obagi blue peel, my skin will look "perfect", and that what's left of my scarring will barely be noticeable. But I have gotta say, after checking out the Before and Afters of those who have done laser resurfacing, I have been blown away by some of the results. Talk about perfect, gorgeous skin! Some of y'all out there who got the Fraxel and other types of laser treatments have prettier skin than people I've seen who have never had a zit in their lives. Amazing!

 

I'm really at a crossroads, here. I don't personally know anyone who's had the kind of extensive acne scarring treatments that I've had, so I would absolutely LOVE it if someone could give me their experienced, personal opinion on the condition of my skin, and what treatment I should take. Please take a look at my pics, and let me know what you think.

 

If you want to look at my Gallery, I will post more pics there. I just thought that these 5 pics I attached will definitely get my point across.

 

Many, many thanks.

 

H

 

 

Hey! As others have said, your scarring does not appear to be that bad. I tend to get the same comments, but... I do know how skin often looks worse in person and under specific lighting. With that being said, I would definitely suggest an ablative laser treatment. Peels do nothing for scarring from my experience; even a 100% pure TCA cross has very minimal results (done several TCA crosses myself). Non-ablative lasers also show very minimal improvements in scarring ( I had 6 treatments of non-ablative lasers). I would recommend an ablative treatment like TotalFX, Ultrapulse and/or Repair. To avoid wasting money on useless treatments I would suggest getting second or even third opinions from a variety of doctors in your area. Good luck!

 

Thanks so much. This is what I have been told by several people who have had personal experience with ablative lasers, and of course by the doctors that were promoting their services to me.

I've seen some wonderful improvement to my scarring just by subcisions and punch floats alone, so I am being very careful and cautious about which steps to take in regard to my scarring. At this point, I know it will be a process, and that's just something I've come to accept.

And you're right. My scars are barely ever visible in pictures, especially ones in which I'm wearing blush(and clearly I'm not in the photos I posted in that thread). However, in real life, and in certain lighting, they are pretty obvious.

I will most certainly continue to update this thread as I take steps to reduce the appearance of my scarring. Again, thank you for taking the time to read my thread. I always appreciate it when people care enough to take the time to comment.

Hey Cherry,

Just wondering how much improvement you saw from the Obagi peel? I'm thinking of getting a series of peels done

to unclog pores and if they would help smooth some scar edges or even shallow them up a bit more, I'd be ecstatic!

Hey Cherry,

 

Just wondering how much improvement you saw from the Obagi peel? I'm thinking of getting a series of peels done

to unclog pores and if they would help smooth some scar edges or even shallow them up a bit more, I'd be ecstatic!

 

Hi there! While I did see some improvement to my skin from the Obagi peel, the most improvement that took place in my acne scarring was from the surgical techniques used to reduce them. The Obagi peel tightened my skin, and reduced the size of the larger pores on my cheeks. I noticed these changes almost immediately after the peel began to shed itself from my face.

Slowly, I have been noticing improvement to the texture of my skin, and more smoothness to my scarring. However, I know that I my scarring still needs work.

In fact, I'm going to post some Before and Afters of my acne scarring very soon. My cosmetic derm finally sent them to me! I'm so excited to show it to those who've been reading this thread. Hopefully, you guys think the photos look as good as I think they do.

Hope that helped you.

Cherry

Hi there, everyone

Here are some Before and After photos after a year and 5 months of care under my current cosmetic dermatologist. Looking forward to hearing what y'all think about the photos. Some of you have even been kind enough to remind me to post them to my thread, which I really appreciate! It does get hard to remember to keep the thread updated sometimes with everything I'm currently juggling in my schedule right now.

Hope these photos are helpful to some of y'all who are currently searching for ways to reduce the appearance of their acne scarring. Please feel free to ask me any questions you might have about my experiences with acne and my scar journey here on this thread. Sometimes it's pretty hard to me to find the time to reply to personal messages. Also, I like the idea of others who might happen to have similar questions for me being able to read the questions that have already been asked. This way, everybody benefits.

If you have a difficult time seeing the detail of the photos, I'd recommend saving the images to your computer and then zooming in on a photo editing program. At least, that's what helped me.

Cherry

Thanks for sharing your photos. I can see the improvement from punch floats. Were the after photos taken after the obagi peel? If not, at what stage were the photos taken?

I really think you could benefit from resurfacing at this point. After one treatment, you might be satisfied enough to stop treating your scars.

Thanks for sharing your photos. I can see the improvement from punch floats. Were the after photos taken after the obagi peel? If not, at what stage were the photos taken?

 

I really think you could benefit from resurfacing at this point. After one treatment, you might be satisfied enough to stop treating your scars.

 

Hey there,

Thanks so much for sharing your opinions. I can always count on you. The After photos were indeed taken after my Obagi Blue peel had come off. These photos were taken a little less than a month ago, and they were shot on the 6th week mark after the peel.

Awesome improvements, Cherry! I'm so happy for you.

I agree with TokyoGirl. A little resurfacing a la laser and I'd never believe you if you told me you had severe acne.

Good luck in your continued journey! And thank you for being so detailed in your responses. The info you've provided has been helpful.

Awesome improvements, Cherry! I'm so happy for you.

I agree with TokyoGirl. A little resurfacing a la laser and I'd never believe you if you told me you had severe acne.

 

Good luck in your continued journey! And thank you for being so detailed in your responses. The info you've provided has been helpful.

 

Thanks so much! I really appreciate the input.

I think your skin looks very beautiful in both the before and after pictures despite your scars. And I do see the improvement after punch floats. Congratulations!

My scarring seems quite similar to yours (or what you used to have), so based on this thread I'd definitely be interested in punch floats if they were available in my area (sadly I doubt it). Thank-you for all the information you've given and good luck with laser resurfacing, if you decide to take that route. I'd imagine your skin would look almost perfect after just one treatment. Please keep us updated!

I've also discovered a doctor in my area who has been doing Deep FX treatments for a few years, and might treat my scars similarly and book a consultation for him in the future.

I think your skin looks very beautiful in both the before and after pictures despite your scars. And I do see the improvement after punch floats. Congratulations!

 

My scarring seems quite similar to yours (or what you used to have), so based on this thread I'd definitely be interested in punch floats if they were available in my area (sadly I doubt it). Thank-you for all the information you've given and good luck with laser resurfacing, if you decide to take that route. I'd imagine your skin would look almost perfect after just one treatment. Please keep us updated!

I've also discovered a doctor in my area who has been doing Deep FX treatments for a few years, and might treat my scars similarly and book a consultation for him in the future.

 

I will absolutely continue to update this thread. Thanks so much for your lovely compliments. Good luck with your consultation, should you choose to book one in the future.

Quick update: It seems as if I am going to have to begin taking a prescription for spironolactone (hope I spelled that correctly), as I have still been getting cysts around my mouth and upper chin. Now, I have them again in my upper right cheek and underneath my left nostril, and this is the first time I've had cysts in one of my cheeks in over a year. Not happy at all about this.

This undoubtedly means that now I'm going to have to put any laser procedures that I have considered on hold for a little bit. I'd love it if someone who has experience with spironolactone to point me toward a decent thread on the forums, or at least offer some input about the threads.

Thanks so much.

Hey Cherry,

Unfortunately, I can't offer you advice on spirinolactone. Just want to say, I'm sorry to hear about this setback with scar treatment. Hoping for a quick recovery and clear skin in the near future.

Best of luck!

Hey Cherry,

Unfortunately, I can't offer you advice on spironolactone. Just want to say, I'm sorry to hear about this setback with scar treatment. Hoping for a quick recovery and clear skin in the near future.

Best of luck!

Thank you!

I've done a little research on spironolactone at this point, and I'm willing to give it a chance for at least a couple of months. For the past year and a half, my cosmetic derm has given me a couple cortizone shots for cysts I've had in the chin area. I think I just kept believing that because I was making all these lifestyle changes (changing my diet, not drinking sodas, not drinking alcohol besides red and white wine, taking water kefir daily and quitting smoking almost a year ago) that the cysts would just go away on their own. Since they haven't, and now I have one in my cheek, I think it's time to once again take action with respect to the cysts.

My cosmetic derm had mentioned spirinolactone a couple of times to me over the past 3 or 4 months, and I'd always tell her that I wanted to wait it out to see if the lifestyle changes would cause more improvement. As of September 7th, which is the last time I saw her, she again brought up the spironolactone, telling me that I might just have to take it until I "grow out of the cystic acne". Now that I have a cyst in my right cheek (I didn't on September 7th, of course), I think it's time to bite the bullet and get a 'script.

I most likely will have to have an appointment with her on Tuesday, October 23rd for another cortizone shot. This cyst in my cheek doesn't look like it's going anywhere soon. I'll keep this thread updated about any future procedures I have to treat my scarring, as I am still talking to my cosmetic derm about possible treatment with her, since I just do not want to have to spend the kind of money that it takes to have a laser procedure while still experiencing cystsic lesions.

I'm more than a little bummed out about this news, to be honest. However, I think it's important to do the wise thing and treat the problem before potentially throwing money down the tubes on something that costs as much per session as laser does.

Thanks to those who take the time to read my thread. I have really appreciated all of the advice and encouragement.

Update: Thankful that today I was able to make it into my cosmetic derm's to get the cortizone shot this afternoon, and I really needed it! I now have my 'script for spironolactone, and the cost was only $3.99. Woo-hoo! Something else to be very grateful about.

I think it might be a great idea for me to begin a log here on the 'Org of my experience in taking spironolactone. My derm advised giving it a try for at least 3 months, and getting my sleep schedule more in order (I'm an awful insomniac...), and then evaluating the results. Since I know that being treated with spironolactone isn't exactly pertinent to the acne scarring forums, that seems like the thing to do.

Honestly it is hard for me to tell the results because the pics are too small for me but I must say that you have beautiful skin

Honestly it is hard for me to tell the results because the pics are too small for me but I must say that you have beautiful skin

 

If you have a difficult time seeing the detail of the photos, I'd recommend saving the images to your computer and then zooming in on a photo editing program. At least, that's what helped me.

Still must say you have Beautiful skin!!!!! Nice even skin tone, looks very healthy with minor scarring.

Still must say you have Beautiful skin!!!!! Nice even skin tone, looks very healthy with minor scarring.

 

Thanks, doll. I really appreciate it. I have a very understanding cosmetic derm who deserves all the credit.

I read your story. I can relate to the feeling. And I've struggled with depression for a majority of my life, and the acne plus scars only adds to the hurt. I'm so glad I found this website. I wish you the best (:

Hopefully I can go see a dermatologist someday!

I read your story. I can relate to the feeling. And I've struggled with depression for a majority of my life, and the acne plus scars only adds to the hurt. I'm so glad I found this website. I wish you the best (:

Hopefully I can go see a dermatologist someday!

 

Awww...thank you, hon. Your comments are so sweet, and I'm truly grateful for them. I've been really thankful for this site, as well. It's provided me with priceless information on nutrition and diet, and has also been my rock in that I've been able to receive advice and encouragement from those who've had experiences similar to mine.

My heart goes out to you, and I wish you the best in return. There's no reason that you can't see a dermatologist whenever you want, though. If you're worried about finances, then please take into consideration that there are derms out there willing to help those who don't have unlimited funds. My cosmetic derm knows that I'm a student, and has been more than generous with me in regard to making my treatments as cost effective as possible for someone with a small budget. I have no reason to believe that there aren't more out there just like her. It's simply a matter of being patient, and taking the time to find a doc who's understanding.

And remember, it's never necessary to pay for a consultation. Mine have always been free, and I've been to more than a few.

Okay, I actually have another question, if you, Cherry, or anyone else can answer. I heard that scars can't have hair follicles or pores for that matter. Yet- in shining a light over my most recent scar, the one on my forehead that I've been obsessing over for the sixth months I've had it, I've noticed that I can see little hairs in it.

Does that still make it a scar?

Also there has been little pimples pop up in my scar... can this or has this happened to anyone else. Because from what I know scars don't have pores, and no pores mean no zit .-.

It's quite confusing .-.

Happy Halloween, by the way! C: