Hi Bioneedle,

These are recent pics, however I took them in really bad light so it can show the true level of treatment required - in a good light they look less obvious see below;

How much improvement do you think the Total FX gave you last time? Would it be worth the cost of going for a second round?
If i were you i would try Enerjet as people have been reporting pretty good results from it.

@Justme - Thanks for getting in contact, I'm very curious to undertake Enerjet treatment (i agree the feedback seems to be very positive) as the downtime is minimal. Over all Total FX certainly has made a difference to 4 prominent scars, however I still have a long road to recovery. At this stage, I'm pretty much a Guinea Pig for undergoing various Acne Scar treatments, so I might as well add enerjet to the list. If i could have deep FX on specific scars followed by a course of Enerjet, I think that would be suffice for the next few months - no pain = no gain!

I'll add some pics of my skin before and afterwards.

So I have attached a variation of recent pictures in different shades of light, which give an indication of the shear intense scaring I have from acne. So you guys might be able advise which treatment you personally think I should consider for my next procedure.

You can try derma stamp with long needles (2.5-3mm) along with the use of topical vitamin A (I suggest Tazorac 0.1% gel since it's the strongest retinoid available, stronger than retin-A)

Three days for healing from Total FX is pretty fast unless you are going to get a light treatment.

For the left cheek with the deeper indentation / volume loss, subcision and filler may help. I guess either traditional injections of filler or enerjet would work. Just judging from pics I've seen of Enerjet, you are going to look pretty beat up and swollen for a few days as well.

Just had my Enerjet treatment this evening at Dr Patel's new surgery on Harley Street. Enerjet is certainly far less painful compared to laser treatment. See pictures below which were taken shortly after my treatment:

Hi all,

So it's 28 hrs since my Enerjet Treatment and there's a still a slight tingle and stinging feeling but it's not that unpleasant. Appearance wise I feel like I'm 18 again with acne!! It's hard to determine the actual outcome at this stage. See pictures below from this morning:

Hi all,

So it's 28 hrs since my Enerjet Treatment and there's a still a slight tingle and stinging feeling but it's not that unpleasant. Appearance wise I feel like I'm 18 again with acne!! It's hard to determine the actual outcome at this stage. See pictures below from this morning:

I honestly think that you should get liquid silicone injected into that one huge scar (no offense) you have on your left cheek. If done in the right hands, it will make a ton of difference. The volume you have lost in that area will be hard to replace with conventional methods.

Also, you might want to consider shaving because you are hiding perfectly healthy skin underneath that beard. The ratio of good to scarred skin will increase without your beard.

Hi @4meracneguy thanks for your advice, I agree that I need filler for that one huge scar (no offense taken ) which is already on the cards, however I need to get a final blast of CO2 Laser to remove the pitted scars and smooth my skin before filler is applied. Dr Patel is going to give my cheeks a heavy course of Deep FX, once my skin is healed he will apply JUVEDERM to the hollow area and to specific scars.

The issue is that I can't have Deep FX treatment after having JUVEDERM as the heat of the laser will melt the filler. Re: my beard - I actually let it go a bit wild before having treatment/procedures as it can hide the areas of incision.

Its now 68hrs since my treatment and I can see a definite difference, however it will take 2-3 weeks before I can determine its full results.

I honestly think that you should get liquid silicone injected into that one huge scar (no offense) you have on your left cheek. If done in the right hands, it will make a ton of difference. The volume you have lost in that area will be hard to replace with conventional methods.

Also, you might want to consider shaving because you are hiding perfectly healthy skin underneath that beard. The ratio of good to scarred skin will increase without your beard.

IMHO you should consider giving up the laser and go for the fillers... Juvederm will be absorbed in about six to ten months. Silicone and fat injections are more permanent.

Good thread.

I think fat injections are certainly a good possibility since your scarring is exacerbated by the volume loss. That's why when we get older, acne scarring looks worse because we lose volume in the cheeks and the support structure of the face. Supposedly fat transfer also improves the condition of the skin through stem cells in the fat. It may be a lot of BS marketing though.

Before going for permanent filler, try a longer lasting one like Juvederm Voluma, which supposedly is the longest lasting hyaluronic acid filler available with a duration of 18 months. If you go the permanent route, definitely go to the best. Also consider subcision since it looks like it may be tethered.

Definitely do all the resurfacing stuff before permanent fillers, due exactly to the heat issue. If you do fat injections, then that's not as much of an issue. Synthetic permanent fillers are an unknown when it comes to lasers / heat based treatments.

HI All,

Its 10 days since my Enerjet Treatment and I had my first shave since today, there is a noticeable difference, however I still another session of either Enerjet or laser (Deep FX) to get a smoother complexion. Final procedure is filler (Juvederm) to increase the volume in my hollow cheeks and fill the deep crevasse scar (see picture 1)

If you don't mind me asking, how has your dating life been been with those somewhat obvious scars?

GREAT job!!!!

you look really good. I have a question for you - could you have returned to work immediately after? did it just look like an acne flareup? WAs there bruising? I am willing to sacrifice some stares in order to better my scars but taking off work is super hard for me. THANKS

@LindaE - The downtime is 48 hrs max, straight after the procedure you'll like a 16 yr old teenager with acne!! As the incisions leave a red dot, so you might have some lumps - almost like mosquito bites. I had 1 really bad spot from the incision and I was worried that it would scar - thankfully that didn't happen. So my advice would be get the treatment on Thursday evening and then take the next day off work to recover, however I was in the office the following morning... I have a busy beard which manages to cover up some the treated area.

p.s. i sent you a PM with more details.

@4meracneguy That's a personal question..... well I can honestly tell you my scars never ever effected my love life in the past and I'm married to a very beautiful woman

If you don't mind me asking, how has your dating life been been with those somewhat obvious scars?

Any updates?

@BioNeedle

Thanks for checking in with me, still happy with the results, I need to reevaluate my options for my next treatment i.e. Deep FX or Enerjet reason been that I I 3 scars which need more rigorous attention and Laser might be the best option OR a combination of both. Regardless of the chosen option, I will need filler applied to my crevasse/scar and to increase the volume loss.... its still a long road to recovery and I'm my own worst critic, so i'll never really recover from this complexity of having acne scars......

Hi All,

Yeah dude, I think for volume loss, just skip right to long lasting fillers like Voluma or something like that. I think it's the surest bet so you can just move on with your life. I think at this point nothing new has come out or will come out in the near future that will truly be innovative, so just spend the money on stuff that's proven.

Thanks for the candid advice, I think you're dead right, I'm getting to the stage that I need to sort it out now rather than pondering......

Hi,

Is derma-filler not an option for you?

I'm getting the same treatments as you, Enerjet & Infini. And hoping Derma-filler at the end will create a similar look to how the swelling looks a few days after Enejet.

Not sure if it fills out as much as swelling though?

See here -

HI templeofdoom

I had the infini treatment and I'm not sure if its aggressive enough to tackle your scars... I've had alot of work done from Fraxel Laser back in 2002 and some Derma Pen in 2009. I kinda didn't make any extra movements until I overheard an array of nasty comments about my scars, which promoted me to try and tackle them..... I've received a number of treatments by Dr. Tapan Patel starting from Subcisson to TCA and then Infini (which didn't really impress me) I had Deep FX laser in 2013 and had Enerjet in March this year. I think Enerjet is actually every bit as good as Laser, so if I were you I'd get enerjet again or laser.

For me to really achieve the best results, I need another Laser on specific scars with a final dose of Enerjet and then FiIller...... but money isn't plentiful at the moment so I need to be sensible.

Best of luck with your journey its certainly looking good on the improvement front.

Sorry about the nasty comments. This happens to me too with some regularity. I was on a trip with family recently, and of course complete strangers made comments thinking I didn't know what they talking about. It sucks, because even though I've had improvement, to most people the scars are still very apparent. What is really frustrating is that my family doesn't believe me when I tell them that it happens. People really can not understand or truly empathize with someone who struggles with acne scarring. It does get pretty lonely sometimes struggling through treatments when there's no support.

HI templeofdoom

I had the infini treatment and I'm not sure if its aggressive enough to tackle your scars... I've had alot of work done from Fraxel Laser back in 2002 and some Derma Pen in 2009. I kinda didn't make any extra movements until I overheard an array of nasty comments about my scars, which promoted me to try and tackle them..... I've received a number of treatments by Dr. Tapan Patel starting from Subcisson to TCA and then Infini (which didn't really impress me) I had Deep FX laser in 2013 and had Enerjet in March this year. I think Enerjet is actually every bit as good as Laser, so if I were you I'd get enerjet again or laser.

For me to really achieve the best results, I need another Laser on specific scars with a final dose of Enerjet and then FiIller...... but money isn't plentiful at the moment so I need to be sensible.

Best of luck with your journey its certainly looking good on the improvement front.

Thanks for your feedback.

I'm kind of thinking that at the moment to be honest, the Enerjet certainly made a slight difference, however I've not seen much improvement following the Infini treatment. Although it's still a bit scabby at the moment.

I might go with Enerjet again, then fraxel.

Sorry to hear about the bad comments, it happens to us all unfortunately. I agree with the above comment, people do not understand the psychological and social problems having scars puts you through.