I just wanted to share my latest scar treatment experience. I think I am finally satisfied with my skin, to the point of not thinking about or seeing my imperfections when I look in the mirror. I don't have that kind of obsessive, gnawing concern with how I look and how it is ruining my life. I have a better attention span, I am more hopeful, and just so much happier now that my skin is better. I feel so much healthier that I can see how ill I think my scars were making me. I truly hate acne and acne scars. It is really a cruel disease.

Anyway, this is what helped me- I had one round of silicone injections with Dr. Lam in Dallas about two years ago. I didn't see much improvement from that and wasn't planning on going back. I was feeling pretty pessimistic about my scars. I thought I would probably just have them forever, considering all of the treatments I have had that never worked. (several tca peels, 2 Pixel CO2 treatments, and then the injections) I thought maybe a dermabrasion would work, even though I had read several negative reviews and criticism for it being an outdated, obsolete procedure. So I went to Dr. Alkek last August for a consultion. Unfortunately, the anesthetic that freezes the face hard is no longer produced in the U.S, so he is not able to perform the procedure. (because of government regulation of aerosols) I was pretty disappointed, and he really seemed empathetic and caring. He seemed to really want to help me, to heal my skin. He recommended the DOT laser and silicone injections instead, so I went ahead and had silicone injections the day of my consult. I was a little skeptical since I had had them before, but I didn't want to waste the trip to Dallas without any sort of treatment. I'm so glad I did it. THey have helped my skin enormously, have made quite large scars in my cheeks barely visible. I don't have this strange dual perception of my appearance-- of feeling attractive in the right light and feeling hideous in the wrong, and constantly fearing what people think when they finally see me in the wrong angle, etc. it's a nightmare. Anyway, I had a second treatment which helped even more. Then when I went home for Christmas to visit my family, I decided to try a chemical peel instead of the laser treatment to do some further resurfacing. I am not a huge fan of fractional lasers- I thought they made my skin look very strange and also gave me tiny little hypertrophic scars near my skin. I also did not want to spend $1000 per DOT treatment. I think I made the right choice because I have seen some improvement from the 25% TCA peel. I just finished another one I did at home, and I am so happy right now with my skin. I feel like I've got it back, like it was taken from me for years. It's not 100% perfect, but it never looks ugly to me anymore, which is more than I was starting to hope for. It looks really nice, actually.

Anyway, I hope everyone seeking treatment finds what is right for them!