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Well it's been a week since my latest saline injection (my third) and it's not looking like it has done much, despite bruising. Quite disappointing. I'd like to have more saline injections but they cause so much bruising on me and with the exception of the first injection, don't seem to be making a huge difference. The Goldman article made the saline injections sound so promising - weekly progressive improvements! Gone completely in a month! I don't understand why they are not working as well for me as they seem to for so many others.
I guess I just have to keep waiting but this is really discouraging.
Hey guys - I wanted to give you an update on my situation. I wrote a few weeks ago saying that I was pretty much healed after my fifth saline injection, but I have actually regressed as the saline was re-absorbed. I am back to having an indentation 
i am sorry to bring bad news, as I really wanted to give you guys hope. Right now, I am going to give my skin some rest and re-evaluate in a month or two.
Best of luck to you all! And please let me know how the saline works out for you all!
Hey guys - I wanted to give you an update on my situation. I wrote a few weeks ago saying that I was pretty much healed after my fifth saline injection, but I have actually regressed as the saline was re-absorbed. I am back to having an indentation
Best of luck to you all! And please let me know how the saline works out for you all!
I'm sorry to hear this. How much did it regress? Hopefully there is still decent healing compared to when you started the saline.
My dented area looks all wrinkly and weird... Has anyone experienced this? Because my atrophies from cortisone have always healed without saline, I am not planning on getting any injections. But looking in the mirror each day is really devastating I would like to say hope we all come out of this unscathed...
Question: If you've had a filler put in your cortisone dent, are you happy with it? If it has been a while, did it heal in the long term? What info have you gotten from your doctor about using fillers for cortisone denting?
My cortisone dent has significantly improved over the last 2 months, especially since I started the saline injections 6 weeks ago. However, progress continues to be slow, I still think it looks hideous, and I'm getting to the end of my rope in dealing with the stress of it - so I am seriously contemplating getting a temporary filler put in. Of course it is pricy and I wouldn't want to mess with the healing process - so I'm torn. My doctor doesn't think it would interfere with healing but he's not a dermatologist and really doesn't know much about this.
I would love to hear your experiences and/or thoughts on getting a filler. I would love to stop stressing about this on a daily basis but not at the risk of making things worse.
Hi everyone! Thanks for all the advice. I am going through the same. I am so mad! My right cheek was injected with Kenalog almost two weeks ago and I too have a dent. My dermatologist is conveniently out with back surgery. Being In the NYC area I followed up with a VERY reputable Derm who doesn't even take insurance to see how I could fix this. I asked about the saline injections after reading all your info. He doesn't believe in them and says he is 100 % positive it will go away on its own. I'm not willing to take that chance of the saline does work. Has anyone been successfully treated with saline injections in the NY tri- state area? Thanks for any advice or recommendation! I hope we all quickly heal from this catastrophe!!
Freaking out,
I believe your doctor when he says it will heal on its own (I like the 100% figure!) but in my experience the saline is definitely speeding it up. It's not a miracle but I estimate it is healing at least twice as fast with the saline as compared to without it (of course I'll never know for sure how it would have healed without it but this is based on the filling that seems to occur in the couple of weeks following an injection).
And for me, it seems to be the wound created by the injection that spurs healing. Of the three injections I've had, the one that was done with a smaller needle and left no bruise is the only one that didn't seem to do much. Anecdotal evidence of course but that's what we're here for, right?
I think that it usually will heal on its own, but I know for myself my dents never did. I have 3 areas around my chin that are still indented, and when I smile they look like wrinkles. 2 years is the most recent. 5 or 6 years is the oldest. I regret getting cortisone shots more than I regret anything else.
I think that it usually will heal on its own, but I know for myself my dents never did. I have 3 areas around my chin that are still indented, and when I smile they look like wrinkles. 2 years is the most recent. 5 or 6 years is the oldest. I regret getting cortisone shots more than I regret anything else.
Yours never healed? Do u mean the skin is thinner in the area? Or the hole is still there?
Has anyone tried using copper peptide products for their indents? I'm specifically looking at the SkinBiology product line (like their acne scar reduction kit which includes their copper serum and super cop 2x).
They are supposed to help build up collagen better than even retinol products but I have no experience with either, and wonder if they work too slow to really matter for cortisone atrophy.
Has anyone tried using copper peptide products for their indents? I'm specifically looking at the SkinBiology product line (like their acne scar reduction kit which includes their copper serum and super cop 2x).
They are supposed to help build up collagen better than even retinol products but I have no experience with either, and wonder if they work too slow to really matter for cortisone atrophy.
Be careful with copper peptides. Look up "copper peptide uglies". I was using Neova's copper peptide mask some months ago, as recommended by my former esthetician, and I can honestly say it made my skin thinner and more prone to scarring. At first, I had decent results with controlling acne and with skin texture, but I used it too frequently instead of starting slow. My skin was worse off after using copper peptides, and I read online other people's similar experiences. They say your skin goes through an adjustment period, but mine just looked like crepe paper, it was pretty bad.
Cortisone also thins your skin and can make it more prone to scarring.
I just wanted to update since no one else has and I know each success story made me feel better when I read them. I had my shot sept 2nd and I had atrophy after 2 days. It really didn't improve at all the first month and actually looked worse at the very beginning of October. However, I have seen a lot of improvement this week and it has probably gotten 75% better. It's still discolored and very slightly depressed but soooo much better than it was and I feel that it will only continue to improve. I didn't have any saline flushes 
cheers to you all and keep the faith that it will improve!! I honestly think that if the atrophy is from cortisone and not the zit than it will most definitely * at least* improve greatly from the initial, terrifying depression that you see.
Good luck and stop looking at it! (I know that's nearly impossible though!)
Congratulations on your progress!! It has been a bit over 5 months since my cortisone shot and almost 2 months since my last saline shot and my skin is 90% improved with regard to the indentation!!!! All of the progress has happened in the last month! I still have discoloration and perhaps a bit of indent, but I am just so so grateful that the big hole is gone! Honestly what helped me is to stop staring at it / it was almost like a watched teapot not being able to boil! Good luck to you all ad keep us updated!!
So the body will naturally fill in deep indents caused by cortisone injections but it won't fill in even very shallow indents caused by acne. I don't get that???
It's because there's no real scar, and the dent is simply a hormonal response to the cortisone (skin thinning, fat loss etc) which will reverse once the cortisone wears off.
I wanted to give an update on my atrophy. I was waiting to post an update after I had my DermaTude (new method of skin needling) done. While it has improved very much, it is still not 100% gone. I am at 19 weeks since the initial injection, and about 17 weeks since the atrophy occurred. Sometimes it is barely noticeable and other times its very noticeable. There is no long a hole in my face but skin where the hole was, is thinner. Not plump like the rest.
My derm says to give it a full six months. Sometimes up to a year. I was thinking about doing some saline injections but honestly, I am so over dealing with it. It's become very stressful to me. And I think I need a break. Just wanted to give you guys an updated. Hope all is well with everyone
No longer**
Also, I was one of the few that experienced breakouts around the area due to the kenalog. So that has just made it worse.
Brief update - I still have an indentation and bluish discolouration but it is much better than it was before and gradually improving. I feel better about it these days (limiting mirror checking is a real help, as is not inspecting for progress more often that every few weeks). It has been nearly 5 months since the dent appeared. I suspect at this rate it will take at least another month or two to fill up, though I'm not sure the underlying tissue will ever be quite the same. Only time will tell. Will update again at some point.
Brief update - I still have an indentation and bluish discolouration but it is much better than it was before and gradually improving. I feel better about it these days (limiting mirror checking is a real help, as is not inspecting for progress more often that every few weeks). It has been nearly 5 months since the dent appeared. I suspect at this rate it will take at least another month or two to fill up, though I'm not sure the underlying tissue will ever be quite the same. Only time will tell. Will update again at some point.
I feel the same way. I really don't think mine will ever be 100%. Who knows though, the skin does some crazy things....as we all know.
Does anyone have any positive feedback regarding the atrophy?
I'm starting to get VERY discouraged. On November 5th, it will be 5 months since the kenalog injection. While it does look better, it's still very noticeable. And it's getting to just be down right embarrassing. I'm sick of having an area of thinned skin with jaggid edges. I feel like people at work and my friends keep looking at it. And I know they are thinking "what the heck happened and why isn't it healing?". It's feeling almost humiliating to me.
On Monday I am going to start a series (and be consistent, every 2 weeks) of saline injections. It's my last hope.
Hi everyone! Man I'm so sorry that this has turned into a giant depressing thread! I hope everyone is doing well.
It was 6 months last friday I believe. I feel I am back to normal. There is a slight indentation where the one gigantic hole was, but I'm
confident that no one notices this besides me. I feel like myself again, actually even more outgoing than I was before since I hid myself for the past year. If it gets even better that's great, but if it doesn't I'll be okay with it.
I think it's hard to believe you will get better. I couldn't believe my mom, my doctors, any of you I've messaged with that came out the other side okay. But I did! And this experience has taught me a lot - doctors don't always know best, ask questions, when in doubt sleep on it, and appreciate everything you have right now because it could be worse, it has been worse. I'm stronger for it, which is what I was hoping for.