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Hi everybody, i have had those cysts on face, injected, left bubble scars, then some indented , its been a never ending battle, i have horrible scars on both sides of chin, deep, and like i said if not indented, bubbled, its all i see in the mirror,i am scared to get another shot of cortisone since the new indentaion right on the middle of my jaw line, altho also have had succvess with shots at times, i am thinking after reading this site of the Saline injections, i am very depressed and thanks everyone for posting, ANYWAYS....I WANT TO SHARE...I found not a solution but something that is helping and i have tryed pretty much everything, expensive a lil, but its Estee lauder Pefectionist CP Wrinkle Collagen Filler in a purple squeeze tube, wash face or whatever and lightly rub that on scar indented or bubble scar, then do make up, or moisture or both, I do notice a different and it lasts all day, and says rebuilds collagen in the long term! Anyways, good luck to everyone, its horrible I know, i dont have one or two, more like 6 to 8 both sides of chin 
(( plzzzz keep posting!!!!!!
Quick background: I got a bad pimple/cyst on my left cheek sometime in late fall of 2010. I popped it and it left a boxcar type scar. When another pimple starting forming about a centimeter or two above the scar in mid February 2011 I vowed not to pop it because I didn't want to end up with another scar. So, I just treated this new pimple with Proactive. When that didn't help I tried Retin-A .05%, which didn't help either. This new zit had gone from a small pimple to a huge cyst swollen to about a half dollar under my skin.
I finally went to the dermatologist on March 23rd and got a kenalog shot. By that time the pimple-turned-cyst had been on my face for a month and a week. On March 24 it started to atrophy and by March 27 it looked horrible. Instead of a swollen cyst I now had a hole in my face. To top it all off, about a week later I noticed the head of the cyst looked kind of yellowish so I gently applied pressure and pus oozed out. Great. So the shot didn't even get rid of the cyst after all... I had to pop it anyway to get the pus out. I went back to the derm and she prescribed me doxycycline and clindamycin topical... The cyst finally healed.
Long story short: I will NEVER get another steroid shot in my face. All it did was atrophy that spot and I ended up having to pop the cyst anyway. If I had known that, I would have popped that bad boy back in February when it first appeared. Now I might be left with a scar that will probably be worse than what it would have been if I had just popped it in the beginning. Instead of popping it I just let it sit there and damage my tissue.. Big mistake.
LESSON LEARNED: Never let a cyst fester on your face for a month and don't get a steroid shot unless you're prepared for the atrophy.
Thankfully my face is starting to heal, but this has been very stressful for me. I went back to the derm one more time to ask about saline injections to help with the atrophy and she said that I needed to leave it alone and let it heal itself. She said I needed to wait at least 6 months before I try to have it filled. She thinks it will fill in on its own. We'll see..
Does anyone have an opinion about my atrophy/scar? Does it look to you like it will completely heal? Do you think I still have atrophy from the steroid shot? I'm anxious for it to be gone, but I don't want to jump the gun and get a filler injected if it'll eventually resolve itself. Thanks in advance for your responses.
**Note - The bottom of this scar is a boxcar that was there from a prior zit. That scar and my new scar/atrophy have kind of melded together to form this long thing... Kind of a hybrid scar of sorts. Looks to me like rolling/boxcar mixed with an icepick scar in the middle....? 
I know last year I had atrophy too from a cortisone injection. It was smaller near the corner of my mouth, and took 2 months to fill in, but I remember I had read on here with some it took longer. I had the needle mark too left for awhile after the 2 months, but it's gone now. It's supposed to be temporary, so I'm sure it'll all be filled in soon...looks like it's improved so much already.
Of course, i had a humongous pimple on my forehead two days before my senior prom. I was nervous and frantic and wanted to just get rid of it for the sake of my prom pictures. I went to my derm and she told me the pimple was big enough to get injected and would probably not even leave a little dent. 3 weeks later it started caving in... 4 weeks later and it looked like a hole in my forehead, like an extreme dimple. I was so depressed at it, couldn't look at myself in the mirror. It was very, very deep. I begged my derm for a filler, she said it would just leave a "donut" effect and make it look worse. So, I begged her for saline. I got 3 saline injections over a course of about 3 1/2 weeks, and even though the look only lasted for less than a day, over time it did help with it. I just woke up this morning and its almost completely gone! so happy, i'm going to college in less than 2 weeks! but really, all you need is patience. remember that you're beautiful and don't care what people say about it... one of my best guy friends said, "have you always had that thing on your forehead?" so trust me, it hurts. but it is not permanent!!!! stay strong. Overall, took over 2 months for me to start seeing a difference. It stinks.
My (ex) dermatologist injected what he thought was scar tissue with 8mg solution of kenalog, only for me to find out later that is WAY TOO MUCH. It has looked like this for 6 weeks now and I feel like it's still getting worse. It has jagged edges and the skin feels very unhealthy. I have a plastic surgery consult tomorrow, based on pictures he thinks the entire area will need to be excised. I WANT TO SUE, I have cried over what that horrible man has done to my face. My new derm thinks it will fill in. YEA RIGHT.
The best part? I've got this on the other side of my mouth as well, a long line running down the side of my face. I'm a freakshow.
You may want to wait with the excision. I've heard that steroid atrophies usually fill in, although it can take a few months or even up to a year. I've never got cortisone shots myself, so I haven't done extensive research or anything though. However, I've really understood that they would reverse on their own once the kenalog's effect wears out. You might want to look into saline injections to help it fill in sooner though.
Sorry this happened to you and good luck.
Stupid dermatologists they're all the same...
They know nuthin' bout scars, they call hypertrophic scars keloids.
I feel ya, I would not sue him cuz that wouldn't work out.
I have a feelin' you're good looking, if I ever met you I wouldn't mind your scars at all 
I feel you. My atrophy is mostly from cortisone injections I stupidly ran out and got in a frantic state when I had a breakout a year and a half ago. I should have known better as I had 2 previous ones that caused atrophy. I don't know if it was the technique or what - as she didn't use that much, but I went in a bunch of times. I would get a second and third opinion on the excision - you may be able to fill it with something. I have read saline works well.
You may want to wait with the excision. I've heard that steroid atrophies usually fill in, although it can take a few months or even up to a year. I've never got cortisone shots myself, so I haven't done extensive research or anything though. However, I've really understood that they would reverse on their own once the kenalog's effect wears out. You might want to look into saline injections to help it fill in sooner though.
Sorry this happened to you and good luck.
I will have to wait no matter what because I'm finishing up on accutane, so I can't have any surgery for at least 6-12 months. I know they say they usually fill in, but the pictures I've ever seen of people complaining of atrophy are like tiny indents, nothing like this. Its the size of a dime! You can really see the fat loss when I smile, its just gone.
Stupid dermatologists they're all the same...
They know nuthin' bout scars, they call hypertrophic scars keloids.
I feel ya, I would not sue him cuz that wouldn't work out.
I have a feelin' you're good looking, if I ever met you I wouldn't mind your scars at all
I know I can't sue, I'd never win. I hate him so much though...
I used to think I was pretty until this horrendous breakout Thank you though
I feel you. My atrophy is mostly from cortisone injections I stupidly ran out and got in a frantic state when I had a breakout a year and a half ago. I should have known better as I had 2 previous ones that caused atrophy. I don't know if it was the technique or what - as she didn't use that much, but I went in a bunch of times. I would get a second and third opinion on the excision - you may be able to fill it with something. I have read saline works well.
I did ask my new derm about saline and she though that since it had been a month that there was no point. I think I'm really going to push for it though, even though it seems like every time I try to fix something I make it worse. The skin is really thin and unhealthy feeling, it makes me so sad..
Yeah I think the remodeling can occur for quite some time so I would push for it. I'm not sure the risk is too high with that stuff, but I haven't researched saline extensively. I would also just make back to back appointments with different docs if you can. And you are still pretty - everything will work out and be ok.
I'd push for saline injections. I was reading about cortisone dents a few weeks ago (not very intensely though, since it didn't concern me personally), and I read that saline can "wash out" the leftover kenalog in the indent, so that it would stop affecting the skin and the skin would return to normal (even after several months, if I understood correctly). And they're probably okay during Accutane. I would think it has a good chance of filling in since the atrophy isn't really caused by scarring but just a physical hormonal response to the cortisone. But well, do some research on the forum and elsewhere and try to get saline injections. Good luck and keep us posted
I would jump on the saline injection bandwagon as quick as possible. Im really sorry you are going through this but please heed my advice, toughen up now and get to the bottom of this. No matter what except nothing except your skin reverting back to a position where you are comfortable. Theyre are ways to battle this. Ive been in your position and I wish I hadnt sulked about it and done something to fix it sooner. I would not go the excision route yet. I would explore saline injections or collagen injections first. Just me. Always go least invasive to most invasive.
I would jump on the saline injection bandwagon as quick as possible. Im really sorry you are going through this but please heed my advice, toughen up now and get to the bottom of this. No matter what except nothing except your skin reverting back to a position where you are comfortable. Theyre are ways to battle this. Ive been in your position and I wish I hadnt sulked about it and done something to fix it sooner. I would not go the excision route yet. I would explore saline injections or collagen injections first. Just me. Always go least invasive to most invasive.
Did you have atrophy or did you experience something else? I just had another freakout looking in the mirror. He disfigured me, and I'm afraid this isn't going to stop.
I would jump on the saline injection bandwagon as quick as possible. Im really sorry you are going through this but please heed my advice, toughen up now and get to the bottom of this. No matter what except nothing except your skin reverting back to a position where you are comfortable. Theyre are ways to battle this. Ive been in your position and I wish I hadnt sulked about it and done something to fix it sooner. I would not go the excision route yet. I would explore saline injections or collagen injections first. Just me. Always go least invasive to most invasive.
Did you have atrophy or did you experience something else? I just had another freakout looking in the mirror. He disfigured me, and I'm afraid this isn't going to stop.
You are not disfigured. A simple restylane injection would work woners. Just sop bieng so negative if you can and put all that energy into a solution. Because anything other that fixing it is a waste of time. Ive had cortisone injection atrophy before. But ive also had scarring.
A plastic surgeon today told me he thought this was scarring, and that fillers would not help because its bound down. Not sure I believe him, he went straight for the laser sell. I still called my derm about the saline injections, hopefully she will call back. And I have plenty of scars all over my cheeks, as well as a huge sebaceous cyst my old derm misdiagnosed as acne and then called it a keloid scar, which I can have removed in a few months apparently. I've been through a hellish year and this just tops it off with the cherry.
I would jump on the saline injection bandwagon as quick as possible. Im really sorry you are going through this but please heed my advice, toughen up now and get to the bottom of this. No matter what except nothing except your skin reverting back to a position where you are comfortable. Theyre are ways to battle this. Ive been in your position and I wish I hadnt sulked about it and done something to fix it sooner. I would not go the excision route yet. I would explore saline injections or collagen injections first. Just me. Always go least invasive to most invasive.
Did you have atrophy or did you experience something else? I just had another freakout looking in the mirror. He disfigured me, and I'm afraid this isn't going to stop.
You are not disfigured. A simple restylane injection would work woners. Just sop bieng so negative if you can and put all that energy into a solution. Because anything other that fixing it is a waste of time. Ive had cortisone injection atrophy before. But ive also had scarring.
Ouch, so sorry this happened to you... Did you sign any papers where you accepted the risks of the procedure before doing it?
Months ago I did, of course I didn't know he would use such a high dose... but obviously I have learned my lesson! NEVER AGAIN.
i know its hard but u must not panic over this at it will not help at all.
from what i see it doesnt look that bad at all...
i have no idea what is Atrophy .. only entropy lol...
Atrophy is loss of the fat and tissue Steroid injections can eat away at healthy skin. How can you say it doesn't look bad! You're just like my husband!
Hi Ugh, I completely understand what you're going through. I had a derm a few years ago give me a shot, I had no idea there was different strengths of cortisone. It was by my upper lip and it turned a grayish color and sunk in. I hated looking in the mirror. It did take about 6 months to return to normal, but it finally did. I actually right now have atrophy from a cyst i had shot a few weeks ago, but its small, and each day it gets better. I don't blame my derm that i use now bc he uses such a weak strength. I really think you have a chance for it to be ok. When mine happened I thought there was no way it would go back to normal, but it did, it just took a long time, which I know sucks! I have heard about saline injections, and how they can really help, I was just too scared to have the area shot with something. If you do get it done, please update! Oh and btw, my boyfriend sounds just like your husband, I can have a cyst the size of a quarter, and he will be like..you can hardly notice it, drives me crazy! And for all the people that are going to say, you're very lucky you have someone that loves you the way you are...I know that, I do, but still drives me crazy!