How is it looking worse after losing weight?

I'm part Hispanic and have usually had pretty full cheeks. So as my cheeks lose volume I think my scarring is becoming more visible.

People who are chubby sometimes look younger as they age because it fills in the wrinkles. It's like a balloon, the imperfections are less visible with volume.

I relate to you on your original post. You can talk about it with friends.... it'll help you emotionally, but I just don't think they would understand fully unless they are going through the same thing. I talk to my wife about my skin issues but she she keeps saying that my skin is fine. At least with my wife I can bug her about it every time i think about my skin which makes me feel better as opposed to keeping it in to myself. I'm obsessed with my skin right now because of breakouts that I'm trying to treat. The overall texture of my skin is looking worse than before, probably because of the treatment. And I can't do any scar treatments until my skin is clear. It's just hard to focus on things when my skin is bothering me... So I know exactly how you feel.

Yeah it's been such a long road. I think it's important to remind myself that my skin has improved a lot over the years because of what I've done to self-treat. And I haven't had the time or $ to get aggressive treatment like subcision or laser through a PS or dermatologist until recently. But yeah, I understand that it's easy to get obsessive about it and it's all you see. I guess it's like someone who loses weight and people notice but all the person can see is that they still have more to lose.

I'm actually interested in Mixto laser now. It has very positive reviews on this board and on Realself. I want to at least try a laser to see how much it helps.

I took pictures of myself on my phone today. In almost every single one, my scarring showed up. Immediately following the subcisions my skin looked smooth in pictures.

I'm almost tempted to get silicon injections....it sucks that I would be injecting something synthetic into my skin, but at least I wouldn't have to worry about this acne scarring anymore.

Avocado plumps the skin.Honestly.

You're not alone. My skin has really got me down today. Most of my scars are from picking which makes me feel ashamed. Hope tomorrow is a better day for you.

Retinoids and dermarolling also plump up the skin. Avocado is great but it also is fattening and might cause a breakout.

Thanks DJM. Don't feel bad, I think scarring is genetic. There are people who could probably pick their skin all day and their skin would heal really well. We can't control what our skin type is.

I took pictures of myself on my phone today. In almost every single one, my scarring showed up. Immediately following the subcisions my skin looked smooth in pictures.

I'm almost tempted to get silicon injections....it sucks that I would be injecting something synthetic into my skin, but at least I wouldn't have to worry about this acne scarring anymore.

So silicone is permanent??

Also, you mentioned that the subscision you had made improvements... So why not do more of that?

Yes, silicon is permanent. It is not fda approved, however, and comes with risks like permanent lumps.

I guess since it's been a year the results don't seem dramatic enough for just a subcission. I would definitely combine it with laser because you're encouraging collagen production with the untethering of the scars, or maybe recell. Plus the fat loss freaks me out.

I'm interested in lasers now. I want to give that a chance. And fat or dermal grafting. I heard that dermal grafting offers the most dramatic improvement for scars but they're not a lot of doctors who will do it for acne scars.

Be strong. Keep on doing the treatments that you think help you, it will give you motivation. And let's hope that there is a new, fantastic treatment to get soon... like the Hydrogel.

Thanks, Frazier. What is hydrogel? I found place in Virginia where I might be able to combine mixto with subscision. The woman was really honest and said she hasn't seen a lot of improvement with acne scarring with mixto even at a higher setting, but she's connected to a dermatologists office so I might be able to do them back to back. I'm also looking into fat grafting still since I think the loss of volume makes it look worse.

So my scarring improved from two subcisions, but they are more pronounced because of facial fat loss. As I lose weight in general, my scarring looks worse and worse.

This is something I've struggled with for ten years. I want to do something to help my skin. I'm so tired of waiting. I've been spending a lot of time looking for surgeons or methods of correcting my scarring instead of having fun and enjoying my time off.

I'm accustomed to being able to tell my friends anything that's bothering me, but this is the one topic that's off-limits for me. I wonder what I've missed out on and continue to miss out on...jobs, relationships, etc., because of my skin.

Just wanted to vent.

Did you end up using Dr. Spencer for your subcisions? I'm thinking of making an appointment with him soon.

Yes, I did. I think he charges a very reasonable rate for subcision. I also definitely see improvement in some of my scars.

The young man who originally told me about Dr. Spencer contacted me on this forum. He said that he didn't think the man was careful when doing the subcision. I haven't had subcision with anyone else, so I can't compare.

Isn't it around 500-550?

And the young man you are you talking about, was it kidrock29520? I'm not entirely sure if subcision is necessary in my case, but am thinking about going for a consultation just to be sure. I have like one rolling type scar that is bothering me, but am currently on a vegan diet and using Retin-A Micro in hopes that it will fill in. But to be honest, after reading your post about your scars looking worse and worse after two subcisions has got me thinking twice about this.

Look into fillers with subcision. Lasers make the skin sensitive and will cause more scarring if you break out in the future.

Yes, I did. I think he charges a very reasonable rate for subcision. I also definitely see improvement in some of my scars.

The young man who originally told me about Dr. Spencer contacted me on this forum. He said that he didn't think the man was careful when doing the subcision. I haven't had subcision with anyone else, so I can't compare.

Isn't it around 500-550?

And the young man you are you talking about, was it kidrock29520? I'm not entirely sure if subcision is necessary in my case, but am thinking about going for a consultation just to be sure. I have like one rolling type scar that is bothering me, but am currently on a vegan diet and using Retin-A Micro in hopes that it will fill in. But to be honest, after reading your post about your scars looking worse and worse after two subcisions has got me thinking twice about this.

No, I learned about Dr. Spencer from someone who sent me a PM more than a couple of years ago. I then posted on this forum letting people know that a doctor in NC performed subcision. It's possible that Kidrock found out about Dr. Spencer from my post.

I don't think fat loss from subcision is common at all. I'm not sure why it happened, but I don't want to discourage anyone from trying a potentially effective procedure based on my experience. Any kind of invasive procedure comes with risks. Even peels come with some risk.

EDIT: However I feel about my results, I give kudos to Dr. Spencer for being one of the few doctors who advocates and offers subcision when there are so many doctors who push laser and make money off lasers when they do little for acne scarring. I think he was trying his best and my reaction was atypical.

Look into fillers with subcision. Lasers make the skin sensitive and will cause more scarring if you break out in the future.

I've never heard of this...did this happen to you? Fractional or CO2 resurfacing? Thanks for sharing.

Dont do this if you break out.

But here is a nice testimonial.

 

Since the castor oil worked so good on my stretch marks I decided to try something different on my face with the castor oil to see if it would reduce my acne scars, fine lines, crows feet and expression lines across my forehead. So after my shower, I will slather my face with a thick layer of castor oil mixed 50/50 with jojoba oil and cut small pieces of plastic wrap to put over my face (Leaving holes where my nostrils, eyes and mouth are) I even cut small pieces to fit over my eye lids and directly under my eyes as close to my eye as possible. Then I leave this on while I get ready for work or while I am doing housework for about 30 minutes to an hour. After I remove the plastic wrap I just lightly pat it with a clean dry cloth to remove the excess oil and apply my mineral powder over that.

Within 2 weeks of doing this the crepey skin on my upper eyelids has firmed up, my dark circles are completely gone, my acne scars are completely gone with the exception of a small area on each cheek where they are almost gone but not 100% yet. The lines on my lips have filled in and my lips are smooth and plump looking, my crows feet and smile lines around my eyes are reduced to the point where they are only barely visable when I'm actually smiling, , my eyelashes and eyebrows are growing in thicker and darker, the expression lines on my forehead are almost gone (there were three lines before horizontal across my forehead. The one on the top and the one on the bottom are completely gone and the middle one is fading. ) My skin has never looked this good before. Even the over all tone of my complexion is a nice creamy color and I can actually go out with no make up on for the first time in years! A few days ago a new girl at my work said that she is envious of my skin! She said that she always stares at my skin because its so beautiful looking! ME!!! I never though ever in my life I would hear those words. I actually cried, and this girl is 5 years younger than me.

So apparently my scars have been looking better! My friend said something to me last night, hesitantly telling me that my skin looked smoother (again, this is something I don't really talk to my friends about, but I'm sure she wanted to be supportive).

It could be one of two things. About a month ago I was breaking out REALLY badly around my chin, and I went to a clinic that recommended I believe a Yag or smoothbeam laser. It was supposed to help with my acne and also a little with the scarring.

Well my skin broke out worse! So then my chiropractor, of all people, told me to try Vitamin A. He said that he had really bad acne and taking a high dose of vitamin A for two weeks permanently cleared up his skin (Accutane is derived from Vit A). He told me to take 50,000 mg of non-synthetic Vitamin A and 150 mg of Zinc for two weeks. I ended up taking it for almost three weeks and it really cleared up my skin.

So I don't know if it was the laser or the super high dose of Vit A (I've kinda lost faith in lasers from things people have said on this board), but my skin looks better! I still have the loss of volume but I am looking into my options. Luckily, fat transfer could also help with some of the deepest scars that subcision couldn't help. And I am going to try another round of Vit A to clear my skin up any more.

Just wanted to give a positive update.

Do you mean 50 000 IU of vitamin A? That's quite interesting. My sister had moderate-severe cystic acne about a year ago and started high doses of vitamin A and zinc for a few months on her own, and her acne did improve noticeably (though didn't fully resolve). I've also been taking high-vitamin cod liver oil for months, and I think it's helped my acne a bit. I decreased the dosage after it lowered my trombocyte count though (caused by excess omega 3). I may try just vitamin A and increase the dosage, although it would feel risky to go above 10 000 IU/day without being controlled by a doctor. My acne right now is mostly just flaky oily skin and clogged pores, which makes my skin look more uneven and accentuates scarring, so I'd like to get it resolved. Using differin made my skin overall much much worse than before. It made my scarring look worse, made my skin clog more easily (due to dryness perhaps?) and scar more easily, so I really can't recommend it based on my experience.

Great to hear your skin's been better.

Do you mean 50 000 IU of vitamin A? That's quite interesting. My sister had moderate-severe cystic acne about a year ago and started high doses of vitamin A and zinc for a few months on her own, and her acne did improve noticeably (though didn't fully resolve). I've also been taking high-vitamin cod liver oil for months, and I think it's helped my acne a bit. I decreased the dosage after it lowered my trombocyte count though (caused by excess omega 3). I may try just vitamin A and increase the dosage, although it would feel risky to go above 10 000 IU/day without being controlled by a doctor. My acne right now is mostly just flaky oily skin and clogged pores, which makes my skin look more uneven and accentuates scarring, so I'd like to get it resolved. Using differin made my skin overall much much worse than before. It made my scarring look worse, made my skin clog more easily (due to dryness perhaps?) and scar more easily, so I really can't recommend it based on my experience.

Great to hear your skin's been better.

Eh, yeah that's what I meant. From what I understand, Accutane is basically a super high dose of vitamin A. And maybe the Zinc improves the healing of the skin and prevents scarring. I think a high dose for a short time can possible alter oil production of the skin. A lower dose would probably help the skin...my skin looked so moist and supple when I first started. Not sure if the results would be permanent though.

So I guess the Smoothbeam helped the scarring? That's surprising since so many people complain about how ineffective Smoothbeam is for scarring.

Thank you!

don't ever feel bad about your skin it means nothing ...wealth will bring you any woman out there ... women judge you by your bank account not your looks

Umm I'm a woman! We don't get away with it as easily as guys. But thanks for the encouragement.