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First and foremost - I need to note that I am approximately 2-3 months finished with accutane. I understand redness will continue to subside up until the 6 month mark. But that just applies to a general red flushing that occurs on my cheeks. Not necessarily worried about that. What I am talking about is the many pigmented marks you see before you, along with the concentrated redness on the cheeks that have been emphasized in these pics. Apologies for the bad light. I'd just like a simple answer, please. List what, in your experience, has REMOVED (not "helped a little," I mean REMOVED) your PIH. Mostly interested in PIH treatments, not so much scarring. I took these SUPER close (like a 10x zoom from a face shot) so my scarring looks way worse than it actually is - I don't even think my scarring is that bad on a superficial level. At least right now, I'm more worried about the hyperpigmentation and evening skin tone. Not so much evening out my skin texture - yet. I don't even really care too much about some scarring here and there; just want the redness gone for now. From what I have seen in certain threads, this should be able to be effectively accomplished within 6-8 months. I just need any additional info I should know before going into this.
Things I have researched so far:
rosehip seed oil
BHA 2%
AHA
Aloe Vera
Apple cider vinegar (not sure)
lavender essential oil (w/ jojoba oil?)
More intense: Medium/deep peel with AHA / v-beam / IPL. AHA seems doable, have no idea about the latter two as I have not really deeply looked into them yet.
I currently own PC BHA 2% and pure 100% aloe vera liquid. Going to start out exfoliating 3-4 times a week with the baby brush method, after which I'll apply aloe vera (is additional moisturizer needed after this? maybe I would mix the moisturizer and AV?). Not sure where the BHA would come in all of this, or if it is not needed if one is doing the baby brush method, since that is exfoliation itself. I believe one applies BHA before cleansing and then moisturizing? I'm not 100% sure of the exact order everything needs to be in. Basically right now I'm thinking apply BHA, cleanse, and then apply aloe vera. At night, I would do the BB method, cleanse, then aloe vera + maybe some moisturizer. Sunscreen every day is going to be a MUST for me from now on (have not been taking that seriously, which probably has contributed to this). I'm just looking for any advice or good tips I can get here, mostly concerning the PIH, since I know scarring will require some more intense treatment (needling/laser) and that is a whole 'nother story.
Thanks.
For IPL, V-Beam, Deep peels wait at least 6 months, just keep it light for 6 months, buy some AHA moisturizers.
You mean AHA toner? Or do you literally mean a moisturizer that contains, say, 10% lactic acid? Have you had success with it or can you cite a thread with someone who has had success? I've seen tons of AHA threads, but none where someone actually said OK I'm going to do this for X amount of time and post my progress to see if it really works. Never seen a pic journal with AHA. By that I mean the typical toners, not the peels. That said I think anything that has had a decent amount of positive reviews is worth a try.
Speaking of peels I was looking into some today and saw a lot of positive reviews on the vitalize/TCA peel. May give that a try at the 6-7month mark. Still can't remember when I actually stopped this stuff. I think it was around mid september but I'm probably going to have to call my pharmacy and confirm when my last perscrip was.
For IPL, V-Beam, Deep peels wait at least 6 months, just keep it light for 6 months, buy some AHA moisturizers.
You mean AHA toner? Or do you literally mean a moisturizer that contains, say, 10% lactic acid? Have you had success with it or can you cite a thread with someone who has had success? I've seen tons of AHA threads, but none where someone actually said OK I'm going to do this for X amount of time and post my progress to see if it really works. Never seen a pic journal with AHA. By that I mean the typical toners, not the peels. That said I think anything that has had a decent amount of positive reviews is worth a try.
Speaking of peels I was looking into some today and saw a lot of positive reviews on the vitalize/TCA peel. May give that a try at the 6-7month mark. Still can't remember when I actually stopped this stuff. I think it was around mid september but I'm probably going to have to call my pharmacy and confirm when my last perscrip was.
Well I did use myself Aloe Vera + AHA as my moisturizer, not sure how much % it had. It helps with red marks, wont do much for scars.
I would agree with Wrocky. Seems like most derms on Realself.com say it is best to wait at least 6 months after Accutane before using lasers or strong chemical peels of any sort (even though Vbeam is non-ablative). After Accutane, your sebaceous glands will have shrunk significantly, and that affects your healing abilities. Any injury to the skin may cause scarring. For now, it's probably best to stick to topicals. Try hydroquinone for brown spots, but it's not really great for redness.