On January 13th, I'm having my first subcision and filler (Juvederm) treatment for 3-4 small boxcar scars on my cheek. I'm working with a PS in Toronto who I feel is honest and trustworthy. The doctor feels I should be able to achieve 50-80% improvement after 1-2 sessions. The improvement will all depend on how my skin reacts as I believe he has the skill.
I'm posting my before picture now because I don't feel like keeping this image on my phone any longer. It's hideous and I'm always worried someone is going to flip through my pics and see it, lol. I've taken this in the WORST possible light (I really hope my skin doesn't look like this all the time....yikes!) and the conditions will be easy for me to replicate. I hope this will allow for some decent before and after comparison.
In addition to my MASSIVE pores, you will also see 5-6 hypopigmented, atrophic scars that were caused by picking. I have OCD which is now under control (thankfully). I'd love to address this scarring as well (at least the indentations) but that will be the next phase of this journey.
Prior to this treatment, I've been getting professional dermarolling. The rolling had no effect on these scars because they are tethered. Dermarolling did improve the quality of my skin quite a bit (although you'd hardly think so based on this picture).
I will update this thread after the procedure (i.e. the day of, a week later, a month later, etc). Fingers crossed!
good luck! who is this P.S your going to see? im also from toronto . there is a new treatment called enerjet that combines filler and subciion all in one. i think it is more Superior then the hand method which ur p.s is gonna do. i have worse boxcars then you and more. i must say enerjet made such a big difference in my scars its amazing! search dr.matta if your interested. good luck!
good luck! who is this P.S your going to see? im also from toronto . there is a new treatment called enerjet that combines filler and subciion all in one. i think it is more Superior then the hand method which ur p.s is gonna do. i have worse boxcars then you and more. i must say enerjet made such a big difference in my scars its amazing! search dr.matta if your interested. good luck!
Thanks no_hope! I'm looking forward to my treatment.
I've heard good things about Dr. Matta. My friend goes to him for Botox. Glad you've had success!
For my work, I feel really good about the PS so I'm going to try the old-fashioned way first. But thanks for the suggestion!
No_hope.... First, please don't take my post the wrong way, but are you being given any incentives in regards to enerjet with Dr. Matta?
I'm asking out of an objective place, so no offense, but you do seem to promote it a lot. Of course, that could be because it has worked out well for you. Regardless, I'm glad something is working for you since I know you've been a long time member of the forum.
No_hope.... First, please don't take my post the wrong way, but are you being given any incentives in regards to enerjet with Dr. Matta?
I'm asking out of an objective place, so no offense, but you do seem to promote it a lot. Of course, that could be because it has worked out well for you. Regardless, I'm glad something is working for you since I know you've been a long time member of the forum.
HELL NO! i cant belive you would even think that. i am not getting no ''incentives'' from matta nor am i promoting enerjet. enerjet has worked for me so i feel obligated to inform EVERY boxcar sufferer that enerjet does in fact work! i would be completley selfish not to inform other sufferes about a treatment that is effective and will give good improvement. i have been a acne scar advocate for 8 years now. i promised myself that if i ever find something that works i will spread the word and make sure i let people know that there is hope.ever since i been documenting my experience it has been a heep of great help to lots of people.
UPDATE...
Just finished the procedure about an hour ago. The freezing needle hurt a little bit but nothing unbearable. (Also, did a scar on my philtrum (area between your nose and your top lip) and the freezing part hurt A LOT!!!!!!!!!!!!) Anyhow, back to the cheek scars....the rest of the procedure was painless. I could hear the snapping of the scar bands which was very exciting. I'm pretty swollen right now and there is some discoloration which I believe is partially the blue marker the doc used to mark the scars (he warned me that it'll be hard to take off). I've attached a photo. When I look in the mirror, I think the scars look better than they do in this picture and I wonder if the blue tinge (i.e. marker) isn't making them look worse than they are right now. The doc also injected Juvederm once the subcision was finished. Unfortunately, the Juve kept oozing out of the newly created subcision 'holes' so I'm going to go back in 4-6 weeks for a touch up since he felt that I could get a better correction at that time. Does it look perfect yet? No. Am I feeling positive? You betcha!
The morning after.
I am a lot more swollen and bruised than the doc led me to believe I would be. Not sure I can go into work tomorrow as planned. It's not so much the cheek but the fat lip (from the work on the other scar). The entry points are still bloody. There seems to be no affect on one of the scars but it could still improve, especially with the extra filler that is planned for 6 weeks from now.
That's exciting! Please keep us updated. I am looking into some fillers for my scars I had excised but still look indented (not sure why, if anyone can answer this it would be a huge relief). Your looking pretty good so far. Did they mention how long the fillers were to last? And also how much did you pay for the juvederm if you don't mind me asking.
That's exciting! Please keep us updated. I am looking into some fillers for my scars I had excised but still look indented (not sure why, if anyone can answer this it would be a huge relief). Your looking pretty good so far. Did they mention how long the fillers were to last? And also how much did you pay for the juvederm if you don't mind me asking.
I was convinced that my cheek scars were perfect candidates for excision but the doc (and a few others) said no. Felt that the excisions would fail because we'd be trying to stitch up scar tissue. Maybe that's what happened to you? Anyhow, I still need more filler. It really did ooze out a lot yesterday. Doc says that once the subcision holes close in about three weeks, the Juve will stay put. Don't know how long the filler will last at this point. It will depend on how my skin reacts. The filler is really to act as a stent so the scar bands don't reattach. The doc says after about 6 months the chance of the scar re-tethering is very low. Hopefully the improvement will be enough and I won't need to fill the scars every 6-12 months. Don't know yet. Fingers crossed!! I will PM you cost.
As I mentioned, the doc also worked on a scar located on my philtrum which is the area between your nose and your top lip. The scar was very tethered and the doc had to really work at it. The scar itself is still quite swollen and lumpy. What I didn't expect was the bloody, fat lip I got too!!
The filler is really to act as a stent so the scar bands don't reattach. The doc says after about 6 months the chance of the scar re-tethering is very low. Hopefully the improvement will be enough and I won't need to fill the scars every 6-12 months. Don't know yet. Fingers crossed!! I will PM you cost.
Excellent information, thank you. Good luck with your healing!
Almost one week out and very little swelling remains. Of the 4 scars, I think 2 are undetectable in 90% of lighting situations. One is at least 60% better and the other one looks better to me but definitely needs more filler. I know there is still a bit of swelling so the improvement may diminish but so far, I'm pleased. The scar on my philtrum which I had from childhood is sooooo much better. Maybe 75-80%. It's bothered me my whole life. I can't believe I waited so long to do this.
It's been almost 5 weeks since the subcision. Went back today to get more filler. The doc used Restalyne this time...said it didn't really matter. Don't think I'm ready to call this a success. The scar I had on my philtrum has improved to the point that it doesn't bother me anymore. It's still there but with a spot of concealer it sort of fills up to the point of being unnoticeable. I still don't like my cheek scars. They are definitely still there. Don't know if the filler is really good for small boxcar scars. I'm still wondering if the deepest one can be excised. I also don't like the way it feels right now...kind of lumpy...thankfully it doesn't look that way too. I've attached a pic. It really is hard to get the exact same angle and lighting but I tried my best.
From what I have been reading, for Boxscars you would want to use TCA CROSS. Subcision is for rolling scars. I'm not trying to contradict your doctor. Just repeating information I have heard. Maybe subcision will work on both types of scars, but the gentle slope of a rolling scar seems like it would respond better to subcision. With the harder edges of a boxscar, well, it's harder to imagine that untethering that scar will raise it to the surface and it would then lay flat. But I don't know for sure.
From what I have been reading, for Boxscars you would want to use TCA CROSS. Subcision is for rolling scars. I'm not trying to contradict your doctor. Just repeating information I have heard. Maybe subcision will work on both types of scars, but the gentle slope of a rolling scar seems like it would respond better to subcision. With the harder edges of a boxscar, well, it's harder to imagine that untethering that scar will raise it to the surface and it would then lay flat. But I don't know for sure.
I went to a few consultations and most of the docs told me subcision and filler. I have read the same information as you and was confused by their reco but hey, I'm not a doctor so who was I to question their advice, right? Well, maybe I should have. The filler has lifted the scars but hasn't filled them in, if that makes any sense. Improving the scar above my lip was worth the money to me but overall, I am disappointed. However, I refuse to give up! I am writing to my doctor this week to see if I might be a candidate for excision or TCA cross.
I can't figure out how to update/edit my original post....
Anyhow, my first subcision + filler was IMO a failure. I saw no results and the amount of money I spent depressed me (although I did manage to get some of it back through my health care plan...surprisingly).
So there I was at that familliar place again, feeling hopeless and desperate to get some improvement. I started setting up costly consulatations with new doctors, listening to their plastic, puffy faced assistants tell me to laser my face off and get some Botox to boot. I would leave some of these posh medi-spas feeling more depressed after being told I had even more problems than I knew about!
I decided to go back to one doctor that I had seen at the start of my scar battle since a) he didn't charge a consult fee and b) I remember admiring his total confidence and his vast assortment of solutions (i.e. lasers, peels, fillers, subcision, etc). He convinced me to try subcision + filler again and wow, the results are so much better this time around. It's not 'perfect' but I feel like I'm a lot closer to being comfortable in my own skin than I have in a long time. If you're in T.O. and are looking for a compassionate, honest PS, look no further than Dr. Hong. PM me if you'd like any more details.