Hi guys,

I have been following this forum for awhile. I am an 18 year old Asian male and recently I have become increasingly bothered with my acne scars left by an outbreak 2 years ago when I was 16. I went on a round of Accutane to control my acne problem and have been using tretinoin cream to maintain my skin and my skin is basically cleared now.

However, I cannot help but feel bothered by these scars (actually only one wider one in particular) . They are on my left cheek beside my nose. I feel terribly conscious about them and I can't seem to take my mind of them. My parents have constantly reassured me that my scars are barely noticeable and sometimes I feel that way too. But right now it is affecting my self confidence .

I finally summoned the courage to consult the doctor about my problem. As expected, she said that my scars are shallow and can't be classified under the categories of icepick boxcar etc. Simply put, they are superficial. She recommended a chemical peel which she said would have 90% improvement for my scars.she also said that my shallow scars wouldn't warrant more invasive treatments such as laser.

It's sounds pretty good right ? A single session of chemical peel to almost entirely remove the scars. But both my parents and I have reservations over the procedure . It won't be a deep peel , probably a moderate one. The doctor didn't tell me what kind of peel it is but she did say my skin will start peeling on the third day and take up to a week for the peeling to be complete.

Yet I am concerned about the side effects of the peel . Firstly, I'm worried if there are risks of scarring caused by the peel. Next, will the tone and texture of my skin change after the procedure? To be honest , I am currently very satisfied with how my skin looks other then the one annoying larger scar. There are many complications that I'm afraid of.

So right now I'm holding off the peel until my school holidays in June. In the meantime , I have been prescribed an exfoliant lotion and vitamin c lotion to improve how the scars look, which I hope works. I am in a dilemma over the chemical peel as my parents are against it and I myself am not entirely sure of doing.

Does anyone here have any advice over what I should do? Should I risk my entire face just for a few shallow scars? Or are my fears unfounded? Maybe I should try other forms of treatment? I really need you guys to help me out . From your knowledge and experience, are the risk and complications from chemical peel serious ? Please advise me on this.