Hey poppy,

How long did you wait after Accutane before going with the excision surgery? I'm asking because doctors usually recommend patients to wait 6months-1 year for abrasive skin procedures after taking Accutane because the skin needs to recover and heal. I wonder how many milligrams of accutane you were taking and for how long. My second question is how long did it take for the red marks to fade after the first and second excision surgery?

Looking pretty good from what I can see. Thanks so much for following up.

Hey poppy,

How long did you wait after Accutane before going with the excision surgery? I'm asking because doctors usually recommend patients to wait 6months-1 year for abrasive skin procedures after taking Accutane because the skin needs to recover and heal. I wonder how many milligrams of accutane you were taking and for how long. My second question is how long did it take for the red marks to fade after the first and second excision surgery?

I took low dose Accutane, 10mg/day for 3 months, I waited for 1 year before excision. Redness fade after 1 month.

Hey poppy,

How long did you wait after Accutane before going with the excision surgery? I'm asking because doctors usually recommend patients to wait 6months-1 year for abrasive skin procedures after taking Accutane because the skin needs to recover and heal. I wonder how many milligrams of accutane you were taking and for how long. My second question is how long did it take for the red marks to fade after the first and second excision surgery?

I took low dose Accutane, 10mg/day, I waited for 1 year before excision. Redness fade after 1 month.

looking good poppy, thanks for the update

WOW! Poppy your improvement is really impressive, you look fantastic. I hadn't heard much about excision until recently and now I'm considering getting it done...I have mostly rolling scars but one inch long boxcar scar that's at least half an inch wide. It's really disfiguring Oh, and to the person who mentioned Dermaflage as a means of filling in scars, I've tried it and it works really well. It's a topical filler that mimics human skin and really does work, but it cant be used on shallow scars. I use it on my two deepest scars.

Really? This is the first time I've heard a positive review of Dermaflage. I've thought about giving it a shot, but the reviews mostly have not been positive.

WOW! Poppy your improvement is really impressive, you look fantastic. I hadn't heard much about excision until recently and now I'm considering getting it done...I have mostly rolling scars but one inch long boxcar scar that's at least half an inch wide. It's really disfiguring Oh, and to the person who mentioned Dermaflage as a means of filling in scars, I've tried it and it works really well. It's a topical filler that mimics human skin and really does work, but it cant be used on shallow scars. I use it on my two deepest scars.

blahblah82

Yeah, that's what put me off from trying it for over two years. I heard about it a long time ago but the pictures used had deceptive lighting in the before and after shots and reviews were bad. I got so desperate though that I caved and tried it (plus they lowered the cost), and it worked. Granted, it's not perfect...It smooths out my two scars about 80-90%. I think a lot of people have trouble blending it out before it dries which is tricky.This might sound crazy but I was actually using liquid latex to previously smooth my scars but the texture was far from perfect. With Dermaflage the texture pad is really the key to making it look like human skin..something I couldn't achieve just using liquid latex. Someone else on here was using latex for scars but he hasn't posted in a long time.

LOL omg, i thought I was the only one crazy enough to have thought of that. I had some liquid latex left over from halloween, and I thought hey, maybe this is like dermaflage. It was too messy and no where close to even looking natural.

blahblah82

Yeah, that's what put me off from trying it for over two years. I heard about it a long time ago but the pictures used had deceptive lighting in the before and after shots and reviews were bad. I got so desperate though that I caved and tried it (plus they lowered the cost), and it worked. Granted, it's not perfect...It smooths out my two scars about 80-90%. I think a lot of people have trouble blending it out before it dries which is tricky.This might sound crazy but I was actually using liquid latex to previously smooth my scars but the texture was far from perfect. With Dermaflage the texture pad is really the key to making it look like human skin..something I couldn't achieve just using liquid latex. Someone else on here was using latex for scars but he hasn't posted in a long time.

 

LOL omg, i thought I was the only one crazy enough to have thought of that. I had some liquid latex left over from halloween, and I thought hey, maybe this is like dermaflage. It was too messy and no where close to even looking natural.

blahblah82

Yeah, that's what put me off from trying it for over two years. I heard about it a long time ago but the pictures used had deceptive lighting in the before and after shots and reviews were bad. I got so desperate though that I caved and tried it (plus they lowered the cost), and it worked. Granted, it's not perfect...It smooths out my two scars about 80-90%. I think a lot of people have trouble blending it out before it dries which is tricky.This might sound crazy but I was actually using liquid latex to previously smooth my scars but the texture was far from perfect. With Dermaflage the texture pad is really the key to making it look like human skin..something I couldn't achieve just using liquid latex. Someone else on here was using latex for scars but he hasn't posted in a long time.

Hahaha! I actually managed to make it look somewhat decent, surprisingly. I would layer a few very very thin coats of the clear latex on my deepest boxcar scar and it didn't "fill" it, but rather "blurred" it if that makes sense. Only problem was that under certain lighting it looked a bit shiny. :/

So hey, the Dermaflage people claim that one application can last three days and even with physical activity. Did you get anywhere close to that and is it really waterproof?

Hey, sorry, I just now saw this. I never wore it for three days because I still get active acne and don't want to risk breakout out in that area. I have worn it through physical activity and I will sometimes wash my face while I have it on and it doesn't go anywhere. I doubt it would last three whole days though. I think it could last two.

So hey, the Dermaflage people claim that one application can last three days and even with physical activity. Did you get anywhere close to that and is it really waterproof?

WOW! Poppy your improvement is really impressive, you look fantastic. I hadn't heard much about excision until recently and now I'm considering getting it done...I have mostly rolling scars but one inch long boxcar scar that's at least half an inch wide. It's really disfiguring Oh, and to the person who mentioned Dermaflage as a means of filling in scars, I've tried it and it works really well. It's a topical filler that mimics human skin and really does work, but it cant be used on shallow scars. I use it on my two deepest scars.

Thanks missamua!

Excision improved pitted scars, but I still have this uneven skin texture. I'll schedule for dermabrasion, still debating whether I'll do spot dermabrasion or full face. I think icepick and boxcar scars respond well with excision. Subcision and filler work well for rolling scars, I don't know whether you can do excision for rolling scar, I might be wrong though. Best of luck!

I post some pics, 1st pic I have make up on and on 2nd pic without any make up on. Still have this uneven skin texture, I hope I'll get improvement from dermabrasion.

Hi attwater. Yes alive and kicking. Sorry been busy these past few days. I broke the fast after four days. So my fast wad short and had minimal improvements. I will fast after a week. or maybe after two weeks i gueess. =

hey lenar

hows your water fast going?

Poppy please do NOT do full face dermabrasion. That's insanely aggressive and totally unnecessary. If you choose to do dermabrasion only do spot dermabrasion. Do not let any doctor convince you to do full face. I've seen a few disasters on asian skin, and is unpredictable when done on a large area. Dermabrasion should only ever be used in a very limited capacity.

Why would you sand down normal skin? Your scarring is not severe at all and it seems the excisions have helped.

Yes poppy I agree with blahblah, dermabrasion is extremely agressive for your type of scarring, none of your scars are deep and dermabrasion may damage your skin and cause new scars.

I have read that excision does take a while to properly heal, and the redness does lessen over time but it takes a while, I also think that you should not needle any scars and continue allowing the excision to heal, If i was you I would wait a year before the second excision and any other invasive treatment, for now the safest thing is to apply redness reducing ointments.

The reason I advise not to needle is because it could interfere with your excision healing causing the excised areas to open up and cause pitting and you dont want to have to re excise the areas already done.

I agree with other posters, I think dermabrasion carries too many risks versus the benefits. Your skin has improved tremendously and it's best to let it heal for a while before pursuing any other treatments.

Poppy please do NOT do full face dermabrasion. That's insanely aggressive and totally unnecessary. If you choose to do dermabrasion only do spot dermabrasion. Do not let any doctor convince you to do full face. I've seen a few disasters on asian skin, and is unpredictable when done on a large area. Dermabrasion should only ever be used in a very limited capacity.

Why would you sand down normal skin? Your scarring is not severe at all and it seems the excisions have helped.

Excision have helped my scars but my skin doesn't look smooth, thought that dermabrasion will help improve my skin texture. But from what you mentioned above, sounds too risky. I know my skin would never be perfect, I'm desperate to have "normal" skin. What can I do to improve my skin texture?

Poppy, why don't you try lasers? Like co2 or something milder

Yes poppy I agree with blahblah, dermabrasion is extremely agressive for your type of scarring, none of your scars are deep and dermabrasion may damage your skin and cause new scars.

I have read that excision does take a while to properly heal, and the redness does lessen over time but it takes a while, I also think that you should not needle any scars and continue allowing the excision to heal, If i was you I would wait a year before the second excision and any other invasive treatment, for now the safest thing is to apply redness reducing ointments.

The reason I advise not to needle is because it could interfere with your excision healing causing the excised areas to open up and cause pitting and you dont want to have to re excise the areas already done.

Yes poppy I agree with blahblah, dermabrasion is extremely agressive for your type of scarring, none of your scars are deep and dermabrasion may damage your skin and cause new scars.

I have read that excision does take a while to properly heal, and the redness does lessen over time but it takes a while, I also think that you should not needle any scars and continue allowing the excision to heal, If i was you I would wait a year before the second excision and any other invasive treatment, for now the safest thing is to apply redness reducing ointments.

The reason I advise not to needle is because it could interfere with your excision healing causing the excised areas to open up and cause pitting and you dont want to have to re excise the areas already done.

Thanks for ur advice! I think right now I have to focus to get rid redness first. I tried not to think about my skin too much but it's hard. My scars have improved but I'm really desperate to improve my skin texture.

I have read about glycolic acid peel to help with redness, what do u guys think? I'm a bit terrified cause there possibilities I would make thing worse.

I'm going to be really honest. If by normal looking skin you mean like the acne never happened, that is not yet possible. Sometimes dramatic improvement is possible, I've seen it, but "normal" skin is still out of reach with current available treatments. We can only strive for improvement. Dermabrasion helps to soften the edges of scars and to flatten the ridges of scars so that they create less of a shadow. It will not give you normal appearing skin. I've done spot dermabrasion, and it does help for select scars, but it does not give you the look of untouched, normal skin.

Dear PoppyW,

I think your Dr.did a great job with your excision. It's difficult finding a Dr. that can do a thorough job. I know you are based in Indonesia, but do you mind providing me the name, contact info, website of the Dr. that worked your excision? Thank you very much. - James

I'm going to be really honest. If by normal looking skin you mean like the acne never happened, that is not yet possible. Sometimes dramatic improvement is possible, I've seen it, but "normal" skin is still out of reach with current available treatments. We can only strive for improvement. Dermabrasion helps to soften the edges of scars and to flatten the ridges of scars so that they create less of a shadow. It will not give you normal appearing skin. I've done spot dermabrasion, and it does help for select scars, but it does not give you the look of untouched, normal skin.

Thanks blahblah.

I just want a skin that I'm happy with, not a perfection cause like you said earlier, that still out of reach. I attached before and after picture, that's my current pic, I have tried turmeric mask, aloe vera, hydroquinone, it help a bit but I'm really impatience, lol. I had redness after needling, so I stopped needling. Do you think peeling will help with redness?

The quickest way to deal with redness is Vbeam. A few sessions should help.