how much did this procedure run you? it is definetly something i would like to look into, i have alot to learn

Hello darlin - cost was $420 (CAD) for 30 minutes. It was charged for every 15 minutes of work. It varies by performing doctor, though.

do most derms do this procedure now?

Day 12:

My facial swelling has all but gone, and the bruises are mainly just that awful yellow/greenish tinge that just makes my face look like it's moulding rather than an obvious bruise. My face is breaking out in big pimples due to the make-up, so I will definitely be quitting that awful stuff now. Also, the big nodule that I was freaking out about only two nights ago now is no longer monstrous and can mostly just be felt under the skin now. That is, except for the fact that I scalded my face. I'm guessing all of the blood/collagen to the area made my skin extra sensitive because I used a cloth no warmer than I normally would, but it actually has left a big, red raw mark that actually bleeds if I suction that area Let that be a lesson for me to lose my patience.

I feel as if there are definitely some scars that have come back and it's hard to tell the progress right now anyways, due to the fact that there are some nodules propping up some of the scarred areas, but I also know that it takes time for the collagen to build, so here's hoping!

i hope some day there comes are permanent filler

i hope some day there comes are permanent filler

There are lots of permanent fillers.....except they carry the risk that if something goes wrong you can't easily remove them. Look into voluma though, lasts ~2 years and can be removed if something goes wrong.

yeah i guess its really risky to find a doc that can use it right?

yeah i guess its really risky to find a doc that can use it right?

Voluma? No not really. It's not really intended to be used superfically, but it works fine and lasts a while. The permanent fillers? yes.

What exactly happened with your bad dermabrasion experience? Did you get more scarring?

West Coast of Canada.

I hope you're right about the skin healing - I feel like between a couple of rounds of accutane and one horrific experience with dermabrasion, my facial skin doesn't do much for me anymore. But here's hoping! I've started to eat better and drink more water, along with taking vitamins, so...we'll see!

 

What exactly happened with your bad dermabrasion experience? Did you get more scarring?

West Coast of Canada.

I hope you're right about the skin healing - I feel like between a couple of rounds of accutane and one horrific experience with dermabrasion, my facial skin doesn't do much for me anymore. But here's hoping! I've started to eat better and drink more water, along with taking vitamins, so...we'll see!

I was far less on the ball about marking progress when I had it done at the age of 18, so there are some things I just attribute to it and other things that I know have been directly related. First and foremost, it was a very painful procedure - we are talking dermabrasion, NOT micro-dermabrasion. I was put under and in the surgery room of a hospital, and when I came out, I had a face the likes of a raw, red, bloody steak. Oof!

Without a doubt, my face has taken on a different colour than the rest of my body since dermabrasion - I'm more of an olive tone on my body, whereas my face now is much paler and has more of a pinkish tone to it. I used to tan very easily (even when wearing sunscreen), but now my body goes VERY dark and my face stays much lighter always.

The doctor who did my subcision could tell that I had dermabrasion before I said anything. He noted that there were a couple of scars (that unfortunately could not be helped by subcision) that looked like they had been caused by dermabrasion. He also said that it's a very archaic procedure that he usually only sees in patients 50+ years old, since it's rarely offered anymore. Mine was covered under MSP in BC, but I think otherwise I wouldn't have done it.

My forehead has been pretty gross since then as well (my pores are HUGE). I can't be sure that this is from dermabrasion, but it seems to fall in line with the timeline.

Over all, dermabrasion was painful, the downtime was high and I saw no improvement. Luckily I didn't pay for it.

Day 16:

I went away camping for the weekend and was a little nervous that things would go pear-shaped without my suctioning device etc. Well it was a sunny bluebird day, and we all know what that means for looking in the rearview mirror of the car - scars more obvious than ever! But the things that I noticed were icepicks and the post-procedure nodules under my skin. There's also a new hole/scar from one of the places the dr inserted the subcision needle. Sounds bad, right? Well...I thought so too. But after getting back home, I was able to look at myself in familiar lighting (the bathroom), and I'm happy to say that my rolling scars are definitely improving! More so on my left cheek than my right, but nevertheless.

So to let you all know what I've been doing:

I stopped suctioning as of Thursday night/Friday morning (I can't remember - it was a late night/early morning for the road trip), but had been suctioning 2-3 times per day during the first two weeks.

I cleanse with the Burts Bees rosewater and apply moisturiser in the morning. I had been using the Cerave PM moisturiser, but I've recently picked up the AM now, as it includes sunscreen.
I *had* been wearing makeup to cover the bruising, but it was making me breakout, so I quit using that late last week.

Of a night time, I cleanse with the rosewater, apply the PM moisturiser, and after it's had some time to absorb, use retin-a micro on my forehead (trying to work on this not so lovely texture of skin up there) and a few areas where the dr performed. I also have some retin-a cream (rather than gel) that I had given up on using since I heard it is comedogenic, but I've been using a very trace amount on specific scars that I don't see getting much or as much from the subcision.

In any case, all seems to be going well! Nodules haven't seemed to have gone down in size at all, but I'm getting used to them being there, and it's much less noticeable when the bruising goes away.

Alright guys! Day 21 this morning, and I'm *pretty* impressed! I was already feeling like the condition of my skin had improved greatly, but last night my friend said to me, "now, I don't remember you having acne scars before all of this (we've known one another 7 years and he's just come to look past them), but I really can't see any now." YAY! First comment on the change.

So here are some photo comparatives for y'all:
Before Left Cheek:

Jesus christ. This is amazing..I knew it worked...I am most utterly impressed on your scar's improvement from this procedure. I knew it works. 3 weeks is definitely enough time to see permanent results from Subcision. The best part is that your skin will still keep on healing for another 3-6 months! I wouldn't worry too much about the raided bump just yet..at least for another month or so. I agree, keep massaging IT gently note the emphasis on IT, you don't want to have your scars re-attach and cause depression BAM PUN INTENDED! Very excited and happy for you! :__)

Incredible improvement for just one treatment. Of course it's still early in your healing, but it looks very promising already. I think a few more will give you dramatic results.

At this point, I think we can all agree that for the right scars, subcision is a cheap, simple, low downtime, AND EFFECTIVE modality. You must be over the moon. Throw in some TCA Cross for the few ice picks and I think you will incredible improvement.

I've been following your thread for updates over the last month and I wanted to say, Outstanding results! Such a huge improvment after one session. I've been contemplating subcision for quite some and after following your journey I've made the decision to pursue. Thanks for sharing your experience!

I've been following your thread for updates over the last month and I wanted to say, Outstanding results! Such a huge improvment after one session. I've been contemplating subcision for quite some and after following your journey I've made the decision to pursue. Thanks for sharing your experience!

Hey, that's fantastic news! I think you could get even better results than I did in one session too. Because I only had two and a half days off before having to head back to work, I panicked and went straight for the ice packs/heat packs to bring the swelling down more quickly. Maybe my doctor had a point with taking the ibuprofen to encourage blood to the area as well, but I don't know for sure. Regardless, when I was still a balloon, I was certain that I would never do subcision again. It wasn't that it was painful (it really wasn't at all), but I didn't expect the amount of swelling and bruising that followed. Now that I'm on the other side of it and see how little a couple of weeks of bruising is compared to a lifetime of scarring, I will be happily doing it again in future There are a couple of spots that I think he missed, and maybe some of the ones he got will get some more improvement. Now to focus on the icepicks.

I don't know if any of you have had this experience, but I Skype a lot of my friends because we're never in the same countries, and I always scramble to find the room with the best lighting and I always sat with the light behind me instead of above me etc, because I hated seeing the thumbnail video of me in the corner with my scars clearly visible. A couple of days ago I went to Skype and I didn't have to do any of that - I just turned it on and away I went. Amazing what a difference this one procedure makes!

Good luck to you, luther316 Let us know if you have any questions and also let us know how it goes. x

this is only the beginning!

Haha that's funny what you said about the Skype/FaceTime thing, I just can't bear to look at myself when using them, especially what you said about the light source being above you. When the light is behind, I look like I have flawless skin on a webcam. It's nice to hear that your very satisfied with your results, I still need maybe 1 or 2 more subcisions to be completely satisfied. But the overall mood of my days have been a lot better since the subcision since I'm seeing actual noticeable improvement, and it will only get better from here on. Only a matter of time before I get my confifence back

Haha that's funny what you said about the Skype/FaceTime thing, I just can't bear to look at myself when using them, especially what you said about the light source being above you. When the light is behind, I look like I have flawless skin on a webcam. It's nice to hear that your very satisfied with your results, I still need maybe 1 or 2 more subcisions to be completely satisfied. But the overall mood of my days have been a lot better since the subcision since I'm seeing actual noticeable improvement, and it will only get better from here on. Only a matter of time before I get my confifence back

Awesome to hear, Tadamasa! It's a journey, but we've both taken the first steps. I'm not 100% satisfied, but considering it hasn't been that long before I conceded to the fact that I'd be stuck with acne scars for the rest of my life, I'm PRETTY impressed at the results after this first one! How long do you think you will wait before your next one?

I have a follow up appointment with the doctor next week, so I'll ask him when I'll be able to schedule the next subcision. I would hope to have it as soon as possible but I don't know if one month is enough downtime before the next one.

I have a follow up appointment with the doctor next week, so I'll ask him when I'll be able to schedule the next subcision. I would hope to have it as soon as possible but I don't know if one month is enough downtime before the next one.

Let me know how it goes and what he says I'd be interested to get mine done again sooner than later, but my Dr is quite the journey away from me, so I need to plan well in advance.

Updates ?

Well I know I've been going on and on about how happy I am with the results. Please don't get me wrong - it's better than it's been in years, and I am still happy! But there's happy, and there's content. Last night I used the lieu at a restaurant and I did what I've been doing every day since the procedure - I took a moment to examine my new face. I was so happy, looking straight on and beaming a smile at my reflection for the good work, and then I tilted my head to see my cheeks in a different light. I do this in every mirror, but this time my smile melted away pretty quickly. It's not that things have regressed, but rather than I was in the harshest light possible and was suddenly able to see just how much work still needed to be done. That all being said, it didn't depress me; it motivated me. Now I know that I will definitely be getting a second subcision and will once again be suctioning like mad. I know the great work that it can do, and I've read a lot about multiple subcisions being necessary for many, so this comes as no surprise.

Don't lose faith, people! This DOES work - there is a noticeable difference in my skin, and if I didn't have the money to keep doing more, I'd be happy with what I have right now. BUT, I am what I think most of us are - a perfectionist. So onwards I go.

You'll be fine. GIve it 3-6 months before you decide get another treatment. Meanwhile, you can throw in a a few diy microneedling and chemical peels here and there.

Hello OP and thanks for sharing your journey with us!! I've received subcision last week as well but it's really different from your description and is definitely not what I had expected. First of all the cost is, compared to other treatment (lasers etc.) offered in my derm's office, negligible. She charges about 900 bucks for RF needling and 600 bucks for Vbeam, but when it comes to subcision it's only 90 bucks¦yeah 90 bucks, which is so not her style. Also instead of injected numbing agent I had topical numbing cream (And yet it hurt like crazy!!). And to my greatest confusion is that unlike almost everyone has described (even those who performed self dermastamping) I didn't hear any popping sound during the whole treatment. Indeed my scars are quite shallow but I assume there are scar tissues nonetheless?

In my derm's defense she said in some cases the scar tissues have become very thick and hence the popping sound. I just feel like what I've undergone might not be the full strength subcision.

What'd you guys think?

On 3/23/2015 at 6:14 PM, walkietalkie said:

Hello OP and thanks for sharing your journey with us!! I've received subcision last week as well but it's really different from your description and is definitely not what I had expected. First of all the cost is, compared to other treatment (lasers etc.) offered in my derm's office, negligible. She charges about 900 bucks for RF needling and 600 bucks for Vbeam, but when it comes to subcision it's only 90 bucks¦yeah 90 bucks, which is so not her style. Also instead of injected numbing agent I had topical numbing cream (And yet it hurt like crazy!!). And to my greatest confusion is that unlike almost everyone has described (even those who performed self dermastamping) I didn't hear any popping sound during the whole treatment. Indeed my scars are quite shallow but I assume there are scar tissues nonetheless?

In my derm's defense she said in some cases the scar tissues have become very thick and hence the popping sound. I just feel like what I've undergone might not be the full strength subcision.

What'd you guys think?

Damn. My doctor charges $100 for Vbeam Perfecta and that includes Temples, Cheeks and Forehead.. And $300 for subcision. Where are you located and do you mind disclosing who performed it?

And to answer your question it's really depends on how she performed it.. Shallow scars can undeniably be improved no matter what anyone says.. there's still some sort of scar tissue pulling the skin and causing the dent.

Do you have pictures of your treatment? My appointment is on the 25th!

See http://www.georgeyangmd.com/before-after-gallery-new-york-city/subcision-for-acne-scarring/

[Edited image out]

http://www.georgeyangmd.com/before-after-gallery-new-york-city/subcision-for-acne-scarring/

[Edited image out]