Hello everyone
I've been a long time lurker here and now I'm finally ready to share my story. It all started 2 years ago where I unfortunately had the most horrendous breakout of my life which left me so scarred. I can't even begin to tell you how its affected me emotionally dealing with the physical scars that stare right back at me in the mirror everyday since. Well I went on accutane and have been off it for exactly one year (November). So I made an appointment to see a well known plastic surgeon in NJ. Well he basically crushed my psyche even more by saying it will never be back to being normal like the rest of my skin and he only offered co2 laser and told me to "expect a 50% improvement". Well I told him I was very weary of lasers considering I hyperpigment and burn easily and was more interested in doing fat transfer (since it contains stem cells and which he does offer) but he shot me down and said " No no no, that won't do anything" and he said to wait at least another six more months because he thinks I am still healing. So I am at a loss and have been totally devastated and asking if anyone here has any suggestions or recommendations for a good doctor in the east coast? I am also attaching a picture.
Hi,
First of all, i do not think co2 laser, either fractionated or not fractionated,is the best option for your scarring.Atleast not on its own. Your scars look like they would benefit most from subscision. After that, you could think about laser and / or fillers.
Second, your plastic surgeon is right in that your scars will never be completely erased. In this day and age, the means are simply not available. Improvement is the best you can hope for. You need to manage your expecrations in this. Furthermore, a doctor that is keeping your expectations low is, in my opinion, much better than a doctor that promises you things he can not deliver. Don't fall into the trap of choosingthat doctor that promises you the most.
Third, the general consensus is to wait six months to a year after accutane before doing any invasive procedure. But the research on which this waiting time is based is old and more recent research is showing that it is safe to start much earlier. If you are unsure about whether your healing abilities have restored again, ask for a test spot of the procedure you are going with.
Hope this helps