Well time will surely cure them. The thing is, it will take a lot .. maybe 2 or 3 years, maybe even 5, who knows. The good news is indeed - it's not permanent. However, I personally really think, you should go see a dermatologist. You post pictures here, so I guess you won't feel less comfortable going to the dermatologist. Find a good one, though. A bad one can only make things worse for you. Good luck.

uh.... yeah....

OP, I think you are going about it the right way by giving it 6 months before starting to do something about the scars. Some maylessen on their own. For the raised scars that remain, you could try silicone scar sheets (available at any drug store) and cortisone injections. Cortisone injections help to flatten raised scarring. If cortisone injections alone aren't enough, then your dermatologist can inject with a mixture of cortisone + 5FU. This combo seems to be effective in hypertrophic and keloid scars. A lot of dermatologists are not aware of this mixture though, so you may need to come armed with research. You can google it.

4 hours ago, blahblah82 said:

uh.... yeah....

So on to actual advice. OP, I think you are going about it the right way by giving it 6 months before starting to do something about the scars. Some maylessen on their own. For the raised scars that remain, you could try silicone scar sheets (available at any drug store) and cortisone injections. Cortisone injections help to flatten raised scarring. If cortisone injections alone aren't enough, then your dermatologist can inject with a mixture of cortisone + 5FU. This combo seems to be effective in hypertrophic and keloid scars. A lot of dermatologists are not aware of this mixture though, so you may need to come armed with research. You can google it.

Thanks a lot for your advice, I will definitely look into the sheets and cortisone injections. I wonder whether the silicone sheets would be effective whilst on Accutane? Thanks again for taking your time to give me some advice blahblah82

That's a good thought. I do not see a problem with using them while on Accutane. When doctors talk about avoiding procedures while on Accutane or immediately after, it is usually in regards to resurfacing procedures where you basically leave a large open wound on your face. This is basically a bandage you put on the skin.

The only issue is that since you are acne prone, the fact that the sheets have to be on your skin for basically over 20 hours a day raises the concern of it aggravating acne. That's just a guess on my part. You can try it in a few spots and see how your skin reacts.

This may not be good advice, but I would l go to a tanning bed and start a tanning regimen. Not sure if tanning prohibited on acutane, but for me tanning in combination with regular excercise and a healthy diet seemed to control the acne i had on my back.

@McPoopy Scoopiesunfortunately you cant tan whilst on Accutane, even if the weather is slightly sunny I have to wear sun cream to protect my skin. Thanks for your input though I appreciate it 🙂

Just over a year on from finishing accutane most of my scars (which seem similar to yours) have faded and flattened, although there's still an obvious different in the texture of them from the surrounding skin as it's scar tissue, and if I raise my arms so the skin on my shoulders wrinkles up, the scars become very noticeable.

I've got an appointment to see a plastic surgeon soon to see if there's anything that can be done to improve the appearance but I'm not sure if treatment would be on the NHS or not and I can't afford to pay for any procedures atm.

It would be great to keep in contact to see if you come across anything which you find helpful? as it seems like there's only a few of us on here who are dealing with body acne scars rather than facial, and it also seems a lot harder to find treatment for it...

23 minutes ago, alex621 said:

Just over a year on from finishing accutane most of my scars (which seem similar to yours) have faded and flattened, although there's still an obvious different in the texture of them from the surrounding skin as it's scar tissue, and if I raise my arms so the skin on my shoulders wrinkles up, the scars become very noticeable.

I've got an appointment to see a plastic surgeon soon to see if there's anything that can be done to improve the appearance but I'm not sure if treatment would be on the NHS or not and I can't afford to pay for any procedures atm.

It would be great to keep in contact to see if you come across anything which you find helpful? as it seems like there's only a few of us on here who are dealing with body acne scars rather than facial, and it also seems a lot harder to find treatment for it...

I know exactly what you mean in regards to the crinkled skin when you raise your shoulders etc. It's nice to know I'm not the only person suffering form such a sever form of scarring.

It's strange for me to see how depressed and upset some people on this forum can get when they are suffering from a few scars on their cheek etc. I know to them it's terrible but I think they're very lucky not to be in our situation which is pretty much the bottom of the barrel in regards to acne scars. And the painful ordeal we've had to go through before and during treatment.

Anyways, in regards to to scarring I'm not sure what can be done with them. The only advice I've had on this forum is to use silicone but it's so damn hard when it's on such a vast area. It just isn't doable considering how expensive the silicone is in the first place..

I've finally got an appointment with an nhs derm next month and I will definitely get as much advice on the scars as I can. I think something as severe as this could be covered by the NHS as it's such a severe level of scarring. Heck I am literally so self conscious of them I can't wear anything but jumpers and hoodies in public.. It's massively affecting my self confidence. I think when things are this bad the NHS could cover it but who knows? I'd need hell of a lot of treatment on mine considering how many scars I have.

I always wanted to get to get my sleeve finished and a chest piece started but now I don't even know if I could attempt to have one as the bumpy little dots and scars are too raised. I need to somehow reduce them and flatten them down if I ever wanted to attempt a cover up of my scars with a tattoo..

I'll et you know how my derm appointment goes too @alex621.

Just a thought here. The research on silicone scar sheets suggest that it is not the actual silicone itself that has some magical qualities to it. It's the pressure and moisture that comes by constantly having an occlusive layer on the skin that actually flattens the raised scarring. Many surgeons recommend using plain medical tape, which is like dirt cheap at any drug store. That said, many of these silicone scar sheets are reusable, so you just have to rinse them with plain water and air dry. Get the store brand ones which are super cheapand you can reuse them over and over. You could try to do sections over time, as it would be impractical to cover your entire back everyday.

Examples of paper tape:
https://www.google.com/search?biw=1517&bih=741&tbm=isch&q=medical+paper+tape&revid=1168966428&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjWqeTcwJfKAhVM0mMKHTVdDfgQ1QIIHA#imgrc=Cdfze40vfpYIFM%3A

Read Opinions from Plastic surgeons here:
https://www.realself.com/question/the-counter-silicone-sheeting-and-paper-tape-recommend-for-tt-and-breast-lift

Thanks for bringing this to my attention blah blah. Funnily enough I purchased some tape with that exact idea in mind. I've stuck to the scaraway sheets atm but they're so small I have to apply eight at once and still don't cover the area I want to.

Will begin using the tape and I'm thinking of keeping a seperate log post with pictures and updates on the scars over the next year. I think it could be useful to others in my situation all be it that there may not be that many in that situation it could be an interesting log and could definitely help document how effective the tape can be.

I think the reason for my scarring is the fact that obviously when you're on accutane healing is slower and scar formation is much more likely.. I never used to Scar so badly from pimples if I got a breakout on my chest. It was mainly deeper and cystic on my chest but the accutane brang it out in a lot more smaller pimples which resulted in scars. The bigger scars on my chest were caused by cysts that I had to lance.
It was a heavy price to pay to stop the breakout.

I can can deal with the scars I just want them flattened. I have lots of little raised dots exactly where the pimples were. They're so annoying I need to flatten them.

Anyways yeah what what do you think about me starting a log? Good idea?
Thanks

daz

Also just taped up with some micropore tape on my chest. It feels weird to begin with but I think I'm getting used to the feeling. It feels nice and tight on the scars which will
hopefully help flatten them.

i also came across kinesio taping and its effect on scarring etc. I think it could potentially be more comfortable and more effective. Will order some soon.

Heres a study:

[Edited link out]

Wow, I know exactly what your going through bro.. I'm a keloid sufferer that pretty much gave up.. I'm 23 now and have been suffering with severe body acne since I was 16.. I had pretty bad acne on my face too until I took Accutane when I was 19. It stopped all my acne completely and now I'm left with the scars..

Ashamed to say that I gave up on my body.. I used a derma roller on my face for small pit scars and it has really helped. I gained confidence enough to talk to girls and be social with people, but knowing I won't be able to have sex with my shirt off has kept me from making moves with girls.. I'm gonna post some pics. It really made me feel better that I'm not alone..

On 14 January 2016 at 2:10 AM, TwoGlocks said:

Wow, I know exactly what your going through bro.. I'm a keloid sufferer that pretty much gave up.. I'm 23 now and have been suffering with severe body acne since I was 16.. I had pretty bad acne on my face too until I took Accutane when I was 19. It stopped all my acne completely and now I'm left with the scars..

Ashamed to say that I gave up on my body.. I used a derma roller on my face for small pit scars and it has really helped. I gained confidence enough to talk to girls and be social with people, but knowing I won't be able to have sex with my shirt off has kept me from making moves with girls.. I'm gonna post some pics. It really made me feel better that I'm not alone..

Hey bro, you aren't alone.. I know what you mean with the shirt deal.. It sucks but I think eventually we will find someone who looks past the scars!

Slowly the redness is fading! the extra redness in the second picture is from itching when i shouldn't! It's just so hard not to sometimes!

On December 14, 2015 at 2:40 PM, daz1995 said:

 

Hello people, 

Currently five months into my Accutane course of 30mg a day for severe acne on my chest, shoulders and the whole of my back. I haven't taken any pictures of my back or any before pictures because as you guys can imagine it has been a pretty distressing experience for me physically and mentally. 

I'm only on 30mg as my derm wants me to clear up to a reasonable degree without any more bad flareups before we start upping the dose to fulfill my total needed dosage over the whole course. Thins have really gotten better the last month, I had been breaking out for the last 4 so it's nice to finally feel a bit comfortable.

I've attached a picture of what my chest currently looks like and I've tried to catch it in the light so you can see most of the scars. The picture still doesn't do a good job of showing the extent of my scarring.

What I need help from you guys for is how to go about treating these after I've completed my course and waited six months. I know the redness will disappear with time but I'm not sure what to do with the raised bumps. As you can see there's quite a few noticeable scars, I think they're hypertrophic? Raised but not as bad as a keloid. How should I go about reducing these. I need a plan of action for post Accutane or an idea atleast to give me something to discuss with my derm. 

I'm really needing help and I'd be so grateful for any replies. My knowledge of the treatments available here in the uk are not that great. I'm open to all suggestions. 

The whole of myback is covered just as bad but there's a lot more scarring there, especially on the shoulder blade areas. 

thanks 

The fact that I thought I was the only one with this problem is crazy I've been going through this since I was 13 I'm 25 now and it has gotten worst I recently went to my doctor for a normal check up and physical and it was like she was scared to touch me I've tried the dermatologist but it was like he could of cared less glad to see some of the advise giving here I will give it a shot hope yours clear up soon

Hey Ashley! Yeah it's a nightmare, there's people with bad acne and then there's us on another level!.. I've been on private medical care in the uk for the last six months for it, total price per presence option would be: 90 blood test, 140 follow up consultations, 30 repeat prescription and then the price of my prescription for 30mg x2 months would be roughly 100 totalling about 360. After waiting 8 months I finally just got it on the nhs and got 40mg for two months for 8 lol.

I could not have waited 8 months with the active acne I had it was horrendous, I couldn't sleep or even move without being dosed up on ibuprofen and even then it was extremely painful. I cleared up pretty much at the end of 6 months at 30mg. I'm going up to 40 mg for two more months then finishing on 60mg. For some reason they never gave me a high dose. Guess it's cos they wanted me to stay on it for a longer timeframe.

all that's left now is the odd little pimple on my back, a shit tonne of blemishes and scars that are pink and have not whitened yet. The scars will probably never go away but I hope to flatten them to some degree with time.

My confidence is literally 1/10 right now but I'm trying to build it back up! Wish you all the best on your journey, are you still breaking out or are you scarred? If breaking out you need to get on accutane it's the only thing that will solve your body acne on a permanent/semi permanent basis!

Let me know how it goes 🙂