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The extreme ends of the debate 1) Lasers are totally useless 2) Lasers are the gold standard are both kinda wrong. Lasers have their place, but cannot be used for every situation. It has to be tailored to the individual case.
A lot of practices out there buy a $100K machine to bring in a new revenue source. So when a doctor does not have in depth expertise, they operate by the "when you have a hammer, every problem is a nail" kind of mentality. They are very limited in their understanding and do the same thing for every case.
Its a combination of procedures that give you the best result. Im almost finished with my ice pick scars procedure and I cant belive the great results. L¡ser by it self will not help for deep ice pick scars like mine. Im from M©xico and I found a great certified plastic surgeon who told me from the start that the success rate is 75 to 80% improvement. He is one of those rare to find doctors who will finish the job until he gets the results with out charging extra. I started my procedure on november 2015 and the results have been great. He used 2 types of lasers and 2 rounds of scalpel temo al of the scars (sorry, dont know the name of the procedure). It is possible to get rid of scar. The pictures are from before I began the procedure to date. I will send more pictures as I continue my treatment
Quan henry, is your scarring very deep? Becouse I know laser treatment works for not so deep scarring. Please do talk to your doctor so he can use a combination of procedures. It will improvement a lot!!!! You just need to find the right plastic surgeon that will do everything to remove them. My doctor studied in the USA so you will find a doctor who will help you. Dont give up. I went to several doctors until I found the right one. This is a picture of my latest procedure where he cut each scar with a scalpel
To look at things from a slightly different angle, maybe it is not so much to do with the ineffectiveness of lasers as it the competence and knowledge of the person operating it? There are a lot of variables involved - type of scarring, severity, the types of lasers available, the settings that can be used and the frequency of treatments. The doctor needs to have the necessary know-how and experience to make the right judgement calls on all of this things.
I wonder if lasers have become too mainstream, and are in operation here there and everywhere as a means of offering it as a service. Instead of the lasers being in the exclusive hands of those that know what they are doing, it's being used as a kind of "plug and play" device. For example, I know some beautician clinics provide laser treatments. Whilst primarily used for things like wrinkle reduction, these people will obviously have been trained how to use the device but are likely to either lack the correct techniques when it comes to acne scarring in particular and certainly won't have the in-depth knowledge required when it comes to types of scarring and how they are likely to respond. It's kind of like, "we'll take your money and hope that it works out for you". Of course, you could argue - don't go to a clinic like this to have it done but even when we are going to see doctors - how are we supposed to know whether they are clued up enough on the subject?
I believe that some doctors would recommend something for you even though the reality is you are not a suitable candidate for it, and that's where the problem lies. The patient has an expectation which isn't going to be reached - either because the person using the device doesn't know how to make use of it effectively or indeed because it wasn't even a viable option in the first place.
If this were true, it would explain why success stories are so hard to come by if you have a huge pool of options in terms of where you could go to have a laser treatment done, yet only a 1 in however many chance of actually finding someone you can trust to perform it on you.
Despite my best efforts, I have had difficulty finding anyone to speak to anyone face-to-facewho I would consideran expert on acne scarring, or anywhere close to it. I just feel that we are all incredibly unfortunate in that not only do we have to suffer with these issues in the first place, but acne scarring seems to be something that there is a real lack of expertise on. A lot of us put faith in individuals who quite frankly do not have a clue.
9 hours ago, QuanHenry said:Huh? I already have a laser guy. He even promised me a couple free treatments after summer.
Why did he cut your scars? I havent seen this method before.
He had to cut the scars because they were so deep that the laser treatment would take for ever. By cutting them out and stitching, he can make the laser work better. Sorry, I didnt mean to adress my coment to you
2 hours ago, Cookie girl said:11 hours ago, QuanHenry said:Huh? I already have a laser guy. He even promised me a couple free treatments after summer.
Why did he cut your scars? I havent seen this method before.
He had to cut the scars because they were so deep that the laser treatment would take for ever. By cutting them out and stitching, he can make the laser work better. Sorry, I didnt mean to adress my coment to you
Hey good luck I also had excision done they turned out good some advice for you since you have quite a few I no you may consider these extreme but by following this you will get good results. Try not to talk at all I no this is hard.basically try to do as little movement as possible around your face. Try not eat much solid food as well so that the stitches don't come undone. Good luck I'm sure you will get good results.
1 hour ago, beautifulambition said:Knowledge is part of it but a very small part. As the patient you must be the skeptic and ask why are we doing this, what will it do, is their any side effects, what care do I need to do, what should I not do. Most people put entirely too much faith in these doctors. Many of them are only out for the prestige and money. They get the newest treatment / machines because it makes money, not to help you. My point is you need to have your best interest, get a few different opinions (consultations) and really research these treatments. Youtube has tons of information if your a visual learner, there are also white pages on most of these machines.
I was in a medical supplier training once for laser and there were doctors, nurses, and even day spa owners. They were all taught the same treatment methods of how to use the machine. May of the doctors it seemed were not interested because their was feeling of superiority and prestige. It was the nurses and day spa owners who were asking all the hard question and really wanting to know how to use the machines properly / taking notes. Some of these nurses and day spa owners only do very limited things all day like laser so they become a specialist over the doctor who does it all. When searching for someone, I would be more interested in how many procedures they have done, satisfaction, results, and what results they could offer me over a big name and expensive office in the city. A excellent dermatologist or plastic surgeon could be a terrible acne scar doctor, they may even be excellent at skin treatments and manually dealing with issues, its when you give them a energy device things go bad, that takes a aesthetic mind and a attention to detail.
If the first thing a DR says is do laser that a bad sign,$$$$! Drs will say whatever to get you to pay and locked in for high cost big expectation procedures. Subcision is more labor intensive than a quick in and out laser treatment, it's not flashy. Microneedling they consider boring (aesthetician can do this they say) and it does not have the high profit margin. TCA can give similar results to laser and is hundreds if not thousands less, it's not glamorous and it doesn't look new and innovative $$$$$. Filler is quick and gives instant results, and keeps you coming back for more. The only advantage you get with a doctor is he can get his medical license pulled and you can file a grievance with the board certifying agency. Nurses have this too. I have seen more specialist doctors scar people with their big egos and one size fits all approach. Hell one of the top laser training doctors in the country has terrible reviews and a bad bedside manner, she is trying "new" methods on patients to make a breakthrough and write a white paper.
Laser do work, they are a tool, you will need many tools. Dare I say they should be your last step in treatments as they are a finishing step (textural changes) and do not get at the root of the issue.
Watch the below video there are many variables and steps to treat acne and none of them will give you flawless skin, they will help with texture and issues but not fix it 100%. Hell some of the forum members here have had a laser treatment every year for years to keep up with things. The skin is living and breathing, it changes with time.
Every satisfied laser patient I have seen with bad acne scars, did a ton of other things before they did laser, it was like the last step and they had lowered expectations of small improvement, ... it wasn't the only miracle treatment for them. I would do energy devices after you try microneedling, subcision, acid peels, filler, dermal grafting, topicals, etc. It's a tool to get you one step closer to the goal not the only treatment.
I am happy with the nurse that is treating me, she is better than any of the other plastic surgeons and dermatologists I have gone to before which promised the world but really didn't care. Look for someone that is in it for the long term, not for the $$$$.
Dr Davin Lim uses sometimes 4 energy devices at once, every patient is different. I have had the nurse that sees me do the same thing, it's a long journey to get results.
Great post I totally agree do you mind sharing who you are getting treated with either there website or name. You can pm me if you prefer.
3 hours ago, Hope01 said:5 hours ago, beautifulambition said:Knowledge is part of it but a very small part. As the patient you must be the skeptic and ask why are we doing this, what will it do, is their any side effects, what care do I need to do, what should I not do. Most people put entirely too much faith in these doctors. Many of them are only out for the prestige and money. They get the newest treatment / machines because it makes money, not to help you. My point is you need to have your best interest, get a few different opinions (consultations) and really research these treatments. Youtube has tons of information if your a visual learner, there are also white pages on most of these machines.
I was in a medical supplier training once for laser and there were doctors, nurses, and even day spa owners. They were all taught the same treatment methods of how to use the machine. May of the doctors it seemed were not interested because their was feeling of superiority and prestige. It was the nurses and day spa owners who were asking all the hard question and really wanting to know how to use the machines properly / taking notes. Some of these nurses and day spa owners only do very limited things all day like laser so they become a specialist over the doctor who does it all. When searching for someone, I would be more interested in how many procedures they have done, satisfaction, results, and what results they could offer me over a big name and expensive office in the city. A excellent dermatologist or plastic surgeon could be a terrible acne scar doctor, they may even be excellent at skin treatments and manually dealing with issues, its when you give them a energy device things go bad, that takes a aesthetic mind and a attention to detail.
If the first thing a DR says is do laser that a bad sign,$$$$! Drs will say whatever to get you to pay and locked in for high cost big expectation procedures. Subcision is more labor intensive than a quick in and out laser treatment, it's not flashy. Microneedling they consider boring (aesthetician can do this they say) and it does not have the high profit margin. TCA can give similar results to laser and is hundreds if not thousands less, it's not glamorous and it doesn't look new and innovative $$$$$. Filler is quick and gives instant results, and keeps you coming back for more. The only advantage you get with a doctor is he can get his medical license pulled and you can file a grievance with the board certifying agency. Nurses have this too. I have seen more specialist doctors scar people with their big egos and one size fits all approach. Hell one of the top laser training doctors in the country has terrible reviews and a bad bedside manner, she is trying "new" methods on patients to make a breakthrough and write a white paper.
Laser do work, they are a tool, you will need many tools. Dare I say they should be your last step in treatments as they are a finishing step (textural changes) and do not get at the root of the issue.
Watch the below video there are many variables and steps to treat acne and none of them will give you flawless skin, they will help with texture and issues but not fix it 100%. Hell some of the forum members here have had a laser treatment every year for years to keep up with things. The skin is living and breathing, it changes with time.
Every satisfied laser patient I have seen with bad acne scars, did a ton of other things before they did laser, it was like the last step and they had lowered expectations of small improvement, ... it wasn't the only miracle treatment for them. I would do energy devices after you try microneedling, subcision, acid peels, filler, dermal grafting, topicals, etc. It's a tool to get you one step closer to the goal not the only treatment.
I am happy with the nurse that is treating me, she is better than any of the other plastic surgeons and dermatologists I have gone to before which promised the world but really didn't care. Look for someone that is in it for the long term, not for the $$$$.
Dr Davin Lim uses sometimes 4 energy devices at once, every patient is different. I have had the nurse that sees me do the same thing, it's a long journey to get results.
Great post I totally agree do you mind sharing who you are getting treated with either there website or name. You can pm me if you prefer.
I agree with you 100%. Im so happy I found a doctor who has done multiple scar procedures and for him, lasers are just one tool for scar treatment. Hes done so many diffrent procedures on me before starting laser. I am so happy that he is so well informed and even though its been a long process he is really getting results. Im blessed that in Mexico doctors still understand that We are not a rich country and have a lot of understanding that we really make a sacrifice to pay for this kind of treatment and will go all the way until the results are what we expect. Of course, not all of them are the same. I had to really look for the right doctors with the right credentials
On 5 de mayo de 2016 at 1:25 AM, Dan34 said:Laser does not improve pitted scarring at all. It can help blend the skin and perhaps improve texture minimally. I hate to see people recommending laser. It's a waste of thousands of dollars. The people who have said that laser works for them never have pictures to prove it. I have yet to see good before and after laser pictures from anyone on the message board. If you have pitted scarring do subcision and suction. If you have ice picks do TCA cross. If you want to improve texture, go with dermastamp and TCA peels. It will take a year or two to see significant improvement, but it's the only effective treatments that I've seen.
I agree with you. Im in the final stages of my scar treatment and my doctor has used diffrent procedures. My ice pick scars were really deep and he has done 2 rounds of cutting my scars and stitching and 4 rounds of 2 diffrent kind of lasers. He told me that laser by it self would never have gotten rid of my scars. Im so happy with my results that I cant belive it when I see my self at the mirror.
I honestly believe lasers work best for younger patients with younger acne scars. I am about to start my treatment of mixto laser with subcision
On Ž5Ž/Ž6Ž/Ž2016 at 6:08 PM, Dan34 said:I've done four C02 mixto laser treatments, bud. Also had subcision, derminator and TCA performed on my skin.The only thing that works for pitted scarring it subcision and cross. Dermastamp, peels and laser can help with texture, but not pitted scarring. Nothing I said is false. Prove me wrong with some pictures.
I really hope people considering laser check this out, because they will save thousands of dollars, and learn how to properly treat acne scars by avoiding greedy "dermatologists" that only try and make money off of their insanely priced machine.
Hmm, now I'm starting to doubt my dermatologist. She did TCA CROSS on me last Saturday and asked me to return 2 weeks after for laser treatment. 
