5 minutes ago, scarsfade said:The first image isn't even his website. This forum is mostly acne scar sufferers, you seem to lack the basic knowledge that they are different to traumatic scars. I don't think I've ever seen a review for someone with a traumatic scar who was treated within the crucial 6 week window. Spreading lies and misinformation.
I'm not spreading lies and misinformation. I'm speaking from my own damn experience. I went to several plastic surgeons right after my accident. I even had a plastic surgeon stitch me up in the ER! Every single one of them would not touch my scar until at least 6 months - 1 year of healing. The crucial 6 week window is total bullshit.
1 hour ago, scarredandsad34 said:
You don't seem very reasonable. Your question is why is he not a billionaire? How is that even a reasonable question or measure of a doctor's skills? Again, you seem to have an all or nothing , scorched earth mentality about everything. I get that you've been burned, but I also think that a large part of why you feel wronged is because your expectations may not be realistic. It really seems like anything less than a pencil thin line will not be acceptable for you , and everything that falls short of that is a failure. Personally I think 60% or 70% is a lot better than living with scars.
And why keep wasting your time here if your conclusion has already been set?
4 minutes ago, scarredandsad34 said:13 minutes ago, scarsfade said:The first image isn't even his website. This forum is mostly acne scar sufferers, you seem to lack the basic knowledge that they are different to traumatic scars. I don't think I've ever seen a review for someone with a traumatic scar who was treated within the crucial 6 week window. Spreading lies and misinformation.I'm not spreading lies and misinformation. I'm speaking from my own damn experience. I went to several plastic surgeons right after my accident. I even had a plastic surgeon stitch me up in the ER! Every single one of them would not touch my scar until at least 6 months - 1 year of healing. The crucial 6 week window is total bullshit.
Incorrect. Best results within 6 weeks according to latest research (depending on the case). Supported by Joe Naimtu, Jill Waibel and a doctor I have seen personally who assists with clinical trials Ronald Shelton.
2 minutes ago, blahblah82 said:You don't seem very reasonable. Your question is why is he not a billionaire? How is that even a reasonable question or measure of a doctor's skills? Again, you seem to have an all or nothing , scorched earth mentality about everything. I get that you've been burned, but I also think that a large part of why you feel wronged is because your expectations may not be realistic. It really seems like anything less than a pencil thin line will not be acceptable for you , and everything that falls short of that is a failure. Personally I think 60% or 70% is a lot better than living with scars.
Because if someone can virtually erase a scar that was caused by being gored by a deer's antler with one pass of CO2 laser, then they should be able to erase something like a tiny ice pic scar with no problem. And word would get out that the doctor is a miracle worker and his skills would be demanded all over the world. Hense, he could become. Billionaire. Or the laser manufacturer would. Do you see my point?
I didn't get 60-70% improvement. I got 0% improvement. Big difference.
So given my situation, what kind of treatment do you recommend now? Because quite frankly, I have run out of ideas.
5 minutes ago, scarsfade said:Incorrect. Best results within 6 weeks according to latest research (depending on the case). Supported by Joe Naimtu, Jill Waibel and a doctor I have seen personally who assists with clinical trials Ronald Shelton.
Well I went to some of the top surgeons in the country right after my accident and even asked about this prior to my scar revision (to see if it could be further blended in right after the scar revision) and not one of them wanted to use a laser on it while it was healing 6 weeks out.
1 minute ago, scarredandsad34 said:Because if someone can virtually erase a scar that was caused by being gored by a deer's antler with one pass of CO2 laser, then they should be able to erase something like a tiny ice pic scar with no problem. And word would get out that the doctor is a miracle worker and his skills would be demanded all over the world. Hense, he could become. Billionaire. Or the laser manufacturer would. Do you see my point?I didn't get 60-70% improvement. I got 0% improvement. Big difference.
So given my situation, what kind of treatment do you recommend now? Because quite frankly, I have run out of ideas.
There's no miracle, the patient got a good result. I recommend you get treatment for the more important issues that are going on emotionally, twisting reality and lying about others are more ugly than scars.
I honestly don't know because you haven't posted a clear photo. You are usually scrunching up your forehead. Even after I asked to see a completely relaxed forehead, you give me one and said, "it's still a little scrunched here." I haven't been able to accurately see the true extent of your scarring. Plus, I'm just a regular person who has lots of experience, but by no means an expert.
9 minutes ago, scarsfade said:There's no miracle, the patient got a good result. I recommend you get treatment for the more important issues that are going on emotionally, twisting reality and lying about others are more ugly than scars.
I'm not lying. I'm sharing my opinions and experience. I see a lot of deception and corruption in this industry and have been deeply traumatized by it. I see the same theme here and on other forums like realself, sad scarred souls who can't get their faces to a point where they are comfortable. I don't think most people here are seeking perfection, except for a few sick people. And I really think that because I have a pessimistic attitude, I have become a target here because no one wants to hear negative depressing shit. They just want to keep a glimmer of hope alive, even if they are being unrealistic pollyannas.
On 6/27/2016 at 9:58 PM, blahblah82 said:I honestly don't know because you haven't posted a clear photo. You are usually scrunching up your forehead. Even after I asked to see a completely relaxed forehead, you give me one and said, "it's still a little scrunched here." I haven't been able to accurately see the true extent of your scarring. Plus, I'm just a regular person who has lots of experience, but by no means an expert.
I don't know why it's wrong of me to post the scar when it looks it's absolute worst. I want my skin to move normally, not like some disfiguring dent. But here are a few with no movement. These are most recent, after the failed laser treatment. No overhead lighting here. Under overhead lighting, the harsh wide triangular border shows up
SAS34, I thing it's legitimate that you feel the way you do. It's your right to, after all, even though your skin is otherwise perfect and you are a little exagerated. I do have to agree with you on facial expressions. It's become a rule here on the forums to post emotionless face pictures but the fact is most scars tend to worsen or become more evident when talking and smiling... An important factor sometimes missed by most is location of scar. For example, I'd rather have temple scars than the ones I have right now, I wouldn't be as afraid to laugh as I am now...
That's it? Doesnt even look that bad..
" I had a great body, long flowing hair, stunning features, and flawless skin. Men adored me and I always had a boyfriend or dates. " " Men no longer look at me " Reading this makes me think you have very low self esteem and need to be used / pursued on a superficial level. Maybe you should focus on something else you have to offer. No man worth a moment of your time would judge you based on that scar.
12 minutes ago, scarsfade said:That's it? Doesnt even look that bad..
" I had a great body, long flowing hair, stunning features, and flawless skin. Men adored me and I always had a boyfriend or dates. " " Men no longer look at me " Reading this makes me think you have very low self esteem and need to be used / pursued on a superficial level. Maybe you should focus on something else you have to offer.
actually,I have many other things about myself that I am proud of. I have a successful career that I worked very hard to get to and have done a lot of interesting things in my life. None of which have revolved around my looks. But when it comes to dating, it's another story. What woman doesn't want to look good? And other women can actually be more judgmental and worse than men! no one wants an obvious facial difference. It is debilitating in today's society. I can't even give a god damn presentation at work under harsh office lights without wanting to crawl under the table and die unless my forehead is covered. And I am sure as hell not trying to date any of my coworkers.
I see it time and time again on this forum, that it is socially more acceptable for a man to have a facial scar than a woman. A man is tough, strong, fearless, the scar is a badge of honor. For the woman, however, she is damaged goods.
If i'm analyzing it correctly, you have raised edges surrounding an indentation. The raised edges make it look even deeper than it really is. Have you tried kenalog injections with 5FU to the raised edges? I think it might flatten those. Once the raised parts are flatter and more flushed with the normal skin, then you can make an assessment of how deep the scar really is. The color is actually pretty good, it's pink not super angry red.
I have / had an excision scar on my left cheek that was huge and disfigured that side of my face. The only thing that worked for me was fillers and dermabrasion to level the raised edges surrounding it. It's still visible, but much improved. I will never get perfection, but at least I don't look like a knife victim anymore. That's all you can hope for.
As for it being acceptable because I'm a guy, I think that's debatable in today's society. People constantly stared and made horrible comments to my face. On top of this failed, huge excision scar, I also had pretty bad acne scars on my cheeks. At least you have flawless skin everywhere else.
14 minutes ago, scarredandsad34 said:actually,I have many other things about myself that I am proud of. I have a successful career that I worked very hard to get to and have done a lot of interesting things in my life. None of which have revolved around my looks. But when it comes to dating, it's another story. What woman doesn't want to look good? And other women can actually be more judgmental and worse than men! no one wants an obvious facial difference. It is debilitating in today's society. I can't even give a god damn presentation at work under harsh office lights without wanting to crawl under the table and die unless my forehead is covered. And I am sure as hell not trying to date any of my coworkers.I see it time and time again on this forum, that it is socially more acceptable for a man to have a facial scar than a woman. A man is tough, strong, fearless, the scar is a badge of honor. For the woman, however, she is damaged goods.
I edited my comment above to say " No man worth a moment of your time would judge you based on that scar. " Ok It's a scar, its not that big of a deal, normal guys arent going reject you based on something that insignificant. Yes its tougher for women, but its not THAT tough. Get a grip!!
Look, I don't want to "hijack" this thread anymore. It's about failed laser treatments. And laser treatments failed for me. They fucked up my filler, which already looked bad to begin with. I don't know why the asshole doctor wanted to laser over a filler. He just wanted a quick $250 I guess.
I appreciate those of you who have tried to help me with suggestions. Just know that I'm suffering too, just like all of you. No, I don't have acne, but I got hit with a traumatic blow to my forehead by a giant board and it scarred me in the blink of an eye. my face was suddenly not the same face I grew up looking at for 33 years. I took my good skin for granted, I really did. Now I have to cover my forehead and it blows. I've always been a shy person and this has made life unbearable for me. It has changed me as a person. My facial identity was robbed from me, and no one gets it until it happens to them. This loss of identity is actually quite common for facial trauma. I've read about it on multiple websites. There was me before the accident and me after the accident. I am not the same person anymore, physically and mentally. And there is almost no support for facial scarring. It's total horse shit.
if you have any suggestions on how I can improve my scar, please let me know. I am at a total loss and am very scared that I will never be at peace until I die 
On June 27, 2016 at 11:04 PM, blahblah82 said:If i'm analyzing it correctly, you have raised edges surrounding an indentation. The raised edges make it look even deeper than it really is. Have you tried kenalog injections with 5FU to the raised edges? I think it might flatten those. Once the raised parts are flatter and more flushed with the normal skin, then you can make an assessment of how deep the scar really is. The color is actually pretty good, it's pink not super angry red.
I have / had an excision scar on my left cheek that was huge and disfigured that side of my face. The only thing that worked for me was fillers and dermabrasion to level the raised edges surrounding it. It's still visible, but much improved. I will never get perfection, but at least I don't look like a knife victim anymore. That's all you can hope for.
As for it being acceptable because I'm a guy, I think that's debatable in today's society. People constantly stared and made horrible comments to my face. On top of this failed, huge excision scar, I also had pretty bad acne scars on my cheeks. At least you have flawless skin everywhere else.
Yes, there's a nasty bump of scar tissue. it wasnt a clean cut, my forehead was smacked and it literally busted open, Hense the ugly bump of scar tissue. It literally changed the contour of the whole left side of my forehead, even though the actual cut is only about an inch long. Then the failed scar revision made the "cut" more depressed and wide, so it sunk into the bump even deeper. I'm scared of steroids because I've read nothing but bad things about them (they cause skin atrophy that's irreversible). The color of the scar tissue is actually pretty white and noticeable.
im sorry about your scars. I get that it's no easier for a guy to have scarred skin, even if it's more "sociably acceptable".
You are right, it is absolutely way more acceptable for men to have scars, nothing to be done about that though. I seriously doubt a significant amount of men near your age care enough about your scar to not be interested in you. The only thing that is going to make you damaged goods is your personality if you let this scar control your life. Get out of your house, exercise, stop looking in the mirror so often, whatever it is you need to do to make a change. Easier said than done though, or else none of us would be here.
Honestly, it's been a long struggle for me as well. I think mostly I'm here because I have literally done everything there is to do for acne scars, and I want to share what I've learned through trial and error. I've done it all, literally, and I know all about that dark place we go to when we catch a glimpse of our scarred reflection. I would say my scarring was what a lot of people categorize as severe.
The only things that have really made an impact on my scarring are fillers and resurfacing, specifically spot dermabrasion. It is a very extreme procedure, so I wouldn't recommend it for the faint of heart. At this point, yes I think I've gotten to the point where it is acceptable enough for me to live with. I mentally cannot go through anymore serious downtime. Plus, I think if I do any more harsh procedures like dermabrasion, it might actually damage me. Back in January, I had gotten to the point where my skin had improved significantly. It was to the point where I should have stopped. Stupidly, I wanted more improvement, so I did another dermabrasion. Of course my skin looked horrendous afterwards with bad texture and severe redness. My skin is now recovering, but I didn't get enough improvement out of the second dermabrasion to justify the downtime. I don't have any huge deep scars like I used to, but now deal mainly with ice picks and texture issues.
I honestly think you have a shot at very significant improvement. You have otherwise flawless skin and the lumpiness can be treated with kenalog. Just do incremental injections. The indentation can be treated with carefully placed fillers. Silicone sheeting will help to soften it further.
Thanks for your support. I fear that there isnt much room for improvement at this point. I've tried the most aggressive treatments and haven't gotten anywhere. I might explore the steroid idea, but I've read some horror stories of skin atrophy. And so far, every treatment that I have had has backfired, just like I initially fear....I don't even have a surgeon that has offered to use kenalog.
i realize that the rest of my skin is flawless, but this actually works against me with this scar. If I had thicker, rougher skin, it probably wouldn't stand out so much. But I have thin delicate features and this coupled with my soft stretchy skin makes my scarred forehead stand out like a sore thumb. I even had a plastic surgeon so kindly point this out to me. See why I don't like plastic surgeons?
At least you have gotten to the point of some sort of acceptance. If you can go out in public and live a life without your face constantly tormenting you, then you are ahead of most people here.
also I must say that I admire your ability to be as objective as possible. You seem like one of the least judgemental people here and genuinely the most helpful. There have been so many others here who have been quick to point fingers, attack,and judge because they don't think my scarring (or someone else's scars)is bad enough or because I don't have acne. It's like I haven't earned my right to suffer (even though I got my forehead bashed in). I don't get it.since when isany facial scar a good thing?
I think everyone who is disappointed should realize that most treatments out right now will not really make a significant difference or actually make things worse. On the bright side there are very promising innovations on the way like hydrogel and stem cell therapy. I believe we are pretty close and are better off waiting for that. I can't say that it will be soon but I do believe it is coming in the not too distant future.
Does anyone think subcision with suctioning would help raise the center of her scar to help make it appear more flat, then perhaps she could dermastamp to help with the redness and texture? Any thoughts on this approach? I think if I were her I would be looking for a doctor to try subcision aggressively.
I have yet to see impressive results from subcision. Every picture of people who did it shows some improvement but not that much. I've been doing it myself and still can't see a noticeable difference. Don't get me wrong though, looking at other's posts subcision still seems like the best treatment possible, we shall wait and see.
1 hour ago, somethingsomethingagain said:I have yet to see impressive results from subcision. Every picture of people who did it shows some improvement but not that much. I've been doing it myself and still can't see a noticeable difference. Don't get me wrong though, looking at other's posts subcision still seems like the best treatment possible, we shall wait and see.
Uh Mr. Matt?
On June 24, 2016 at 3:44 PM, blahblah82 said:
Ok, so I emailed Dr. Niamtu some pictures of my scar and told him about my treatments/progress so far. His response: "you've had all of the major treatments so far, not sure what else can be done. maybe you could try a little subcision".
I feel like the video link above is very misleading. It says that Davette shows up for what's become almost a monthly ritual and that the doctor has pieced together her face little by little over a decade (with multiple fillers and lasers). To me, this implies that these monthly treatments have made continuous improvement over the course of almost a decade. So if this is true, why doesn't Dr. Niamtu think he can improve my scar, which is only a year old and only had one filler and laser treatment?
Call me skeptical, ungrateful, negative, all you want, but based on my experience directly with this doctor, why do I feel like this is yet another example of clever marketing/ misleading advertising from the cosemetic industry?
