Short version: I recently had an extraction done by an acne "specialist' that scarred the skin on my forehead. Looking for some recommendations on what to do.
Backstory: I'm a 36 y/o male that has had average but decent skin most of my adult life. The skin on my forehead has always been a bit oily and at times reddish. The last year or so I've started to notice tiny red bumps as well. They hadn't worried me too much since they were so small, even though the texture of my skin didn't look great. But a few months ago I noticed two small indented scars that seemed to appear shortly after two of the bumps had cleared. Needless to say, this scarring freaked me out. So I decided to find someone to help fix the problem and prevent any additional scarring.
Instead of going to a dermatologist I thought it might be beneficial to visit a skin care professional who specifically deals with acne. I decided to go to a woman in my city who had nothing but rave reviews online. I had my first appointment about 4 weeks ago. Though she didn't seem to know exactly what the red bumps were (she wasn't even sure it was acne), she put me on a regimen of cleanser, toner, serum (salicylic acid to help with the bumps), and a moisturizer. She did a peel that day and wanted to do an extraction but I told her no since I have sensitive skin and was paranoid about scarring. I went in for the follow up about 2 weeks ago. There seemed to be a slight improvement in the bumps, though it was hard to tell. She did another peel and then moved to doing an extraction. Like an idiot, I didn't stop her. She "extracted" me for probably 10-15 minutes. No steam, just gloves. Afterwards she said she didn't think the bumps on the forehead were acne because she wasn't able to extract anything from them... ??!! A few days later, after the welts subsided, it was obvious that I was scarring from the treatment. I'll preface this by saying that I realize my scarring is nothing compared to what some have to deal with. That being said, I'm still totally upset about it and at a loss as to what to do.
Is there anything I can do in the short-term to help with the healing and minimize the scarring? Aloe, Vitamin C, Retin A, Apple cider vinegar?
Long-term... I'm not sure it would be necessary, or if I'd even be willing to risk further scarring, but what possible scar treatments might be at all effective in making this look better.
Most of the scars seem to be indents/boxcar, but it also looks like there is one hypertrophic.
Any suggestions or help would be genuinely appreciated.
(The 1st picture is the one they took right before the extraction The 2nd is a recent picture I took.)
Goto a normal Derm. You have no "acne" that I see. On the forehead these are small cysts or more than likely trapped sebum / oil (normal). I don't know how far you want to travel down this rabbit hole, but why fix something that is not broken, ... you can make it worse.
You say you already "scar," keep in mind your skin may be to sensitive. If you want something light do a light glycolic peel or a tca peel(s) I don't see that you need anything. Retin A / tretinorin topical is great for someone at your age.
Thanks for the replies, it's really helpful. I may be overreacting but I've just been upset knowing my skin looks so much worse after the procedure.
Regarding the tca peel, is that something the derm would perform or would you recommend I do that myself?
Also, would the peel or the tretinoin be better for the atrophic scars? Is there a chance either of those treatments could make it worse?