On 9/24/2019 at 12:31 PM, charisma786 said:Is phenol good for scarred pores? 8 fraxel repairs and several needling sessions haven't been able to correct those for me.
Yes, 80% improvement on the ones I tracked.
11 hours ago, dazzed said:So are there any scars that it fully eliminated ( I use the word "eliminated" in the sense that they are now imperceptible, not gone)?
Probably not under a microscope, but visually yes a lot of textural scars disappeared completely after the chemabrasion, especially on my left side. My pitted right sidehasn't had as much luck, and unfortunately it will be loaded up with filler to flatten out the rest of it. Volume loss makes things difficult.
Yeah, I think any kind of resurfacing at most will only help the smallest, textural scars. Volume loss can only be addressed by fillers of some sort because the deficit is too great.
That said, if it managed to smooth out a lot of textural scars that's quite impressive. To me, that is the hardest to improve because they can be individually small, but so widespread that it can have a tremendous impact on the perception of your scarring. Sometimes it's almost better to have a few bigger, deeper scars than an entire face of tiny scars.
Can't wait to see your new pics after the latest round of fillers.
What comments have you been getting recently? Your improvement has been so impressive people must be telling you things left and right. I know you said before that people gave you lots of positive unsolicited comments, which I think we all agree is probably the most honest.
20 hours ago, f93d said:Yes, 80% improvement on the ones I tracked.
Probably not under a microscope, but visually yes a lot of textural scars disappeared completely after the chemabrasion, especially on my left side. My pitted right sidehasn't had as much luck, and unfortunately it will be loaded up with filler to flatten out the rest of it. Volume loss makes things difficult.
When are you going to fill your right side pits with filler? Good luck!
On 9/27/2019 at 12:02 AM, dazzed said:Yeah, I think any kind of resurfacing at most will only help the smallest, textural scars. Volume loss can only be addressed by fillers of some sort because the deficit is too great.
I am having recent success with subcision in combination with aggresive microneedling. Granted, all of my scars are on my temples and forehead, so i cannot speak to cheek areas. I have just always seen fillers as temporary (except sculptra). I made a post a few weeks ago about having success with the microneedling 6 days after subcision, and I can actually say my scars have improved noticeably since then. The volume loss is much less, and the surface is nearing flatness. I am having another canula subcision 2 weeks from today, and am planning on doing the same microneedling with the same serums 6 days after, and I will let you now if I see another significant improvement. I am hoping to get my scars to as flat as possible so that when I am ready to do the phenol peel, it will not be necessary to do the chemabrasion or "scraping" part and it will only be a str8 up Phenol Peel. The textural issues mentioned with the abrasion part of chemabrasion kind of scare me. I could be wrong about this, but as I understand it, Dr. Rullan scrapes or abrades the edges of the pitted scars, in order smooth things out as much as possible, or does he scrape or abrade the entire scar to help maybe produce collagen ??? Again, I am hoping to just do the Phenol peel w/o the abrasion, but I am just curious.
Hey f39d
Looking great man, your success has inspired me to seek similar treatment with Dr Rullan - so thanks for allowing us to follow your journey.
ive got 1 question - I got in for my 2nd subcision in a few weeks, but this time with the inclusion of Sculptra - do I suction after this treatment? No other HA filler will be added as of yet.
Thanks for your time!
On 9/27/2019 at 2:23 AM, Icepick Scar said:When are you going to fill your right side pits with filler? Good luck!
It's done. Dr. Emery in Thousand Oaks, CA is phenomenal, anyone who lives in the Los Angeles area and needs filler, I recommend her.
On 10/7/2019 at 9:50 AM, Emotionallyscarred said:Hey f39d
Looking great man, your success has inspired me to seek similar treatment with Dr Rullan - so thanks for allowing us to follow your journey.
ive got 1 question - I got in for my 2nd subcision in a few weeks, but this time with the inclusion of Sculptra - do I suction after this treatment? No other HA filler will be added as of yet.
Thanks for your time!
I would always suction after subcision. No clue about the Sculptra part, never tried it. I don't see a problem though.
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@McPoopy Scoopies not sure. But before considering doing only the phenol peel, read Dr Rullan's publication. It says it's not as effective.
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Voluma update, took this snapshot a bit over a week ago. I've already done the Volbella + localized subcision, but this picture is just for the Voluma, 1 week post. Downtime was like a day, it was a deep injection.
On 10/9/2019 at 9:44 PM, f93d said:It's done. Dr. Emery in Thousand Oaks, CA is phenomenal, anyone who lives in the Los Angeles area and needs filler, I recommend her.
I would always suction after subcision. No clue about the Sculptra part, never tried it. I don't see a problem though.
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@McPoopy Scoopies not sure. But before considering doing only the phenol peel, read Dr Rullan's publication. It says it's not as effective.
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Voluma update, took this snapshot a bit over a week ago. I've already done the Volbella + localized subcision, but this picture is just for the Voluma, 1 week post. Downtime was like a day, it was a deep injection.
Would you suction the same night after doing subcision + CROSS with Dr Rullan or would you only do subcision (no cross) and then suction later that night with the numbing still going on?
9 hours ago, LotsToLearn said:Would you suction the same night after doing subcision + CROSS with Dr Rullan or would you only do subcision (no cross) and then suction later that night with the numbing still going on?
Wait for the swelling to subside a bit, usually 2 - 3 days, then suction. I wouldn't suction if I did cross.
scholar.google.com ->subcision suction method
On 10/14/2019 at 11:01 PM, f93d said:Wait for the swelling to subside a bit, usually 2 - 3 days, then suction. I wouldn't suction if I did cross.
scholar.google.com ->subcision suction method
Thanks for letting me know! I'll be having treatment in 3 weeks.
Would you combine at-home microneedling (w/derminator) with suction or would you only do suction by itself post treatment, 2-3 days later
This is my last post before I disappear. I™m happy with the results and no longer care about improving scarring further. My social and dating life are where I want it to be and my skin no longer affects me.
I plan to continue getting filler on an as-needed basis, but the results have held nicely and skin continues to improve.
Thanks everyone for the encouragement throughout this journey, thanks @beautifulambition for your posts which made me take a second shot at scar treatments.
The scars never go away, but most have flattened and I don™t look disastrous anymore. The only solution to scarring is to not get the scars in the first place.
Best of luck to those struggling with scarring. If this thread helped you, do consider starting your own so others can benefit also.
@f93dCongrats!! Your skin looks great! Thanks so much for sharing your progress!
DUDE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR INCLUDING US AND SHARING YOUR JOURNEY WITH US. YOU HELPED US A LOT AND PROVED THAT ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. I WISH YOU GOODLUCK FOR ANOTHER CHAPTER OF YOUR LIFE NOW THAT YOU'RE HEALED. I'M HAPPY AND I'M SURE YOUR SCARS ARE NOT JUST HEALED BUT ALSO YOUR SCARS INSIDE OF YOU.
BEST OF LUCK MATE!
I think this is the best ending possible. The goal is to get to a point where you can get back to living a normal life. This thread will give lots of people hope for years to come, I'm certain. You've been more than generous with your journey.
I remember years ago, doctors would tell people to accept it and that there was nothing that could be done for severe scarring. This forum is undeniable proof that you can get improvement, but not a cure. It's a long road, and requires tenacity and money, but possible. That's the most important part - that it is possible.
7 hours ago, dazzed said:I think this is the best ending possible. The goal is to get to a point where you can get back to living a normal life. This thread will give lots of people hope for years to come, I'm certain. You've been more than generous with your journey.
I remember years ago, doctors would tell people to accept it and that there was nothing that could be done for severe scarring. This forum is undeniable proof that you can get improvement, but not a cure. It's a long road, and requires tenacity and money, but possible. That's the most important part - that it is possible.
It's a very good result.
But you still need the right doctor(s), the proper healing ability, the time, and up to $10,000 depending how severe your case is. You need luck too. Most of us knew it was certainly possible to improve scars, but after jumping through how many hoops? Meanwhile, you get 1 or 2 nose job/breast augmentations and the deal is done and finished, but with treating scars you are forced to "gamble" over and over and over with absolutely no guarantee of improvement. Because of this, treating scars must be perhaps the most unsatisfying field of cosmetic surgery and also stressful for us.
12 minutes ago, ChildhoodDreams said:It's a very good result.
But you still need the right doctor(s), the proper healing ability, the time, and up to $10,000 depending how severe your case is. You need luck too. Most of us knew it was certainly possible to improve scars, but after jumping through how many hoops? Meanwhile, you get 1 or 2 nose job/breast augmentations and the deal is done and finished, but with treating scars you are forced to "gamble" over and over and over with absolutely no guarantee of improvement. Scars are perhaps the most unsatisfying field of cosmetic surgery.
Nose jobs, breast augmentations are expensive and depends on surgeon skills as well and they could get botched just as easily. @f93d could have done this at a much reduced price if he sourced local doctors to minimize travel time and shopped around.
This is the best prices I have seen in the US, and I think one could achieve close to thread starter level improvement with these treatments if done in correct order:
Cross: $300 x 3 = $900
Subcision (nokor) $550 x3 = $1650
Sculptra $500 x 3 vials (on sales) = $1500
Infini $600 x 3 = $1800
That's $5850. Yeah you are not getting the top 1% doctors but these are people I would work with with many years of experience underneath their belt. If you live near a big city all of these procedures can be sourced locally. You don't even have to take a full day off.
Including travel thread starter probably spent 3-4 times this amount.
You can finish off with microneelding at home with derminator and doing chemical peels yourself. that's like an additonal $250 and suction device is 20 bucks. You can do additional HA fillers for $500 like 3-4 syringes to top it off.
Just passing by to say that this guy made history through this forum docummenting this.
I remember when he first created this topic, nobody would ever believe he wouldcome this far with these results and docummenting everything
very nice planed treatments with the best docs avaiable, by the last photos is not even possible to say that he suffered from acne. the improvement is in the85-95% range
This guy is and probably will be a lifefuel for a lot of hopeless people here. I just want to thank him for the wounderful work of docummenting all his progress and for not giving up.
On 2/18/2020 at 8:11 AM, De Rerum Natura said:Just passing by to say that this guy made history through this forum docummenting this.
I remember when he first created this topic, nobody would ever believe he wouldcome this far with these results and docummenting everything
very nice planed treatments with the best docs avaiable, by the last photos is not even possible to say that he suffered from acne. the improvement is in the85-95% range
This guy is and probably will be a lifefuel for a lot of hopeless people here. I just want to thank him for the wounderful work of docummenting all his progress and for not giving up.
I agree. I've been on the forums long enough to see how people drop off, or are presenting inconsistent photos to make things look better than they actually are because they made some deal with the doctor. This whole thread was epic, and most importantly HONEST. The entire journey was documented and we see irrefutable proof of the possibilities.
On 1/13/2021 at 2:49 PM, can i get a new life please said:amazing, any update?
Results have held. Wont need additional filler for a while. Maybe Ill top up in 2 years, if I care to do so, but itll just be for anti aging -Im nearing age 32.
Results - Ive experienced no complications;the phenol peel takesa year to see full results. Everything else has held. All my previous complaints about various issues were all temporary. Skin looks more or less like the last picture, so I'm not posting further screenshots. People I talked to about scarsgenerally don't notice my scars until the subject comes up. Although I still see my scarring asa severity of 3 or 4out of 10,I would do these treatmentsagain in a heartbeat - worth it.
Psychological issues -I dont think about my skin daily anymore. I might look at it on occasion but it doesnt bother me like it used to. Maybe bc I found someoneand have a strong community now. Once I fixed my skin last year, I fixed my life. When I fixed my life,my skin was no longer a concern. Ultimately all of us will need to figure out how to move on.
I do still drop by these forums on occasion to see whats happening.
Hi @f93dIm so upset and sad about my acne scars , the lighting makes my scars look worst and I feel so insecure. I had a consultation years ago with Dr Rullan but havent had any procedure with him I had micro needling at other places but I feel micro needling hasnt help or maybe I have to be more patient and get more procedures done because acne scars is a lot of procedures to see results. Im considering dr rullan, Dr Jason Emer (hes really expensive) by the way You are my motivation you had so much patience with all the procedures you had and you achieved successful results. I would like to talk to you because you have experience in this topic. Im just scared and nervous about the procedures, and all the downtime I get slot of anxiety. I need your help please.
On 8/1/2019 at 6:27 AM, f93d said:Probably 2 months. I'm prepared for 3 months, however the picture I saw, demarcation lines disappear at 2 months, and my demarcation lines are half ofwhat they were. Almost there.
Will consider adding something related when I conclude this journal in 3 months.
Every treatment is in terms of percentage improvement, so it's unlikelyto ever achieve > 90%. Just by having scars thebest I probably can achieve is 80% overall improvement even if all scars were 90%+ shallower. A small scar can look bad in certain lighting or if sebum is on it. Also having severe acne scarring on my right side of face(relative to others on this forum) with huge volume depletion and every inch covered in scars, I think it's quite impressive how far it has come.
I'm happy with my left side. I have a fewscars left, of course I wish they weren't there, however I just couldn'tbe bothered treating them further.
Right side I do wish was a lot better, but if you understand where I come from, it may paint a more vibrant picture. Prior to scar treatments, this was routine:
- I flew in to China to teach English. One of the teachers came to pick us up, and one of the students was with her. The student looked atme and immediately ran behind the teacher scared. You could see her terrified facialexpression.
- Talking about something random and coworker randomly insults me with my facial scarring telling me to go fix my face.
- Constant nagging from hypercritical relatives and a constant point of discussion for all family gatherings.
- No one ever looking youin a group setting, but they look at everyone else. Every. single. time.
- Noticing someone trying to get a good glimpse of your scarring (trying to catch a good angle to see it).
- Overhearing couple in restaurant talking about your scarring as if you couldn't hear and how you should of washed your face and how they're thankful they were so informed to wash their own face when they had acne.
- Talking to someone for a while standing up. After talking wemigrated very slowly, and I unknowinglymoved underneath an LED bulb which amplified scarring. Her smile instantly turned to a scared look.And that's just the tip of the iceberg.I don't getthis nonsense anymore. So yes, the results are good enough even if I'm disappointed. This is what I originally wanted - to blend in to the norm.
Those with minor scarring (specifically those with pitted scarring, which I find most difficult to treat) will have the tougher decision to make.. is it worth the downtime and $10k - $20k to fix a few pits that won't ever be fixed? My opinion is no, there is little to be gained and a lot to lose (time, money, and sanity).
Wow dude that sounds like the typical Asian culture. My wife is Asian and her mom used to tell her you look bad get a facial. I dont think Ive ever gotten the not washing comment. But Ive had people approach me and ask me why Im so ugly or why my skin is so wrecked. Honestly ar age 38 Im glad that Im married. I dont go out anymore. I just stay home. My wife aays my scars arent that bad. She might be right but my skin texture and overall skin health is bad. I find that when my skin is plump and healthy my scars dont appear as they do when my skin is saggy and tired looking. The emotional stress that comes with acne scars and my adhd/depesssion/anxiety doesnt make that any better. The more stressed I am the worse I look. I just hope I can do the cross/sun and the phenol peel. The phenol so what I need most. Im white and my skin can take a beating. Ill probably be a good candidate for the peel. And most of my scars are shallow wide and they disappear when I pull my skin tight. So I might be lucky that phenol might tighten my skin just enough for the scars to appear very shallow. I dont mind scars as long as the skin quality is good.