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I knew with time it would look great! Good job with the after care and reporting and keep it going! Wish I could have done this now seeing is I have all this time off to study for board exams before working and don't have to go out. Still about a year away with at least three more subcisions/CROSS treatments. The down time is real tho, as it can be 4-12 weeks.
Questions: Are you shaving? Does the skin feel stiff or starting to loosen up?
What a roller coaster. At least it seems like you've made it over a hump, and the most difficult part is behind you. I barely make out any scarring in your new pictures. Whatever is remaining is so minor now. Once the color normalizes, I think the result will be dramatic.
Question... If you wore makeup to camouflage the redness, do you think you would look pretty passable? Are you choosing just to not wear any makeup?
At this point, most people usually just disappear and the rest of us are left wondering what happened. Thanks for the continued updates. Can't wait to see how you'll look in a months time.
Wow I cannot imagine going through this myself. That is some dedication dude! Congrats! It sounds like the most difficult part is over now. Looks like you just need a few more months of recovering?
Did you mostly just stay at home? Did you have someone look over you? Get groceries and stuff? I wouldnt be able to do this without my parents or my gf.
On 7/21/2019 at 8:52 PM, Wobbywob said:Man the insane amount of down time this creates. Do people look at you funny? Or are you able cover most of it with tinted sunblock?
People think it's a sunburn; it's not pleasant to look at a sunburn victim. I've never tried tinted anything.
On 7/21/2019 at 8:55 PM, cautiouslyhopeful said:Looking good!
Weird question - does the skin itch? As I know you're basically growing a layer of skin back...
No itching
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On 7/22/2019 at 2:13 AM, dazzed said:Question... If you wore makeup to camouflage the redness, do you think you would look pretty passable? Are you choosing just to not wear any makeup?
Probably, might need a thicker layer. It's a spotty, stringyredness all over surrounded by pink that needs to be covered up, like a dalmatian.No reason for me to wear makeup, only social stuff I've been doing is family stuff, work, and close friends.. nobody who cares what I look like.
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On 7/21/2019 at 10:59 PM, dodgerguy18 said:Questions: Are you shaving? Does the skin feel stiff or starting to loosen up?
I started shaving once the mask came off using an electric razor.
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2On 7/22/2019 at 7:04 AM, dk0500 said:Did you mostly just stay at home? Did you have someone look over you? Get groceries and stuff? I wouldnt be able to do this without my parents or my gf.
I work in the office; I could work remote but don't want to. Didn't need any help after Day 2. For groceries, I usedthe Instacart app.
On 7/9/2019 at 5:59 AM, superburrito said:@f93d for the pinkness, I suggest trying a tinted moisturizer. This would be an interesting side-by-side photo comparison.
I was treated by Dr Rullan about 6 weeks ago, (subcision/micro/Phenol) and found that a tinted moisturizer helped with evening out the skin tone, redness, and looked natural. I™m male and didn™t want anything that looked cakey/heavy.
I went to Sephora and got color-marched with Laura Mercier™s oil-free tinted moisturizer, and I™m pretty happy with it so far.
Did this today. Here are my results:
It takes off a shade of redness and reduces the spottiness. It's alright, will probably continue using it.
8 hours ago, f93d said:Did this today. Here are my results:
It takes off a shade of redness and reduces the spottiness. It's alright, will probably continue using it.
Definitely see a big difference in reducing the redness. It™s also buildable meaning you can add another layer for more coverage, but it might start to look like noticeable make up.
10 hours ago, superburrito said:
Definitely see a big difference in reducing the redness. Its also buildable meaning you can add another layer for more coverage, but it might start to look like noticeable make up.
I should of mentioned it amplified my scarring on my right side 3 fold. I had that depressed feeling when I looked at it.
I've seen (typically women) people w/ lots of scarring wear full makeup, and I feel like it's almost telling the entire world.. hey.. look at my skin. Make up removes all the other imperfections, amplifying the scars significantly.
But I really like what it did to my left side, forehead, and it also reduced the demarcation lines. If you don't have a ton of shallow scarring like I do, then I think it'll work well. The way I'm applying this right now.. I apply very little if anyon my right cheek and right temple.Everywhere else is fine.
I experimented a bit yesterday and also tried putting a lot of layers onand still couldn't tell (unless I put it on scarring).
--
Skin starting to loosen up, I'll update again once healed.
--
Random thought:
I think the hardest part for me in all of this is therealization that scars, no matter how small, are for life. I've been monitoring select scars on my face for the past 4 years. Even after 20 treatments (including the ones prior to this journal), those pitted scars are all still present, although significantly shallower. Only ice pick scars and scarred pores have completely disappeared. A bit a sebum, or anything shiny, amplifies those minor pits into something more significant.
People who come to this board with minimal scarring may still need as many treatments as I got, and they will still have all theirscarring present after all the treatments.
I'm convinced I willprobably get another 50% + improvement out of the 2-day phenol chemabrasion. However the scars will always be there, and I will need to figure out how to move on.
1 hour ago, f93d said:Random thought:
I think the hardest part for me in all of this is therealization that scars, no matter how small, are for life. I've been monitoring select scars on my face for the past 4 years. Even after 20 treatments (including the ones prior to this journal), those pitted scars are all still present, although significantly shallower. Only ice pick scars and scarred pores have completely disappeared. A bit a sebum, or anything shiny, amplifies those minor pits into something more significant.
People who come to this board with minimal scarring may still need as many treatments as I got, and they will still have all theirscarring present after all the treatments.
I'm convinced I willprobably get another 50% + improvement out of the 2-day phenol chemabrasion. However the scars will always be there, and I will need to figure out how to move on.
+ 1
please put this in your first post of this thread as well.
the shadowing in certain/harsh lightning looks greatly reduced. aesthetically, this is an significant improvement.
that's so true.. we all strive for perfection which is impossible to achive in our case.. no glass skin for us... but that is also okay.. our imperfect skinis not that important for anyone but for us. I thinkthat skin obsession caused by emotional pain that we all have experiencedis out of proportion..
please read post from this link https://www.instagram.com/p/B0YlDAzI1dK/
very powerful words..at least for me..kind of changing my own perspective..
4 hours ago, f93d said:I'm convinced I willprobably get another 50% + improvement out of the 2-day phenol chemabrasion. However the scars will always be there, and I will need to figure out how to move on.
By that you mean, you'll get little over 50% improvement overall (after ALL Treatments)or after this phenol peel you'll look at about 80% + total improvement as before the phenol peel you stated that you did have 50%improvement already ?
I know this percentage game is all subjective but I didn't quite understand what you were saying.
I also wanted to say that I am super thankful that you'vebeen documenting your progress and giving people hope.
Thanks a lot and I hope it will be uphill from now on.
This thread and journey is amazing. Your skin is looking great. Keep updating us.
I agree thatscarred skin can never be perfect again. I learned that after my first few treatments. You will learn, over time, to be happy with the improvements. The shallow scars dont bother me so much. At this point, I just have a few scars that bother me. Mostly on my left temple and cheek.
Do you know if Dr Rullan is continuing practice for a while?
I've been following your results for some time, and I have to say that while there has been a lot of improvement, the results I see simply aren't good enough if I had the same results. I can definitely still see scars that will be much more prominent if you tilt your head a bit in indirect light, like you have in your previous images. I respect your journey, but if you are disappointed, I completely understand.
We physically and emotionally need to see ourselves in a different light.
On 7/27/2019 at 1:34 AM, General_Rommel said:Damn, so the downtime for a Phenol Peel is 1+ months?
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.
On 7/28/2019 at 7:55 AM, CoconutRough said:+ 1
please put this in your first post of this thread as well.
the shadowing in certain/harsh lightning looks greatly reduced. aesthetically, this is an significant improvement.
Will consider adding something related when I conclude this journal in 3 months.
On 7/28/2019 at 11:14 AM, SaraTheGerman said:By that you mean, you'll get little over 50% improvement overall (after ALL Treatments)or after this phenol peel you'll look at about 80% + total improvement as before the phenol peel you stated that you did have 50%improvement already ?
I know this percentage game is all subjective but I didn't quite understand what you were saying.
I also wanted to say that I am super thankful that you'vebeen documenting your progress and giving people hope.
Thanks a lot and I hope it will be uphill from now on.
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.
5 hours ago, Scarmony said:I've been following your results for some time, and I have to say that while there has been a lot of improvement, the results I see simply aren't good enough if I had the same results. I can definitely still see scars that will be much more prominent if you tilt your head a bit in indirect light, like you have in your previous images. I respect your journey, but if you are disappointed, I completely understand.
We physically and emotionally need to see ourselves in a different light.
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).
I've had just a few quick thoughts from following your journey so attentively:
1) You're still in the middle of a long healing process. We followers should giveyour skin a full 6 months to recover before making any final improvement estimates.
2) If anyoneislooking for some way to camouflage redness on textured skin, a powder-base is the best way to go. Liquid or gel foundations and moisturizers accentuate scars by emphasizing the scar's walls. A powder mattifies (removes shininess), so scarring is a bit less noticeable from all angles. There are finepowder-bases at the drugstore, but the BareMinerals Matte Foundation has been great in my experience.
3) Thank you for addressing the emotional scarring as well as the physical - for many here, it seems like the emotional burden is just as heavy as the actual imperfection.
Best!
Thank you for sharing your acne scar journey story. Your scars have improved a lot. They are very shallow now.
Yeah you can't expect clear glass skin or how your skin was pre acne. But having shallow minor scars is a big improvement. 90% at least. Totally worth it. In real life it looks even better. Pics are always harsh than normal
So happy for you dude. I can totally understand your situation pre treatments. Now you are much more happier. This thread gives people hope. Thank you so much f93d
Thank you for your transparency and willingness to share your journey. I know it hasnt been an easy road.
I pray for yourcontinued healing inside and out. I know going through this has given you an empathy for others that the average person doesnt have.
Thanks again.
On 8/1/2019 at 6:27 AM, f93d said:- 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).
I've definitely had experience in the above. As an Asian person, the constant face/body shaming of relatives is just demoralizing.I'll also add that at one point, my mom was so embarrassed by my scars that she refused to let me go to functions with family friends.
The emotional scars we've endured are so much worse than the actual scars itself. Thank you for sharing your journey with us.
From what I gather of your personality, you seem like a really rational, problem-solving type of person. Until now, there was no mention of the indignities you have had to face. Hearing about your painful experiences is really moving considering I have been subjected to the same kinds of cruel comments. I can't even list them all, but when I think about them it still cuts so deeply. I've had complete strangers say the cruelest comments to me, point me out to their friends and then laughing among each other, getting stares of disgust.
The fact that you've come this far and no longer receive the same kinds of comments is proof of your success. You've achieved something that is incredibly difficult to do, which is getting well above the benchmark of50% improvement in scarring (probably more than 80%).
Something I want to impart on anyone taking this journey... You should know when you've achieved enough improvement and when to stop. I started out with terrible scarring as well. I had deep, deep rolling scars and significant fat loss in my cheeks.After years of trial and error I really managed to achieve what I would consider 80-90% improvement. The improvement even stunned me because of where I had started out.
But I became obsessed with more improvement and did some procedures that I totally regret which undid a lot of the improvement I had. In my case, it was a disastrous dermabrasion. I've been trying to get back to my peak ever since, but I know I'll never achieve that level of improvement again. This is why it is so important to have people you trust give you honest feedback, and to not become obsessed with more and more improvement. There is a point where if you cross it, you could end up worse off. You have to know when to move on, at least for a while.