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4 hours ago, boxthatboxcar said:In my opinion, Shei514 has has great improvement over the past few years. Looking at the pictures she posted just before the phenol peel, I would not even noticed any issues with her cheeks if I had seen her in real life.
Congratulations on how far you've come Shei514. I'm still only 6 months into my acne scar journey and every time I lose hope (which is quite often tbh), I log on to this thread and re-read from the start.
Again, this message is directed at you Shei514, in my personal opinion you don't need to do any more scar treatments for the rest of your life. The texture on your face now resembles the normal texture that most people have in their mid to late 20s and the only reason I know your cheeks once had scars is because Ive been following this thread.
Thank you! It is really crazy to see my skin from 4+ years ago. At the time I never could see the light at the end of the tunnel and even though it's not perfect now I've come a very long way. I hope you're able to get the improvement you desire it's 100% possible just involves money and time unfortunately.
I hope just filler to fill in some of the scars and maybe a phenol peel again in 5+ years. Maybe some at home treatments as well. It's hard to give up this journey as there's always improvement to be had it's just getting to a point where you're happy and able to let it go mentally. Not sure if I'm able to do this just yet but I'm happy others think so. It gives me a little bit of confidence.
I love your determination though....another phenol peel in 5 years wow......i am finding it hard to even undergo 1!!!! good luck
we can only wait till the future unless some true miracle in science comes out!!!
I am surprised noone has gotten back to me on ehir thoughts what my doctor suggested to me-:
Would like some thoughts?
10 minutes ago, pleasehelp321 said:I love your determination though....another phenol peel in 5 years wow......i am finding it hard to even undergo 1!!!! good luck
we can only wait till the future unless some true miracle in science comes out!!!
I am surprised noone has gotten back to me on ehir thoughts what my doctor suggested to me-:
Ithink let's wait and reassess later.My thoughts were to lift the mid face zygoma, so the light falls on the cheek and scars reflect the light at a different angle.That's just 1 suggestion. I am sure you will have a think about it and see if it makes sense to you.Would like some thoughts?
Are you talking about a face lift? Because that's not something I understand in the context of scar revision wondering if any one can weigh in here.
shei514 - excellent point legend....im not sure what the doctor meant either in that comment thats why i wrote it here? Im thinking they are talking about a mid facelift/cheek facelift as when lift up the skin near eye sockets the scars look much better substantially improved (for me anyway)
I would love to hear more responses from people on this board/thread?
@shei514are you still pink-ish in complexion or has it healed more?
23 hours ago, wombatstaywoke said:@shei514are you still pink-ish in complexion or has it healed more?
Healed more for sure but still pink especially around the cheeks (however not nearly as bad as I was a couple of weeks post-op). Im thinking I should return to my normal coloursoon, in the next month or so.
1 hour ago, shei514 said:Healed more for sure but still pink especially around the cheeks (however not nearly as bad as I was a couple of weeks post-op). Im thinking I should return to my normal coloursoon, in the next month or so.
How is the scarring looking as of now? Glad to hear how wonderfully you've been healing. Wishing you the best!
On 9/1/2021 at 8:19 PM, charisma786 said:How is the scarring looking as of now? Glad to hear how wonderfully you've been healing. Wishing you the best!
Here I am at two months post-op. Same harsh lighting. I angled the lighting a little more so people could see the left cheek™s scarring a little better.
right cheek 
Right cheek 
right cheek
notes on right cheek:
boxcars still present but slightly softer than before. They are kind of hard to see because they are white in the centre and kind of blend in to some degree
left cheek
left cheek 
left cheek
And because my thread is so long I will post the before pics again that were taken in the same lighting (kitchen overhead). Below are all before pictures
Here are some additional photos that I just took outside today. I didn™t take before photos outside but still thought this might be useful for some people to see what my scar type looks like outside in direct sunlight 
right cheek
right
Left
left
45 minutes ago, shei514 said:Here are some additional photos that I just took outside today. I didn™t take before photos outside but still thought this might be useful for some people to see what my scar type looks like outside in direct sunlight
right cheek
right
Left
left
Is this with makeup
3 hours ago, shei514 said:Here are some additional photos that I just took outside today. I didn™t take before photos outside but still thought this might be useful for some people to see what my scar type looks like outside in direct sunlight
right cheek
right
Left
left
Close to perfection, just fillers left. Thanks for sharing with the community.
2 hours ago, harmlessboy1441 said:Sunlight, different lighting and shadows are our natural enemy because it distorts so greatly our own perceptions all the time. Your improvement over time is quite amazing. I just returned to this site after a 10 or so year hiatus (feeling down recently), I noticed you did something called phenol peel, did that give you the greatest benefit?
I know nothing about all this new stuff like lasers or phenol peels. I did Dermabrasion and it shallowed everything by 80-90% instantly but now it's gotten like 60-70% due to some bad choices (microneedling, tca, excision all worsened).
So happy you got some progress. Hope whatever you do in the future continues to give you improvement.
Yes our perceptions are always changing due to different lighting settings. Thats why I think a lot of us suffer from body dysmorphia because we can easily feel ok and like the scarring isnt bad and then it can all change with a harsh light you werent expecting.
And to answer your question about the phenol, yes. It did give me the greatest amount of improvement in one single treatment. The phenol peel is also combined with dermabrasion FYI. But your scarring has to be raised to a degree otherwise the phenol will help but wont be nearly as effective. I have a lot of shallow scarring it worked on but the deep stuff remains.
Thank you, its really quite amazing how a good scar revision specialist and the right combinations can take you a long way.
1 hour ago, getsmart121 said:Close to perfection, just fillers left. Thanks for sharing with the community.
I still think theres a lot of resurfacing to be done but Im not really wanting to spend more money on doing that. Im willing to do permanent fillers, excision and then leave at that until maybe 5+ years and do the phenol again. The amount of $$$ I have spent on this journey is just mind boggling. Worth it but still a very big financial strain.
However I dont want to do more than a ml of permanent filler because its expensive but then Ive heard 2ml is more standard for acne scars
When people view the left cheek please bear in mind how severe it was when I first started treatment. This isn™t in angled lighting (I couldn™t because I would get depressed and regret not taking more detailed photos back then). You can clearly see just how much texture and scarring there is. That white big scar as well. My scarring used to be so bad that I would cry and have panic attacks. I have had so many treatments I can™t even count. But my point is that there is no perfection for severe scarring.
@getsmart121talked about how we adjust to our new skin and don™t take the time to look back.
8 minutes ago, shei514 said:When people view the left cheek please bear in mind how severe it was when I first started treatment. This isn™t in angled lighting (I couldn™t because I would get depressed and regret not taking more detailed photos back then). You can clearly see just how much texture and scarring there is. That white big scar as well. My scarring used to be so bad that I would cry and have panic attacks. I have had so many treatments I can™t even count. But my point is that there is no perfection for severe scarring.
@getsmart121talked about how we adjust to our new skin and don™t take the time to look back.
Yes you are absolutely right. It™s easy to be forgetful of something when it changes slowly. You only really remember the present situation. As a result, ungratefulness tends to set in. Luckily, pictures are objective because they show the actual scars journey from beginning to present.
You see the transformation through each picture, through each tear and passing year. Your skin has evolved to a dramatic level. I can certainly understand not wanting to keep pictures that highlighted the worst state of your scarring. It™s incredibly easy to slip into the blackhole of doom. Oh boy, do I know¦ but we press on. And now your here! Maybe you can take a breath now¦ and be at peace. I am sincerely happy for you. You deserve it.
4 hours ago, shei514 said:Yes our perceptions are always changing due to different lighting settings. Thats why I think a lot of us suffer from body dysmorphia because we can easily feel ok and like the scarring isnt bad and then it can all change with a harsh light you werent expecting.
And to answer your question about the phenol, yes. It did give me the greatest amount of improvement in one single treatment. The phenol peel is also combined with dermabrasion FYI. But your scarring has to be raised to a degree otherwise the phenol will help but wont be nearly as effective. I have a lot of shallow scarring it worked on but the deep stuff remains.
Thank you, its really quite amazing how a good scar revision specialist and the right combinations can take you a long way.
I still think theres a lot of resurfacing to be done but Im not really wanting to spend more money on doing that. Im willing to do permanent fillers, excision and then leave at that until maybe 5+ years and do the phenol again. The amount of $$$ I have spent on this journey is just mind boggling. Worth it but still a very big financial strain.
However I dont want to do more than a ml of permanent filler because its expensive but then Ive heard 2ml is more standard for acne scars
This is criminal. This has to be covered by insurance as this is medical condition. And not optional at all. Your quality of life is greatly impacted by this if you dont treat it.You dont have a choice if you dont treat it then you suffer mentally.
yes I agree it always the different light with the different output.
11 hours ago, shei514 said:Here are some additional photos that I just took outside today. I didn™t take before photos outside but still thought this might be useful for some people to see what my scar type looks like outside in direct sunlight
right cheek
right
Left
left
Wow, your skin has come a long way and looks so much better now! Congrats for your perseverance in treating the scars! Even under the worst overhead daylight your texture and skin overall look great! And you are only 2 months out of the procedure, you will see further improvement in the first year. I share the opinion of Getsmart fillers here and there and you will be very satisfied with the results.
9 minutes ago, Scarsmakemewanttodie said:Do you think you can make a completely identical photo of that 2016 image with no makeup
Make up makes no difference as the scars are atrophic
And FYI in most of my pics Im wearing at best a tinted moisturiser since heavy make up accentuates atrophic scarring
19 hours ago, Dontgiveupitsonlyscars said:Yes you are absolutely right. Its easy to be forgetful ofsomething when it changes slowly. You only really remember the present situation. As a result, ungratefulness tends to set in. Luckily, picturesare objective because they show the actual scars journeyfrom beginning to present.
You see the transformation through each picture, through each tear and passing year. Your skin has evolved to a dramatic level. I can certainly understand not wanting to keep pictures that highlighted theworst state of your scarring. Its incredibly easy to slip into the blackhole of doom. Oh boy, do I know but we press on. And now your here!Maybe you can take a breath now and be at peace. I amsincerelyhappy for you.You deserve it.
Yes I feel that way 100%. Its very easy to be ungrateful and forgetful its only when you take a step back to see everything in context. But its still difficult knowing Ive spent all this money just to look normal like not to look better than I do, just normal and so a jealousy sets in when you realise most people yourage dont deal with this pain. But I guess its not something I should dwell on too much.
Thank you. I am happier than I used to be for sure. But like you I am researching punch excision and the like. I want to see if some of my more stubborn scars can improve. Heres hoping!
16 hours ago, getsmart121 said:This is criminal. This has to be covered by insurance as this is medical condition. And not optional at all. Your quality of life is greatly impacted by this if you dont treat it.You dont have a choice if you dont treat it then you suffer mentally.
yes I agree it always the different light with the different output.
I agree especially severe acne sufferers who have to spend 10K+to have any meaningful improvement. Our lives are impacted significantly.
12 hours ago, shei514 said:Make up makes no difference as the scars are atrophic
And FYI in most of my pics Im wearing at best a tinted moisturiser since heavy make up accentuates atrophic scarring
Yes I feel that way 100%. Its very easy to be ungrateful and forgetful its only when you take a step back to see everything in context. But its still difficult knowing Ive spent all this money just to look normal like not to look better than I do, just normal and so a jealousy sets in when you realise most people yourage dont deal with this pain. But I guess its not something I should dwell on too much.
Thank you. I am happier than I used to be for sure. But like you I am researching punch excision and the like. I want to see if some of my more stubborn scars can improve. Heres hoping!
I agree especially severe acne sufferers who have to spend 10K+to have any meaningful improvement. Our lives are impacted significantly.
Also does subcision changed your facial structure in terms of like say seeming chubby cheeks. I noticed when I started doing subcision my face changed to being more chubby. Previously the face cheeks were a bit inside. Just my observation or maybe I gained fat lol
.