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@californiakidI tried putting on makeup while I had scabs, and it looked awful. Itjust clumps up on it, and made the scabs look even more obvious.Perhaps I just dont know how to put it on properly. So yes, wait until the scabs come off and also if you have any crusting from microneedling wait for that to come off as well.
Ive been using a tinted mineral sunscreen which helps to reduce the redness and even out color. Not complete coverage, but it helps. Since I dont wear makeup normally, I couldnt figure out the best way to make it look natural, so the tinted moisturizer was the best option for me.
Thank you @Obi wan!Also, I wanted to give everyone a quick update.
It has been one month since my last Cross/Subcision/Microneedling session with Dr Rullan. Overall, my skin has healed well, although, the bruising was much more significant that my first session in November 2018. Even after a month, I have some subtle bruising and pigmentation issues. I don't believe it's very noticeable to most folks, and I'm not bothered by it.
Scars have further softened and become less apparent, which I am happy about. Some of my deeper linear scars are looking better after the cross treatment on them.So far, I think it's been a 15% improvement on my scars.
Today, I had another session with Dr Rullan, this time for PRF treatment of the scalp, and microneedling of the face. I did not do subcision or cross this time, because I want to wait longer in-between for the more intensive treatments. I also didn't have as much time off available for downtime.
SinceI was not doing subcision, they used a numbing cream on my skin instead of injecting me with local anesthesia. This worked fairly well, as I felt little to nopain on my cheeks during the microneedling. The forehead, however,definitely hurt, since it's an area that has less fat and is thinner. Still, much much much less painful that Infini RF.
I was also grateful that my skin was not swollen like a pumpkin after the treatment, like it was post-subcision. Dr Rullan's website says that post microneedling, it looks like you have a "sunburn". I'd say that it looks more like a sunburn after you'll fallen off your bike and scraped your face against the pavement a few times. The skin is reddish, but there are definitely places that look scuffed/scraped. I'm glad i didn't hop back on the plane today after the treatment.
I'm a bit tired, so don't have the energy to take pics, but just wanted to share my experience in hopes it gives people a better idea of what to expect.
Hello everyone I just finished up another session with Dr Rullan this morning and wanted to give you an update!
Procedures done today werethe "trio" of Subcision, Phenol CROSS, and Microneedling. In additional, I didPRF Scalp shots
This was very close to prior treatmentsI did with him, except that he decided to inject PRF into my face as well as scalp. The reason, he said, was that my scars have softened enough, so I am now ready to start looking atfillers. He said that fillers usually come into play once the shoulders of the boxcars become softer. I had a couple of Xanaxes, so I didn't quite follow-up on the details of the fillers yet.
Work has been cray cray, so I haven't had a chance to take proper pics of what my skin looked like prior to today's treatment. But overall, I am starting to see noticeable results, I would say I have a 30-40 percentimprovement so far.
The one thing I have focused on more wasbetter skincare to improve long-standing hyperpigmentation issues. Previously, my acne was under control, except that I would get an occasional pimple every other week. Each time, this would leave a pigmented spot that would last months and months. After using topics, I rarely get any acne more, and the hyperpigmented spots are fading. This has made a big difference in the overall appearance of my skin.
If I get a chance, I will post some photos.
Hello all, it has been over 24 hours now, and as expected, the swelling has come down dramatically. So thankful the Kenalog shot to the butt.
I'm also glad that this time around, the trio (micro, sub, cross) didn't result in my face being too bloody afterward. The last time I did the trio with Dr Rullan, there was a lot of bleeding and it left a layer of blood on my face for days. I believe it was because I had taken ibuprofen a day or two before the treatment, which made the bleeding worst.
Below are photos after yesterday's treatment. You can see that swelling is comical immediately after the procedure.
In case you're curious, here is a timeline of my recent treatments:
Aug 31, 2018 - Dr Weiner “ Infini RF + PRP + Healite
Nov 15, 2018 - Dr Rullan “ œTrio (Subcision, Microneedling, Phenol CROSS)
Jan 17, 2019 - Dr Rullan “ "Trio (Subcision, Microneedling, Phenol CROSS), Scalp PRF
Feb 21, 2019 - Dr Rullan “ Microneedling, Scalp PRF
May 21, 2019 - Dr Rullan “ "Trio (Subcision, Microneedling, Phenol CROSS), Scalp PRF
@Phooo he didn't mention how many more treatments I needed, other than recommending fillers for the next treatment. I will be contacting their office to clarify a bit. Yes, I am considering going back to Dr Weiner for RF microneedling depending on how the results are after a few more treatments with Dr Rullan.
On 5/22/2019 at 3:09 PM, superburrito said:Hello all, it has been over 24 hours now, and as expected, the swelling has come down dramatically. So thankful the Kenalog shot to the butt.
I'm also glad that this time around, the trio (micro, sub, cross) didn't result in my face being too bloody afterward. The last time I did the trio with Dr Rullan, there was a lot of bleeding and it left a layer of blood on my face for days. I believe it was because I had taken ibuprofen a day or two before the treatment, which made the bleeding worst.
Below are photos after yesterday's treatment. You can see that swelling is comical immediately after the procedure.
In case you're curious, here is a timeline of my recent treatments:
Aug 31, 2018 - Dr Weiner “ Infini RF + PRP + Healite
Nov 15, 2018 - Dr Rullan “ œTrio (Submission, Microneedling, Phenol CROSS)
Jan 17, 2019 - Dr Rullan “ "Trio (Submission, Microneedling, Phenol CROSS), Scalp PRF
Feb 21, 2019 - Dr Rullan “ Microneedling, Scalp PRF
May 21, 2019 - Dr Rullan “ "Trio (Submission, Microneedling, Phenol CROSS), Scalp PRF
What is submission??
21 minutes ago, arug said:superburrito, do you have any idea what parameters they used on your face? i had endymed (similar to infini but the needles are not insulated)friday afternoon. they used1.5mm on the chin and forehead, 2mm on the cheeks. i think i needed more depth around my mouth.
@arugfor the Infini, Im not sure parameters they used, but I know they did one pass that was deep and one pass that was shallow.
21 hours ago, superburrito said:
@arugfor the Infini, Im not sure parameters they used, but I know they did one pass that was deep and one pass that was shallow.
At first after reading this I felt ripped off. But then I remembered that endymed puts out heat all the way along the needle depth, not just at the tip.
I was afraid of the noninsulated needless-there is a risk of PIH with my skin type (Greek, pale olive, Fitzpatrick III). But that is clearly not going to be an issue. 3 days later I feel some roughness and microcrusting (this will take 4 additional days to resolve)but I can't see it without my glasses.
3 hours ago, arug said:At first after reading this I felt ripped off. But then I remembered that endymed puts out heat all the way along the needle depth, not just at the tip.
I was afraid of the noninsulated needless-there is a risk of PIH with my skin type (Greek, pale olive, Fitzpatrick III). But that is clearly not going to be an issue. 3 days later I feel some roughness and microcrusting (this will take 4 additional days to resolve)but I can't see it without my glasses.
@arug,My understanding is that non-insulated needles do pose greater risk of hyperpigmentation. Keep in mind that the pigmentation issues may not appear immediately after the procedure because you are still healing. So it may start to appear a week or two later. Both Dr Weiner and Dr Lim in Australia prefer insulated needles because it is safer, and preserves the upper layers of the skin.
If you used Endymeds Intensif, Dr Weiner showed me a video of that machine to explain why he doesnt use it. When the needles come out of the machine, there is not enough force of the needle, so there is a lot of resistance when it enters the skin, and the wand bounces back, which means that the needles dont go as far as what the practitioner sets it too.
@beautifulambitionmight have more thoughts on Intensif vs Infini/Genius.
Ultimately its the skill of the practitioner, and not the purely the device, so I hope that you can heal more quickly.
Good luck on your healing!
@arugIt's all about insulated needles, the majority of damage or grid mark complaints come from un-insulated rf needling machines. This is why this machine is used frankly, in all skin types safely ... taking that away you might as well do laser.
Some machines do both insulated and uninsulated. Intensif is one I think that is uninsulated, there was some talk they were going to get new tips that were insulated, ... ask your provider what they used / use. Genius/Infini, Vivance, Secret, Intracel all use insulated needles.
I think the risk for PIH is significantly greater when sunscreen is omitted or used ineffectually. I am really scrupulous about mine and don't expect any PIH. The treatment I had was very shallow, too. I don't think it did anything. I feel more and have more visible trauma when I use my derminator. The woman who did it said she used the standard protocol.
2 hours ago, arug said:I think the risk for PIH is significantly greater when sunscreen is omitted or used ineffectually. I am really scrupulous about mine and don't expect any PIH. The treatment I had was very shallow, too. I don't think it did anything. I feel more and have more visible trauma when I use my derminator. The woman who did it said she used the standard protocol.
Good luck!
@superburrito that is great to hear, that you had around 40% improvement.
Do you have a side by side picture?
thank you for keeping ja updated.
I went to Dr Rullan a few times.
He's a genuinely good person and knows his stuff. But I have to say, he oversold the effectiveness of his2day phenol peel. He claims 80% average improvement, but that is just bullshitunless you are counting multiple touch-up sessions with filler and other things after that are not included in the phenol price.
Phenol is a slam dunk for wrinkles, not so much for scars. I had excellent results with his full face subcision and round of silicon filler however.I would recommend him over anyone else I've seen.
Hey all! Thanks for your patience. It's been awhile, so wanted to share the latest:
July 17
This past July, I went in to see Dr Rullan where he usedJuvederm fillers for the scars that have softened up. This definitely helped elevate some of the scars, and the results seem to be lasting a little while. Juvederm definitely felt a little weird as first, it definitely feels like a foreign gel under the skin and you have to massage it a bit in the first couple of days. It feels more natural after a few days. There's one scar that looks a touch overfilled, but this will fade over time.
Today, Nov 20
I went in to Dr Rullan today and only did Phenol CROSS this time to treat the acne scars. Kept the treatment more minimal as I have flight later today.
Overall progress
Didn't have time to take pics, but overall improvement has been about 50-60%. Biggest change is that my indented scars, even ones that were decades, were hyperpigmented, so the scars looked worse than they are. Theynow they blend a bit better with the skin. I believe this is result from using topicals consistently as well as the CROSS treatments. The shoulders of the scars have also softened and are less noticeable. There is still some lighting situations where the scars and texture of skin look really noticeable to me. I don't think I will ever reach a point where it looks smooth in all lightning conditions, and I am okay with that.
Future treatments
I will be continuing with Phenol Cross and will try Juvederm again. For now, I'm pausing on subcision and microneedling, as I don't think I have any tethered scars, and the downtime for subcision is fairly tough. I might try RF microneedling again (Genius/Infini) depending on time/cost.