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I am well read concerning the different types of acne scar treatments available. I always do considerable amounts of research before choosing a treatment. I am in my 40's so collagen production has slowed down and I have been blessed with a somewhat drastic decrease in elastin. I have been treating my scars over a 20 year period now. I get to a point where things look good enough to me for a while and then through the aging process, my scars become more apparent, as well as due to the fact that my fillers, even when injected at the same time,have a tendency to disappear at different rates. I love the idea of permanent filler but will never do it as I have had some crazy allergic reactions to things at times that nobody should be allergic to. I have very sensitive skin.
So I have had many chemical peels in the past, I have had 3 dermabrasions, I have had fat transfer, I have CO2 laser twice, I have had multiple Fraxels, I have had Cool Touch laser, I have had Vi peels, I have done micro needling once or twice. I had CO2 laser, subcision, and filler about a year and a half ago. I have had punch excisions, punch grafts, sculptra and PRP injections. I am fairly certain that I have not listed everything I have done. I am planning to have a lower face and neck lift in the beginning of next year with fat transfer at the time into some of my deeper rolling scars. I am having this done as I have lost so much fat over time and then filled it back up that my skin sags way more than it should at my age. My current issue is still texture wise and for some deeper long surgical scars that I got from having large cyst removal (oh I forgot to mention I Have had to have multiple cysts removed and scar revisions).
My question is about Rf micro needling, specifically Vivace with PRP (I for one actually love PRP-it makes a tremendous difference in my personal experience as to how well I heal. It may not increase collagen growth much, but I have a better outcome if I have better healing time.). Can RF micro needling help deeper levels of scarring and textural problems at the same time? Can it cause a resurgence of cystic acne..this terrifies my as my skin is nuts..I have almost never had a cyst that I did not have to have surgically removed? I have some rolling scars, and some box scars, but I also have a great deal of sebaceous hyperplasia and just other textural issues. I don't have a long time for downtime right now as I will be in a wedding not too long from now. I also am wary about any procedure as I agree with other posts that I have read about how it takes longer to heal as you age. I don't hate my skin anymore, I have learned to deal with it for the most part, but I am still trying to make it the best possible that my own skin can be. I have spent a ton of money so I am just trying to get the most bang for my buck at the moment. Perhaps just regular microneedling could help as I may even be more irritated with the sebaceous hyperplasia (tried electrodessication, freezing, peels, etc for that and it doesn't work).
And I am not posting any photos because that is where my mental state breaks down. I want to do what is best for my skin, but taking photos of myself in all kinds of bad angle lighting just gets in my head and won't get out. Ironically, it isn't about showing the world. It is me who doesn't want to see them.
Thanks for any suggestions. I just feel like rf microneedling is the one thing I haven't tried and for some reason I am slightly frightened by it.
You have done so many procedures. How would you estimate the results?%? What was the most successful treatment on your opinion? How did the punch excisions work out? It really would be much appreciated if you post may be a part of your skin although I agree with you, after I take pics for docs or to post here I feel horrible for the whole day...rf mnd seems very weak procedure, I have read some good reviews but the initial scars were very superficial.
@CazyGalFirst of all while I respect your desire to not post any pictures of your scars, ... well I am basically guessing then and trying to help you. This does not allow me to fix the issues that I see. I have had patients who do thousands of dollars of treatments to find out ... they were done poorly, were done improperly, the Dr or Assistant did not know what they were doing, proper healing time was not included, the person had to many things done at once, or they never needed the treatments given to begin with.
I have dealt with issues such as yours many times now and as you state you know aging is a harsh reality of collagen and scar work. It takes longer to heal, with less results. Then there is aging related fat loss, and as we age all of the various other things our body fights as it keeps homeostasis. Good on you for getting a face lift and fat transfer, ...many your age will not do this and then come to me when the real issue is not only acne scar fat loss but premature aging of the skin. With doing so many things, I can tell you rf needling is not your golden ticket and will not do anything for you that has not already been done. Perhaps your skin is not prone to healing well, ... this is a reality for some. Sensitivity compounds things.
I do know the face lift will help, the fat grafting will help. I would speak to your cosmetic surgeon about doing a deep acid peel for texture, they are often done in combo with the face lift.