I have my phenol peel booked in December 2022. For context, I live in Canada so this is a very $$$$ procedure for me. Will have to pay for travel, hotel, caretaker, endure the currrency rate, the peel itself (which is now $6500 USD) and lets not even talk about the downtime. I started to get cold feet yesterday because of The economy and the exchange rate right now between USA and CAD is crazy. So I contacted the office to cancel and get my down deposit. But then I was told Rullan might be retiring very soon, and his daughter will *not* be performing the phenol.
Now Im very confused about if I should go ahead with this now or not.
really wanting some input. I can post pics of my current face tonight.
but looking for some input/some advice, what would you do if you were in my shoes.

might I add, it really sucks how much scarring has had such a domineering shadow in my life (pun intended)

past brave people who have done phenol and have come out the other side Id really appreciate your input as well. @gynoscar@wombatstaywoke@f93d@shei514 @getsmart121

There are others who work with Rullan on the phenol. Theres a doctor in atlanta and one in new jersey i believe. Dr harold brody and Dr barton sterling. There are others too I think. Ask the officethey should help

30 minutes ago, laserorange said:

There are others who work with Rullan on the phenol. Theres a doctor in atlanta and one in new jersey i believe. Dr harold brody and Dr barton sterling. There are others too I think. Ask the officethey should help

I decided to cancel it. The USD to CAD is insane right now and I cant afford it for

the time being. Ill find a source when the time is right

2 hours ago, laserorange said:

There are others who work with Rullan on the phenol. Theres a doctor in atlanta and one in new jersey i believe. Dr harold brody and Dr barton sterling. There are others too I think. Ask the officethey should help

Which doc is the one in New Jersey ? Thats a lot closer to us east coast Canadians then going to California

14 hours ago, Catharsis2018 said:

I have my phenol peel booked in December 2022. For context, I live in Canada so this is a very $$$$ procedure for me. Will have to pay for travel, hotel, caretaker, endure the currrency rate, the peel itself (which is now $6500 USD) and lets not even talk about the downtime. I started to get cold feet yesterday because of The economy and the exchange rate right now between USA and CAD is crazy. So I contacted the office to cancel and get my down deposit. But then I was told Rullan might be retiring very soon, and his daughter will *not* be performing the phenol.
Now Im very confused about if I should go ahead with this now or not.
really wanting some input. I can post pics of my current face tonight.
but looking for some input/some advice, what would you do if you were in my shoes.

might I add, it really sucks how much scarring has had such a domineering shadow in my life (pun intended)

 

past brave people who have done phenol and have come out the other side Id really appreciate your input as well. @gynoscar@wombatstaywoke@f93d@shei514 @getsmart121

Very sad if hes retiring, I had plans in the next couple of years for another phenol as I believe 100% two peels would give me the confidence I desire to let this pain/struggle go. Maybe if the exchange rate improves you could rebook for early next year, who knows. For me, 1 usd is equal to 0.58 NZD so absolutely cannot afford any work anytime soon.

The peel is the best for single improvement in one go, but for severe scars I think two peels are needed. My boxcars are a lot softer looking now, I must say. Its really hard to comment overall on it, as I havent taken photos but Im a year post op got no regrets just would love to do it again. Lol.

I must say, it sucks that not only do we suffer from facial scarring but we have to pay so much money on top of it, we really dont win and even with improvement its never 100%.

I would say go for it unless you have a better alternative. The way I look is what can you get back time or money. Money can be bought back but not time so its absolutely critical. Always think the upside you would have if you make it to the other side. Plus you will keep on improving for months. One thing is for sure I always regret the things that I didnt do as oppose to the thing I did. Atleast I dont have to life a what if scenario

10 hours ago, shei514 said:

Very sad if hes retiring, I had plans in the next couple of years for another phenol as I believe 100% two peels would give me the confidence I desire to let this pain/struggle go. Maybe if the exchange rate improves you could rebook for early next year, who knows. For me, 1 usd is equal to 0.58 NZD so absolutely cannot afford any work anytime soon.

The peel is the best for single improvement in one go, but for severe scars I think two peels are needed. My boxcars are a lot softer looking now, I must say. Its really hard to comment overall on it, as I havent taken photos but Im a year post op got no regrets just would love to do it again. Lol.

I must say, it sucks that not only do we suffer from facial scarring but we have to pay so much money on top of it, we really dont win and even with improvement its never 100%.

Thats what Im thinking. I just dont know what my improvement will be and the currency rate is so brutal.

12 hours ago, shei514 said:

Very sad if hes retiring, I had plans in the next couple of years for another phenol as I believe 100% two peels would give me the confidence I desire to let this pain/struggle go. Maybe if the exchange rate improves you could rebook for early next year, who knows. For me, 1 usd is equal to 0.58 NZD so absolutely cannot afford any work anytime soon.

The peel is the best for single improvement in one go, but for severe scars I think two peels are needed. My boxcars are a lot softer looking now, I must say. Its really hard to comment overall on it, as I havent taken photos but Im a year post op got no regrets just would love to do it again. Lol.

I must say, it sucks that not only do we suffer from facial scarring but we have to pay so much money on top of it, we really dont win and even with improvement its never 100%.

Wow with that exchange rate you will be paying almost double thats crazy man . For those living inside the US they have no idea how luck they are to have access to professionals like dr. Rullan

25 minutes ago, No_hope_is_back said:

Wow with that exchange rate you will be paying almost double thats crazy man . For those living inside the US they have no idea how luck they are to have access to professionals like dr. Rullan

I ended up begging to rebook my phenol. Im all in now. Good or bad. Ready to do this

13 hours ago, shei514 said:

Very sad if hes retiring, I had plans in the next couple of years for another phenol as I believe 100% two peels would give me the confidence I desire to let this pain/struggle go. Maybe if the exchange rate improves you could rebook for early next year, who knows. For me, 1 usd is equal to 0.58 NZD so absolutely cannot afford any work anytime soon.

The peel is the best for single improvement in one go, but for severe scars I think two peels are needed. My boxcars are a lot softer looking now, I must say. Its really hard to comment overall on it, as I havent taken photos but Im a year post op got no regrets just would love to do it again. Lol.

I must say, it sucks that not only do we suffer from facial scarring but we have to pay so much money on top of it, we really dont win and even with improvement its never 100%.

And thank you for your contribution. It was what made me do a double take and basically beg them to book me back to my slot because it was already taken in the span of hours lol. Mary pulled through and moved the other patients around so i could keep my original date in December.at the end of the day, the price of not worrying so much about mirrors and overhead lighting and bad angles is priceless.

6 minutes ago, Catharsis2018 said:

I ended up begging to rebook my phenol. Im all in now. Good or bad. Ready to do this

And thank you for your contribution. It was what made me do a double take and basically beg them to book me back to my slot because it was already taken in the span of hours lol. Mary pulled through and moved the other patients around so i could keep my original date in December.at the end of the day, the price of not worrying so much about mirrors and overhead lighting and bad angles is priceless.

Congrats on getting your slot back. It is better to get it done sooner then later . I hope you get the results you want once you get it done . Wishing you luck

13 hours ago, getsmart121 said:

I would say go for it unless you have a better alternative. The way I look is what can you get back time or money. Money can be bought back but not time so its absolutely critical. Always think the upside you would have if you make it to the other side. Plus you will keep on improving for months. One thing is for sure I always regret the things that I didnt do as oppose to the thing I did. Atleast I dont have to life a what if scenario

This is very true. Thank you

3 hours ago, Catharsis2018 said:

I ended up begging to rebook my phenol. Im all in now. Good or bad. Ready to do this

And thank you for your contribution. It was what made me do a double take and basically beg them to book me back to my slot because it was already taken in the span of hours lol. Mary pulled through and moved the other patients around so i could keep my original date in December.at the end of the day, the price of not worrying so much about mirrors and overhead lighting and bad angles is priceless.

I hear ya about the lighting, angles... it's unbelievable. Tell me how my psyche is supposed to stay sane or conform with society when I go from "oh not a whole lot" in room lighting to "oh there goes that disfigured character from the goonies" in shadows and sunlight. Waiting...

1 hour ago, harmlessboy1441 said:

I hear ya about the lighting, angles... it's unbelievable. Tell me how my psyche is supposed to stay sane or conform with society when I go from "oh not a whole lot" in room lighting to "oh there goes that disfigured character from the goonies" in shadows and sunlight. Waiting...

or how about when you try your best to forget about them in public and then you get reminded of them by people and there reactions. I hate when someone looks at my scars and then they scratch there cheek it drives me nuts

11 hours ago, Catharsis2018 said:

This is very true. Thank you

Also you already had full ablative erbium, the only think you didnt try is full ablative co2, dermabrasion. If you want to try that first before this its your choice but if you do this then you cant do phenol peel for 6 months. As per my research online it seems phenol peel has produced much more frantic results in 6 month compared to co2 laser. But I again I didnt do it so cant really speak. From my perspective the people have mentioned that my skin looked smoother from a friend who also had acne scars. Also a lot of girls started flirting. Which makes me think why are people so superficial when I had scars people were not interested. Now I have good skin they treat me differently. I guess it goes back to human nature, we all judge.

On 10/26/2022 at 6:38 PM, Catharsis2018 said:

I have my phenol peel booked in December 2022. For context, I live in Canada so this is a very $$$$ procedure for me. Will have to pay for travel, hotel, caretaker, endure the currrency rate, the peel itself (which is now $6500 USD) and lets not even talk about the downtime. I started to get cold feet yesterday because of The economy and the exchange rate right now between USA and CAD is crazy. So I contacted the office to cancel and get my down deposit. But then I was told Rullan might be retiring very soon, and his daughter will *not* be performing the phenol.
Now Im very confused about if I should go ahead with this now or not.
really wanting some input. I can post pics of my current face tonight.
but looking for some input/some advice, what would you do if you were in my shoes.

might I add, it really sucks how much scarring has had such a domineering shadow in my life (pun intended)

 

past brave people who have done phenol and have come out the other side Id really appreciate your input as well. @gynoscar@wombatstaywoke@f93d@shei514 @getsmart121

Oh I was kind of hoping to get phenol with Dr Rullan once I am done with the basic treatments for final touch up. So sad to read he will be retiring soon. Do you know what very soon means in regards to the retirement? End the this year?

Last but not least, I am happy for you that you have your slot for the procedure back and hope you get the desired improvement from it!

1 hour ago, Vitaminche said:

Oh I was kind of hoping to get phenol with Dr Rullan once I am done with the basic treatments for final touch up. So sad to read he will be retiring soon. Do you know what very soon means in regards to the retirement? End the this year?

Last but not least, I am happy for you that you have your slot for the procedure back and hope you get the desired improvement from it!

I heard it may be February which I know is crazy soon

1 hour ago, Vitaminche said:

Oh I was kind of hoping to get phenol with Dr Rullan once I am done with the basic treatments for final touch up. So sad to read he will be retiring soon. Do you know what very soon means in regards to the retirement? End the this year?

Last but not least, I am happy for you that you have your slot for the procedure back and hope you get the desired improvement from it!

Also thank you for the well wishes

Im pretty nervous about it want to make sure I have all the pre care right

Currency issue? It didn't change much though. 10%? That's at most 1000 CAD. I will be doing phenol peel in December as well (booked a few weeks ago). Glad you are in

15 hours ago, Catharsis2018 said:

I heard it may be February which I know is crazy soon

Also thank you for the well wishes

Im pretty nervous about it want to make sure I have all the pre care right

Absolutely crazy soon. Its a pity his daughter wont be performing the treatment after his retirement. I was thinking of getting phenol in a year or two but alas.

2 hours ago, Vitaminche said:

Absolutely crazy soon. Its a pity his daughter wont be performing the treatment after his retirement. I was thinking of getting phenol in a year or two but alas.

Well they told me February when I initially wanted to change my appointment to December 2023

but who knows he may change his mind

Hopefully lol

yeah. I do wish his daughter decides to continue to offer the peel

but from what I heard, it was a affirmative no

Did they say why?!
I thought its one of the treatments only Dr Rullan can perform safely. I dont get it. Why not continue offering it when your office is the best and there are many scar sufferers who are willing to travel overseas for it?!

@Catharsis2018 Sorry for chiming in late! I haven't really been on this forum for awhile as I've just been to preoccupied with things. 

I'm sorry that the perfect storm just came about for you  I know you may be feeling all kinds of angry, sad, and at times desperate but don't worry! I'd say just take this as a blessing in disguise: you've saved yourself from their almost non-receptive staff, an insane (and unfair) exchange rate, and logistical complications on your way back to Canada. 

On the brighter side, there's several other phenol peel providers in the US and some even abroad (I know, right?) that still do this procedure. Just not in the method that Rullan promotes. Yes, it may not be catered to acne scar sufferers but it's something to finally get out about it. 

I'll be honest, I really haven't thought about my acne scars recently. I'm focus on other parts of my life but I can agree that my scars are soft to the point where I don't really notice them as much. 

On another note, I'm with @shei514 on this one as I too would like a second phenol peel or at the very least a touch up procedure. I have the funds for it however the real issue is the time and energy to go through living like a monk for five months or so. I did message their office and got no reply back. If that doesn't work by his retirement, I'm planning to go with another physician. I think for me personally, I just want to hold off on this because I've lost so much time from down time. Some friends thought I was dead. It fucking sucks when the only people you speak with are your coworkers off camera. 

On another another note, my primary care physician is planning to move into dermatology and is really supportive of my choices in my hyperpigmentation/acne scar journey. I've basically been her Guinea pig since she was worried I'd come out like Michael Jackson after the procedure.  

On 10/27/2022 at 12:05 AM, shei514 said:

Very sad if he™s retiring, I had plans in the next couple of years for another phenol as I believe 100% two peels would give me the confidence I desire to let this pain/struggle go. Maybe if the exchange rate improves you could rebook for early next year, who knows. For me, 1 usd is equal to 0.58 NZD so absolutely cannot afford any work anytime soon. 
 

The peel is the best for single improvement in one go, but for severe scars I think two peels are needed. My boxcars are a lot softer looking now, I must say. It™s really hard to comment overall on it, as I haven™t taken photos but I™m a year post op got no regrets just would love to do it again. Lol. 
 

I must say, it sucks that not only do we suffer from facial scarring but we have to pay so much money on top of it, we really don™t win and even with improvement it™s never 100%. 

@shei514Are you NZ based? I always thought you were from the US, specifically California. 

On 10/29/2022 at 3:13 PM, wombatstaywoke said:

@Catharsis2018 Sorry for chiming in late! I haven't really been on this forum for awhile as I've just been to preoccupied with things. 

I'm sorry that the perfect storm just came about for you  I know you may be feeling all kinds of angry, sad, and at times desperate but don't worry! I'd say just take this as a blessing in disguise: you've saved yourself from their almost non-receptive staff, an insane (and unfair) exchange rate, and logistical complications on your way back to Canada. 

On the brighter side, there's several other phenol peel providers in the US and some even abroad (I know, right?) that still do this procedure. Just not in the method that Rullan promotes. Yes, it may not be catered to acne scar sufferers but it's something to finally get out about it. 

I'll be honest, I really haven't thought about my acne scars recently. I'm focus on other parts of my life but I can agree that my scars are soft to the point where I don't really notice them as much. 

On another note, I'm with @shei514 on this one as I too would like a second phenol peel or at the very least a touch up procedure. I have the funds for it however the real issue is the time and energy to go through living like a monk for five months or so. I did message their office and got no reply back. If that doesn't work by his retirement, I'm planning to go with another physician. I think for me personally, I just want to hold off on this because I've lost so much time from down time. Some friends thought I was dead. It fucking sucks when the only people you speak with are your coworkers off camera. 

On another another note, my primary care physician is planning to move into dermatology and is really supportive of my choices in my hyperpigmentation/acne scar journey. I've basically been her Guinea pig since she was worried I'd come out like Michael Jackson after the procedure.  

@shei514Are you NZ based? I always thought you were from the US, specifically California. 

 

Hey

so I actually am going ahead with the 2 day phenol in December, I ended up pleading to Mary to get my appointment spot back lol¦ 

I thought about it some more and the responses in this thread helped in making me see money and time ARE important things to consider with phenol

especially the consideration that money can always be made and time is crucial.. I don™t want to live with the Whats ifs of not doing the phenol 

thank you @getsmart121for that perspective 

@Catharsis2018Awesome! Lmk if you need some help with logistics, lodging, etc. Happy to help!  

On 10/31/2022 at 2:06 PM, Catharsis2018 said:

Hey

so I actually am going ahead with the 2 day phenol in December, I ended up pleading to Mary to get my appointment spot back lol

I thought about it some more and the responses in this thread helped in making me see money and time ARE important things to consider with phenol

especially the consideration that money can always be made and time is crucial.. I dont want to live with the Whats ifs of not doing the phenol

thank you @getsmart121for that perspective

I can't speak for phenol in particular, but in general sometimes you have to just go for it if you're suffering greatly and make an attempt with the best information and caution of course that you can.