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me again, apologies -- I was too optimistic about fraxel-- I read through the Fraxel-thread again and this time with much less enthusiasm -- suspecting a lot of rave-messages to be Ads, finding too few B/A pictures and some members calling it a waste of money etc. etc... If you have too much money to spend, maybe, but $4000+ for noticeable results (and might just be micro-swelling) -- i'll try the tazorac cream + massage instead..
here are some photos to show the uneveniness in skin tone and texture
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Hi STTS,
Despite some redness and demarcation ( which I can't really pick from the photos) your face looks pretty darn good to me. Based on the photos your scarring seems like nothing in the scheme of acne scarring severity. But I realize photos can lie, and scarring is a personal thing, however minimal others might judge it. I wish you good luck. You are a pretty lady despite any facial flaws you percive.
James
OH MY GOD, I am sooo depressed now!! You guys have great skin!! No pockmarks at all!! My face looks SOOO much worse than yours. To think u r still depressed makes me feel like I want to end it all. Trust me if you had my face you'd freak out.
You hold in there Ylem. There will be a time when acne scarring can be significantly reduced.
At my old company my boss was a handsome guy from France. He had severe acne scarring. The worst I have ever seen.
But I tell you, this man held himself up with dignity everyday. He is very successful, smart and funny. And happens to have a beautiful wife. And he had not an iota of perceptible self-consciousness. It didn't seem to bother him ( of course I can't read into his soul) so it did not bother anyone else at the company. No one ever mentioned it. And beleive me, this place had more backstabbing and gossip than you could shake a stick at.
James
more pics in my gallery -- dunno if dermabrasion really helped
Hi Stts,
I checked out you gallery pictures. Didn't see any before the dermabrasion pics though.
I would classify your type of scarring as mild. Realistically we have all seen much worse. Yours is the type that at times is unoticable, other times is visible, but does not really detract from your overall looks. This is my opinion based on the photos of you I have seen.
The oddest thing occured to me the other day. I have a freind, a guy around my age, who is and always has been very handsome. Since grade school woman have been all over this guy. Besides looks, he is very funny and charismatic.
Anyway, we were in a restaraunt and the light from out side was at such an angle that it highlighted a part of his cheek. It created a shadow effect. I noticed that my freind had 3 moderate type of crater scars on the upper side of his cheek. In 30 years of seeing this guy at least once a week, of knowing him very personally, I had never noticed them before. I was surprised to say the least.
The thing is they did not detract form his looks at all. I always considered my freind kinda flawless in the looks department. Just goes to show you, like Brad Pitt I guess, you can have imperfections but your overall personality so much overshadows the flaws they become invisible. There is a lesson here somewhere for all of us who obsess over our scars.
My advice to many is to take a break from looking in the mirror for awhile. We peer at the imperfections untill they loom larger than they do to others. Sometimes you need to back up, take a breath, laugh, throw down the mirror and decide today I will be happy, despite my obssesion with my skin. For one day I will get over myself. If not, I'm heading for a nervous breakdown. Somewhere, self preservation has to come into play.
James
CA: I'm sorry to have written so much crap without first asking how your condition really is... I never really felt pretty before and I don't now (first because of acne then because of scars) so I guess I won't be able to imagine the psychological pain you are going through. Whenever I'm leaving the house I need to put makeup on, not to look pretty but to look acceptable. No one ever gave me compliments on my skin. Guess I have bad genes to start with so I wont become much prettier even with all the procedures. Just that scars are really like flaws -- unlike being short or having funny looking toes...
Did you read the thread about fraxel? It seems that it stimulates growth of collagen and thereby reduces pore size , and it's non-ablative, thus (supposedly) rather safe for sensitive skin. Don't mistake me I am recommending anything -- but a lot of people reported a noticeable improvement in skin texture, if not in scar appearance.. Maybe that could undo some of the the damage done by bp? (I never liked bp myself.. anything else, even differin, is better.)
stts: I don't think you wrote crap, and if it was crap, it was encouraging crap. Maybe under some angles/lighting, other people's skin would not look as good, as HealthySkept also pointed out. Also, I noticed that some ppl whose skin I never noticed before or thought were pretty good, actually do not have "good" skin when I looked carefully (i need glasses...).
In my right mind, I know I should just move on but then sometimes, on a bad day, I get caught up.
I read alot of threads about lasers, and they kind of scare me now because there's apparently lots of things that can go wrong with them. There's long term effects like fat loss, and some ppl say they caused terrible breakouts after which they had to go on accutane (i heard this about smoothbeam and one other laser, but it's not fraxel). So i don't think right now the risks are worth it for me.
on the good days, I can accept my scars and think i would be fine/happy if my scarring stays as is, ie not get worse. and then there are other days.....
Also, i looked in your gallery and the additional pics you posted. i must say your skin looks very smooth. was it this smooth before? How much sun exposure are you getting?
i'd say becareful with the taz. i heard that non-caucasian skin can be very sensitve to it.
Thank you very much CA and James.. I notice that the exoderm has made my skin smoother (after a year of slow, gradual healing), and dermabrasion has made my cheeks look rather odd in comparison with post-exoderm skin with the orange-peel look and large pores.. In the end my skin isn't that smooth at all. The yellowish lighting hides the redness + blotchiness and the picture in the gallery is too small to show the real unevenness of my skin. Yet it is true that most of the time I can hide the scars on my cheeks behind hair and the blotchiness with make-up, so I shouldn't be so obsessed with my scars... maybe in a year's time, the dermabraded skin would heal and look normal again..
Funny how differently sometimes men and women are looked at and judged... It seems that men don't need perfect skin or a perfect body, and their charisma usually comes from their personality and style. Whereas women are judged with fragmented, superficial aesthetic ideals like big breasts, long legs, smooth skin etc... I wonder why women and men tend not to look at women as a whole, as people I mean, with body and soul, appearance and character, strengths and weaknesses... I often feel ashamed of how vain I am, like many others. If I was a man, my scars probably wouldn't bother me at all... Oh and I don't understand why everyone is using Brat Pitt as the personification of male beauty. There are other great actors whose style and talent are far more impressive than Pitt's: Dustin Hoffmann, Al pacino, Bruce Willis (!!!)... and my boyfriend has a much cuter smile than Brat Pitt 
Thank you very much CA and James.. I notice that the exoderm has made my skin smoother (after a year of slow, gradual healing), and dermabrasion has made my cheeks look rather odd in comparison with post-exoderm skin with the orange-peel look and large pores.. In the end my skin isn't that smooth at all. The yellowish lighting hides the redness + blotchiness and the picture in the gallery is too small to show the real unevenness of my skin. Yet it is true that most of the time I can hide the scars on my cheeks behind hair and the blotchiness with make-up, so I shouldn't be so obsessed with my scars... maybe in a year's time, the dermabraded skin would heal and look normal again..
Funny how differently sometimes men and women are looked at and judged... It seems that men don't need perfect skin or a perfect body, and their charisma usually comes from their personality and style. Whereas women are judged with fragmented, superficial aesthetic ideals like big breasts, long legs, smooth skin etc... I wonder why women and men tend not to look at women as a whole, as people I mean, with body and soul, appearance and character, strengths and weaknesses... I often feel ashamed of how vain I am, like many others. If I was a man, my scars probably wouldn't bother me at all... Oh and I don't understand why everyone is using Brat Pitt as the personification of male beauty. There are other great actors whose style and talent are far more impressive than Pitt's: Dustin Hoffmann, Al pacino, Bruce Willis (!!!)... and my boyfriend has a much cuter smile than Brat Pitt
so did the dermabrasion do anything? I'm glad the exoderm went well for you and your patience paid off. who did you get your dermabrasion done with?
Brad Pitt is kind of past him prime now. He used to be extremely hooooot (see Thelma and Louise). I like bruce willis too....he looks like an attractive guy anyone might meet at the bar. Personally, I'm a little obsessed with Colin farrell. He's going to be starring wiht Gong Li in Miami Vice 
here are some photos to show the uneveniness in skin tone and texture
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I hope that you did not get a full face dermabrasion, If you did is there any demarcation lines. Like sword we are still recovering from Dr. Y procedure. I stop counting the months I guess It's been proable 14 months since my procedure and skin tone and skin texture is still different from the neck. I also had d treatment of Fraxel to with the face and neck, I guess I see minimal improvement. Best of Luck to everyone sufferring the same problems.
Fratila was her name... I don't think she's good though. She kept giving me creams that only worsened my allergies. and when I complained about it she would say it's just because I had Asian skin. 
Moreover I was anaesthetised so I couldn't see if she really did the job herself or if it was her assistent...
Thank you for the compliment CA! 
, I never really learnt to shape eyebrows or put on makeup the "professional way". I'm just trying to imitate what I saw in Cosmopolitan. most of it is improvisation with the eyebrow pencil.sometimes when I only have 15 mins in the morning my eyebrows would be asymmetrical. People might have thought, maybe she's born with it, maybe it's just Maybeline.. oh well, I know my face isn't that symmetrical anyways. LOL
Kipster: Yes I kept telling myself: thank God I didn't have full face dermabrasion. Still it looks odd enough to have darker skin all around the cheeks, creating the exact opposite effect to blush/rouge!
I saw your picture in the gallery. We seem to have very similar scars -- basically confined to the cheeks. Your face didn't look pink or discoloured to me at all! In fact, I would love to have your glowing complexion. I am still fighting with blotchiness..
I'm using Solaquin and Mandelic Acid (10%) to treat discoloration. My derm prescribed a cream with Hydroquinone (the main ingredient in Solaquin) and Tretinoin but then the tretinoin is too harsh (for my skin at least).
So far I've found mandelic to be the mildest AHA (even milder than lactic) -- it still makes me peel like a snake, just without the redness! oh and I always apply a moisturiser first and then the mandelic on top. I notice that it's made my skin firmer. But I should give it more time before making judgements. Will update with photos!!
kipster: I'm sorry I forgot to ask, how many Fraxel sessions did you have? I heard that you won't see results until the 4th / 5th time. It's soooo expensive.. I kept thinking that it's just a new way for doctors to make money, but not to improve scars! please correct me if I am wrong.
Thank you for the compliment CA!
so you don't have to tweeze? Lucky! I have eyebrow hairs growing down to my eye, it's disgusting and impossible to pluck. Some actually grow right up to the lash line and pretend to be eye lashes when my eyes are open, so I guess it's not all bad 
I seen snippets of your face you posted and you have really pretty features. Unless you're hiding a third eye behind all those black bands ..... 
stts's skin looks pretty good to me & I'm not lying or sugar coating.
I haven't posted here in a while (I make a ton of garbage, fun posts in the lounge though XD) so I have no idea if you know who I am, but I got my 2nd derm done a month ago (just the cheeks).
Just waiting for my color to come back again & the dryness to go away. Only thing left that bothers me is 1 shallow, rolling scar & 1 shallow saucer, but I think they would look ok if I just leave them alone for a year. It's really the red color that makes them look bad.
Broke out with a ton of milia around where my stubble grows. They are gone now, but now I have red marks. :/
Strangely enough, my skin is sometimes just a very light shade of pink or it can be red. If I put vaseline on it, it becomes pale & looks really good. It's really odd. Most likely caused by dryness.
Also, just want to say that you shouldn't be too worried about people noticing scars. I don't even notice the people around me unless they speak to me. XD
Oh and I don't understand why everyone is using Brat Pitt as the personification of male beauty. There are other great actors whose style and talent are far more impressive than Pitt's: Dustin Hoffmann, Al pacino, Bruce Willis (!!!)... and my boyfriend has a much cuter smile than Brat Pitt
kipster: I'm sorry I forgot to ask, how many Fraxel sessions did you have? I heard that you won't see results until the 4th / 5th time. It's soooo expensive.. I kept thinking that it's just a new way for doctors to make money, but not to improve scars! please correct me if I am wrong.
I had 5 fraxels, My last treatment was atleast 3 months ago. SKin is somewhat smoother got some hyperpigmentation on nose. Using some bleaching cream for that. However, The doctors doing my fraxel would help lightened up skin around the neck and face (Demarcation area). Did'nt see good results for that, I would say skin improved 10% or so. I don't think price outweighs cost though. I spent $5,000 on 5 treatments
(Not cheap at all). Luckily I had money saved away for this procedure. The only regret is that I did Fraxel (I've been quote self conscious due to demarcation line). Best Wishes.
Hi Everyone,
It's been a year since my dermabrasion... what a year. It's probably the most traumatic thing I've ever encountered!!
To describe my skin's current state:
*2-3 quarter size areas that flare up pinkish red, depending on cleansers, weather, rest, don't really know...
*2 new scars (one hypertropic, the other indented - both about the size of pencil eraser heads)
*The texture is different from the original skin, can't describe... it's like trying to match two different black clothing together -- IMPOSSIBLE because of the subtle variances of texture, light, fabric, etc. It's like that.
*Color is returning to some degree - right demarcation line better than left, forehead and cheeks good
*Multiple acne flare ups after NOT having acne for over 5+ years (finally under control)
When I wear some makeup, the skin definitely looks smoother. The scars have dimished greatly.
Main concerns:
1) Get rid of red with Vbeam - still waiting until Fall, don't want to do it during summer months
2) Demarcation line - skin just might need more sun and wear & tear of living to match neck areas. Will try sunless tanning on face, and bleaching creams on neck in the meantime
When I feel more at ease, I'll post pics.
-Hopeful
Dear Hopeful,
Your description of the different texture is dead on. Now I understand why Yarborough's picture book contained mostly black and white pictures, and had no colored pictures of darker skin asians at all. Don't expect him to show pictures of our dermarcation to prospective cash cows anytime soon.
A year ago, I hid at home because I was ashamed of the dermabrasion aftermath and my stupidity to jump on the dermabrasion band wagon. Today I find people who scrutinize my dermacation / redness pathetic and weak. I doubt anyone of them can survive my disfigurement and still stand tall like me. I can honestly say I wear the abnormal looking mask as a reminder of a disaster I survived and conquered.
As you have learned too in the past year, attitude and self-belief is worth a lot more than appearance. I wish you continuing recovery of your color, but more importantly, I hope you rediscover true happiness. (The same goes for our dear friends Kipster and Dolmal).
Have a great summer,
Sword
My dear fellow sufferers,
Glad to hear all the progresses of all of you. Here is my update.
I had recently gone to consult Dr. Michalak. I told him Dr Y. carried out the procedure and he told me that he had part of his training under Dr. Y and remained close to Dr. Y.
He examed my skin to address my concerns: demarcated lines, skin texture and redness.
I explained to him unusual redness but he thought it was part of healing process.
According to him, it is 100% that redness will go and 80% that I can recover back to my original skin. My skin suffers from relative hypo-pigmentation (absolute hypo-pigmentation is 100% loss of pigment). There are two choices I have. I either wait for 2 years or if I am impatient, try out fraxel. He has seen similar situation which takes 3 to 4.5 years to recover.
I asked him about the risk of fraxel. He explained to me that fraxel has all the same type of risks as laser and dermabrasion (additional scars, problems only shows up 6-12 month post surgery, pigmentation change, inaccurate of spot test result). I was appalled to hear his explanation since I would have not gone for dermabrasion if these facts were presented to me. He went further through the history. The dermabrasion is considered out-of-date technology when laser come out since you can control better using laser (number of patients drops in 90's). Soon, they find out both of procedures carry the same risk. The risk of CO2 laser is even higher than dermabrasion and conventional laser. Recently, they use fraxel laser, which allows fractional targeting the skin. Fraxel laser has the risk with reduced extent (fractional of laser risk) but its effect for scar treatment is less (fractional of laser effectiveness).
I further asked statistic of his patient suffers from similar problem. He went around the question and told me these complications are commonly known in medical field.
I left the office with a clear option (wait for another 2 years).
I changes my opinion toward Dr Y greatly who over-emphasis the pros and over de-emphasis the cons. He even went further to claim dermabrasion has less risk than laser. (risk: CO2 > dermabrasion = laser > fraxel). He even accepted the most pigmented skin (black) patients. When asking about the statistic, I was told that all of his patients recover to original skin tone (with a shaded or two differences) in his career life. I was new to this area and unfortunately, I was baited in my consultancy.
why don't you guys start a class action suit?