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Hi depressedj,
Thanks. I am 5 weeks post op. I plan to get off all make up in 2 - 3 weeks, getting really tired of hiding my face. The red has faded a bit, but it is still very noticable. This has been the longest 5 weeks I ever lived.
The only outdoor chore in this weather is snow shoveling, which I usually do in the evening anyway. Yes I put sunscreen on and try to avoid the sunlight. I even tinted the car with UV protection film.
Regards,
Sword
Misery loves company. My face will be scarlet red on Monday afternoon after my dermabrasion. I can't say I am looking forward to this. It would be fun scaring movie goers while watching the Ring Two at the Whitestone Cineplex. Hmmm....I might even visit some of the freak shops in the West Village and don't have to worry about people recognizing me. I am dying to eat at Jekyll & Hyde by Central Park North. You want to bet I will fit in just fine. I believe I need a new leather wardrobe with a spikes collar and chains belt. Would someone hold my hand when I have my tongue pierce?
Hi kwi,
Yes I am the same, red and splotchy and brownish all at once. The redness is not even, but it is generally lighter in the forehead.
I believe hyperpigmentation is normal for asians after a dermabrasion, as long as it doesn't bother you. Why don't you call Cassandra, describe your condition, and ask if its okay to treat the hyperpigmentation with Tri-Luma?
I called her today and she said it sounds like hyperpigmentation. I shall use tri-luma on the full face starting tonight for 2 weeks. She said use a small amount (size of a pea), too much can irritate my skin and make it even redder.
Sorry to hear your thermage scar is coming back, I suggest try to look at overall improvement instead of focusing on individual scars.
I read Poe's older posts again yesterday, she had to control hyperpigmentation with Tri Luma too, and it made a difference after 2 weeks.
Steven, Miss Shaddy, good luck on your upcoming derma!
Will keep you posted on progress.
Regards,
Sword
Hi kwi,
Yes I am the same, red and splotchy and brownish all at once. The redness is not even, but it is generally lighter in the forehead.
I believe hyperpigmentation is normal for asians after a dermabrasion, as long as it doesn't bother you. Why don't you call Cassandra, describe your condition, and ask if its okay to treat the hyperpigmentation with Tri-Luma?
I called her today and she said it sounds like hyperpigmentation. I shall use tri-luma on the full face starting tonight for 2 weeks. She said use a small amount (size of a pea), too much can irritate my skin and make it even redder.
Sorry to hear your thermage scar is coming back, I suggest try to look at overall improvement instead of focusing on individual scars.
I read Poe's older posts again yesterday, she had to control hyperpigmentation with Tri Luma too, and it made a difference after 2 weeks.
Steven, Miss Shaddy, good luck on your upcoming derma!
Will keep you posted on progress.
Regards,
Sword
Hi, Sword
I am going to get my Dermabrasion with Dr. Y in Early April. I'm asian guy (Chinese), Couple of questions I would like to ask, Is your skin tone slighty tan, and with the make up it, did it match it pretty well. I also would like to ask when you were heading back home, did you fly back, and if so, did you wear anykind of make up to hide the redness of post-op dermabrasion on the airplane. Now that you are post - op almost 2 months does your skin look better and color evened out, and did anykind of HYPO not HYPER pigmentation occur. I would like to thank you for your courage in telling your story, I believe you made a difference in a lot of peoples live.
P.S. I tried to logon into your POST-OP Pictures, Somehow those don't appear. I was wondering if you mind posting those again.
Thanks,
Hi kwi,
Yes I am the same, red and splotchy and brownish all at once. The redness is not even, but it is generally lighter in the forehead.
I believe hyperpigmentation is normal for asians after a dermabrasion, as long as it doesn't bother you. Why don't you call Cassandra, describe your condition, and ask if its okay to treat the hyperpigmentation with Tri-Luma?
I called her today and she said it sounds like hyperpigmentation. I shall use tri-luma on the full face starting tonight for 2 weeks. She said use a small amount (size of a pea), too much can irritate my skin and make it even redder.
Sorry to hear your thermage scar is coming back, I suggest try to look at overall improvement instead of focusing on individual scars.
I read Poe's older posts again yesterday, she had to control hyperpigmentation with Tri Luma too, and it made a difference after 2 weeks.
Steven, Miss Shaddy, good luck on your upcoming derma!
Will keep you posted on progress.
Regards,
Sword
Hey kwi,
No prob. Isn't it strange, we don't care about our scars as much as before (although I feel positive the improvement will stay), we just want our skin tone back
Hi Kipster,
I did not wear any make up on my way home (I flew home 4th day post op), but I wore the infamous paper mask when i was outdoor. The only thing you should put on your face at that time is Vaseline. Just concentrate on making it home and ignore everyone around you, they don't know you anyway.
I am still red although not as red as a week ago. I am at Day 37 Post op, I have hyperpigmentation (brownish color), but luckily no hypopigmentation. I shall use Tri-Luma for the next 2 weeks and see if it makes any difference.
I want to lay low because I attract lots of unwanted attention at work, so I took my pictures offline for now, I hope you understand. I shall post them again in a few weeks with new pics when the heat is off.
Remember to bring regular shaving cream (for cleaning) and vaseline with you. You'll be super thirsty in the 3 - 4 days after the derma, make sure you have access to lots of drinking water. Good luck!
Regards,
Sword
EDIT P.S. Oh I almost forgot to answer your question about makeup.
- Because guys don't usually wear make up, it is noticeable when you put it on.
- The redness changes from time to time, so make up that looks good one day may not look good a few days later.
- Make up melts and don't last the whole day, so be prepared to check and recharge in mid day. Coverblend and Dermablend make up last the whole day, but they look very unnatural on my uneven skin texture, I use them to conceal the dermacation line only.
Hey kwi,
No prob. Isn't it strange, we don't care about our scars as much as before (although I feel positive the improvement will stay), we just want our skin tone back
Hi Kipster,
I did not wear any make up on my way home (I flew home 4th day post op), but I wore the infamous paper mask when i was outdoor. The only thing you should put on your face at that time is Vaseline. Just concentrate on making it home and ignore everyone around you, they don't know you anyway.
I am still red although not as red as a week ago. I am at Day 37 Post op, I have hyperpigmentation (brownish color), but luckily no hypopigmentation. I shall use Tri-Luma for the next 2 weeks and see if it makes any difference.
I want to lay low because I attract lots of unwanted attention at work, so I took my pictures offline for now, I hope you understand. I shall post them again in a few weeks with new pics when the heat is off.
Remember to bring regular shaving cream (for cleaning) and vaseline with you. You'll be super thirsty in the 3 - 4 days after the derma, make sure you have access to lots of drinking water. Good luck!
Regards,
Sword
EDIT P.S. Oh I almost forgot to answer your question about makeup.
- Because guys don't usually wear make up, it is noticeable when you put it on.
- The redness changes from time to time, so make up that looks good one day may not look good a few days later.
- Make up melts and don't last the whole day, so be prepared to check and recharge in mid day. Coverblend and Dermablend make up last the whole day, but they look very unnatural on my uneven skin texture, I use them to conceal the dermacation line only.
Hi Kipster,
Thanks for the good wishes.
I had shallow icepick scars on the forehead, cheek and nose. They resulted from acne and severly clogged pores. Microdermabrasion and Smoothbeam made it worse by enlarging and stretching them, the skin also noticeably sagged after the smoothbeam. I lived in that condition for almost 2 years before the dermabrasion.
At the 6 month mark I shall post high resolution before and after pics side by side, and document the changes with lines and labels.
Thanks,
Sword
11 weeks post op update.
Improvement on shallow icepicks on forehead, nose and cheeks are still holding up. (15% - 30%).
I am far from healed in terms of pigmentation. Face still covered by a solid sheet of pinkish red, although there seem to be some yellow coming through on the forehead.
I must be a very slow healer. When I had the dermabrasion I expected the redness to fade by 3 months (2 weeks from now). I am not so sure about that now. I also worry about how well abraded skin blending with surrounding skin. I hope I won't have visible borders on my neck and under the chin after I heal.
Work situation has not really improved. I can't help but feel I am the company's one man freak show.
Family life is also deeply affected, as I am increasingly depressed, and don't want to show my face in the public except for necessary errands.
In retrospect, I was driven by a lot of pain to have the dermabrasion, it was important for me to do something about my scars. But I overestimated my healing ability, and underestimated the negative impact on work and especially on my family, for that I deeply regret.
Anyway, what's done is done, at least I am glad Dr. Y was the one I went to. When I heal I shall come back with an update.
Thanks,
Sword
Raised scars are easier to treat with dermabrasion than piitted ones. For shallow raised scars one could even dermablade it oneself, with a shaving razor and use silicon sheet over it as long it is noticeably red. Also silicon sheets alone can work on raised scars, but it can take many months.(I will post a link later when I find it.)
It all of course depends on how much and how big your raised scars are. The photos would help, once again.
Just hang in there sword. It does seem to take a long time for the skin tone to get back to normal for Asians.
I'm at month 5, going on month 6. The skin tone is better and better. I just had a bunch of acne (remember I said I did about two months ago), and it took one month and a half for all of them to clear. It must be some food that I ate. Haven't seen so much acne coming up, one bunch after the other bunch. Now my jawline and temple have some red marks from the acne and I hope they will go away in time. I failed in my promise to take current pictures to do a pre- and post-dermabrasion comparison. I guess I am pro dermabrasion and I want to take pictures when my face is (mostly) clear. Right now I still have 3 active acne.
Your skin tone will come back to normal. I haven't used the tri-luma cream because I don't think I needed it. I didn't see brown spots. It just take time for the skin tone to be normal, longer than you would expect. That sucks I know. Right now, my dermabraded skin tone is slightly a shade lighter than the neck's skin tone. That's fine. I don't notice it much. In time I'm sure everything will be fine.
11 weeks post op update.
Improvement on shallow icepicks on forehead, nose and cheeks are still holding up.AA (15% - 30%).
I am far from healed in terms of pigmentation.AA Face still covered by a solid sheet of pinkish red, although there seem to be some yellow coming through on the forehead.AA
I must be a very slow healer.AA When I had the dermabrasion I expected the redness to fade by 3 months (2 weeks from now).AA I am not so sure about that now.AA I also worry about how well abraded skin blending with surrounding skin.AA I hope I won't have visible borders on my neck and under the chin after I heal.
Work situation has not really improved.AA I am still very conscious about the lines and scars, and felt extremely uncomfortable when working up close with people.AA I try to be as positive as I can, but I was moved from a quiet spot to a crowded and high traffic area after the dermabrasion.AA I can't help but feel I am the company's one man freak show.
Family life is also deeply affected, as I am increasingly depressed, and don't want to show my face in the public except for necessary errands.
In retrospect, I was driven by a lot of pain to have the dermabrasion, it was important for me to do something about my scars. But I overestimated my healing ability, and underestimated the negative impact on work and expecially on my family, for that I deeply regret.AA
Anyway, what's done is done, at least I am glad Dr. Y was the one I went to.AA When I heal I shall come back with an update.
Thanks,
Sword
Hey Sword,
Hang in there man. At 11th week your face looks very good. I would be very happy if my face healed like yours. This morning I ordered a Canon SD400 digital camera so I will probably have some pictures of my hideous face by this weekend. I will send you some and you can compare.
Yeah...I too didn't expect that dermabrasion will turn my life upside down. I am an outdoor person. Since dermabrasion almost all my daytime outdoor activities have been curtail. I have even stopped dating on Friday night. It wouldn't be good to subject your date to that kind of attention. The attention doesn't bother me as bad now. I must have gotten use to the attention or my skin has gotten thicker. Well...at least the tall hot Taiwanese girl eating at the restaurant in Elmhurst Queens wasn't repulsed. My female friend that is getting married on May 20 told me she kept looking at our table when I look over.
Leafs, Steven,
Thanks guys, I shall treat you to dinner when I heal (in TO and NYC)!
In the end I am sure I'll be happy with the result and get on with my life, but to not point out the side effects on work and loved ones would be irresponsible of me.
Sorry to slip this in Leafs, but do you find the demarcation lines blend better on the jaw than under the chin?
Thanks,
Sword
Hello everyone,
After reading everyone's posts on dermabrasion, I plunged in myself. I had my derma yesterday with Dr. Y!
Dr. Y is as nice as everyone says he is, as is Cass. They are both surprised about this forum. John_Sydney - Cass and Dr Y had such nice things to say about you (we're both from Sydney).
It was certainly a long haul getting here to New Orleans, at least 26 hrs flying with 2 transits. I didn't get any sleep and then had to wake up for the surgery...I fell asleep in the reception room waiting for Dr. Y! The dermabrasion itself was difficult for me, I felt so tense when the frigiderm was sprayed, in fact I started shaking from the adrenaline when the derma finished. Then I promptly fell asleep and remember nothing about the bandages and getting in the cab
Right now I am eating and drinking everything through straws, drinking a lot. Taking lots of vitamins. I walked from Dr. Y's surgery back to the cable car this morning and tomorrow aim to walk to the surgery from the Grand Clarion hotel. Cass said ppl who walk are more likely to heal faster.
As for the hotel, I think it's great - wireless access, fridge, microwave, supermarket nearby and cable car stop just outside. Very convenient.
As for my condition - very very swollen. But I know I will get over it. I am prepared for all the effects everyone has detailed, ie. hyperpigmentation, etc on asian skin. Thanks to you all for your accounts, otherwise I would not have the courage to do this.
Well it's only my 2nd day, so hopefully things will keep getting better.
Sorry for hijacking your thread Sword...!
Hey queenie,
You've done it! I'm sure you have everything under control since you put together the dermabrasion FAQ. Did Cass offer you munchies while you change your bandage?
It feels like a century has passed since my dermabrasion. Anyway, I wish you the best.
Take care,
Sword
Hello everyone,After reading everyone's posts on dermabrasion, I plunged in myself. I had my derma yesterday with Dr. Y!
Dr. Y is as nice as everyone says he is, as is Cass. They are both surprised about this forum. John_Sydney - Cass and Dr Y had such nice things to say about you (we're both from Sydney).
It was certainly a long haul getting here to New Orleans, at least 26 hrs flying with 2 transits. I didn't get any sleep and then had to wake up for the surgery...I fell asleep in the reception room waiting for Dr. Y! The dermabrasion itself was difficult for me, I felt so tense when the frigiderm was sprayed, in fact I started shaking from the adrenaline when the derma finished. Then I promptly fell asleep and remember nothing about the bandages and getting in the cab
Right now I am eating and drinking everything through straws, drinking a lot. Taking lots of vitamins. I walked from Dr. Y's surgery back to the cable car this morning and tomorrow aim to walk to the surgery from the Grand Clarion hotel. Cass said ppl who walk are more likely to heal faster.
As for the hotel, I think it's great - wireless access, fridge, microwave, supermarket nearby and cable car stop just outside. Very convenient.
As for my condition - very very swollen. But I know I will get over it. I am prepared for all the effects everyone has detailed, ie. hyperpigmentation, etc on asian skin. Thanks to you all for your accounts, otherwise I would not have the courage to do this.
Well it's only my 2nd day, so hopefully things will keep getting better.
Sorry for hijacking your thread Sword...!
To me, they seem to blend uniformly throughout. I would say the dermarcation line has nearly disapppeared. The skin tone is about 85% normal colour. I think by the end of the year, my face, tone-wise, will look like it has never gone through the procedure. Yours will be as well. Just have to be very patient.
I will need another dermabrasion for sure because the rolling scars are still very apparent. I have one huge scar that is 5mmx2mm, about 2mm deep. Don't know if punch float could eradicate it, but I'll give it a try. Rolling scars will be a problem. Although money is not a problem for me, I won't do more than 2 dermabrasions. The healing time is way too long, plus I can live with some acne scars.
I have a question. I don't understand why dermabrasion doesn't totally eliminate scarring. Is this because the scar is deep on the dermis? Are there instances where dermabrasion alone can eliminate scarring, say for like shallow scars?
And what's the deal w/ rolling scars? If the dermabrasion takes off your skin, won't the skin that grows back be tight again... I have tried looking this up online but cannot find an answer. It seems like in theory it should work.
I have a question. I don't understand why dermabrasion doesn't totally eliminate scarring. Is this because the scar is deep on the dermis? Are there instances where dermabrasion alone can eliminate scarring, say for like shallow scars?
And what's the deal w/ rolling scars? If the dermabrasion takes off your skin, won't the skin that grows back be tight again... I have tried looking this up online but cannot find an answer. It seems like in theory it should work.
