Acne.org Products
I had a consult with a plastic surgeon last week. I had planned on doing a deeper Er-Yag resurfacing on a few areas of my face. He does not do dermabrasion. I don't think anyone in this town does. Ok, well in either case, I decided on having a lighter Er-Yag performed, 20-30 micron and one scar excised. I specificly asked him if he will cut it or punch it. He didn't answer. lol. Damn. Ok I want to know. Seems the cuts sometimes do better than the punches. I will have the light Yag done, see how I respond, then the excision. I am just scared since I can live with a linear scar but the thought of a larger indented linear scar bothers me. I will post pics. Having the Er-Yag first then the excision, then another Er-yag. Hopefully, the yag will help so much, I won't need the excision. Don't know how to classify my scar.. boxcar I think with defined edges but not really deep enough to be an icepick, I am not really sure. I miss Maya's post's. I remember that girl was not scared to try anything. I waited 2 years before I was brave enough to try a cross. I hope she is doing well.
Can subscision or excision make scars worse (seems like it from some of you)?
Doubtful. Most everyone having an excision or subcision done had bad noticable scars to begin with. My doc would not cut out minor scars for fear of a possible worse look afterward. I had 1 excision that turned out great and 3 subcisions that turned out great and were not a deal at all. THe excision took awhile to get back to normal but the subcisions looked great in 1-1 1/2 weeks later.
CAN ANYONE RECOMMEND A GOOD DOCTOR FOR PUNCH EXCISION IN CHICAGO?
ALSO CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME HOW SUCH LITTLE SCARS ONLY A COUPLE OF MILLIMETERS CAN BE SUTURED? IS THE NEEDLE LIKE SUPER THIN AND TINY?
IF THE SCAR IS NOT DEEP OR BIG IS PUNCH EXCISION NOT RECOMMENDED?
HOW MANY STITCHES DO THEY USUALLY USE?
I HAVE SEVERAL LITTLE SCARS THAT AREN'T THAT VISIBLE UNLESS I STARE POINT BLANK INTO THE MIRROR. CAN ANYTHING BE DONE FOR THESE? BESIDES THE LASER TREATMENTS AND TOPICAL CREAMS IVE ALREADY TRIED.
WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF COMPLICATIONS AND MY SCARS BECOMING WORSE FROM PUNCH EXCISION?
PLEASE HELP ME!
CAN ANYONE RECOMMEND A GOOD DOCTOR FOR PUNCH EXCISION IN CHICAGO?NO, but I have had punch graph, not sure if that is what you mean.ALSO CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME HOW SUCH LITTLE SCARS ONLY A COUPLE OF MILLIMETERS CAN BE SUTURED? IS THE NEEDLE LIKE SUPER THIN AND TINY? punch graph is like a cookie cutter, they extract the scar hole, and prepare it for subsequent installation via a donation substitute somewhere from around your ear. They introduce this new sample into the target area. Then they tape it up until it fuses with surrounding skin. It will look like a pimple for 6 weeks until you are eligible for spot derm on the location to sand it down so that a flush situation is what you have.
IF THE SCAR IS NOT DEEP OR BIG IS PUNCH EXCISION NOT RECOMMENDED? See dr. to tell you this.
HOW MANY STITCHES DO THEY USUALLY USE? zero
I HAVE SEVERAL LITTLE SCARS THAT AREN'T THAT VISIBLE UNLESS I STARE POINT BLANK INTO THE MIRROR. CAN ANYTHING BE DONE FOR THESE? BESIDES THE LASER TREATMENTS AND TOPICAL CREAMS IVE ALREADY TRIED. If you can only see them when you stare tediously at them for long periods of time, then, no most drs probably would not do any surgerys on that, lasers, creams, and other junk, YES of course!!
WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF COMPLICATIONS AND MY SCARS BECOMING WORSE FROM PUNCH EXCISION? If the dr. is skilled, then probably not much to worry about, just do not pick at it or something while it is healing. Duh!
As a final thought, I consider almost all scar treatments to be like a giant garbage pail, and therefore many should rightfully be placed inside the pail as representation for what they mostly are, now with that said, I have tried all reasonable options, and I do reccommend punch graph with spot derm as my top rated procedure. It is the only way to eliminate those holes to be sure. I estimate about 85% improvement on the target site in question I had addressed. I do think you want a good dr for this though, to lower risk, and max-out performance. My dr also injected silicone ontop of the graph as and additional bonus! Usually I am critical of most procedures, but this one is worth it in alot of situations.
PLEASE HELP ME!----->consider yourself helped
CAN ANYONE RECOMMEND A GOOD DOCTOR FOR PUNCH EXCISION IN CHICAGO?NO, but I have had punch graph, not sure if that is what you mean.ALSO CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME HOW SUCH LITTLE SCARS ONLY A COUPLE OF MILLIMETERS CAN BE SUTURED? IS THE NEEDLE LIKE SUPER THIN AND TINY? punch graph is like a cookie cutter, they extract the scar hole, and prepare it for subsequent installation via a donation substitute somewhere from around your ear. They introduce this new sample into the target area. Then they tape it up until it fuses with surrounding skin. It will look like a pimple for 6 weeks until you are eligible for spot derm on the location to sand it down so that a flush situation is what you have.
IF THE SCAR IS NOT DEEP OR BIG IS PUNCH EXCISION NOT RECOMMENDED? See dr. to tell you this.
HOW MANY STITCHES DO THEY USUALLY USE? zero
I HAVE SEVERAL LITTLE SCARS THAT AREN'T THAT VISIBLE UNLESS I STARE POINT BLANK INTO THE MIRROR. CAN ANYTHING BE DONE FOR THESE? BESIDES THE LASER TREATMENTS AND TOPICAL CREAMS IVE ALREADY TRIED. If you can only see them when you stare tediously at them for long periods of time, then, no most drs probably would not do any surgerys on that, lasers, creams, and other junk, YES of course!!
WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF COMPLICATIONS AND MY SCARS BECOMING WORSE FROM PUNCH EXCISION? If the dr. is skilled, then probably not much to worry about, just do not pick at it or something while it is healing. Duh!
As a final thought, I consider almost all scar treatments to be like a giant garbage pail, and therefore many should rightfully be placed inside the pail as representation for what they mostly are, now with that said, I have tried all reasonable options, and I do reccommend punch graph with spot derm as my top rated procedure. It is the only way to eliminate those holes to be sure. I estimate about 85% improvement on the target site in question I had addressed. I do think you want a good dr for this though, to lower risk, and max-out performance. My dr also injected silicone ontop of the graph as and additional bonus! Usually I am critical of most procedures, but this one is worth it in alot of situations.
PLEASE HELP ME!----->consider yourself helped
Hi everyone I have a small icepick scar and I am hoping to have excision doe soon. However I was wondering why it was that the excision cut is always so much larger then the scar or mole.
Example:
&imgrefurl= http://www.harrisclinic.com/moles.htm&h=718&w=970&sz=42&hl=en&start=8&um=1&tbnid=s6iUwEQfD1ltLM:&tbnh=110&tbnw=149&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmole%2Bexcision%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dof f" rel="external nofollow">Pictures
I've just got home from a consultation with a plastic surgeon about this deep pit, ice-pick scar I have and really HATE. About 1, 5 year ago I went to a derm and she told me there was nothing she could do about it (she told me excision wouldn't work) and that I just had to live with it (easier to say than to do). She told me she could only "smooth the edges" and unfortunately I had laser done which made it even WORSE (btw ablative laser is a BIG NO-NO for ice-picks). I actually blame myself for this because I didn't know anything about laser at that time and I should have searched the Internet BEFORE I did this ](*,)
Anyway, the surgeon I spoke to today was SO NICE and told me it would be very easy to excise it (I belive he will do what is called a punch elevation). He said it would leave a small, thin scar which is totally leveled with the rest of the skin. I will have a couple of stiches for a week and if I wanted an even nicer scar I could use strips after the stiches are removed. He said there was no need for an inside stitch. I also asked him if this was a common procedure and if he had done it many times before. He just laughed (in a nice way) and said this was the easiest operation you could do and that excision is the first thing you learn as a surgeon. The excision will cost about $250.
I walked out of there a little shocked but VERY happy. After what the derm told me I didn't have much hope and now I was told it was easy to fix!? The only bad thing is that I have to wait two months but hey, if I've waited this long two months really are nothing! I trust this surgeon because he also works at a well known, reputable hospital (and he didn't have the $$ in his eyes
) . HOWEVER, I will not truly believe anything before I actually see it.
I just wanted to share these positive news with you all. This board has helped me when I have been depressed and hopefully this will give you a little hope. If everything goes well I will post some before and after photos since I know it's very hard to find good ones on the Internet.
I think it's going to be a good summer after all :D/
Hi All...
I had the surgical excisons done yesterday to 8 very deep icepick scars...Let me tell you I am so swollen...I had 4 on one side(left) of my face { laugh line area } and two on the other side {laugh line area } and 2 under my lip on the right side...I have tape on my face so I can't see the incisions... But I look some what deformed due to the swelling...I paid $2500.00 to have these done...It is expensive, especially since I live in SW Florida. I hope all goes well. I have a follow up visit today at 2:30... The doctor cut around the scars () to make a fine line. I hope this works. I will follow up when my tape falls off.
Doodles...
I'm back, I think it all went well. The worst part was actually the numbing...it hurt, ouch!!...but after that I couldn't feel any pain. I could feel some pressure and before I knew it he started to stitch the wound. It was a bit unpleasant because I could feel my skin being "pulled" by the suture. The procedure only took 10 min including preparations. (Btw, he did a simple excision, not a elevation, I misunderstood him the first time). Oh, another thing, I was told to wash with chlor-hexidine twice before the procedure. This might not be necessary but it will minimize the risk of infection.
He used a scalpel and cut out 2-2.5 mm. Even though the actual pit was smaller he wanted to removed the whole scar (the laser made it look like a rolling scar with a pit in the center even though one needling session and Super Cop/TriReduction improved it some). He said that how much you cut out doesn't affect the final linear scar.
I asked him about the other punch methods and he said that they only do punch grafts when they can't stretch the skin enough to stitch it up. He also said that punch grafts leave worse scars than excised scars. I don't even think he performs punch elevation.
I also asked him why some excised scars reopen and he said this could happen if the patient has an 'atherom' under the pit. Otherwise it shouldn't happen. He also said that inside stitches are needed only for wider scars.
I'm going to remove the stitches on Monday, hopefully I can put all this behind me then [-o<
Feel free to ask me any questions!
P.S Thanks Maya!
Hi Maria,
I really really want to get that done too. But I'm just wondering what's your dr's name. I want to search for him online. I think it's pretty affordable 
. 
Plz let us know if it works!!!!!
Thanks a milll
I'm back, I think it all went well. The worst part was actually the numbing...it hurt, ouch!!...but after that I couldn't feel any pain. I could feel some pressure and before I knew it he started to stitch the wound. It was a bit unpleasant because I could feel my skin being "pulled" by the suture. The procedure only took 10 min including preparations. (Btw, he did a simple excision, not a elevation, I misunderstood him the first time). Oh, another thing, I was told to wash with chlor-hexidine twice before the procedure. This might not be necessary but it will minimize the risk of infection.
He used a scalpel and cut out 2-2.5 mm. Even though the actual pit was smaller he wanted to removed the whole scar (the laser made it look like a rolling scar with a pit in the center even though one needling session and Super Cop/TriReduction improved it some). He said that how much you cut out doesn't affect the final linear scar.
I asked him about the other punch methods and he said that they only do punch grafts when they can't stretch the skin enough to stitch it up. He also said that punch grafts leave worse scars than excised scars. I don't even think he performs punch elevation.
I also asked him why some excised scars reopen and he said this could happen if the patient has an 'atherom' under the pit. Otherwise it shouldn't happen. He also said that inside stitches are needed only for wider scars.
I'm going to remove the stitches on Monday, hopefully I can put all this behind me then [-o<
Feel free to ask me any questions!
P.S Thanks Maya!
HI! doing a lil research before I do this same procedure......Dying to know how it turned out for you? any before and after pics???? I have several scars, but one in particular that is too painful for me to live with. I know someone eles said they were nervous that the after might be worse......any chance of that? How noticible is the slit scar versus the pit scar?? Is it always going to need to be covered or do you see the chance of not having to 'deal' with ith anymore? Sorry soo many questions. One dermatologists and one plastic surgeon told me cant fix it. But I had a short consult with a really good plastic surgeon recently and he said it will be $1500 to remove 8 to 12 indented scars....any one know if thats a good deal???? It seems WONDERFUL to me if It really can help.....and how about the down time....what all is involved in recovery....do you have really noticible stiches or do you apply bandaids and for how long???? When can you apply cover up????
im just a lil' scared......after all it is my face!! Any words of advice thx!
Ok so let's see if I can make the photo attachment work...
The first photo is a before shot taking with my analog camera and the other two after shots taking with my digital. The light is a little bit different but I think you can see the BIG improvement. I still have a small hypopigmentation after the laser I had several years ago (big mistake - no laser can improve an ice-pick scar).
I'm 100% satisfied with my excison!!
[attachmentid=4674]
[attachmentid=4675]
[attachmentid=4676]
Your results are amazing, I'm having trouble finding a doctor in LA or all places, can you believe it. I see plastic surgions offices who do it but I can't find any before after pix for anyone and I don't trust what they won't show. Can your doctor recommend a collegue in California?
Today i had my first consultation with a plastic surgeon... he suggested punch excision for my ice-pick scars and chickenpox scars... i have two pick scars on my cheek, the rest of the scars are on my forehead! i am VERY nervous about the procedure, but at the same time i am VERY excited!!! i think this site is great ... i will probably undergo the procedure in a week or two, as i still have to make an appointment that will suit me...
My two pox scars on my forehead are quite large, the rest of the ice-pick scars are small but deep...i will be more than happy with a level linear scar - in this way minimal shadows will be cast in unflattering light!
i will update the results...
Hi everyone,
since I did this six years ago I have forgotten many details so the best way to get your questions answered is to read the whole thread, it also has some before/after pictures. I know it's a looong thread but it has a LOT of useful info.
For me the excision was one of the best things I've ever done! 
In edmonton alberta i Had a polish dermatologist to a punch excision and graft a punch of skin from behind my ear. It did not work, the skin that was grafted turned black and fell off in 7 days or so. the i tried excision by an asian dermatologist also did not work. Now what was a smaller scar is now the biggest on on my face.
If i expressed my feelings about these doctors on he im sure my post would get deleted.
have a nice day