Did you look into dermabrasion as an option? I have seen many positive stories and pictures from members that have had dermabrasion. As a matter of fact a member just emailed me pix of herself before and after dermabrasion with really nice results. She had only her cheeks done for $800. My aunt also had dermabrasion done years ago with very impressive results. I think nearly every negative from the dermabrasion comes from people with Asian skin. I think if you have a light skin tone and not too deep of scarring you should be fine with the exoderm, just maybe wont see as much results as with dermabrasion. I really hope everything works out great for you.

Ahhhh thanks so much Keith......You asked if I had considered Dermabrasion...Well yes, I had thougth about it....And I still do think about it....But for me...I felt at this time I leaned more toward the Exoderm for many reasons.....Some of the reasons are that i have several people I have now talked with that are thrilled with the results...I have to agree with you ...I think most of the problems are from darker colored skin....I am hopeful that I will be happy with my sesults......And I posted a very long reply to Jasmine on the other board.....Maybe I will copy it to this board following this message......Thanks for being positive.......=)

I posted this message on the other board..And thought It might let you all know here on this board how I feel and where I stand right now....Thanks to everyone here who have so helpful....!!!!

I truly don't know what to say here...Other than I would like to thank everyone here for all the advice and helpfulness they have given me..And I will keep it all in mind. I would also like to say I have personally spoken with some of Dr. Rullans "happy" patients. And thses people have been VERY happy with the results they have experenced. I understand that skin condition/type as well as the type scaring you have does play an important role in what your results will be. I have the same type of "fair" non oily skin the "happy" patients all share..So I do not worry much about the Exoderm being a mistake for me. I know many of the hiperpigmentation problems come from people with darker skin. I know that I am so tired of these scars I am sure I will try anything I think can give me a possible improvment. So maybe I am just trying to be hopeful here. But I know the patients I have spoken to LOVE the results they alll share...And just because they do not post here any longer...Or never posted here for that matter..Does not make their improvment any less real to them. I know one person in particular does not feel she has to "prove" her results...Why shoud she..I have to agree with that..If she is happy with her result then everyone here should be happy for her and not try to disprove her becasue she is not inclined to jump through hoops to prove her results. Anyway...I guess we all have to do what we feel is best for our own lives...I know it was really hard for me to take Accutane I took about 12 years ago. All I could wonder was is this all going to be worth all my suffereing in the end.I had my hair fall out in hand fulls everytime I shampooed it..I had nose bleeds..I had skin infections..I had night blindness so it was near impossible to drive at night for me....I think I suffered all the bad effects you coudl suffer from that very strong drug...BUT IT WAS ALL WORTH IT IN THE END !!! Because I have not had a breakout since I took it...In addition to that..I had "normal" hair instead of oily hair that had to be shampooed everyday. I was indeed thrilled...But everyone I knew insisted that I not take sure a chemical to improve something as "trivial" as acne.....As we all know ...Acne is not a light subject..And it has horrible effects on all that have ever suffered from it. But I took the risk to use Accutane and I wish more people would...Which I think do now...But at the time i used it.....I think almost no one used it...At least not anyone I had ever hear of. Well I have rambled on here....But all I am trying to say is this..We all have things that we are willing to do to get a "possible" improvment...Some are more willing than others....And some have better results than others..As nothing in the world of medicine has a promise attached to it...It's all a risk...I am happy for the people that have had good results with Dr. Rullan..And I am deeply saddened by the ones who have had a bad experence. And I would plead with you to continue your search for a method of improvment....Don't lose hope...And I will be going through with my Exoderm in Jan. I must try this.. I am deeply hurt by the scars I have at this time. I will never stop trying to find a way to rid myself of thses scars....Take care everyone here....And I will keep you all posted....=) And again THANKS for all your help and advice....

Did you look into dermabrasion as an option? I have seen many positive stories and pictures from members that have had dermabrasion. As a matter of fact a member just emailed me pix of herself before and after dermabrasion with really nice results. She had only her cheeks done for $800. My aunt also had dermabrasion done years ago with very impressive results. I think nearly every negative from the dermabrasion comes from people with Asian skin. I think if you have a light skin tone and not too deep of scarring you should be fine with the exoderm, just maybe wont see as much results as with dermabrasion. I really hope everything works out great for you.

 

A good dermabrasion and a good chemoabrasion are more or less the same: a deep abrasion. Dermabrasion is more bloody and has more risks of infection, though.

Exoderm will be good for you if you have wrinkles and scars, the scars will improve even in a minimal percentage and anyways your skin will look younger, and if you have fitzpatrick I or II you won't have pigmentation problems.

I have to agree here...I know I was happy with the laser effects....Of course it took some time for alol that redness to diminish...But I liked the tightness I get from it...It seemed to make the scarring look much better ....Although it was in a way an illusion....=) My skin is sooo fair/light I don't worry about the hiperpigmentation at all......Thanks for being positive......

Girliegirl

I understand trying to be positive totally but also try to be realistic. If you read a positive post about exoderm make sure that it is at least 6 months post procedure. Most people come back and post about how much improved they are at a week or 2 weeks which is 90% swelling only to come back later and say 0-20% improvement at best.

Hyping yourself up by being overly positive can lead to a huge let down. I hope you will prove I am wrong but I think your expectations are way high.

I am sort of shellshocked you thought you could go out and do stuff in San Diego after your procedure? If so your level of understanding is very low about what you will look like and sun sensitivity and just how extreme this procedure really is. Just sounds like you don't have all the information and have done enough research to make a solid decision. The sun sensivity can last to almost a year in these procedures.

I hope everything goes well and I will stop posting warnings but again I don't want to see anyone jack up their skin or have high hopes and be let down after spending $$$$$.

Colin

Not at all do I have overly high hopes.........I had laser about 4 years past...And I only got about 50 % improvment with it...But I was still happy...Becasue anything beats nothing right.... If you read all of my posts I am not sure....Maybe I was not clearn in something you read...So yes, I do understand about the swelling and so forth...I completley understand........I know that it can look as if you have perfection before swelling goes away......But I only have the hope of an improvment..."Not perfection"....Oh and I must laugh out load here........OF COURSE I DID NOT PLAN TO DO THINGS AFTER MY EXODERM............I AM DOING IT ALL BEFORE THE EXODERM.....

I am going to San Diego one week before the procedure..Soooooooo I hope to use that time to have some fun.......But hey....even after that I will be staying in a condo right on the beach...Watching the waves from the sofe .....So I hope that will bring great tanquillity and peace to endure what I hope will be a positive experence for me...The only reason I ever posted here ws to learn things about the Exoderm procedure...And I am learning....So thanks......

Not at all do I have overly high hopes.........I had laser about 4 years past...And I only got about 50 % improvment with it...But I was still happy...Becasue anything beats nothing right.... If you read all of my posts I am not sure....Maybe I was not clearn in something you read...So yes, I do understand about the swelling and so forth...I completley understand........I know that it can look as if you have perfection before swelling goes away......But I only have the hope of an improvment..."Not perfection"....Oh and I must laugh out load here........OF COURSE I DID NOT PLAN TO DO THINGS AFTER MY EXODERM............I AM DOING IT ALL BEFORE THE EXODERM.....

I am going to San Diego one week before the procedure..Soooooooo I hope to use that time to have some fun.......But hey....even after that I will be staying in a condo right on the beach...Watching the waves from the sofe .....So I hope that will bring great tanquillity and peace to endure what I hope will be a positive experence for me...The only reason I ever posted here ws to learn things about the Exoderm procedure...And I am learning....So thanks......I wondered how hard it woudl be to cover the redness for my flight back home...Not to go out and abotu ont he town...Not at all....hahahahahah!!!!

 

 

For as many negative stories here, I've heard and read just as many positive ones.

 

They just don't post here anymore.

 

Good luck!

 

 

Yes, there are many positives stories about Exoderm, that is why i chose it. Some of us here had Exoderm at the same time and our stories are maybe the first negative stories about it.

 

By the way, whyme?, are you still around?

 

Well, you admit that you didn't have done what the poster is having done with Dr. Rullen. My understanding is that the chemobrasian is probably the most important part of the process.

Of course depending on the severity of your scars, more than one treatment will probably have to be done.

Girliegirl

 

I understand trying to be positive totally but also try to be realistic. If you read a positive post about exoderm make sure that it is at least 6 months post procedure. Most people come back and post about how much improved they are at a week or 2 weeks which is 90% swelling only to come back later and say 0-20% improvement at best.

 

Hyping yourself up by being overly positive can lead to a huge let down. I hope you will prove I am wrong but I think your expectations are way high.

 

I am sort of shellshocked you thought you could go out and do stuff in San Diego after your procedure? If so your level of understanding is very low about what you will look like and sun sensitivity and just how extreme this procedure really is. Just sounds like you don't have all the information and have done enough research to make a solid decision. The sun sensivity can last to almost a year in these procedures.

 

I hope everything goes well and I will stop posting warnings but again I don't want to see anyone jack up their skin or have high hopes and be let down after spending $$$$$.

 

Colin

Colin, that's not true at all. You havn't posted here for years and years like me and others have. There are tons of success stories out there after 1 year or more. Keep in mind that Dr. Rullen does Exoderm plus chemobrasian. This is different than other doctors who do the procedure.

Yes... I think it is important to remember....Dr. Rullan does things a bit differently than some others may ...And also keep in mind all skin is different and we all have various degrees of scarring...So of couse we will all have different results......Thank godness for the ones who do get good results....=)

I understand medicine is not an exact science but 80% improvement is a far cry from no visible improvement. It is not like he gave me this estimate of improvement over the phone either. Since he is an exoderm guru and claims to have done the peel on many hispanic patients with my skin type and texture, then he should know whether people with oily thick skin types generally have less than adequate results. If this is the case he should have been honest and discussed this possibility with me. He only mentioned that there is a higher risk of hyperpigmentation but that there are no side effects in his experience that they have not been able to treat. Fortunately I did not experience hyperpigmentation but there is a white spot on my scalp right above my forehead that should have been protected properly from the phenol peel. I read this in one of the exoderm articles. I have seen reputable dermatologist that have honestly told me their laser could only do so much for my scars even though they are not bad at all and that due to my skin type, there are also more risks. They did not try to sell me on their laser like Dr. Rullan did with the exoderm by saying this is the best treatment out there for my skin type and scars as far as effectiveness and safety are concerned. I remember telling him, I have heard this peel can take 5-8 years off a persons face and he smiled (probably wanted to burst out laughing) as he kept on typing on the computer with his back to me and said, oh yes sometimes even more. He is such a salesman. On the other hand, Dr. Seltzer in Pasadena, even gave me free tazorac since I was broken out back then, right out of college and advised me to go on accutane once I get insurance, and wait until I am clear to treat my scars. He was also honest about what to expect with his laser treatment. Those doctors obviously care about more than just money. I really hope this works out for you Girliegirl and that if it does not you will be as kind and brave as Nambrobi to come back and say so.

Again, let me say how very sorry I am that your own personal experence was not a good one...I can feel your pain and frustration here Jasmine.....

As you know Dr. Rullan reccomends most patients take Accutane after this treatment... I know you were looking to get an 80% or so improvment with the Exoderm...But Jasmine, with any type treatment we ALL have different results...This as you know is something medical....So there are no promises in that world... But if you felt in your own mind you could count on things being just that....80% you may have set the stage for your own disapointment...And I do not in anyway mean that to sound harsh my dear....

I will be most happy to report back here with my results...But I will be like the other poster from the other board.....I do not feel I have to PROVE anything to anyone here....When i have the treatment...And if I am indeed happy with the results.....I will post that ....If I am not happy...I will post that as well....But I sounds like some of the posters on the other board simply tormented one of the people to death over there with ..."Put you money where your mouth is" "PROVE TO US YOU HAVE RESULTS"....That is simply obsurd.....If she says she is happy with her results...Be happy for her.....Don't make her out to be a villian....Good Greif !!!! And again...I am not saying you have Jasmine...I am just saying after reading her posts verses the comments that were posted...I don't blame her...I woudl NEVER reply back with all of the negetive feedback she was given...And if course she was welcomed with curious questions until she said she was happy and she moved forward in things.....Anyway...I will be happy to post my results....And no ...As I have mentioned in earlier posts...My expectations are a VERY real.......How much more real could they be.....I simply want SOME improvment.....Key word being SOME.....=) Thanks for your reply Jasmine.....

Jasmine...I more I think about what you have stated about Dr. Rullan...The more questions I have.....And of course you do not have to answer any of my questions here on the board...You can email me directly...Or you can simply ask these to yourself.....

Have you made Dr. Rullan aware of your feelings? Have you told him you do not feel you should be charged addition fees for your touch up ?

Do you think he knows your feelings without you makeing him aware of them? I just want you to feel beter about what has happened.....And I feel you need to discuss this with Dr. Rullan if you have yet to do that already.....Please make sure this is not a simple comunication problem that can be resolved before losing hope Jasmine.....You know how office staffs work....They are somewhat of a habit...one goes in and one comes out.....So don't assume Dr. Rullan knows you have been charged for this....I also noticed several posts on the other board where you were raving about how wonderful Dr. Rullan was for doing little "extra's" with out charging you for them Jasmine.....So please do remember all of your kind statements about Dr. Rullan and all you liked about him in previous posts Jasmine.....Just wanted to point this out to you......And I truly feel in my heart that you need to talk directly to Dr. Rullan about thses issues....No one here and fix this for you....So please do consider talking with him.......And good luck Jasmine........=)

I feel that I should post my honest feelings about my experiene. This is the point of these boards. Of course

I would have been happy with 80% imrovement but now I would at least like some obvious improvement without the white spot (which is on my scalp due to carelessness as I had no scars on my scalp) and worse scars. He makes high estimates and downplays the risks, and more people besides myself have been let down and left with complications. I think it is important to honestly inform others especially since it is well known that unscrupulous people(plants) accept incentives from doctors to take advantage of our misfortune and desperation by fabricating fabulous results. I remember Dr. Rullan saying those who post are godsend because they can help so many that otherwise would not have known about his treatment.

I will talk to Dr. Rullan but I honestly dont understand why you are saying I should talk to him instead of posting here. Especially since I said in a previous post to you, where I offered to meet you if you were in the area around the same time, that I will be seeing him pretty soon. My experience does not need to remain between his staff and me only.

No, No, No., Jasmine.....You have misunderstood what i meant...I am saying ...Of course you should post here...Of course you should......But in addition to posting here...I wish.....I truly wish...You woudl simply make sure this is not a simple misunderstanding as far as the additional fees are concerned.....I know the fact hat you are displeased is not going to be recified by speaking to Dr. Rullan....What I do hope will happen though...Is that you will discuss with him EXACTALLY how you feel.....And that he will understand....And I feel once you explain to him how you feel you have been charged additional fees unfairly, that Dr. Rullan might do something about that...Of course I cannot speak for this man.....I HAVE NO IDEA HOW HE WILL HANDLE THIS MATTER.....But I do know that I have sen many many times that conflict can be so easily resolved by open lines of comunication Jasmine.....=)

I know you asked if I can meet with you....I woudl be happy to meet with you....I will be in San Diego starting the 20th of January.....I do have a full calender of things I would like to do with my family while there......But again...I woudl be thrilled to meet with you Jasmine.....

I am so sorry to hear about your scapt issue....I woudl also ask that you speak with Dr. Rullan about this as well...Make sure he knows exactally how you feel......And once he does you have done all you can to give him a chance to make things right....RIGHT ?

Okay...I hope this helps.....And let me know what you decide.......=)

I am sorry for the misunderstanding and thank you for your advice regarding approaching Dr. Rullan.

Not at all a problem Jasmine...........Don't worry about that my dear.....You are most welcome ....I just hope something good will come from your convesation with Dr. Rullan...Please do keep me updated.......=)

girlgirl,

You are wondering why Jasmin is posting some negative reviews about Dr. Rullan if she was happy at the begining. I think I do have the answer: She was pretty much like you. She was very optimistic and happy about exoderm and maybe she also thought that Dr. Rullan was an angel fallen from heaven. Eventually she didn't obtain good results and experienced some of the real side effects of exoderm (which Dr. Rullan underestimates) I don't blame Jasmin, In fact, I really admire her courage. Not everybody has the nerves to undergo exoderm. But I do think Dr. Rullan should warn his patients about all the dangerous side effects that this procedure carries. I've heard that he's always nice and seems to understand our problems. But I think it's his main strategy (as a good salesman.) A couple of months ago, I was like you girlgirl, I thought Dr. Rullan was "God's son" and exodem was his gift for all of us sinners. However, I've heard more negative than positive results about exoderm.

Also, you have to understand something: don't get offended by some posts. This is a public board. If you come on here, you should expect and respect different opionions. This is a place to help each other. Nothing is the absolute truth! . The deffensive way you take backing up Dr. Rullan and his famous exoderm thing, may make some people think you work for Dr Rullan.

Well here we go again....I am yet again going to say this.....I RESPECT EACH AND EVERY OPINION HERE ON THIS BOARD....Yours included....=) I was only trying to help Jasmine with what I could....The situation she is in concerning the additional charge for her touch up......I have seen numerious people through out my life in situations that could have been so easily repaired by simple conversation....Does that make sense to you ? I was in hopes of Jasmine talking about her feelings with Dr. Rullan....Because none of us here can "fix" her problem...Only he can recify this himself.....Now, I am going to day this....So listen up please....If I were in the same situation as Jasmine.....And I very well coudl be....And Dr. Rullan indeed said...From his own mouth that he was not happy with her results from the Exoderm.....I WOULD NOT IN ANYWAY PAY HIM FOR A TOUCH UP !!!!! I woudl not pay another cent.......Sooooooooo Jasmine ...At least as best I can figure by listening to her...She feels she has been charged for something she should not have been charged for...And I am refering to the touch up fees.....Not the procedure it's self..... Of course I care about what Jasmine is dealing with....I am trying to do all I CAN to help her resolve this.....And as far as me working for Dr. Rullan.....That is crazy......I am telling you I woudl not pay for what Jasmine was charged for...I am advising her to discuss this with the Dr. So how on earth do you think i am defending his work or condeming it ??????????????? I really wish people woudl really try to read what others have written before sending things like this......I CARE ABOUT THE THINGS THAT HURT OTHERS.....sO please don't beat me down because I was and still am trying to help someone.......=)

Namrobi, i wanted to ask you if Dr Rullan warned you about neon and hallogen light and hyperpigmentation. If you are not wearing sunscreen indoors or at night your skin can be damaged from those kinds of light. I am slightly hyperpigmented and i am sure i got mine from electric light because i spent the first months hiding at home, wearing sunscreen all the time, wearing a big hat every time i had to go outdoors and keeping the curtains shut all the time when indoors.

jasmin, when did you first see the white spot? Is it completely white or just hypopigmented?

Jasmine, I also wonder about the white spot....Was Dr. Rullan aware of this "spot" before you left the office that day.....And did this happen your touch up day ? Or the first part of treatment ? What did he say or do ? It's awful no matter what he did about it though....I hate that happened to you Jasmine...... =(

I told him about the hypopigmented spot on my scalp during the second part of the touch up ( I was wide awake and having some conversation with them to help with the pain) but we were both focused on the abrasions he was doing and then after that I told him about it over the phone. He said he has to see it. It is hypopigmentation, not totally white like with vitiligo. I noticed the discoloration after the first major exoderm but I was more concerened with my facial scars and I think it was not as hypopigmented then and I was hoping it would be transient. After the touch up I was reading that the scalp and hairline should be protected from the phenol and that is when I called him about it. I have bangs on the side so I can cover it with them. It is on one of the sides of the hairline where your hair naturally recedes a bit. There is a lighter smal circle and then patchy areas that look discolored. I know you may ask why the hell I had the touch up then. He told me it is rare for hypopigmentation to occur on the face prior tp the exoderm and since I had no pigmentation problems on my face with the original and he convinced me the touch up would really help improve my scars and and scarred pores. The free subcision and saline injection also helped to regain my confidence and renew some hope in him and his procedure that I badly needed at the time. I wont deny that he is a good salesman and probably excelled at his marketing courses. Right now looking in the mirror I see some lighter areas but they are not that obious and I still have some faint pink color there from the touch up next to my right lip and some darker looking lines that looked like lines from the mask craking but I think it is very slight scarring. Honestly if my scars and pores were greatly improved this trade off would be acceptable to me, but I would still post about it.

When you go through a major procedure like this, you go through a period of denial, where you are still hoping everything will work out in the end. The happy posters are telling you how it improves with time and how much more improvement they got with a touch up. This is why I can understand Nambrobi. There were days where I decided it is best not to look in the mirror and scrutinize my face. One day I went to bed happy because when my face was raw looking from the touch up, my pores looked smaller but they started to look the same in 2-3 days.

Right now, I am feeling better about my skin because I started using TNS, and super cop and it looks (with the larenim mineral makeup) and feels softer bare but I still see no obvious improvement in the actual scars that is why I attribute this improvement to the topicals. I also colored my hair and alot of people have told me it looks good so that helps.

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tly.

Jasmine, I do understand your frustration.....Gosh that is awful you now have this scalp issue to deal with on top of your other disapointment.....I am truly sorry........=(

And I do understand what you are saying about going forward with your touchup...I would have done the same thing....But when do you think you might aproach Dr. Rullan about the issue of being charged yet more money for your touh up? Or have you decided to talk with him at all ? I know I would not have paid the account myself if I felt the way you feel....When are you going to be in Chula Vista ? And do you live in Ca. Jasmine ?

girlgirl,

 

You are wondering why Jasmin is posting some negative reviews about Dr. Rullan if she was happy at the begining. I think I do have the answer: She was pretty much like you. She was very optimistic and happy about exoderm and maybe she also thought that Dr. Rullan was an angel fallen from heaven. Eventually she didn't obtain good results and experienced some of the real side effects of exoderm (which Dr. Rullan underestimates) I don't blame Jasmin, In fact, I really admire her courage. Not everybody has the nerves to undergo exoderm. But I do think Dr. Rullan should warn his patients about all the dangerous side effects that this procedure carries. I've heard that he's always nice and seems to understand our problems. But I think it's his main strategy (as a good salesman.) A couple of months ago, I was like you girlgirl, I thought Dr. Rullan was "God's son" and exodem was his gift for all of us sinners. However, I've heard more negative than positive results about exoderm.

 

Also, you have to understand something: don't get offended by some posts. This is a public board. If you come on here, you should expect and respect different opionions. This is a place to help each other. Nothing is the absolute truth! . The deffensive way you take backing up Dr. Rullan and his famous exoderm thing, may make some people think you work for Dr Rullan.

 

Thank you for pointing out the obvious Fighter. After my dissapointing results with the exoderm and touch up, I am obviously not happy with him and his procedure . The free subcision and saline injection he threw in right before my touch up do not obligate me to eternal loyalty to the man and denial of the results at the present moment.

YOU WOULD BE CORRECT JASMINE !!!!!! NO ONE INCLUDING MYSELF EVER SAID YOU HAD TO BE DR. RULLANS LOYAL PATIENT JASMINE.........NOT AT ALL !!!!! DON'T TRY TO READ THINGS INTO MY WORDING.......

DO WHAT YOU LIKE JASMINE.....I ONLY THOUGHT I WAS HELPING...BY GIVING YOU IDEAS AS TO WHAT I WOULD DO IF I WERE IN YOUR SHOES.....AGAIN ...PEOPLE READ WHAT WAS SAID....THERE IS NO CONFLICT HERE.........

Jasmine, I do understand your frustration.....Gosh that is awful you now have this scalp issue to deal with on top of your other disapointment.....I am truly sorry........=(

 

And I do understand what you are saying about going forward with your touchup...I would have done the same thing....But when do you think you might aproach Dr. Rullan about the issue of being charged yet more money for your touh up? Or have you decided to talk with him at all ? I know I would not have paid the account cyself if I felt the way you feel....When are you going to be in Chula Vista ? And do you live in Ca. Jasmine ?

 

I will talk to him personally soon. I was asked to pay for the touch up when my face was all taped up right before the abrasion and touch up. I thought about protesting but I just wanted the touch up to go well. Now that I think about it, I should have said something then.

No. No.....I know how that is Jasmine...To look back and think " Why did I do that, or rather not do that".....Don't even give that another thought...Just do what you need to do at this timeto "possibly" rectify the situation at hand.....At least then I know I would feel better if it were me....You will at least know you have done what you could do.....And you may very well feel much better after geting it all off your chest with the Dr...... If Dr. Rullan stated "he" was not happy with your results...I do not feel you should have ever been asked to pay another fee........PERIOD !!!!!