Acne.org Products
I'm 29 [India] and have started treating long term Acne and Acne Scars.
Acne Status:
I made change in my daily diet (for 2 months) - My pimples were reduced. I was getting few postules and very few cystic acne.
Upon meeting with Dermotologist - He marked my acne scars severity at 4 and suggested to treat the active acne scars.
- Been on Isotretinon for a week.
- Gels: Clindamycin & Benzoyl Peroxid, Metroniadazole & Nicotiamid Gel.
- Face Wash and Moisturizer.
Dermotologist have suggested me to run with Isotretinon for ~6 weeks (Dose will be increased in case high level of Isotretinoin is needed) and based on
status of my pimples he can go ahead with Acne Scar treatement.
For Acne Scar treatement he has suggested the below options with expectation of treating the scar upto 70%:
- Fractional CO2 laser
- TCA Cross
- Dermoroller + PRP
My Expectations on treatement:
- Completely stop getting any Acne.
- Treat the acne scars as much as possible
Could you please provide insights or perspective on the treatement I'm taking? Is it right? I've been thinking to meet a few more Dermotologists/Surgeons to get multiple opinions. I'm attaching my attachment of my scars below. Thank you in advance!
It all sounds pretty normal to me. You want to stop acne first before scar treatment, so that's correct.
Then, based on your scarring, the combo of:
- Fractional CO2 laser
- TCA Cross
- Dermoroller + PRP
That sound reasonable. I am wondering slightly why Fractional CO2 laser as well as dermoroller. They do approximately the same thing by producing controlled fractional injuries to the skin. But overall, it sounds reasonable.
I'd say to go into scar repair knowing you'll need probably lots of treatments to see results, and 70% sounds a bit optimistic to me. I'd keep your expectations perhaps a bit lower than that.
And lastly, historically they say wait at least 6 months to a year after isotretionin before doing any scar treatment. That might be changing as more data comes out, but I've only seen a tiny amount of data come out that says it's safe to do scar repair right after isotretinoin, so make sure you're asking lots of questions and proceding with caution. Always stay your own advocate!
Hi @dan,
Thank you for your reply and providing the insights!
1. Regarding 70% improvment - I also feel like this is a hyperbole. Realistic numbers for me is 20-40% which is good enough for me.
2. And lastly, historically they say wait at least 6 months to a year after isotretionin before doing any scar treatment. - Thank you for the headsup!
I did read bout it somewhere but I was not considering this a crucial point However after reading some papers It does seem to tried and tested timeline.
Again, thank you for the answer!
You bet! Keep us posted please 🙂
I think the first 2 make a lot of sense,
- Fractional CO2 laser
- TCA Cross
but derma roller may not be significantly useful for your case. TCA cross is especially useful for your deep narrowed pitted scar, but not so much to wide shallow scar.
Next time if you have acne which caused open wound, you can try my collagen dressing + tegarderm method to prevent it from leaving scar, given in this post.
I think the first 2 make a lot of sense,
- Fractional CO2 laser
- TCA Cross
but derma roller may not be significantly useful for your case. TCA cross is especially useful for your deep narrowed pitted scar, but not so much to wide shallow scar.
Next time if you have acne which caused open wound, you can try my collagen dressing + tegarderm method to prevent it from leaving scar, given in this post.
Thank you for the reply and post shared on treating open wound!