Hi I am new to this forum and will appreciate any help.
I will try to keep this as short as I can. I decided to post here in hopes of finding something that might really help, maybe someone with same exact face. My face issues are not so bad but unfortunately it's the only thing I see when I look in the mirror and it's the main cause of my low self-esteem, I am not able to let myself be seen without makeup even in front of my best friends.
My face has those red marks or spots or I don't know what it is and generally my whole skin is more pinkish , sometimes reddish than normal skin color.
I have attached some pictures so that you can see, they actually don't look so bad as how they looked on my mobile phone and generally I cant even tell you how bad it is because it depends on light conditions and so on, in one mirror I think it's quite okay and then in a different mirror I am like: oh my god I am sooo red so I cant even tell you what level of redness my face is. The second picture is with my cream already on which is white and helps a lot as you can see its much better with the cream on but I don't think this will treat it completely.
The thing is that I am acne free for like 7 years thanks to accutane so I don't think these will just fade away so I really would like to ask anyone : are these marks from acne, could it still be there after those years?
Or are those broken vessels? I actually had a few IPL treatments cause I was told those are broken veins but not under all of those marks I can see a vein.
IPL helped me a lot actually, my face was much redder in the past but I was told this is probably the best it could get. I have of course tried various products, I am using sunscreen but yeah in the past unfortunately I was very harsh to my face 
I thought the more products I will use, the better, I was so depressed from acne when I was roughly 17, and was so stupid, I used to scrub my face very hard with a face brush etc. so now when I look back I am banging my had against the wall cause I am sure that didn't help. Could all that be from all those scrubs from the past and me being very harsh to my face, or is this more like rosacea or what do you guys think and what do you think can help me?
Thank you all in advance
When did you hsve ipl? I see ipl damage on your face, those swirly designs that look like real orange peel ? Thsts a gift from ipl. The waxy skin. The pink skin that is not a normal pink, thsts all from ipl
you are focused on the red and ipl collapses vessels , not a good thing for your face , no circulation and rapid aging . If you step back and look at your skin and not focus on the redness , you will see the ipl damage . I hsve the same after 1 ipl. It's a nightmare .
stay away from ipl and lasers . I've seen no testimonies of anyone fixing this . I've consulted other derms and plastic surgeons . The derm that butchered my face admitted I now have waxy skin and big pores . Did you hsve those pores pre ipl? Also notice the lack of elastin , it's flat .
ipl is known to induce rosacea and cause ongoing , often permanent, inflammation . Ipl did not help you , what you are experiencing is direct ipl damage , its textbook in symptoms and appearance .
I suggest you visit an allergist asap. You may need a short course of oral steroids and get on prescription antihistamines . No, the red marks are not "vessels" , they're scars from ipl, the damage is progressive and ongoing . Does your face feel irritated at all?
you neee to cease all products including face washes and sunscreen and make up. Do not wash your face , at all. Don't get it wet in the shower . Do not use creams . Nothing . Go like that for 6 months . Take a lot of supplements , fish oil , flax seed oil , oral HA, vit C, d and e. No processed food , no sugar . A lot of water .
your barrier is also damaged and skin thinned out . This is all ipl, no one ever looks better , they all look like varying degrees of this . That's the answer to why it looks this way.
sorry for the grim news but no dr is going to tell you the truth . Don't use the stuff they tell you to , you will get worse . Never ever use retin a or any exfoiliants, ever. No actives . Down the line you might be able to use a light moisturizer and wash a few times a week with a very gentle cleanser . I can see very clearly the ipl damage , go look on realself and you will see a lot of people who look exactly the same
ipl is trash and as one plastic surgeon told me "good for nothing" only damage
I'm just posting here to say that it is not impossible to heal from ipl or laser damage. Many people have healed to various degrees, for some years down the line the damage disappears (and their skin looks much worse than this lovely lady's). I don't think it's helpful to tell people things are permanent, or that it never gets better, when you don't know for sure. Being realistic about it being a long process is certainly valid, but it is not hopeless.Anyone coming across this should not be discouraged. Our bodies are capable of a lot. Some heal after different and further treatments, some heal from skincare routine, some from using nothing. I don't think there's a one size fits all approach here, although I am of the mind that anythingharsh is not the way to go. I do, however, think the skin needs to be fed to heal. Just as we would apply things to skin after a bad burn in order to ensure better healing potential. Just my personal opinion, though, and others do well with the use-nothing routine. Wishing everyone happy skin.
