Good evening all.
Just thought I'd update you all regarding my acne scar treatment. Tomorrow I am going in for dermal fillers, esthelis is the name of the particular filler they will be injecting. Quick recap of my treatment history: 7 fraxel restores, 3 vbeams, 10 months of dermal stamping, and a ton of serums, creams, lotions, and topicals in general. Have also had 3 subcision treatments.
I mainly have boxcar scars however do also have some rolling and ice pick. The boxcar scars are the most severe and bother me the most. I'm limited in my treatment options and have not given up yet. Was going to have excision in Jan but plastic surgeon ended up refusing to do it because according to him, the potential reward did not outweigh the risks.
I had never heard of Esthelis prior to my consultation however the nurse said that in her experience, it was the best for acne scars as it is a very soft filler and she said she has other brands but in her experience, they were too firm under the skin and did not provide ideal results for clients like me.
Fingers crossed, best case scenario this 'treatment' eases my anxieties and distress over my most severe scars for 9 months. I feel reserved in expecting a good outcome simply because I have been let down so often by what doctors, nurses, 'technicians' etc have to say about outcomes and down time.
I'll let you all know how it goes tomorrow. I have taken Wed and Thurs off work even though it's supposed to be a 'lunch break procedure'. Hopefully I don't swell and bruise badly. I have been consuming arnica and vitamin c as specified on this website and others. Wish me luck.
I'm back from my treatment. It was very f*cking painful. If you all know my subcision history, each subcision I did was with NO anesthetic or numbing cream. Today the nurse put numbing cream on 20 minutes before treatment. It didn't help, my skin didn't even feel numb. Anyway, she did subcision for only a bit before filler. It probably hurt the same as the first time. Second and third time doing subcision didn't hurt anywhere as much as the first and now this time. Subcision is good to do just before filler so you can try and avoid the donut effect and also as a co-treatment for the scarring.
I bled quite badly during and after subcision. Seemed like the nurse who has done all my previous subcisions was surprised by the bleeding but didnt state that she was. Was so glad when that nightmare was over. Can only liken the pain to having the dentist do some serious work on your teeth without anesthetic.
The dermal filler needle stung and hurt but was nothing compared to subcision. My cheeks look really shit at the moment. Very red, swollen and almost looks like I broke out in acne. Im pretty sure my skin always reacts badly to numbing cream. Nurse told me to put strong pressure down on the fillers and massage it twice a day. What got me a little concerned was when she told me "if the filler doesnt come down and remains lumpy then we can extract some when you come back for your follow up". I asked her if my face is how someone is supposed to look like and she said yes. She has been doing fillers for over a decade for 6 days a week but still, wouldnt put it passed her if she was just trying to make me feel better.
Another downside is the fact that my scars don't look that much improved either. Ive been reading around and most websites say the outcome of fillers for acne scars is usually seen 1 to 2 weeks post treatment. That's when swelling goes down, moisture is attracted to the filler areas and for weeks/months after the treatment collegan is being remodelling from the subcision and actual dermal needle.
This was an expensive clinic, 450 bucks for just two smallish areas on both cheeks. Would easily cost someone $1000 if they were doing whole cheeks. But I have faith in this nurse and Ive had terrible experiences with places that charge relatively little but are more like an in and out service.
Good luck! I've had fillers before and it always looks bad for about a week. However, the hyaluronic acid fillers like restylane and perlane just never stuck around long, they disappered in a week or so. Artefill looked pretty good within hours after but disappeared later too, but it is supposed to do that, and then your collagen should build around it. I may get more of that done as I think there was some improvement just not much. Silicone microdroplet didn't give good filling. I may also try laser, but with silicone and artefil in my face now, it could lead to problems. I've never heard of esthelis, put up pics if you get a chance, and where are you located? Thanks!
Thanks for sharing man. I am considering fillers for slight scarring and well, I was offered pdt which is actually even cheaper which I found shocking. I am not big on the idea of fillers or pdt but, I am not keen with doing nothing either. I am trying to boost my confidence even further, take action in life, and based upon the scarring, the cosmetic or plastic surgeon didn't think surgery was a good idea. I have slightest scarring and well, damage that I am unhappy, and even insecure about. I think I make a bigger deal about it than I should. Good luck. Share pics? I am nervous about infections and stuff? That and it sounds painful.
