I have posted here before about my scars and how I was treating them with serums and chemical peels from Make Up Artists Choice.
Well, the time has come where I need to realize that I cannot fix these myself. So I have scheduled a consultation at skincare institute in my city that does scar revision.
They offer the Lumenis FX Deep Repair, photofacials, microdermabrasion, Candela VBeam, Obagi peel, subcision, excision, punch grafting, cross therapy and fillers like Juvederm, Restalyne and Sculptra.
I am researching all of these, and know a lot about most from these boards, but am mostly interesting in subcision with Lumenis afterwards. I am excited to get my face examined by a professional and hear an opinion. I am really wanting to hear the words, 'It can be fixed' but I am not getting my hopes up too high. Any improvement that is permanent...I will take.
Costs are what worries me, but I have decided after dealing with this for years and having it dictate my life and what I do and how I view myself-there IS no price tag. I have gotten a second job and the institute says it offers financing. I am crossing my fingers that we can decide on a course of action and I can get started on it.
I am including some pictures, to maybe get opinions from people with similar skin, or even just give someone else with similar skin the feeling that they are NOT alone. Looking at pics from other users has always made me feel better after a day of feeling upset and alone in this.
My scars upset me more because in some lighting, you cannot TELL whatsoever I have scarring! And in some pictures, my skin looks FLAWLESS. But the second the light catches it, it just looks a textured mess. It's so damn deceiving. Some lighting it looks worse than others, of course. It seems to be shallow scarring, the problem is it is on every surface. If I wear makeup or not, it looks the same. Sometimes I still get breakouts, which just really is the cherry on top, but thank god those have lessened a great deal. I just hate to look at my skin, really. I hate it.
Subcision + Deep FX sounds like a good idea. If they offer TotalFX (which they should), you may want to consider that as well, although it is more expensive. If you opt for DeepFX, makes sure they get the areas of skin surrounding your scars as well, because just spot treatment won't be as effective. Do NOT go for just ActiveFX, though, ActiveFX will do next to nothing for scars.
Subcision is, fortunately, cheap. Deep/Total FX, unfortunately, is not. Consider all the options available in your area, not just one doctor. Also make sure that it's actually a doctor that is doing the procedure, not an esthetician, and check up on the doctor's track record. Ask for his credentials, what board he's certified by (American Board of Dermatology is the bare minimum), and ask if he could show you pictures of his OWN patients' before and afters, not the company's.
First off, I'd like to comment and say we should be careful about telling people they're gorgeous/beautiful/hot in spite of their acne/scars. People with both beautiful and ugly facial features have acne. Many have asked for help with their scars and no one has told them how hot they are anyway. It is very telling when only young girls with nice eyes get a lot of praise for their beauty on these boards "even though" they have acne. What about those people who have acne and weren't blessed with great eyes or facial symmetry to compensate? Let's focus on the acne problem and keep comments on someone's attractiveness to ourselves...just my opinion.
To OP: Laser treatments can definitely help you. They will not come cheap. Before you take out a loan to pay for it (and believe me, any "personal" or "cosmetic" loan will have an interest rate not much better than a credit card), have you ever been on a strong retinoid for an extended period of time? Compared to the price of laser, you would be paying next to nothing to get a Tazorac or high-strength Retin A prescription. It will take some time and it won't give you flawless skin. But it could mean the difference of thousands of dollars, e.g. getting only 2-3 DeepFX treatments instead of 4 or 5. I fully encourage you to take care of your scars, and laser and subcision is definitely the best option. But getting crushed under a mountain of debt will not help you either. If I were in your shoes, I would milk a Tazorac prescription for as much collagen production as I could, and then I would get laser.
A retinoid actually communicates with the base layer of your skin and tells it to reform and produce collagen. The results are much more significant, not superficial like the chemical peels you've been using.
There is a post on this board, I believe it's called Man in the Mirror? That has pictures and answers a lot of questions about subcision used in conjunction with TCA peel. Strongly recommend you look into that.
First off, I'd like to comment and say we should be careful about telling people they're gorgeous/beautiful/hot in spite of their acne/scars. People with both beautiful and ugly facial features have acne. Many have asked for help with their scars and no one has told them how hot they are anyway. It is very telling when only young girls with nice eyes get a lot of praise for their beauty on these boards "even though" they have acne. What about those people who have acne and weren't blessed with great eyes or facial symmetry to compensate? Let's focus on the acne problem and keep comments on someone's attractiveness to ourselves...just my opinion.
I totally agree with this statement!
To OP: Laser treatments can definitely help you. They will not come cheap. Before you take out a loan to pay for it (and believe me, any "personal" or "cosmetic" loan will have an interest rate not much better than a credit card)
That's not necessarily true. Many cosmetic dermatologists, doctors, medispas, dentists, etc. offer financing which is interest free, provided you pay it off within a specified time period. I used Care Credit to pay for some work, and was given 18 months to pay it off $3000, interest free. I didn't use it for cosmetic work, but have noticed just about every doctor in Los Angeles who offers laser work also accepts Care Credit. Doctors who offer this type of financing do take a hit when you use it, so their fees are normally higher. They normally lose 20-25% of their fee to the finance company to offer you the option of interest free financing. If the doctor really wants your business, you can negotiate some pretty good terms. They normally start low at 12 months interest free, and will then give a little if you say you can't manage it. The longer the time period, the more the doctor loses to the finance company.
I think the OP would benefit best from fractional co2 laser treatment.
I think a fractional CO2/subcision combo would do wonders for your skin. Your scarring looks similar to mine in that there is a lot of scarring but it isn't particularly deep. I would just advice to get the most out of the laser treatment and don't let them talk you into any kind of mild treatment options. If you want to correct your scarring, you really need to go after them. It might mean more downtime and pain in the short term but it will save you time and money over the longterm.
First off, I'd like to comment and say we should be careful about telling people they're gorgeous/beautiful/hot in spite of their acne/scars. People with both beautiful and ugly facial features have acne. Many have asked for help with their scars and no one has told them how hot they are anyway. It is very telling when only young girls with nice eyes get a lot of praise for their beauty on these boards "even though" they have acne. What about those people who have acne and weren't blessed with great eyes or facial symmetry to compensate? Let's focus on the acne problem and keep comments on someone's attractiveness to ourselves...just my opinion.
I totally agree with this statement!
To OP: Laser treatments can definitely help you. They will not come cheap. Before you take out a loan to pay for it (and believe me, any "personal" or "cosmetic" loan will have an interest rate not much better than a credit card)
That's not necessarily true. Many cosmetic dermatologists, doctors, medispas, dentists, etc. offer financing which is interest free, provided you pay it off within a specified time period. I used Care Credit to pay for some work, and was given 18 months to pay it off $3000, interest free. I didn't use it for cosmetic work, but have noticed just about every doctor in Los Angeles who offers laser work also accepts Care Credit. Doctors who offer this type of financing do take a hit when you use it, so their fees are normally higher. They normally lose 20-25% of their fee to the finance company to offer you the option of interest free financing. If the doctor really wants your business, you can negotiate some pretty good terms. They normally start low at 12 months interest free, and will then give a little if you say you can't manage it. The longer the time period, the more the doctor loses to the finance company.
I think the OP would benefit best from fractional co2 laser treatment.
That's good to know. The last time I looked into cosmetic financing (and I believe I looked into CareCredit specifically as well) the terms were not nearly that good. But maybe I didn't cover all my bases or things have changed. Thanks for the heads up.
First off, I'd like to comment and say we should be careful about telling people they're gorgeous/beautiful/hot in spite of their acne/scars. People with both beautiful and ugly facial features have acne. Many have asked for help with their scars and no one has told them how hot they are anyway. It is very telling when only young girls with nice eyes get a lot of praise for their beauty on these boards "even though" they have acne. What about those people who have acne and weren't blessed with great eyes or facial symmetry to compensate? Let's focus on the acne problem and keep comments on someone's attractiveness to ourselves...just my opinion.
Of course this opinion had to come from another female....figures.
As someone previously said, this is a board for acne sufferers thus making a reference to one physical attractiveness is redundant. You're most likely trying to make said person feel better about themselves, but they came here for advice and I assume not to fish for compliments. What about those who aren't deemed conventionally attractive? your lack of reference towards their "beauty" may do more harm than good, after witnessing how people respond to someone who is conventionally attractive on these boards. You may indirectly made them feel ugly. I wish the moderators would edit out these comments, as it clearly shows bias on these boards. Mostly towards young girls. I am a man btw.
On-topic- I have no idea how to deal with scars, but OP I'd trust the members of these boards with their recommendations. When it comes to scarring, there's a lot of room for error, so you must be careful choosing the correct treatment for yourself because only you will have to live with the consequences.
I would like to thank everyone for their input, ideas, opinions, kind words and compliments.
As for the tiny problem I see occuring, I want to put my opinion. We have ALL felt ugly and inferior because of our condition. Every one of us. It is the top reason why acne causes such emotional damage. So, it's understandable and really appreciated when we say uplifting things and compliment each other on our attributes BEYOND the acne and scars. I think if someone mentions in their post that they have a severely warped view on themselves and how attractive they are, naturally people are going to try to say kind things to make them feel better. However, these boards are for comfort, for the kind of empathy we can't get in our real lives, so if others feel offended or hurt feelings in ANY way, it should absolutely be avoided.
We all our own worst critics. Maybe we should all comment on at least one post of someone else and compliment them on whats attractive about them. The results can really make a difference.
Screw the damn scars, you are one of the most beautiful girl I've ever seen !
I know somewhere inside you, it hurts to see those scars. I am not worthy to tell you much since I only have one or two scars, but I think a laser surgery could be the only thing. But I know many will love you just the way you are, and you are damn pretty, I don't give a damn about the scars. Sp just don't pay attention to them, live your life the way you are.
Ha! This board has reached a new bottom
Now you cannot even tell people that they have nice features? I don't see what the big deal is. She is young and pretty. It is what it is. Most young people are pretty anyway. They should enjoy their youth because it won't last very long.
And I'm a straight female in her late thirties so I'm no biased in any way.
Ha! This board has reached a new bottom
Now you cannot even tell people that they have nice features? I don't see what the big deal is. She is young and pretty. It is what it is. Most young people are pretty anyway. They should enjoy their youth because it won't last very long.
And I'm a straight female in her late thirties so I'm no biased in any way.
Take a look at the Emotional / Psychological forum on here and you'll see what I mean.
There's nothing wrong with complimenting people. I just made the comment that this board is REALLY not the place to do it. It's a freaking acne board for crying out loud. Most of the readers are here because of a disfiguring disease they want help for. I'll bet you anything that someone browsing these forums stumbles on this thread, notices how many people are telling this girl she's gorgeous, and starts crying their eyes out because their acne is ten times worse and no one told them they were hot anyway. Is it rational? No. But I think we can at least recognize the purpose of this board and be emotionally sensitive to EVERYONE. The Hot or Not threads were banned for a reason. Even if someone doesn't tell you you're ugly, the fact that they DIDN'T tell you were hot is saying the same thing.
So yeah, I think we should focus on helping people solve the problem instead of telling pretty people they are pretty. That's all. If you want to hit on someone or tell them how gorgeous they are on an acne board, send a PM.
Completely off-topic, so I will not be commenting anymore on this issue and cluttering up this thread. I was just trying to, ironically, re-focus the thread from "oh my god you're gorgeous anyway, fuck acne!" to helping this girl fix her scars.
I guessill apologize then on my comment. It was just a natural thing for me to say from the bottom of my heart. Her scars don't change how gorgeous she is, in my opinion. Perhaps I should have said it in a private message,but I was just being real and honest. I apologize if I hurt anyones feelings that comes across this thread and sees my comment as biased. It was not my intent.
And another thing...if someone gets upset because someone got compliments in their thread and another person didn't, then that's childish in my opinion. I posted a thread with numerous pictures of my face, and not ONE person said I was good looking or any compliment about my features. Did I feel ugly or sad because I didn't get any compliment like that? Absolutely not. That's middle school behavior.
Anyway, best of luck to rockmeamadeus on whatever path you choose.
Whatever happened to freedom of speech...it is childish yes i also would not get offended if someone was to not point out i was not hot on my photos jeez! . She is a very gorgeous girl so what. Jealousy comes across in your post very much so! Your creating something out of nothing.
Ha! This board has reached a new bottom
Now you cannot even tell people that they have nice features? I don't see what the big deal is. She is young and pretty. It is what it is. Most young people are pretty anyway. They should enjoy their youth because it won't last very long.
And I'm a straight female in her late thirties so I'm no biased in any way.
I second that. 
She's a lovely girl. However, I understand that no matter how lovely someone says you are, you still want the scars to go away. They do so much damage to one's sense of security that it's hard to see past them, and realize what others do.
I really don't understand what's so wrong with telling someone they're nice-looking, if it's meant to encourage them. I feel empathy for this young lady because I want her to understand that she's pretty to look at, but at the same time know that there are people out there who are sympathetic to how important it is to treat one's scars the best way one is able.
However, I feel like the most important thing regarding this thread is to stay on topic, and offer the advice and input the OP is asking for. I naturally want to tell someone they're nice-looking when I find them to be because my personality dictates that I should cheer people up and make them feel better. But I understand that's not what rockmeamadeus really wants. I do think that Green Gables has a point, although I ultimately find that it's okay to tell someone they're cute if you believe them to be so. Just make sure that you are attempting to help them with scar treatments, and not just their self-esteem.
That being said, I agree with what Green Gables says about Retinoids. Especially Tazorac, since I have alot of experience with it. You know how I feel about peels, rockmeamadeus.