I'm sorry to hear about the chicken pox! I'm not in the best position to say if subcision is a good idea as i'm not too familiar with it, but here are my thoughts based on my own acne scar research and dealing with new scarring.

I honestly think it's too early to say what treatment would be best for your scars, as they are still healing and will probably do so for another 6-12 months - and they can fill in, to some extent at least, during this time. So if I were you, I'd come back here and start another thread with new pictures in 6-12 months. I wouldn't dermaroll at this point, because at worst it could disturb the healing process. You'll have plenty of time to dermaroll once your scars have matured. I know it sucks to wait, but it is the best thing to do in my opinion.

What I would do right now, is try to improve the healing process as much as possible. Sleep well, have a healthy diet, exercise, take vitamin c. Bone broths are a great source of collagen and nutrients, which could be helpful at this point. Keep the scars moisturized and be gentle with your skin, as new collagen is supposedly very fragile. Once your scars have matured, you can better assess what treatments they need, or if they even need treatments.

With new scarring, I've used Terproline professional to keep the scars moisturized and red LEDs pressed against the skin for four minutes a day, since I've read that they're supposed to improve collagen synthesis and skin healing, and at least a few people on this forum have recommended them in the past. However, they are expensive and the scientific research to back these claims seems fairly scarce, so I can't be sure if they work. I've noticed positive changes in my new scarring, but I can't tell if that's normal skin healing or caused by these products. However, there is hardly any harm trying these methods apart from losing some money, so I personally think it's worth it. If you can spare the dollars, getting these for when your scars are still healing (and possible post-treatment aftercare later on) could be worth considering. There isn't much else you can do now except wait and be healthy.

I think chicken pox scars are usually boxcars which do not respond to subcision that well, although some people have got some improvement. However, I can't really see what your scars are like because of the hyperpigmentation. Once that has faded, it will be easier to assess what treatments would be suitable. Your scars look fairly shallow though, and I'm sure they'll look much better once the hyperpigmentation is gone.

Hope this helps at least a bit, and good luck.

Hello Austra,

Thank you so much for the detailed response, I really appreciate you putting in the time to offer your perspective.

I went to a "dermatologist" today who diagnosed these as boxcar scars so he concluded that subcision would be ineffective. I only put dermatologist in quotations because he then proceeded to sell me on a package of $1200 TCA cross treatments, which I could start in a month after further healing, then $4500 C02 laser treatments. I know enough from the research I've done on this board that those procedures are not for me. Can't fault the guy, that's how doctors have to make a living these days considering the state of healthcare over here.

He did suggest that I let my scars heal for a month and to keep them moisturized with aquaphor and also to use newgel silicone scar strips, which I really can't find any information regarding their efficacy. If anyone knows anything about the newgel strips I'd appreciate it. They go for about $45 on Amazon. I also just received the Reviva labs Ester-C/DMAE cream from Amazon that Mr. Matt recommends, I'm wondering if I should use it on scars this new?

I've been consulting with Sarah from owndoc regarding dermastamping and she has been immensely helpful. She said I could start dermastamping the scars with a 1.5mm stamp as soon as two weeks after the scabs fell off, although she would recommend waiting a month to be safe. Like you said, she suggests following a healthy diet and lifestyle for the time being.

I'm strongly considering the LED lights, like you said I don't really have anything to lose. I just wasn't sure about which model since there are so many. Is the one you gave the link for, the dual 660 nm/880 nm red LED the one that you use?

Thanks again for your voice, I'm such an impatient person that I want to get started on accelerating my recovery right away but I know it will take time. All I can say to anyone who hasn't had the chickenpox yet, go get the vaccine! Chicken pox is so much worse as an adult and if you're exposed to someone with shingles you will get chickenpox because it's the same virus. We actually don't see chickenpox much anymore because of the vaccine, but they didn't have the vaccine I was a little kid so I here I am on this message board

I don't know much about those creams and silicone and LED, but I knew someone in his mid 20s who went through chicken pox and ended up with large, shallow indented red scars all over his face. To be honest he had it much worse than you, I don't see many scars on your face at all. Anyway, his scars disappeared completely and naturally after a few months. But I guess using some products to accelerate the process wouldn't hurt. Just be careful not to somehow disrupt the process of natural healing.

Hello Austra,

Thank you so much for the detailed response, I really appreciate you putting in the time to offer your perspective.

I went to a "dermatologist" today who diagnosed these as boxcar scars so he concluded that subcision would be ineffective. I only put dermatologist in quotations because he then proceeded to sell me on a package of $1200 TCA cross treatments, which I could start in a month after further healing, then $4500 C02 laser treatments. I know enough from the research I've done on this board that those procedures are not for me. Can't fault the guy, that's how doctors have to make a living these days considering the state of healthcare over here.

He did suggest that I let my scars heal for a month and to keep them moisturized with aquaphor and also to use newgel silicone scar strips, which I really can't find any information regarding their efficacy. If anyone knows anything about the newgel strips I'd appreciate it. They go for about $45 on Amazon. I also just received the Reviva labs Ester-C/DMAE cream from Amazon that Mr. Matt recommends, I'm wondering if I should use it on scars this new?

I've been consulting with Sarah from owndoc regarding dermastamping and she has been immensely helpful. She said I could start dermastamping the scars with a 1.5mm stamp as soon as two weeks after the scabs fell off, although she would recommend waiting a month to be safe. Like you said, she suggests following a healthy diet and lifestyle for the time being.

I'm strongly considering the LED lights, like you said I don't really have anything to lose. I just wasn't sure about which model since there are so many. Is the one you gave the link for, the dual 660 nm/880 nm red LED the one that you use?

Thanks again for your voice, I'm such an impatient person that I want to get started on accelerating my recovery right away but I know it will take time. All I can say to anyone who hasn't had the chickenpox yet, go get the vaccine! Chicken pox is so much worse as an adult and if you're exposed to someone with shingles you will get chickenpox because it's the same virus. We actually don't see chickenpox much anymore because of the vaccine, but they didn't have the vaccine I was a little kid so I here I am on this message board

Yes, the one I linked to is the one I use (660nm/880nm), and it's what the people who recommended LEDs on this forum were using.

Dermarolling is fairly safe if done right, so I don't think there is a big risk of making things worse. However, I would wait to be on the safe side since your scars are still healing on their own. The dark color should fade after a few months, after which it will be much easier to assess how deep the scars really are. Hyperpigmentation tends to make scars look much worse.

As far as I understand, silicone sheets are supposed to prevent hypertrophic scarring. I very much doubt this would be a risk in your case. If you had fresh acne scarring somewhere on your body, then the silicone scar straps might be useful. So I wouldn't bother getting them.

Good luck with the healing.

Thank you and Arcadia and Austra, I will follow your sage advice and let time run it's course first before doing anything drastic. Very thankful for this forum, if not I would probably be out a lot of $$. I'll keep everyone updated with pictures so others who go through a situation like mine can know what to expect. Thanks again!

I have been using the NewGel+ silicone strips (and cream) depending on the spots. I am 36 and had a breast reduction when I was 19. I have happily manged with the scars and never looked back until recently. When inquiring with a doctor on scar treatment she mentioned the NewGel+ strips. I bought them and I absolutely love them. My scars are significantly reduced after about a month and a half of use and about a month ago I began using it on my face for my acne scars. More specifically on my face the texture of my skin is so much softer and smoother and my pores are much smaller. I had really bad acne scars and honestly they are almost gone. The product is cheap compared to all the other stuff I have tried. I highly recommend this product.

i wanan warn anyone using the red leds. apparently red led's also stimulates hair growth! yup thats right hair growth! in other words if you dont want hairs growing out of your scars be extrememley careful when using the red led's

i wanan warn anyone using the red leds. apparently red led's also stimulates hair growth! yup thats right hair growth! in other words if you dont want hairs growing out of your scars be extrememley careful when using the red led's

I have to agree that I may have noticed a slight effect on hair growth in areas where I've used the red LEDs daily for months (basically my cheeks). I've never had issues with facial hair though, and now this isn't a problem for me as I've only seen a couple more silvery thin hairs that wouldn't be noticeable to anyone else. I can't rule out that my increase in hair is only imagined even, since I read it here first before noticing, but I don't think it's just that. For someone prone to get problematic hair growth, this is definitely something to look out for.

But well, I can't see how the effect would be permanent - I would think it would wear off eventually and return to normal. I hope it does for you, no_hope!

i wanan warn anyone using the red leds. apparently red led's also stimulates hair growth! yup thats right hair growth! in other words if you dont want hairs growing out of your scars be extrememley careful when using the red led's

I have to agree that I may have noticed a slight effect on hair growth in areas where I've used the red LEDs daily for months (basically my cheeks). I've never had issues with facial hair though, and now this isn't a problem for me as I've only seen a couple more silvery thin hairs that wouldn't be noticeable to anyone else. I can't rule out that my increase in hair is only imagined even, since I read it here first before noticing, but I don't think it's just that. For someone prone to get problematic hair growth, this is definitely something to look out for.

But well, I can't see how the effect would be permanent - I would think it would wear off eventually and return to normal. I hope it does for you, no_hope!

thanks austra. unfortunatley this problem hasnt dissapeared and has become a great pain in the butt! eveyrday i regret using the led's when i look into the mirror. the only way to remove it is to pluck the hairs out and it is painful and also leaves large pores behind. i feel that i have ruined my cheeks because of those darn LED's only if i had known before hand i would of never used them. i honestly dont know what to do.