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Scars After Accutane

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(@tjz75)

Posted : 02/27/2013 8:49 pm

hey guys so i finished accutane about a month and a half ago. i took 40 mg twice a day for 6 months and it was pretty brutal. i had pretty severe cystic acne but thankfully it is gone. but now i am left with these pretty large scars and theyre everywhere. ill attach some pics. the scars look not too too bad some days and then down right horrible others. these pics are after a nice cold shower so and they arnt too bad.

im currently using hydroquinone 4% both in the morning and night as well a PA+++ sunscreen in the morning. its going ok, i have only been doing it for about 3 weeks and have seen next to no improvement but i still have hopes. my doctor told me to wait 6 months before doing any scar treatment like dermobrasions or laser treatments so i was wondering if you guys know which ones would be best for these types of scars.

i have used bio oil and makari de suisse in the past, both which were decently expensive and did help one bit. i also tend to get obnoxious red blotchy skin often and i cant pin point a reason at all. but i have read that this happens after accutane and eventually fades. these scars are really killing me though and i dont really know what to do. i just wanted to see what you guys had to say and willing to listen to any advice anyone has.

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(@darkheart)

Posted : 02/27/2013 8:56 pm

Ask your dermatologist for some topical Retin-A at a low dose - Retin-a is also used to fade scars, discoloration and rebuild collagen. It's not only an "acne" cream it's multi-purpose.

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(@radioheadnude)

Posted : 02/28/2013 12:06 pm

It looks like my scars . I was on accutane too. After 6 months my scarrin is still there but scarring is less noticable right now . I have been looking for treatment too . It used to bother me but i kinda dont care it anymore :)

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(@maclas)

Posted : 02/28/2013 6:30 pm

Just relax and let time do its magic. If you are not happy within 6 months, then you can start looking into treatments with your dermatologist.

Patience is a virtue!

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(@keep-ya-head-up)

Posted : 03/03/2013 4:21 am

After accutane i had similar scars not as large tho, its been about 5-6 years now and i still have them.

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(@grpm)

Posted : 03/04/2013 2:46 pm

Just relax and let time do its magic. If you are not happy within 6 months, then you can start looking into treatments with your dermatologist.

Patience is a virtue!

I agree, people tend to freak out if they don't see results for their acne and/or blemishes within a week, but what they don't understand that these kind of marks require time to heal and a completely 180° change in their lifestyle. Just be patient and constant in your skin care routine, I know it by personal experience ;)

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(@tjz75)

Posted : 07/03/2013 6:59 pm

just an update its been a little over 4 months. one side has healed much better than the other. i am using mandelic acid lotion twice a day and have been for about 2 months now. has given me the best results so far.

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(@sylosis)

Posted : 12/25/2013 3:17 pm

Dermapen works.

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(@budah)

Posted : 01/03/2014 1:41 am

Did you pick at your acne and scabs? Or are the scars just from the acne being there for a while?

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(@jakeboarding)

Posted : 01/03/2014 1:54 am

tjz, I have the same marks as you. except their on the temples. I'm going to go on Retin-A soon, and perhaps I will document my Journey for the next six months if I feel like it. XD

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(@somanyquestions)

Posted : 01/03/2014 6:15 pm

Looks exactly like me now. 3.5 months post at the moment. Was basically on 80-90 per day throughout the course. The super redness people get that lasts afterward is likely a result of the increased dosage. Better than acne but god damn sometimes it sucks with the hot, inflamed, red cheeks during the day.

IPL/v-beam are recommended for red marks. I do not know if those procedures work for the general red patches you and I are seeing that are a direct result of accutane, though. It's an extremely frustrating time, I know. We're basically sitting ducks waiting to see if we end up with fucking rosacea for the rest of our lives (which accutane CAN cause).

Was doing some searching the other day on this exact same topic and saw someone saying something about how it is because the skin has thinned so much....now the red blood cells show out more, especially during periods of high blood flow (anxiety, nervousness, embarassment, working out, etc.). Dude when I get up from the bench I look like the devil. Praying to Jesus that this doesn't affect me for longer than a couple years max. I'm waiting a year though before I start to really say what the fuck...

No one told me accutane was really, in fact, an 18 month process.

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(@tjz75)

Posted : 06/05/2014 10:58 pm

15 months later. nothing but time that healed these. Got a lot of body acne now and i gotta deal with that now which sucks. but face turned out not too shabby.

and yea when i lifted my scars did, and sometimes still do, get obnoxiously red. People used to do triple takes at me and it made me fell not too great. but its better now. Time is the cure. Just gotta suck it up.

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(@andrewbleah)

Posted : 06/06/2014 1:33 pm

Looks like i have the same problem you do just my red marks are so much redder.

It would be a great help if you could tell me what you used?Also as cleanser,moisturizing and bassicly your skincare routine,mine is so irritating.

Could you also give me a link for the mandelic acid lotion you used?

It would be much appriciated.

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(@tjz75)

Posted : 07/13/2014 9:17 pm

Nucelle Madelic Acid Serum. I tried at least a dozen thing with a 3 weeks trial period for each. This one worked by far the best. Apply every night before bed.

[Edited link out]

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(@pineapplexpress)

Posted : 07/15/2014 7:08 pm

Wow your skin looks amazing now! :):):)

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(@jmd1568)

Posted : 07/06/2015 10:34 am

Any more updates on your progress? How long did you wait after accutane to begin the use of the madelic serum? Let me know!

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(@robertitoo)

Posted : 07/06/2015 7:18 pm

That mandelic acid did wonders for him. You can clearly see how his shallow acne scars have disappeared for good. Goes to show how exfoliation does one good over a period of time. It's inevitable that you will get results, you just have to stick with it or something.

 

Dc-girl's is another good read if anyone is interested. (She used TCA 15-30% SPOT)

 

Subcision worked for me, check my blog out

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(@jmd1568)

Posted : 07/22/2015 1:46 pm

Thanks for the reply!

 

I am going to give myself a break for a couple months. Only off accutane for 2-3 weeks so far, I got prescribed a gentle sulphur cleanser for my face flushing and general acne maintenance as Im off accutane and I really like it, really calms down my skin. Using that every other night. Also just been using the cetaphil gentle cleanser in between. Scars/scarred pores and just pores are still prevalent but I think they may be slowly getting better as I am just letting them heal, kind of unsure right now.

 

Around september or october I will purchase that mandellic acid solution. Do you think that would be a big enough break for my skin post accutane? (stopped July 5th). Or should I wait longer before trying the mandellic solution. Let me know!

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(@tjz75)

Posted : 09/15/2015 12:01 am

30 months later

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(@presidentguevara)

Posted : 09/15/2015 1:16 am

Wow great results what have you been using

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(@mathslover)

Posted : 09/15/2015 4:50 am

Your skin lookssss sooo good! It just gave me hope for my scars..what helped you the most?

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(@fortuneshill)

Posted : 09/15/2015 12:08 pm

Wouldn't think you had cyst acne would you? Brilliant results you should be proud of yourself mate!

 

I bet those people who made fun of you aren't laughing anymore :D.

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(@jacob-uchiha)

Posted : 06/06/2016 4:15 pm

I also have cystic acne and I'm on month 4 I'm getting pretty nice results but a lot of redness and some scars, have you used any laser treatments yet? It looks like time and your age has gotten rid of most of your scars, I'm 17 going on 18 soon so for any of you other older people did your scars just fill in over time when you were younger bc younger bc people have a faster collagen growth?

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(@battle-scar)

Posted : 01/03/2017 5:56 am

I hope my skin will make a great result like that :) i have been off accutane for 2 weeks

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(@cendrella)

Posted : 10/23/2017 1:09 pm

Congratulations on your progress! I have adult acne and I have never had it before. I started using Isotertinoin 21 days ago, and I notice the white-heads are getting out of my skin causing acne sometimes. Many scars started to appear faster and much more than ever. I was scared but now I am hopefully seeing your skin after healing.

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