Please please don't let this run your life. I have seen some really bad scarring (I have it on my face) and yours is NOT BAD. I was expecting so so much worse and when I saw it I literally thought it was nothing. No woman would ever notice this and think you were disgusting, I really don't think we would notice at all.

Please please don't let this run your life. I have seen some really bad scarring (I have it on my face) and yours is NOT BAD. I was expecting so so much worse and when I saw it I literally thought it was nothing. No woman would ever notice this and think you were disgusting, I really don't think we would notice at all.

Exactly what this person said. I was expecting to see your back absolutely disfigured, but the scars are hardly noticeable at all. I'm obviously not a medical professional, but it sounds to me like you have Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). It's extremely common, especially for acne sufferers...look it up. Not only would no woman notice, no woman would care. I know that doesn't help with treating your scars..but best of luck to you.

I don't see any scars. Even if they are there a woman is not going to care. If anything it would make her feel closer to you for you to confide in her.

Severe, disfiguring scarring? oh please.. I mean, there is scarring (unlike other posters calling open pores gaping holes) , but do you expect ANY user to agree with you? of course not, that's why you managed to post those pictures. People with truly disfiguring acne scarring VERY rarely post pictures of themselves because they can't even handle the idea of pictures of their bodies being taken, let alone uploading them to the internet for everyone to see. There are many, many people with disfigurements, but pictures of them are very hard to come by, and most of the time belong to medical papers more than public internet forums.

Anyway, acne body scars can be flattened with steroid injections (risky) and then tattooing over the hypopigmented area with surrounding skin color. Of course, tanning is out of the question if you don't want to look worse than before so it is up to you.

Sadly, body acne scars are more difficult to treat than "classical" facial acne scars, which are by themselves nigh-impossible to perceivably remove

Hi there. I am a 25 year old woman and I can tell you that there is absolutely nothing disgusting about your back. It would not at all keep me from wanting to be in a relationship with you. Please do not allow this to keep you from living a fulfilling life.

I hope this helped you.

Thanks for the responses although only one was treatment related.

The pictures do not compare to real life and I am not a very good photographer and don't really know how to use lighting to show what I am talking about. I posted a better pic above showing more detail.

I know that it obviously could be worse, I am sorry if it seems like I am exaggerating but it feels that bad to me. I get what you guys are saying, but they definitely ARE scars and it was VERY hard for me to post pictures of them really and I am going to have a tough time I am sure at the treatment appointments. I am just so sick of hiding and feeling like I am living a secret life that this was kind of a first step in my recovery I guess.

I am sure I do not have BDD, I actually do have serious physical flaws that are bothering me. I am ok with my other god given features, It is just hard for me to accept that I have to have multiple scars on my body for the rest of my life and it is all due to my own negligence which I can only blame myself for.

I just hope something good can come out of my appointments with the treatment centers. I understand they are businesses so it is hard for me to trust what they say really without some reference.

If anyone has seen any specialists who has done body scar treatments anywhere in the USA please let me know if you can give a good referral.

EDIT: I added more pictures so you can better see what I am talking about. I think someone on here has to know someone or personally had experience with these types of scars.

Thanks

Thanks for the responses although only one was treatment related.

The pictures do not compare to real life and I am not a very good photographer and don't really know how to use lighting to show what I am talking about. I posted a better pic above showing more detail.

I know that it obviously could be worse, I am sorry if it seems like I am exaggerating but it feels that bad to me. I get what you guys are saying, but they definitely ARE scars and it was VERY hard for me to post pictures of them really and I am going to have a tough time I am sure at the treatment appointments. I am just so sick of hiding and feeling like I am living a secret life that this was kind of a first step in my recovery I guess.

I am sure I do not have BDD, I actually do have serious physical flaws that are bothering me. I am ok with my other god given features, It is just hard for me to accept that I have to have multiple scars on my body for the rest of my life and it is all due to my own negligence which I can only blame myself for.

I just hope something good can come out of my appointments with the treatment centers. I understand they are businesses so it is hard for me to trust what they say really without some reference.

If anyone has seen any specialists who has done body scar treatments anywhere in the USA please let me know if you can give a good referral.

EDIT: I added more pictures so you can better see what I am talking about. I think someone on here has to know someone or personally had experience with these types of scars.

Thanks

They aren't bad. That's not the response you want to hear, but it's the truth. I have some scars like that from severe body acne and they don't bother me at all. As someone has already said, there isn't a whole lot you can do for body scarring in particular. It looks like some of the scars are still a little red and they should fade up in time. You can read up about body acne scars here. Again, I'm not a psychologist but I honestly think you need help because you're seriously blowing them out of proportion. From mayoclinic:

"Body dysmorphic disorder is a type of chronic mental illness in which you can't stop thinking about a flaw in your appearance a flaw that is either minor or imagined. But to you, your appearance seems so shameful that you don't want to be seen by anyone.

Your perceived flaw causes you significant distress, and your obsession impacts your ability to function in your daily life. You may seek out numerous cosmetic procedures or excessively exercise to try to "fix" your perceived flaw, but you're never satisfied."

Now read what you said:

"My torso is now left completely disfigured to the point that other than in dark settings for a quick shirt change or a short period no one has even seen my shirtless for years. I won't even wear a tank top. I feel like I look horrific so as you can probably imagine it is impossible to maintain any kind of relationship with a female. Although I have had some in the past, I am completely obsessed with the state of my skin now and I refuse to let anyone know about it."

Having acne scars is not your fault. Take some perspective and look at this woman in this video - after laser treatment for her scarring (which is also on her face). She ends the video by saying she "can't wait for summer" like she's going to go out in a bikini and she's got much worse scarring than you do. I hope it doesn't sound like I'm trying to be condescending here...

Thanks for being brave and sharing your feelings here...it's also great to hear you are taking positive action to heal your skin.

I agree with everyone so far, your issues are very mild although you may not feel that they are minor...

I believe you need to see a naturopath and/ or dietician that might give you guidance on what to eat and what to avoid.

Looking at your skin condition, IMHO, I believe there is either a bad diet to blame or fungal infection. For example, do your sweat a lot and not shower or change your T-shirts after a workout? Do you use new towels after each shower? Maybe your towels or clothes need a good anti-fungal disinfectant?

Also, do you eat super healthy? Or do you eat junk food, soda, coffee & dairy etc?

If you aren't eating very healthy & have a fungal infection, consider improving your diet in a major way i.e. anti-candida & gluten free (including lots of fresh fruit/ veg juices) & using an anti-fungal cream. (i.e. A good one is Nizoral. http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/skin-and-hair/medicines/nizoral-cream.html ). Another excellent ointment is B3 niacinamide gel. Also, macha, green tea powder, is just as powerful as benzoyl peroxide without the horrible side-effects (look for a product with it). However, I would suggest that first you try washing your skin with sea salt & then applying 100% pure organic lavender oil &/ or tea tree oil. This really helps stop the acne/ fungal skin infection naturally.

As for the scars. They should resolve with time. Or you could try asking a friend or family member to help applying retin a on your scars. This should improve their appearance over time.

Lastly, girls worth their while are more interested in your ability to be a kind & caring partner than on your outer appearance. And they probably have their own issues/ insecurities to grapple with and would be 'relieved' to see you were as human & vulnerable as them...

Anyway, hope this info helps you, Sesvcl, in your journey to health, healing & wellness....

Cheers

PS Sharing "faults" and being honest about your insecurities is very often the basis of true friendships & romantic relationships that grow & blossom into true love...so don't push away that special girl that "truly" cares about you & the feeling is mutual over something so trivial as this (although it might not seem trivial to you at the moment).

PPS Try using only flaxseed oil, virgin organic coconut oil or grapeseed/ sunflower oil instead of olive oil (I just found out about the importance of using oils high in linoleic acid to help normalize sebum secretion).

wow this is not bad at all. i have it 20x worse, huge white bumps and deep indentations all over my back chest and shoulders, that are actually visible unlke yours which looks just like normal maybe slightly rough skin. i wouldn't let it stop me from getting in a relationship though.

I can see what you are talking about, and most of us are concerned with indented scars. This is purely speculation on my part, but I wonder if Dermabrasion or the old CO2 non-fractionalized laser would work for you. I have had both and they did nothing for indented scars, but with your slightly raised scars it might be a different case. Basically it is the concept of sanding them down smooth.. My biggest worry would be leaving you with a bunch of white spots.

It's such a shame that you're letting your scarring hold you back as much. I personally think it's not an issue at all. That scarring is nothing to worry about and on a par with a couple of stretch marks in my book. I wouldn't mind at all if my boyfriend would have such scars. I can understand why you would find it a bit embarrassing to change clothing in front of strangers in bright lights (as most people would), but with closer relationships or in the bedroom I don't think anyone would care in the slightest. If it's affecting you so much, you should really consider therapy of some sort. Re: treatments (although I don't think this is worth treatments), it can be hard to find much information for hypertrophic body scarring. Also, this kind of scarring seems fairly challenging to treat. You could try the kind of lasers that Dudley suggested, but hypopigmentation is probably a big risk (as it's more common in areas besides the face anyhow), and I doubt you'd be happy with the results but you could always get consultations and weigh in your options. Silicone sheets or gels might be worth a try, but they work very slowly and won't most likely do miracles. I would try silicone sheets or gel though, as they're cheap and with no additional risks. Time will help the scars fade too. And dermarolling may help with hypopigmentation, but I'm not sure how effective it is. That's all I know, but my scarring is mostly indented and on my face, so I haven't looked into this type of scarring much.

Thanks again for the responses. Sorry if it seems I am blowing things out of proportion but these really suck to me and look worse in certain lighting. and in real life The pics don't really show the extent of them. Plus, I have a lot of the marks. If it was a handful, I do not even think I would care.

Thanks for the treatment related responses too. It seems to me based on my research and the response from a few doctors that fraxel may be a viable option.

My biggest concern with that is more breaking out due to the fraxel, thus causing more sacarring. My skin is pretty clear with the occasional minor break out but this is as a result of taking good care of it and taking antibiotics.

The only solution to this I could think of was doing the smooth beam laser first, maybe 1-2 treatments to help keep the acne at bay. Then trying the fraxel after that.

Also, one doctor did mention some type of injection as well but I am not sure how that would work as the scars are so soft and flimsy I don't think it would be easy to inject.

I live a very healthy lifestyle, diet, exercise, no smoking, no drugs, no vices really so I know this is not related to anything to do with that but thanks aquasea for the insight.

I am 30 years old and just sick of dealing with skin problems for my whole life practically. I know most of you can relate, I really feel for you all too. In hindsight I should have just gone on accutane as a teen but I was scared to. If I had a time machine, I would have jump at that opportunity now.

come on are you serious? i was expecting actualy disfigurement. i also have raised bumps on my bak alot liuke yours but you know what? im focused on the scars i have on my face because the face is more important then the bak. u should relax dude and be really grateful that you dont have any scarring on your face.

Okay, this is the problem I see so often on this site. I understand your scarring bothers you, but frankly it shouldn't. There are folks here who are really suffering with true disfigurement of their FACE. Boards like this can be a great resource but at the same time totally feed burgeoning cases of BDD.

The OP is obviously concerned about his condition and telling him to blow it off does nothing to address his questions. I would seriously question the effectiveness of any form of Fraxel laser on your condition. While I advocate Fraxel Re:pair for most depressed scars, I know of no studies of its effectiveness on raised scars. There may well be studies, but my area of concern has always been on depressed scars.

Yes, also say away from processed sugars..this feeds candida which can cause acne/ yeast infections/ fungus....same goes with gluten & GMO & other acid forming foods etc

Thanks for the advice everyone.

RE: Dudley

I am wondering what you are basing this info on? It seems every doctor I have talked to has mentioned fraxel Repair as an option. Also, I read some answers on real self that also mentioned this. Also it may take several treatments.

Thanks again.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

RE: Dudley

I am wondering what you are basing this info on? It seems every doctor I have talked to has mentioned fraxel Repair as an option. Also, I read some answers on real self that also mentioned this. Also it may take several treatments.

Thanks again.

As I say, there may be evidence to the contrary that Re:pair would work for you, and I am just speaking from a laymans point of view. I am a big advocate of Re:pair, but always considered it more for depressed scars. If you have evidence to back you up then by all means follow the evidence. I would be interested to hear at what levels they are planning on treating you at. I just don't have any experience with raised scars, but I support your effort to seek treatment..

Hello all and sesvcl,

I am a forum lurker but actually joined this site just to share my experience with what I believe a situation that we both share (I hope it's not a forum hijacking, just to share the story in one related topic).

I also have this kind of scarring on my back, mainly the shoulder area (see photo) and I am also 30 tears old.

This is the first time I find on the internet, what I believe, is the exact condition I am suffering from.

No matter what people say here on the form it is something that can't be taken lightly. I, personallly, don't think of it as a disfigurement but it does bother me on a daily basis and does stop me from going out or especially being at the pool, beach or what not.

There are more serious cases but the fact is that I have this specific case (as well sesvcl) and saying it's nothing I think it's not very constructive or helping with coming up with options or give any ideas that one might have. I thank those who did come up with treatment options or at least possible solutions.

When I was young I had acne but never severe, I went to see dermatologists and they perscribes from everything to everything. I had the occasional back pimples but nothing that would explain the amount of small white "bumps"/scars on my shoulders/back area.

My acne died with taking a session of pills (which I can't recall it's name) but the bumps were there even before that...

Here comes what I've tried to save who ever reads this the money and maybe focus on other treatments that I might be able to offer have I not spent much on other treatments...

I believe I've been to about 20+ doctors (dermatologist mixed with cosmetic Dr.'s) from all over the world (plus some online doctors). Their diagnosis varies at times; some does say it's acne some say it's a virus. Some offered Microdermabrasion other cortizon injections to Fraxel, Dermaroll etc.

The first Dr. was my childhood dermatologist who ask me "why didn't I come to him when I had them, as a kid?" I didn't want to tell him that I did and all he did was giving me an ointment which took some time to figure out how to put on my back (I was and still am to some extent a shy self aware guy) and as a kid I never knew there would be these kind of almost horrific ramifications. I knew of scarring if you play with acne but nothing like this and have I known I would do something about it and with all honest I believe my life would be better. Now, I am not saying that I don't do things but there is some awareness that's already embed in me that whenever I take the shirt off a red light is triggered and it's nice. Sure it's not the end of the world and I'm not going to stop doing daily activities but it is a bother, a big one especially where there is no one person who can pin point on some treatment in today's advanced technology.

Back to the treatments...

I tried them all - almost...

I spend too much money, time on Microdermabrasion believing this is THE thing (good marketing and good looking nurse/rep. I guess...) - we tried from the standard strength to the more extreme ones.... months after months - I can't really tell if it did something to the bumps (pigment was a different issue).

Also tried Dermaroll, which I believe should have helped with the pigmentation portion - NADA.

Tried some at home chemical peels - nothing.

Tried some ills like Bromelain and other that are suppose to break the scar tissue - nothing....

I did manage to do one session of Fraxel....and here is the thing:

Most doctors kept telling me "Fraxel, Fraxel, Fraxel" as if it's the new hype but couldn't tell me if it's going to help me for sure.

And that is just the thing.... Fraxel is very costly but non of the clinics/doctors I've been to could tell me it would definitely help. Even to a certain percentage.

The patch I did was a one time to see what's going on but I had to stop because of the cost and uncertainty of the Dr. (I wish I could pay after a certain degree of improvement is met ).

I believe it will work, but I think it's more I want it to work that what really is going to happen including a big hole in my pocket.

At the end I believe I will try it again, once I'll have the money.

Since some mentioned that diet and hygiene is important, I am an active person, don't drink coffee or alcoholic drinks nor smoke. I drink mainly water or tea so no coke or stuff like that. My only "sweet" drink is OJ in the morning. I do shower daily ( thought it's an obvious thing for people..?).

Overall I love my body but having this on it isn't acceptable by me and I hope some people are able to share ideas or their experience if they have this kind of a condition which to this day have several names by doctors, from keloid scarring, hypertrophic scars, acne scars it seems like a guessing game which makes me uneasy and wonder if there might be some research that I might participate in in order to help and solve this issue for other people like sesvcl and me.

hoever managed to read this far thanks! and if you do have some experience or ideas to share go a head, I'm accepting to be a guinea pig - whatever will raise the chance to get rid of this cursed scarring that bother me so much. Or even a specific name for this condition?

To sesvcl, I will update you if I find anything that might make any kind of improvement - I don't expect anything to be 100% but even 75% is good (I'm being optimistic here).

Thanks for reading!

Hey, i identified myself very much with your case. I have 21yo and always get a lot of complements and flerting of girls that i am really interested in, but this skin condiction gets me depressed and i just cant take a girl looking at my back and chest like this. I know, iknow, people will say ''oh you shouldnt give this that much of attention, if a girl really likes you she will do not care about it'', i hope they are right, but i cant controll my insecurity about it.

So, you have posted this in 2013. Found some treatment in 2020?

(I'm brazilian, so sorry if i wrote somenthig wrong)

Im a 26yo girl and Ive had the same problem since I was 15 I think. It is called perifollicular elastolysis and is because of the lack of elastin.I would be thankful if anyone share their successful experience of treatment... or even ways to prevent appearing more of them...