What type of scars are these? I know its still very red as my acne is just now going away I'm 17. My derm is supposed to be good and is going to start medlite laser and microdermabrasion for it in a couple of weeks. She said I'll have 4-6 treatments and then it'll be all gone (it's expensive though). My old derm said I didnt' have scars so I was wondering if these are scars?
Looks like PIH (red marks left after acne). Its hard to tell whether they are indented, it doesn't look like it. These marks will eventually go away along with your acne. Make sure you do some comparative pricing on the medlite also. However personally, if i could go back to your age (if you can afford it of course) i would have got this treatment done, i becomes a lot more complicated when your older working etc. all the best mate 
they will be regular plain ass acne scars, visable from some angles and not others. Once the redness fades and your skin looks healthy (assuming you KEEP it healthy) it wont look terrible.
My adivice is stay far far away from lasers/peels/dermabrasions/scrubs.
PLEASE dont go thru with the micro's, how do you figure thinking with COMMON SENSE that tearing up your face is going to help somehow? long term...?
You have been warned, and begged.
thanks. there are some slight indents which she said the medlite would make invisible and the micro would help the healing process.
@Doddy46 i thought micro was supposed to help your face heal?
thanks. there are some slight indents which she said the medlite would make invisible and the micro would help the healing process.
@Doddy46 i thought micro was supposed to help your face heal?
micro helping the healing process is the dumbest thing i have ever heard. micro can very much do more damage and even give you new scars your not ready for. get the acne completley gone and then try v beam at best. v beam is a non invasive laser specifically meant for hyperpigmentation problems. the fact that your derm is recommending this to you is a bad sign. also she said 4-6 treatments so she can get the most money out of it .
kk thanks. i looked up medlite and that seems to have no negative side effects, and its non invasive like you suggest. so is that still a good idea?
I'm still a little confused about micro. I know not to believe everything I read but some people claim it gets rid of their acne scars and gives their skin a very healthy look.
@maddie, I highly suggest you take a read thru [Removed] <---- this forum before you proceed with laser treatments. Many of people have been damaged, and I just saw a peice on CNN about it. These are unregulated machines with no requirements to use.
I wouldnt risk my face with ANY of these things as they likely wont help an iota, and may possibly cause more damage. Damaged caused by lasers is often permanent AND progessive. Not worth the risk IMO
Im also along the line of your derm is in it for cash.
Find a Derm who would offer advice before treatment.
In fact, you face is prone to damage right now, so I'd just focus on a simple cleansing routine, once daily somtime twice when neccessary. The goal here is to not cause any damage while your skin is vulnerable. You should clear up in time with a gentle routine and a good attitude. Make sure you are in a comfortable enviroment at all times and your not focusing on your acne, or worrying about it. Acne is an abnormal immune response to somthing and directing your attention to your face will inevitably increase this immune response making it worse.
Gentle cleansing. NO MOISTURIZER UNLESS 200% NECCESSARY, NO HARSH TREATMENTS OF ANY KIND.
Get some silk pillow cases, 1 pillow case for 2 days (one night each side)
Wash towels with pillow sheets, double rinse, no fabric softener in the dryer.
You will thank yourself in 10 years for doing this.
The harder you try and fix this problem "NOW" the more damage you'll do
The medical community doesnt have a very good track record of good health without side effects.
In the end the choice is yours, but there are some MAJOR risks involved that simply arent there with a simple gentle routine.
Nurture your skin, don't assult it, its NOT the enemy...
On 8/9/2013 at 8:23 PM, Doddy46 said:@maddie, I highly suggest you take a read thru [Removed] <---- this forum before you proceed with laser treatments. Many of people have been damaged, and I just saw a peice on CNN about it. These are unregulated machines with no requirements to use.
I wouldnt risk my face with ANY of these things as they likely wont help an iota, and may possibly cause more damage. Damaged caused by lasers is often permanent AND progessive. Not worth the risk IMO
Im also along the line of your derm is in it for cash.
Find a Derm who would offer advice before treatment.
In fact, you face is prone to damage right now, so I'd just focus on a simple cleansing routine, once daily somtime twice when neccessary. The goal here is to not cause any damage while your skin is vulnerable. You should clear up in time with a gentle routine and a good attitude. Make sure you are in a comfortable enviroment at all times and your not focusing on your acne, or worrying about it. Acne is an abnormal immune response to somthing and directing your attention to your face will inevitably increase this immune response making it worse.
Gentle cleansing. NO MOISTURIZER UNLESS 200% NECCESSARY, NO HARSH TREATMENTS OF ANY KIND.
Get some silk pillow cases, 1 pillow case for 2 days (one night each side)
Wash towels with pillow sheets, double rinse, no fabric softener in the dryer.
You will thank yourself in 10 years for doing this.
The harder you try and fix this problem "NOW" the more damage you'll do
The medical community doesnt have a very good track record of good health without side effects.
In the end the choice is yours, but there are some MAJOR risks involved that simply arent there with a simple gentle routine.
Nurture your skin, don't assult it, its NOT the enemy...
pretty helpful tips thanx fellow canadian. your comment on pot smoking is so true lol!
As others have mentioned microdermabrasion will not help for any kind of scarring or redness. It's purely an aggressive exfoliation and until your skin is fully healed from your acne break-outs I too strongly recommend against the treatment. Lights and lasers will be better for you in this regards but as I have never had them for redness/PIH I cannot advise on which are better. 
Your redness will go away in time even if you do nothing to your skin. For me I waited until my skin was crystal clear before I underwent scar correction. It took about 2 years for my severe redness to fade on its own. So rest assured that, although slow, it will go away if all you're doing is looking after your skin and letting it heal. Obviously, lasers and light therapy treatments will speed up that process for you.
BP... I would stay clear of that too! While excellent in killing acne at the source BP also slows the healing process somewhat. It can dry your skin out, make you itch and flake and is very dangerous if it gets in your eye. I used BP religiously while on the Obagi range of skin care and all I can say is I both love and hate it. It was great for my active acne but I honestly believe that it promoted my long term skin issues (scarring). AHA's and BHA's are one million times better! 
As for actual scarring, it's hard to tell from your photo. Have you taken a close look at your skin and tried to work out the types of scars you have?