Hi guys,
Ive been a lurker on these forums for a while. Reading peoples experiences on acne scar treatments really educated me and guided me on how to treat my own scars! I just had my first subcision today and want to share my experiences. First a little background info: I had horrible acne when I was 17-20 and was subsequently put on Accutane. Accutane did wonders but left me with horrible scars (and extremely low confidence). I would rate myself as having severe scarring (see before picture of my left side, which is much worse than my right side). Now Im 25 and have gotten acne under control (still get minor pimples once in a while). Ive recently decided to become serious about treating my acne scars, and subcision seemed like a good first step since it was rather low-risk (and not as expensive). I plan on doing a few rounds of subcision and then Fraxel Repair.
I live in the NYC metro area and there are two well-known doctors who do subcision: Dr. Jeff Rapaport and Dr. George Yang. I called both offices and decided to go with Dr. R since he was more experienced and slightly cheaper (whod thunk?) I went into his office today for the procedure (had a free consultation a couple of weeks prior), signed in, and was called to the back room by a nurse 30 minutes later. The nurse took several pictures of my face, and Dr. R came in to mark scar spots. Afterwards, the nurse numbed my face with anesthetics (took about 10 minutes or so). This was slightly painful since my forehead, my temples, and my cheeks were numbed! Dr. R came in 10 minutes later to proceed with the subcision. He informed me that I may hear popping noises during the procedure. I asked him whether taking Vitamin C/Collagen supplements would aid in the healing process, but he offered me no clear answer. The entire subcision procedure took way less time than I expected (about 7-8 minutes total). This may be because all my scars are aggregated in single spots. After the procedure was done, I asked Dr. R to prescribe me some antibiotics just in case I get acne flare-ups. I was then patched up by the nurse and given a handheld suction device to be used everyday for a week. I was also advised to take Arnica pills over the course of 10 days. Overall, Dr. R seemed to be a little rushed, but I hope with his expertise and experience, I will see improvements in my scarring. I will have a follow-up with Dr. R in a month or so and go from there.
For those of you who have done subscision, I have several questions:
- Would anyone recommend taking Vitamin C/Collagen supplements after the procedure to induce collage formation and faster healing?
- Has anyone applied MSM cream on their face post-subcision?
Let me know if you guys have any questions, and I will keep you posted on my results!
I haven't done subscision, but thinking about it, and thinking about Dr R, so PLEASE keep us posted!
I do use a derma stamp and take vitamin C supplements every day, but topically after I roll I use copper peptides.
Mr Matt is the subscision expert on this site, he will likely respond or check out his profile and PM him if you don't hear from him in a few days.
Do you mind if I ask what the charge was from Dr R?
I haven't done subscision, but thinking about it, and thinking about Dr R, so PLEASE keep us posted!
I do use a derma stamp and take vitamin C supplements every day, but topically after I roll I use copper peptides.
Mr Matt is the subscision expert on this site, he will likely respond or check out his profile and PM him if you don't hear from him in a few days.
Do you mind if I ask what the charge was from Dr R?
The total cost was $867 regardless of the number of scars. I believe Dr. Yang charges by the square inch which would have been more for the entire face.
Good luck with the treatment! Hope you see good improvement in a few months!
High dosage vitamin C of up to 1 g daily can only aid in the healing und stimulating collagen production. I don't have any experience with a MSM cream, but I have taken MSM powder orally(also 1 g daily) after my treatments and it was ok. The sulphur helps build up the collagen amino acids.
I am just curious. What is the suction device that you were handed? Can it be bought somewhere online?
Good luck with the treatment! Hope you see good improvement in a few months!
High dosage vitamin C of up to 1 g daily can only aid in the healing und stimulating collagen production. I don't have any experience with a MSM cream, but I have taken MSM powder orally(also 1 g daily) after my treatments and it was ok. The sulphur helps build up the collagen amino acids.
I am just curious. What is the suction device that you were handed? Can it be bought somewhere online?
I have started to take Neocell Collagen Type 1 and 3 with Vitamin C and will start applying MSM cream in about 5 days.I was given this handheld suction device at the office
*Moderator edit, URL removed - read the board rules*
Good luck with the treatment! Hope you see good improvement in a few months!
High dosage vitamin C of up to 1 g daily can only aid in the healing und stimulating collagen production. I don't have any experience with a MSM cream, but I have taken MSM powder orally(also 1 g daily) after my treatments and it was ok. The sulphur helps build up the collagen amino acids.
I am just curious. What is the suction device that you were handed? Can it be bought somewhere online?
I have started to take Neocell Collagen Type 1 and 3 with Vitamin C and will start applying MSM cream in about 5 days.I was given this handheld suction device at the office *Moderator edit, URL removed - read the board rules*
I would use topical vitamin C serum since many studies show its more effective than taken orally. The two best serums are cellex-c and skinceuticals but they are expensive, ~$140. A bottle lasts me about 7-8 months though.
did dr. rapaport suggest fraxel?
I haven't done subscision, but thinking about it, and thinking about Dr R, so PLEASE keep us posted!
I do use a derma stamp and take vitamin C supplements every day, but topically after I roll I use copper peptides.
Mr Matt is the subscision expert on this site, he will likely respond or check out his profile and PM him if you don't hear from him in a few days.
Do you mind if I ask what the charge was from Dr R?
According to my dermatologist, oral Vitamin C will probably not make it to your epidermis. He recommended that I use topical serums containing ester C. I use a product from Vitacost. Com that contains ester C, DMAE, and alpha lipoic acid and I have had very good results using this topically in conjunction with dermarollimg.
I had the most success with combining subcision with suction;see my thread for more details.
Keep us posted on your progress and thanks for sharing your story. We can all grow by learning from one another.
Matt
Good luck with the treatment! Hope you see good improvement in a few months!
High dosage vitamin C of up to 1 g daily can only aid in the healing und stimulating collagen production. I don't have any experience with a MSM cream, but I have taken MSM powder orally(also 1 g daily) after my treatments and it was ok. The sulphur helps build up the collagen amino acids.
I am just curious. What is the suction device that you were handed? Can it be bought somewhere online?
I have started to take Neocell Collagen Type 1 and 3 with Vitamin C and will start applying MSM cream in about 5 days.I was given this handheld suction device at the office *Moderator edit, URL removed - read the board rules*
I would use topical vitamin C serum since many studies show its more effective than taken orally. The two best serums are cellex-c and skinceuticals but they are expensive, ~$140. A bottle lasts me about 7-8 months though.
did dr. rapaport suggest fraxel?
Yes at the consultation he suggested subcision and laser, but I declined laser and he did not push at all. I will evaluate my progress after a couple rounds of subcision and then decide on Fraxel.
Hi guys, this is an update to my subcision procedure I had a month ago. I had the procedure done on my cheeks and temples and forehead with Dr Rappaport in NJ. I do see some improvements and will be going back for a round 2 in November and possibly laser next year.
For the first 2 weeks after subcision, I applied suction 2x a day (once in the morning and once at night). I'm also applying MSM cream twice a day (in the morning and before bed) (started this 3 days after the subcision procedure). I am taking collagen supplements but this haven't been very consistent since I suspect it's causing some flareups on my neck. Lastly, I'm on antibiotics to control flare ups. I just realized my before picture is not very good but the scarring is fairly deep, and I'm only showing my left side becuase by far it's where most of my scarring lie. Let me know if you guys have any questions!
Hi Phorko, thanks for updating. I have similar scars as yours from temple to lower cheeks. It looks like there is improvement in your scars. I'm also in the nyc area. Do you mind me asking what the price is per square inch with Dr. Yang? Also, do you know how many subcisions will you be having/ how many did the doctor recommend?
Thanks in advance!
