Hey there..... I can really relate. Your scars are similar to mine at the beginning of my journey. They're still horrible, but better than pretreatment. I see that you have mainly rolling scars, which have a normal surface but are depressed. This gives an undulating and wavy appearance to the skin. Luckily for this type of scarring, I think many members on here have found success with multiple subcisions. Essentially subcision is using a 18g Nokor needle and swiping it repeatedly under the scar adhesions to release the tethers that are pulling the scar downward. It also creates a pool of blood underneath that hopefully reorganizes as "collagen" or a layer of permanent scar tissue that plumps up the acne scar. It will not affect the surface of the skin, so you will not be red, oozing like with a resurfacing procedure like co2 laser.

After you get some long term improvement from subcision, I think filler will help to fine tune your scars.

You should up posts by Mr. Matt. His scarring was similar and he got substantial improvement from subcision, suctioning, and chemical peels.

Hey thanks for the advice much appreciated, i looked up the people you mentioned and it looks promising but it seems like not many people in Australia do the procedure, should i just book an appointment with a dermatologist and ask his opinion? as hell charge me for it and probably not even be able to do subcision. I mean im willing to pay anything to increase my confidence and self esteem but ill still have to save the money and the more i pay the longer ill have to wait to get results.

Also my over quality of skin on my face seems to be poor all over i just wash my face with soap but don't really use any creams or anything, if i did would i see improvement at all. it seems the skin on my face is loose and just generally not smooth can be oily at times also can be dry at times. what would be a good place to start with skin care?

I would ask if the doctor performs subcision on scars before scheduling a consultation. No point in wasting time and money to find out a doctor doesn't do the procedure. I've been on many consultations where I wish I had asked questions in advance because the doctor only treated acne scars with laser and wasn't willing to try any other procedure for scar improvement. Some dermatologists don't treat acne scars at all, and will tell you, you're stuck with them. If I were you, I would contact every derm and plastic surgeon in your area, and ask if they offer acne scar treatment and perform subcision on rolling scars.

http://www.westderm.com.au/

Not sure where you are in Australia, but check this doctor out. He seems to devote a lot of his practice to scar treatments and it seems like he is skilled. They seem to offer all the proven techniques for scarring, including subcision. He also has a lot of good videos on youtube.

I don't know much about the Australian health system, but I do believe I've read that some procedures can be reimbursed. I'm sure you'd know more about that than me. So look into that if money is a concern.

Actually if you read his website, the doctor does say that some scar revision procedures are reimbursed.

Subcision with a filler followed by laser/recell since you are in australia.

I would be careful from using anything like laser, dermabration or chemical peels. Instead please look into less invasive options such as needling, subsicion and dermarolling/stamping.

I would be careful from using anything like laser, dermabration or chemical peels. Instead please look into less invasive options such as needling, subsicion and dermarolling/stamping.

Exactly. Also, there are few good and effective non-surgical treatments out there as well that can help you fade them without giving a second thought to surgical treatments. Have you consulted a derma during the whole time?

No never consulted a dermatologist as i thought it would be a waste of time especially if they don't do certain procedures

holyman, your scars are similar to what mine were. Take a look at my signature - throw out dermabrasion and the old CO2 and that is your answer.

holyman, your scars are similar to what mine were. Take a look at my signature - throw out dermabrasion and the old CO2 and that is your answer.

cool thanks to know its an option but do you have before and after pictures, I've heard so many people tell me subcision is my best bet and lasers suck for my type of scarring.

holyman, your scars are similar to what mine were. Take a look at my signature - throw out dermabrasion and the old CO2 and that is your answer.

cool thanks to know its an option but do you have before and after pictures, I've heard so many people tell me subcision is my best bet and lasers suck for my type of scarring.

I don't know anything about subcision or how effective it is. What I do know is Re:pair, and I know that it works. Most of the Re:pair critics have no experience with Re:pair, and really I can only recommend Re:pair which has been the Gold Standard since 2008 for scar repair. I don't generally post pictures anywhere on the internet, and my before pictures did not show my scars so they are useless. Your pictures are closer to what I looked liked than any pictures I have. I am older and my next step is a facelift, and I may post a picture after that. I have a younger girlfriend who is dying to have Re:pair, she has no scars so I am steering her away from Re:pair. I would also suggest people with just minor scars do something less drastic than Re:pair. Logic would say that Re:pair at lower settings would be effective for these people, but I do not know that as a fact.

There is a protocol with Re:pair which must be followed or there is no use doing it at all. You look like a very good candidate for this plan. For Re:pair to work you must do it at high mj and % or just stay home. Also you will need multiple Re:pairs as the results are cumulative. I only got about 30% improvement from my first Re:pair, but it was the drastic improvement to non-acne scars on my nose and forhead that told me I had found what I was looking for. You will notice throughout this post I do not use the L word (laser) or the F word (Fraxel) because I have found that people will fixiate on the wrong thing and lump everything under one word. This is the same as saying all balls are the same. Imagine Miguel Cabrera batting against Lebron James throwing a basketball. There is that much difference in "lasers".

I take a special interest in your case because you scars are so similar to what mine were, and I don't want the naysayers to deter you from at least investigating what I believe is the answer to your scars. I don't know of anything that will take you to 100% improvement, but I am amazed at what a big difference it has made in my life. 6 years ago all I could think about was my scars, now they are an afterthought.

If you want to stick with less invasive, relatively cheaper treatments, try the subcision + filler option before lasers. I think you can get some pretty good results IF you find someone that knows what they're doing. I've had it done twice by different plastic surgeons. Totally different technique and results. Consider a PS vs a derm too. Sometime a PS has more appreciation for the cosmetic outcome. This had been my experience anyway. Good luck!!

My feeling on lasers is that if you have more generalized scarring that is widespread, it will help smooth the sharp edges of the scars and make the overall texture more uniform. In your case, your scars are confined to the cheeks and are quite deep. If you have tissue / volume loss, you cannot magically create enough volume with a laser to fill deep scars. For volume loss, you need to do something to lift the scars closer to the level of normal skin, which is why a combo of subcision + filler is appropriate. After getting the maximum improvement from procedures like subcision and fillers to replace the volume, then you can start thinking about resurfacing procedures to address the texture.

No never consulted a dermatologist as i thought it would be a waste of time especially if they don't do certain procedures

That's not true. You need to do a little research though, in order to find a good derma nearby, but it's always worth getting diagnosed. It's necessary so that you could at least distinguish your scarring from other types and could specifically search for its treatment and also, for equally effective results. Even a single visit pays off.

This is what the doctor said after looking at my photos in an email.

A good candidate for ETwo Sublative laser along with some subcision and perhaps Fraxel repair ( CO2) laser to finish the job off. You will need a few sessions of laser treatments and one or two subcision sessions. Costs depends upon the level of improvement that can be achieved with basic, medium and advance level scar treatment program.

Im not sure if this is suitable, as i say i am willing to pay but only for results and dont want to waste money, i understand that 100% improvement is unrealistic, how much do you think this would cost? and would the results be noticable to myself.

Does anyone think that the above treatment is the way to go or are they just trying to upsell their laser treatments? can i specifically ask them just for subscision to start with and go from there, theese guys are plastic suregeons by the way not derms. I plan on getting treatment as soon as ive decided whats right for me and not just what there most profitable treatment is ( im a bit skeptical with everything) any advice replies are welcome and will post before and after treatment pics.

I always suggest to start slowly and then build up progressively to more aggressive procedures. Don't ever fall for the packages, because who knows if your skin can even handle all the procedures. I've talked to many people who bought packages and didn't even use them up because the procedures were completely wrong for their skin and scar types.

I'd say start first with subcisions, and see how much improvement you can get from that before committing big money on packages.

I find this study very interesting. I have never done subcision so I cannot comment on how effective it is, but this protocol shows promise, and it should surely be cheaper than Re:pair. I still advocate Re:pair, but if you can achieve similar results at lower cost, one would be foolish to not at least look into it.

tca peels help alot i think

Ok so ive found two places in perth where they do subscion, and they are both plastic surery places, so im sure there going to want to sell me on something super expensive and try to finance me to the hilt, i think a dermatologist would be less pricey but i cant just go to consult after consult at around 150 a whack. before i go to my appoitment next week any advice for me, what re some rough costs i should be looking at per round of subcision, and what price for etwo sublative laser, and fraxel repair. im willing to pay just dont want to over pay, in all honety if i had a million dollars id pay to feel more confident and better about my apperance.

I think im going to ask for just one round of subcision, (worried theyll think im wasting there time) then do the suction method that Mr Matt used,

then wait and try some derma rolling by myself for 6 months while saving and then possibly more subcision depending on deepness of remaining scars then try fraxel repair.

Thanks for any pricing and advice

Well I don't know much about the health system in Australia, but here in the states I've seen subcision range anywhere from $200-$700 dollars, depending on which metropolitan area and the extensiveness of the procedure. Anything over $1000 would seem very high, although that may be the prevailing price in Australia. Pay for one procedure at a time, and try to avoid packages because you want to be sure that the method works for you.