Good morning guys. I w as hoping someone could tell me what kind of scars these are and what you would recommend in terms of treatment? Any help would be greatly appreciated as they make me not want to leave the house for the past couple of years and I want to start a course of treatment if they can be treated, without further damaging my skin.
Small background: I suffered with mild acne that left dark marks. In trying to treat the dark marks, I underwent laser therapy and TCA peel that left me with indented scars I had never had before and even more discoloration. So I am terrified of derms causing more damage than i already have.
My scars look very similar to yours. I think a couple of them may classify as boxcars? They look pretty shallow. Unfortunately, I don't have any recommendations for treatments, my own scars just started getting more noticeable with retin-a usage so this is new territory to me. I don't think your discoloration looks bad at all though! And it doesn't look like you have any active acne which is great. Personally, I think your skin looks good. We are always our own harshest critic.
I'm going to be honest, if you had a bad reaction to lasers and TCA that's a sign you should be careful pursuing any other treatments. Needling or a series of saline injections (to stretch the scar tissue) would be the safest options. You could try combining needling with the suction cup method to help level the scars but it's a slow process. You'd probably see results starting 6 months out (with sessions being every 4-6 weeks).
First, thanks to all who have replied. And a big thanks for making me not feel like a monster, if that makes any sense. I have a hard time facing people bc of my scars, if I was a man I wouldnt sweat it so hard, but as a woman Where skin is so important, I just want to be normal, like everyone else. I want to feel pretty again, I took having smooth skin for granted.
I'm going to be honest, if you had a bad reaction to lasers and TCA that's a sign you should be careful pursuing any other treatments. Needling or a series of saline injections (to stretch the scar tissue) would be the safest options. You could try combining needling with the suction cup method to help level the scars but it's a slow process. You'd probably see results starting 6 months out (with sessions being every 4-6 weeks).
I have been reading non-stop about needling, needless to say I am scared to try it bc I became scarred after being treated with lasers and TCA peels. So you think single needling at the derm's office might help?
The scars are not tethered down, as far as I can tell. I just read about tethering and dont have a firm grasp on it, but it does play a part in what treatment I should try, right?
Currently, I am going the ayurvedic route and trying the oil cleansing method, as well as using MSM as a supplement, MSM gel that I have made at home combining MSM crystals and fresh aloe vera, and tamanu oil. I still get mild outbreaks of whiteheads, and I can say for a fact that the OCM and the MSM have def helped the active acne I have. This combo has cleared up my skin significantly after just 2 weeks, but I was hoping to have some improvements as far as filling in scars and that has not happened, unfortunately. So I am ready to try something new. I really just dont want to mess up my skin even more.
Also, what is this suction cup thing I keep reading about and that you mentioned in your post?
I've also never heard about saline injections. Is that something you do in combination with needling and suctioning?
