I had moderate cystic acne for a while, primarily only on this cheek and about half as bad on the other cheek.. everywhere else is fairly clear of scars and my breakouts have totally cleared and under control for months now.
I've tried everything to get rid of these.. I was trying lots of dark spot/hyperpigmentation creams, etc. to lighten them but when I look closely they are slightly pitted but I know they don't look like typical ice pick type of scars, or are they? Maybe I've been approaching them wrong.
Any suggestions? I'm about to give up on this - really frustrating. Thanks in advance 
Thanks. I am really bad about putting sunscreen on. Ill need to do that.
Well What's weird is that when I was a teenager, about 11 years ago, the only breakout I ever had in those years was one time on that same cheek. And those scars stayed with me for all of these 11 years - probably about half as faded as they are in the picture but they were definitely noticeable.
Now I just had a bad cycle of about 7 months where I had cystic breakouts again so that redness came back but those scars never have really gone away. My derm told me the same - that they will eventually fade. But I'm waiting forever and about to wait much longer now that they came back. Even when the red fades they have that ice pick like composure and very noticeable especially in the sun.
There is a forum specifically for hyperpigmentation, might be some very knowledgeable people there. I don't have any experience treating hyperpigmentation, but from what I've read there are a few options; Retin A, AHAs, and v-beam perfecta. And yes, sunscreen is a must.
Pictures are not clear enough to see any scarring, so it is difficult to say if any treatment would benefit you.
11 minutes ago, PCT14 said:There is a forum specifically for hyperpigmentation, might be some very knowledgeable people there. I don't have any experience treating hyperpigmentation, but from what I've read there are a few options; Retain A, AHAs, and v-beam perfecta. And yes, sunscreen is a must.
Pictures are not clear enough to see any scarring, so it is difficult to say if any treatment would benefit you.
This is what hyperpigmentation is all about. It will heal on its own though it might take a while. You will get nowhere without SPF though. Sunscreen is everything.
Though vbeam is a slam dunk for redness in my experience I wouldnt recommend it unless you are super rich because it is only a few spots and doesnt look too deep. Retina or AHA at night and sunscreen during the day and youll be 90% or better clear within a year.
On July 6, 2016 at 1:15 AM, QuanHenry said:This is what hyperpigmentation is all about. It will heal on its own though it might take a while. You will get nowhere without SPF though. Sunscreen is everything.Though vbeam is a slam dunk for redness in my experience I wouldnt recommend it unless you are super rich because it is only a few spots and doesnt look too deep. Retina or AHA at night and sunscreen during the day and youll be 90% or better clear within a year.
Thanks! I tried AHA for a few days and I my skin got really itchy and tiny little white bumps on my forehead.. i don't know if that's an initial thing that happens or an allergic reaction so I stopped. I'll definitely try the Retina.
35 minutes ago, lexylouloo said:Thanks! I tried AHA for a few days and I my skin got really itchy and tiny little white bumps on my forehead.. i don't know if that's an initial thing that happens or an allergic reaction so I stopped. I'll definitely try the Retina.
That is a purge, it is common with AHA and retina. Youll need a prescription for that so you can ask your derm about purging when you go.
I had a pretty nasty purge when I started a couple months ago but it only lasted a week. It was definitely worth it in the long run.