Can anyone help identify what these are? I've had them for over a year, from acne I think, I've never seen scars like these but they are really bothering me. They make my whole skin texture look rough and weird, and it's like patches of red shiny skin. I don't know if they count as dents but it does seem to be a different texture and slight indent?? Also, HAIR is not growing from these patches. It doesn't look like my normal skin.
Are they acne scars? Will they ever heal completely? The problem is not really "deep" or "indentation", more like texture/rough patches issue and redness...
They are on my cheeks and temples
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what happened to yours? will it ever go back to normal? do you have the same red shiny indents? 
Are you currently using Retin A Micro? Did this happen after you started it? I was using Retin A Gel 0.025% for 7 months (followed Dr. recommendation exactly) and got a similar texture. I stopped 5 months ago. My face is finally no longer shiny, but the texture is taking much longer to heal. It is just starting to look a little better. I have heard that this effect can take along time to go away and some people may be left with it. It is hard to say because people rarely post pictures. I have seen some improvement and that gives me hope 
Also, how old are you? Genetics/hormones could be starting to come into play. Does either of your parents skin look like this? Btw, I think your skin looks really nice. There are lots of people who would be jealous
56 minutes ago, sararey said:Are you currently using Retin A Micro? Did this happen after you started it? I was using Retin A Gel 0.025% for 7 months (followed Dr. recommendation exactly) and got a similar texture. I stopped 5 months ago. My face is finally no longer shiny, but the texture is taking much longer to heal. It is just starting to look a little better. I have heard that this effect can take along time to go away and some people may be left with it. It is hard to say because people rarely post pictures. I have seen some improvement and that gives me hope
nope, i stopped using retin a micro years ago. i had the .4% gel. i got it prescribed in april 2014, used it until at least june/july 2014, maybe a little after that but eventually I became lazy and forgot about it
actually, i don't think it was the retin a (although i thought that for a while). while i was on retin a even though skin was oily, the texture was still really smooth. i got the bad texture long after stopping it, mostly where i had acne. my lower cheeks are fine, there are still patches of normal skin in the upper cheeks. idk if the retin a thinned my skin and made it more susceptible to scarring, but i got these after i stopped it
Scars typically do not have hair growth nor do they have veins supplying blood. Have you seen burn scars (no hair and shiny). You could do a full face TCA peel or microneedle and stimulate collagen. I have also seen similar shininess from products your skin does not react well to. Lasered skin also has a shinny appearance while the tissue regranulates.
Please checkout the below FAQ "Skin : reds" to see about PIE and PIH. IT might be PIE from the tissue still healing.
On 1/5/2017 at 9:02 AM, beautifulambition said:Scars typically do not have hair growth nor do they have veins supplying blood. Have you seen burn scars (no hair and shiny). You could do a full face TCA peel or microneedle and stimulate collagen. I have also seen similar shininess from products your skin does not react well to. Lasered skin also has a shinny appearance while the tissue regranulates.
Please checkout the below FAQ "Skin : reds" to see about PIE and PIH. IT might be PIE from the tissue still healing.
thanks! i definitely think they are scars now; it sounds like "macules". it's slightly indented, not noticeable, but just enough to make the texture look "rough".
the part that bothers me the most is that they are pink and shiny, like burn scars. my normal brown skin is fine (not shiny), but those patches of red shiny scar tissue against regular brown skin make the texture look so uneven/bad. i think they have gotten better slowly over the year. do you think these scars will go away on their own and heal since they are not indented? my problem isn't with indents, it's just the redness and shiny scar tissue. i'd like my skin to heal over the scar tissue if that's possible?
i googled orange peel texture skin and i don't think i have it
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8 hours ago, beautifulambition said:To get rid of the "red" color you use V-beam laser or IPL is for browns. Since the depressions don't bug you just even out the color
Will they go away on their own though? I don't want to do any harsh treatments if I don't have to.
Its color + texture. The scars are also shiny, hairless etc
You answered our own questions: " Will they go away on their own though? I don't want to do any harsh treatments if I don't have to.
Its color + texture. The scars are also shiny, hairless etc "
Microneedle and or do a tca peel to even things out, if you do not wish to do this, do nothing and see how that goes. You could use skin bleach to even out the pigment.
10 hours ago, beautifulambition said:You answered our own questions: " Will they go away on their own though? I don't want to do any harsh treatments if I don't have to.
Its color + texture. The scars are also shiny, hairless etc "Microneedle and or do a tca peel to even things out, if you do not wish to do this, do nothing and see how that goes. You could use skin bleach to even out the pigment.
but i meant only if i don't have to. i know deeper indented scars never go away for example but i don't think mine are deeply indented... or if they are, i can't do anything about it...i just want to know if the uneven color/redness and shininess will go away over time? or is it like indents, they are there forever?
in that case i will consider tca or needling
i never get the "pih" like dark or purple marks, i always get the damaged red marks. but there is a slight indent. If you can press on the scar and it turns red to white it is PIE, if you press and it stays the same color its PIH, and if it stays white all the time it's hypopigmenttion . Hypo pigmentation is Loss of pigment. Please checkout the FAQ there is a post in the fav's at the top on how to deal with this using UVB and a lotion. Will they stay that way forever, I have no way of knowing which is it from the pics. The shine will go away if you use nothing, but not the color issue. Vbeam is for red, Skin bleach is for PIH ot even out skin tone, or the hypopigmentation treatment. Worry about the divots once you get that figured out and do microneedling as you say they are shallow. You can always do nothing and see how they do in a few months and then come back to these suggestions, that may be best. They may heal to your satisfaction.
6 hours ago, beautifulambition said:If you can press on the scar and it turns red to white it is PIE, if you press and it stays the same color its PIH, and if it stays white all the time it's hypopigmenttion . Hypo pigmentation is Loss of pigment. Please checkout the FAQ there is a post in the fav's at the top on how to deal with this using UVB and a lotion. Will they stay that way forever, I have no way of knowing which is it from the pics. The shine will go away if you use nothing, but not the color issue. Vbeam is for red, Skin bleach is for PIH ot even out skin tone, or the hypopigmentation treatment. Worry about the divots once you get that figured out and do microneedling as you say they are shallow. You can always do nothing and see how they do in a few months and then come back to these suggestions, that may be best. They may heal to your satisfaction.
ok, ill probably just wait it out for a few for months and see how they do.
anyone else got any ideas?
I have a similar thing going on from a retinoid, I don't think it's scarring per say, I'm still not sure exactly what it is...I just know it's dreadful to deal with.
are you sure it wasn't the retin a?
have you been on any other medication for acne or used anytypes of exfoliants?
what is your skin regimen?