*takes a deep breath*
Hi everyone,
I have a few photos below of my scarring that I've been suffering from for the past 16 years - since freakin' puberty!! Unfortunately, it completely changed me from an outgoing individual to someone much more shy and self-conscious. I'm so tired of all the looks and of course getting asked THAT question as to what happened to my face (mostly children of friends/etc. at random moments) - SO EMBARRASSING!!
It's sad, but I've almost accepted what I have had to endure for so long but I'd really like to get rid of these once and for all.
Please take a look at my photos (sorry for the depressed/"dead eyes" look haha) and assist me with putting this all behind me so that I can finally be free of this burden.
Also, I am located in Austin, Texas and am really at a loss as to where to even go. Most places I've looked up charge you $100 just for the consultation... which really adds up when just trying to get a feel for what a doctor and their office can do for you. On top of that, I, of course, want to know that I am in good, experienced hands when it comes to repairing my acne scars and not with someone who just so happens to have it on their menu of services as a side treatment they offer.
Thanks everyone in advance!
Couple months ago.
Hi there,
Your major issue is the red of the scars. You need to treat this with vbeam or any vascular laser for pigment and veins to get it to blend in with the surrounding skin. This is what makes it most noticeable. You can get Vbeam or IPL at any medspa.
Regarding the $100 price for a doctors visit, this is standard, and they often apply it to your treatment. Treatment can be in the thousands. You can break it up to be affordable and as WaterFountain said there is care creddit which you can pay off over a few years.
Dr. Sam Lam is in Texas.
If you wanted to save some money you could buy the derminator from owndoc.com and do that alternating once a month with spot tca peels on your cheeks. You would see improvement. Over a year of treatment. At a later time you could do subcision.
To recap the major issue I see is the reds, microneedling and spot tca peels will help you, you can do subcision at a later time. You can look at all those sections in my faq below(signature).
Thanks everyone for your input and suggestions so far! I really appreciate it.
@QuanHenry
Thanks, I'll try posting on realself as well!
@WaterFountain
Good to know - last I called around it seemed like everyone I tried was charging for consult, which is fine if it's applied to any work done but a bit rough when you're trying to shop around and find a good doctor/patient fit.
@beautifulambition
Thank for you the info - the redness is probably from having just wash my face since my skin is pretty sensitive and even the mildest of soaps cause redness. There's definitely discoloration going on though, no doubt. Just wanted to throw in that it's not always that red. Also, I rarely ever break out these days so the discoloration is usually dark pink/brown/etc. THEN AGAIN, I've lived with this for long, maybe I'm blind to the obvious level of discoloration that others see. Thanks again and I'll check out your signature as well for more info.
Another question for everyone so that I can gain some perspective: what do you feel are the severity of my scars? Are they mild, moderate, or severe, etc.? I guess I'm wondering since I'm curious how long my journey might be to repair the damage.
If you or anyone else can think of anything more that may be of assistance, please do share as I am completely open to whatever help can be provided!
I'd say they are moderate scarring. Textural mainly.
Look at this post, goto the 2nd or 3rd page and the case study. Many have scars like yours and have had improvement with TCA peels, microneedling derminator.com, retin a, and subcision.
This is your cheapest option as well as you can do many of those things at home.
[Edited link out]