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Severe acne scars have ruined my life

 
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(@paranoid98)

Posted : 01/30/2018 3:33 pm

Hello guys, I™m a 19 year old who has severe acne scars caused by cystic, inflammatory acne. After a few years of dealing the pain of having this curse (started at about 13), I finally got put on Accutane (around age 16). While this cleared up all my acne, it came well too late. The damage was already done. I had a bunch of shallow scars left over from the terrible breakouts over the years. Now I™m left with the painful reminder everyday when I look in the mirror. My scars have kept me from going outside my bubble, meeting new people, starting relationships, etc. My life is pretty lonely, depressing, and flat out boring. I constantly obsess over my appearance every day. I suffer from low self-esteem among many things because of my face. And I™m really starting to lose hope.

I just wanted you guys to see so maybe you can recommend what treatments would be best or to just give me any helpful advice. Anything would be appreciated. I™m under no delusion that my scars will ever go away completely, but any progress is something I™ll take. I™m on a budget as I™m attending college next fall and I™m currently unemployed, so laser treatments really aren™t an option for me. 

I™m pretty sure my scars are worse than the majority of people I™ve seen on here posting on this forum.

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(@Anonymous)

Posted : 01/30/2018 4:08 pm

You need subcision first,preferably with fillers,you gonna need many to get your deeper stuff lifted.you would benefit from collagen production methods like rf microneedling but subcision is more likely gonna give your sppearance more bang for your buck.

first subcision,lift the pits as much as possible,then collagen remodelling to finaly start getting things more normal,wuth tca peels or correct laser to smooth your skin off.

you could needle at home or even peel but its not gonna be enough as your scarring is pretty severe,the improvement would be like putting makeup on,not to mention it would take years and you still would be left with lots of scarring.

you want to do it and correctly and get impact in your case,some of us fret for far less than what you suffered,so suggesting superficial treatments at home is not enough as i know what i achieved and in how long with maybe 10% of what you have and its still an ongoing battle.

your face is red,so maybe you did needling?its better than nothing but needling with tca peel alternating yeilds more but still not nearly going to be enough.

subcision with filler and good healing will bring a lot of improvement to your appearance.

you wanna save money then use suction instead of filler but you got to be meticulous with suction.

also a note,if you do at home treatment the introduce tca cross also for correct scar types,read the faq before you do anything at home yourself.

:)

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(@binga)

Posted : 01/30/2018 4:45 pm

where are you located exactly?

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(@paranoid98)

Posted : 01/30/2018 5:04 pm

Thanks for the recommendations. Very useful. I can definitely try the subcision, hopefully Ill see some improvement. And my face is kind of red from the temperature in my house currently. Its not always like that. The redness will go away once I go outside into the cold.

And Binga I live in southwest Ohio.

swen liked
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(@candy-says)

Posted : 01/30/2018 6:12 pm

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Im pretty sure my scars are worse than the majority of people Ive seen on here posting on this forum.

no

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MemberMember
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(@paranoid98)

Posted : 01/30/2018 7:08 pm

I apologize. I didnt mean to downplay anybody elses struggles with acne. Its just that Ive yet to see anybody in person that had the same skin problems as me. That only worsens my self esteem and makes me feel like a freak. Sorry if I offended you.

swen liked
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(@candy-says)

Posted : 01/30/2018 7:25 pm

`

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(@Anonymous)

Posted : 01/30/2018 8:21 pm

Have you done accutane in last 6 months?

While your saving up monies for treatment might i suggest a good starting point,something for you to build on and get ball rolling?

start needling your skin,buy a dermastamp at 2mm (anyone want to chime in) and one at 1.5mm.use the 2mm on your face and the 1.5mm on your temples.

buy some tca at 15% and start peeling your face,get use to peel process and how your skin reacts and heals and then buy some 100%.water it down and do a 20%,heal then do a 25% working up the strength till you get to 30%ish.you alternate needling and peeling with 1 month healing.

you got scar type that can be tca crossed also.

read this faq first before doing anything.

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(@raster)

Posted : 01/30/2018 9:02 pm

Hey man, while you have scars, your skin in general is pretty good, so if you lift them with subcision, I see some really good improvements.

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(@dazzed)

Posted : 01/30/2018 9:31 pm

Recommendation : Subcision and fillers

Thank you for the good pictures, it always makes it easier to give advice. First, off I'm sorry you're suffering so much. I completely understand as a severe scar sufferer myself who's found what works for me. The most bang for your buck in terms of improvement will undoubtedly come from subcision if your scars are tethered, and fillers to revolumize your face.

I had the exact same issues. I also had severe acne which over many years caused the fat to atrophy and the cheeks to literally sink in. Thicker fillers like Voluma and Sculptra (not really a traditional filler, but a "collagen stimulator") injected deeply will fill out the sunken areas. Think of it like re-inflating a balloon. For the individual indentations, you can get subcision to cut all the tethers that are pulling your scars down. This will create a space for filler to be injected. Softer fillers like Belotero, Restylane, or Juvederm Volbella can be used superficially.

Lasers won't do much for volume loss or deeper indentations, so I would NOT recommend them. They're too expensive, and will NOT deliver what you need. You can do 20 laser sessions and it will never fill a deep hole. Think of it this way, if you are trying to re-pave a road, does it make sense to sand down the entire road orjust fill the pot-holes and then smooth it out at the end?

Unfortunately, fillers and subcision can get pricey depending on where you are located. But they are still significantly less expensive than lasers (which have an inconsistent track record).One syringe of filler can run anywhere from $400-$1000 depending on which kind and who you go to. Plus, if you get hyaluronic acid fillers theylast anywhere from 4-18 months and will need to be repeatedindefinitely. There is Bellafill, which is permanent, but it can cause issues years down the road (a risk you have to accept from any permanent filler).

Please let the forum know where you are located so that they can recommended a trusted doctor.

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(@paranoid98)

Posted : 01/30/2018 10:08 pm

Thank you guys so much for the replies! I appreciate the guidance very much. Do any of you know approximately how much subcision costs? Because Im pretty much on my own financially, as my parents dont have much right now. So my budget is tight at the moment.

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(@quanhenry)

Posted : 01/30/2018 11:18 pm

Try to keep your head up man, you've come to the right place. Subcision with filler will give you the fastest, most noticeable improvement. Lasers won't help you.

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(@childhooddreams)

Posted : 01/31/2018 10:42 pm

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(@candy-says)

Posted : 01/31/2018 11:21 pm

`

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(@dazzed)

Posted : 02/01/2018 12:05 am

@ChildhoodDreams, please don't hijack this thread that is meant to be constructive and helpful. Maybe you mean well, but it does not come off that way.

eva_li liked
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(@childhooddreams)

Posted : 02/01/2018 12:31 am

31 minutes ago, dazzed said:
@ChildhoodDreams, please don't hijack this thread that is meant to be constructive and helpful. Maybe you mean well, but it does not come off that way.

Your adviceappears to be helpful, that is, until he gets treatments and realizes his scars are still there.

Reminder: Subcision and filler is not the end all be all. I have seen people get less than 10% improvement.

Then what?

If we are unable to discuss society, and discuss the reasons as to why we are here slouched on our keyboards and phones, then we can never improve ourselves. We will never gain true acceptance by hiding from truth like many of you do.

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(@candy-says)

Posted : 02/01/2018 12:40 am

`

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(@scarright)

Posted : 02/01/2018 12:40 am

Childhood dreams, have you really seen people get less than 10% improvement with subcision and filler? I know fillers do not last, but they would give you a bigger improvement than 10% if done correctly. For a bit of time at least.

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(@dazzed)

Posted : 02/01/2018 12:48 am

You may think you're waxing philosophical, but in reality it's not the least bit helpful. Getting into a pointless dissection about "society in 2018" is off topic and not what this section of the forum is about.

I think you're the same person who said that nothing less than 100% improvement was acceptable to you. Some people just want improvement. Nobody here has ever claimed that scars can be eliminated. Right now, that's a pipe dream.

At least my attempt to help actually addresses his immediate concern, which is guidance for treatment. You're the one who's been warned by the moderators, not me.

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(@Anonymous)

Posted : 02/01/2018 7:48 am

While your saving up look at,at home microneedling but stay away from dermaroller and tca peeling and tca cross.i provided a realy good link to the faq here at acne.org,read it and absorb the relevant info and start your journey.you can save up while your actively taking your first steps to sort your condition out.

you might yeild some improvement in the months to come when you can finaly afford to pay for treatments.

if in doubt ask first.
:)

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(@binga)

Posted : 02/01/2018 11:39 am

On 1/30/2018 at 5:04 PM, Paranoid98 said:

Thanks for the recommendations. Very useful. I can definitely try the subcision, hopefully Ill see some improvement. And my face is kind of red from the temperature in my house currently. Its not always like that. The redness will go away once I go outside into the cold.

And Binga I live in southwest Ohio.

Subcision with filler is a good start but I feel you need to excise some of your scars. Look into Dr. Sadove in Florida. You can also finance your treatment using care credit.

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(@nick91)

Posted : 08/09/2018 12:23 pm

Hello!

I have acne scars worse than you. I understand your pain. I somehow landed in a bougie finance/accounting firm after college where literally everyone looks like perfect models. Ive always been good at talking my way into things but definitely do not fit in looks wise. I cant have a full conversation with anyone without them staring at my scars. I have also never met anyone with scarring as bad as mine. So I understand where you are coming from. If you would like to talk more about it, it would be great to have someone that understands living like this. It really is a lonely feeling.

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(@michaelbong)

Posted : 02/09/2019 4:13 pm

May I ask what diet and lifestyle you are currently following and if this helped clear your acne. I ask as youre actual skin looks good, aside from the scarring

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(@vladpredescu)

Posted : 02/09/2019 5:03 pm

@Paranoid98 Brother don't worry, we are in the same boat... It is funny because as I write this comment, I am in a really low point in my life... AGAIN. We have to get through this... It is hard and I am lonely and depressed too haha, my gf left me when my infection occured and this really destroyed me (don't know if because my face got really bad or because I got depressed and I didn't want to get out of the house) :(.

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(@keithv)

Posted : 02/12/2019 10:39 am

Hi there, my acne scar is more severe than you. I have scar on my forehead too. I understood completely what you feel.

I've had a number of sessions of fractional laser (deep FX), microneedling, derma stamp and even fat grafting. I think you can avoid all of these as they only bring maybe around 0.1% improvement after years which is obviously not cost effective. You will look better after the treatment because of the swelling effects. But ultimately they are useless on severe scarring. They may help on mild scarring but not our skin. Don't waste your money on them.

I would suggest you to do Subcision. Subcision really helps a lot and the improvement is significant enough to earn praises from others that your skin gets better than before! This is the only treatment that I don't feel I am wasting money. You will have a very bruised face for around 1 week but good result.

Forget all about the lasers unless the derms are really skilled at them. Otherwise, what you get is just very swollen and bloody face for 1 week but 0.1% improvements after months. It's just not worth the money and the downtime.

Dermarolling and stamping won't help our skin at all. I've had more than 10 sessions of 2.5mm. Bloody and swollen face for 2 days and no results.

I use Retin A every night now so that the pore looks smaller and use silicone primer so that the scar looks smoother. It's better to spend the money on Subcision and those products to hide the scar instead.

 

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