Hi guys!
I suffered from severe acne for about 5,6 years. I just get one or two acne every now and then whenever I dont get enough sleep or feel stressed (I still have oily skin tho)
Now, I™ve been trying to treat both hyperpigmentation/rosacea and rolling scars for the past year or two. I™ve done non-ablative Fractional resurfacing (3 times), IPL laser, Excel V laser.
Fractional laser left my skin super sensitive and red (rosacea) so I stopped doing it. I did IPL and excel V laser to treat rosacea and PIH/PIE marks from acne. To be honest, I dont think those lasers really helped me. Now I seem to have damage/discoloration spots on my cheeks. Im not sure what they are it would be great if a doctor could tell me why my skin tone looks so uneven. Theyre not red but rather darker brownish spots and it makes my skin tone look very uneven.
As for indented scars, I think I have rolling scars on my temples and cheeks. I just did my first subcision 2 weeks ago. Im getting subcision+microneedling (microneedling 2 weeks after subcision). Am I on the right track for treating my scars? If not, what would I need and for how long? How much improvement would I see at the end?
My skin looks the worst when its cloudy outside in natural lighting. It also looks uneven under harsh vertical lighting. Bright fluorescent light is also my enemy.
FYI, Im East Asian and 22 years old. I seem to have pretty slow healing rate even though Im young. PIH/PIE marks take forever to fade (months). Its kinda weird because my body heals pretty quick whenever I get injured (scratches, bites, wounds, etc.) but my face seems to heal a lot slower.
Thanks for all the help!
More photos with different lighting
@dk0500Thank you for posting your pictures.
Your case is complicated by Rosacea, this is an ongoing condition and requires treatment from a general dermatologist. Creams can be used topically for this, pulse dye laser such as"Excel V" are used ... with sometimes stronger requirements needed.In your skin type healing is slow, add in Rosacea which can cause inflammation and things can seem like they are going nowhere.
3 times ofIve donenon-ablativeFractional resurfacing (3 times), IPL laser, Excel V laser." Will do nothing for your scars. Often 6 times of IPL and or Excel V are needed for the redness - PIE. I do not know what non-fractional laser you have done but this does nothing for scars. Perhaps it was for the Rosacea.
Any laser will leave your skin sensitive and needing healing, hence PIE after treatments. This is normal, your skin type takes a verrrrry long time to heal.
Your skin looks uneven because of scars(fat loss - atrophy), PIE, your ethnicity, sensitivity, Roscea... compounding this.
Whoever is your practitioner is, I don't think you on the right track to treating scars by their results. But it could be fine and you just are sensitive and a poor/slow healer. I would consult with 3 other plastic surgeons and or dermatologists who do Cannula subcision and pick the one you like best. Tell them your condition"Rosacea," and you lack of results. Pick the one you like best.
Any acne scar patient takes about 3 years to treat, many procedures, ... you have compounding issues that are ongoing and require attention. They lead to slowerresults and as such you have to be more patient.
Your body may heal quickly, but .. your face is not, because of the underlying Rosacea and inflammation.
Discuss with your Dr Ivermectin or Permytherine, research those, I am not advising them but possible topicals for Rosacea if you research it. See the below nightly topicals as well.
You have fat atrophy in the cheeks - Rolling scars, box cars, icepicks, and some hyperpigmentation.
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Checkout the main scar treatments sub, find the FAQ pinned on top there, goto the bottom, there are Dr's or call around and ask who does cannula subcision or nokor subcision (needle type) to dermatologists and or plastic surgeons, consult a few before you decide who you like, even if you have to pay as treatment is expensive, better like them. Ask how many subcisions they do a month and if they treat your skin type. If they just do laser run they will just blast you and not solve your issue.
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Disclaimer: Information and support is not meant to diagnosis, treatment, or cure any health or mental condition and is not a substitute for professional face to face medical care (consult with a few Dr's and pick your favorite one). Posts are for informational purposes only, please consult your personal health care practitioner before engaging in anything discussed.