Hello,
I've been on a journey to improve my scarring for years. I have done 6 light 12-15% TCA peels DIY at home and 6 professional dermapen sessions. My scarring was always shallow but very extensive. The entire surface area of both cheeks are scarred. It's at the point where it is textural.
I wanted to share the skincare product my surgeon has me on because it has been incredible. I feel it may help people. I'm not sponsored, I'm just a woman who has been greatly impacted by my skin issues and I want to help anyone going through this. My facial skin has never been good and for the first time in my life it feels and behaves in a normal way.
The skincare line he has me on is ZO skincare. It is very expensive. I was worried I was wasting my money but I respected his knowledge and treatment and spent $800 on everything. I just want to be upfront on the expense. The products I'm using are gentle cleanser twice daily, dual action scrub twice weekly, complexion renewal pads twice daily, calming toner twice daily. The main retinol I'm using is Environ Youth EssentiA. I'm using it nightly. I worked my way up starting two months ago with Differin every other night. I stopped Differin when I started the retinol. Every few days I use ZO daily power defense cream in the morning. This is also a retinol. I believe the ZO line might be only available through a doctor. The products took time for my skin to adjust but not much. It did burn and cause redness at first. It makes the skin look severely dry at times like most retinoids or retinols I assume. That made it look worse at times. That has gone down significantly in just a few weeks. I know the products won't improve deep scars but it has great potential to improve texture and any shallow scars. It has reduced texture issues I've had for over 5 years. Here's my left side before and after:
Do you think mild peeling with AHA or BHA or glycolic acid for a prolonged time (6+ months) can help with shallow scarring? I have shallow rolling scars on my upper cheeks that are most noticeable in harsh overhead lighting or backlight (outside with sun behind me). I always wondered if mild chemical peels or microneedling at home can improve these textures.
14 hours ago, kevin4172 said:Do you think mild peeling with AHA or BHA or glycolic acid for a prolonged time (6+ months) can help with shallow scarring? I have shallow rolling scars on my upper cheeks that are most noticeable in harsh overhead lighting or backlight (outside with sun behind me). I always wondered if mild chemical peels or microneedling at home can improve these textures.
I can only speak from my experience. I'm using a aha complexion pad from ZO twice daily with two retinols. I think the retinols are doing the heavy lifting. The aha keeps it clean and helps with the dead cells from the accelerated turnover
Retinoids or retinols are where it's at for texture and shallow scars.I'd see a dermatologist for a recommendation or prescription. If you're going to microneedle at home do not use a roller. Those things are obsolete and using one was the worst decision I made in my scar journey. Stamping is safest for self care in my experience.
I want to be very careful advertising"ZO" products. This is not allowed on the forum. While I am excited for you to share what worked. These are standard Acid peel AHA - BHA products that can be purchased from many places. ZO is a dermatologist name brand of products. IF anything I think it's the experience of your"surgeon" that helped you get these results most, not the product(s). Acid peels in the right hands can do a lot for texture.
11 hours ago, beautifulambition said:I want to be very careful advertising"ZO" products. This is not allowed on the forum. While I am excited for you to share what worked. These are standard Acid peel AHA - BHA products that can be purchased from many places. ZO is a dermatologist name brand of products. IF anything I think it's the experience of your"surgeon" that helped you get these results most, not the product(s). Acid peels in the right hands can do a lot for texture.
I understand, I apologize.I told the last user to see a dermatologist to discussa retinol or retinoid, not ZO specifically. It's about the ingredients, sure, not the brand. I'm not a brand loyal consumer. I'm sure a prescription tretinoin probably would've produced the same results, if not significantly better. Differin was useful, I would recommend that as well as an otc option. Let's see it as advertising for a vitamin a product and aha. I'm happy to be on a good skincare routine because that will impact the potential offuture scarring