My journey so far: It was 3 years ago I finished my accutane and became acne free! Since then I have been using chemical peels, retin-a and derma rolling. It was only of last year I bought the Derminator. I have used this machine up for 6 months straight but due to cost I had to scale it back. I have done research into Tretioin and have been using it for about a month now. I hear it can flatten out scars and wish to incorporate this with my dermarolling.
Thankfully I have come into a bit of money and bought two 2 years worth of supplies for my Derminator (needles, Copper peptide facial mask, Vitamin C). I will be coming into more money at the end of the year which will allow me for surgery. I live in Cardiff and found a few places that help with facial surgery and acne scar treatment.
I haven't had spots in years but as luck would have it, I currently have 2. The one near my eye I an already see has intended which is sad but I have to press on and be thankful as I don't have acne anymore.
Due to lightning I feel that my scars are hidden which puts me into a happy mood but then I catch myself with the photos I posted and see that I need to put more work in. Hard to capture on my own and my phone seems to have this smoothing filter that kicks in auto.
I have indented scars over my forehead, temples and both cheeks. With this in mind what else should I be doing? Is natural fillers the next step for me?
Thanks.
We need a better photo. Go into a completely dark room like the bathroom and point a bright light from an angle, eg. front or back of the face (see below). In any case, as you can see in the photo, you have the shadows around the edges. This is what accentuates the scars. Hence you need to soften the edge as much as you can. You can do this with TCA, either professionally or DIY.
Hey Sirius Lee,
I managed to take some photos. They aren't quite what you asked but sadly I am finding it hard to capture good photos as its just me and a phone.
I have deep indents all over my face with fat loss. Most of the places around me offer Fraxel, CO2RE and Laser Resurfacing. What are your thoughts on this aside from cost? I used to use TCA peel at home a few years back but that was before I started and finished Accutane.
Once I feel that texture of the skin is at a good place, I would like to look into injection fillers.
Thanks for the reply! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
You show a mixture of scar types. Boxcar on the temple and Boxcar/Rolling combo on the cheek. Good thing is they're not widespread and don't appear too deep. Speaking of laser, unless you're getting a fully ablative laser, I don't think it will help too much. And even there, I believe TCA is better than fully ablative. Also it's worth noting that laser and energy devices claim that they stimulate collagen production, aka neocollagenesis, but it's usually not enough. You'll need to rely on fillers.
So instead of trying to volumize the pit, focus on fading the edges instead. Once the edges have soften enough, then go with fillers.
@Sirius LeeThis is brilliant advice! Thanks for taking time to reply. I am always looking to improve myself, so I am happy knowing what my plan of action is going forward. I am looking to do TCA peels along with the usage ofTretioinandDerminator. Of course, I will space these out but with rotation, this seems like an effective plan?
I have read before that lasers weren't worth the money but with time I thought they might have improved! I guess not but doctors still push hard for them.
With a year or two, maybe I can see where I am at and then use fillers. That would be the last step (with maintenance).
10 minutes ago, AndrewRyan said:I am looking to do TCA peels along with the usage ofTretioinandDerminator. Of course, I will space these out but with rotation, this seems like an effective plan?
In your case, you needTCA Cross, eg. 80-100% TCA applied to the pits only. Once frost occurs, apply 50% TCA around the edges. Keep the wounds moist by applying Vaseline or Aquaphor for 2 weeks and avoid Tretinoin and Derminator for 2 weeks as well.Repeat treatment every 3 months.
If you plan to do this at home, thoroughly review TCA tutorials on Youtube. Also start out by testingon only 1 or 2 scars before proceeding.
is there any other recommendation for TCA Cross aftercare aside Aquaphor and Vaseline? i feel both could clog my oily skin type and I live in humid environment. How about EGF Skincare? Do you think hydration alone would be sufficient to produce a good newly regenerated cells?
TIA
10 hours ago, poorbunny888 said:is there any other recommendation for TCA Cross aftercare aside Aquaphor and Vaseline? i feel both could clog my oily skin type and I live in humid environment. How about EGF Skincare? Do you think hydration alone would be sufficient to produce a good newly regenerated cells?
TIA
After the treatment, the skin will be super dry before scabbing. You will need to keep the wound site as moist as possible. As for these ever growing "growth factors" on the market, I'm not convinced. They sound more hype than substance. Use the money for future treatment instead.
Thanks so much for the input. now i won't be swayed by another aftercare skincare. just keep it basic, can't agree no more! i just tried to walk 7000steps each day during this pandemic period (well new normal, new body i thought)and wow it does give my skin a glow and regeneration that i haven't seen in ages. by exercising routinely, it gives me good sleep throughout the night as well and i could see the result on my skin in the morning.
Do you mind to take a look on my scars and give suggestion on treatments that might work for my quite shallow but stubborn scars. I post a thread here
16 hours ago, poorbunny888 said:Do you mind to take a look on my scars and give suggestion on treatments that might work for my quite shallow but stubborn scars. I post a thread here
Shallow scars should be treated in the same way as you would treat texture irregularity. Low strength TCA cross or Ablative Laser would be your best bet.