So far I've had two subcision sessions, two Infini RF sessions, random TCA Cross/10% peels done on my own; each about 2.5 months apart.
I'm looking to correct volume loss at this point that the above treatments could not manage as well. As I approach the final frontier of my scar treatment journey I'm looking at fillers. My only issue is is that I don't know which one would be best because the doctors that I've spoken with per consultation, those on RealSelf, you guys here, and the plastic moms that I come across at the gym tell me one thing and days later I hear another. Here's what I've been told/discovered about fillers for scars (so far):
Bellafill is the best because it is the longest lasting and is practically permanent. It's a good spacer that helps promote collagen growth where cystic acne has done the most damage. The only downside is that if injected incorrectly, it can cause lumpiness and make scars look worse resulting in you paying more money to get it removed using hyaluronidase. Although I know he is disliked here because of his over-promotion and prices, there was a convincing video of Dr. Emer in Hollywood using Belafill on several patients and the results were rather dramatic.
Sculptra is a solid choice as it works in the long run, helping to even out scars from underneath while also promoting collagen growth. It dissolves in about 2-4 months and takes multiple treatments to get an effect, perhaps longer for acne scar sufferers. This was the preferred treatment from my first acne scar dermatologist ($450 per syringe) but now that I know the cost and outcome I'm second guessing.
Belotero, yet another great option as it is an HA filler but it is known to dissolve rather quickly than it is touted to especially for those with a fast metabolism and an active lifestyle. While it will promote collagen, the spacer effect will diminish in about two months time and you're depressions will reappear yet again.
There was another thread where BA suggested that all Infini/subcision/TCA sessions should be completed to the fullest extent before acne scar treatment with fillers are used. I'm planning on going with this protocol cause, well, I just wasted a good $500 on a joke of a treatment called saline subcision when I could've done this at home by myself.
What fillers did you use and when did you decide to apply fillers? How often have you gotten them done?
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Hi,
Each type of filler has its own benefit. If you have isolated volume loss instead of widespread, the HA fillers would be your best bet. These include Belotero and Juvederm. I would also put Belafill under this category.
HA fillers are good because if something does go wrong with injection, its easy to dissolve. But as you mentioned with Belotero, you will have to continually get injections which may cost a lot. Belafill is permanent, which solves the aforementioned issue, but if something goes wrong, you are more or less stuck with the result. I believe there were some people on here who had botched injections or bad reactions, and they were able to get the Belafill removed, but it was a very long and expensive process, and they had to fly to othercountriesto find a surgeon who could do it.
If you do decide on Belafill, it is recommended you try temporary fillers a few times to see if you like the results. Also, with Belafill, the long term effects are very much unknown, so there is also risk in that.
Sculptra and Voluma are more used for widespread volume loss. As you said, Sculptra does stimulate collagen, and when the filler is absorbed by the body, that stimulated collagen is yours to keep. However, Sculptra is hard to absorb prematurely by doctors if you dont like the results. Voluma is an HA filler that lasts longer than any other HA filler on the market, up to 2 years. It also can be easily absorbed if you dont like the results. The downside with this again is that youll have to keep getting injections, but not as many times as with Bolotero.
You may have also seen fat grafting as a potential solution. If you thought of this, Ill just mention some things. Although this is described as permanent,results are not guaranteed. In most cases, a portion of the fat will be reabsorbed by the body before the 3-month acclamation period. (Whatever is there after 3 months is permanent.) But this all depends on the experience of the surgeon, how the fat is processed, your aftercare routine, and just how your body works. This is a very expensive procedure too, so keep that in mind. The people who have this done and the fat stays show great improvement in their scars, but this unfortunately seems to be the exception rather than the norm.
Hope I was able to help!
3 hours ago, wombatstaywoke said:I'm looking to correct volume loss at this point that the above treatments could not manage as well. As I approach the final frontier of my scar treatment journey I'm looking at fillers.
I feel your scars are too extensive to see much benefit from fillers. Additionally, it will require a lot of fillers to cover the entire cheek. Also I don't believe the injector will have the patience or the skill to go over every pit, without which it might actually make your scars look worse.
Try to correct/flatten the scar as much as possible before jumping to fillers.
3 hours ago, wombatstaywoke said:So far I've had two subcision sessions, two Infini RF sessions, random TCA Cross/10% peels done on my own; each about 2.5 months apart.
10% is a waste of time. It won't do anything. I personally sawthe greatest improvement after TCA. For rolling/boxcars, it's best to apply 50% directly on the pit after stretching the skin.
51 minutes ago, Sirius Lee said:
I feel your scars are too extensive to see much benefit from fillers. Additionally, it will require a lot of fillers to cover the entire cheek. Also I don't believe the injector will have the patience or the skill to go over every pit, without which it might actually make your scars look worse.
Try to correct/flatten the scar as much as possible before jumping to fillers.
10% is a waste of time. It won't do anything. I personally sawthe greatest improvement after TCA. For rolling/boxcars, it's best to apply 50% directly on the pit after stretching the skin.
Flattening and stimulating as much collagen as possible using the above procedures is the game plan. I'm most concerned about a few distinct pits and my temple region. They look the worst under harsh/angled lighting.
On 7/13/2020 at 6:11 PM, wombatstaywoke said:So far I've had two subcision sessions, two Infini RF sessions, random TCA Cross/10% peels done on my own; each about 2.5 months apart.
I'm looking to correct volume loss at this point that the above treatments could not manage as well. As I approach the final frontier of my scar treatment journey I'm looking at fillers. My only issue is is that I don't know which one would be best because the doctors that I've spoken with per consultation, those on RealSelf, you guys here, and the plastic moms that I come across at the gym tell me one thing and days later I hear another. Here's what I've been told/discovered about fillers for scars (so far):
Bellafill is the best because it is the longest lasting and is practically permanent. It's a good spacer that helps promote collagen growth where cystic acne has done the most damage. The only downside is that if injected incorrectly, it can cause lumpiness and make scars look worse resulting in you paying more money to get it removed using hyaluronidase. Although I know he is disliked here because of his over-promotion and prices, there was a convincing video of Dr. Emer in Hollywood using Belafill on several patients and the results were rather dramatic.
Sculptra is a solid choice as it works in the long run, helping to even out scars from underneath while also promoting collagen growth. It dissolves in about 2-4 months and takes multiple treatments to get an effect, perhaps longer for acne scar sufferers. This was the preferred treatment from my first acne scar dermatologist ($450 per syringe) but now that I know the cost and outcome I'm second guessing.
Belotero, yet another great option as it is an HA filler but it is known to dissolve rather quickly than it is touted to especially for those with a fast metabolism and an active lifestyle. While it will promote collagen, the spacer effect will diminish in about two months time and you're depressions will reappear yet again.
There was another thread where BA suggested that all Infini/subcision/TCA sessions should be completed to the fullest extent before acne scar treatment with fillers are used. I'm planning on going with this protocol cause, well, I just wasted a good $500 on a joke of a treatment called saline subcision when I could've done this at home by myself.
What fillers did you use and when did you decide to apply fillers? How often have you gotten them done?
Hi my understanding is that you first try all treatments w/o fillers to lift the scars and stimulate collagen as much as possible. But you can also do subcision plus HA filler as it is supposed to give better results - acts as spacer to prevent reattachment and stimulates collagen. That's what I tried sub plus filler. At first I was quite happy with the result. The injector is very experienced and it showed. However, the result lasted only for 2 months as he had warned me. So all in all it's not a good option for me. Now I'm researching the Sculptra and the Voluma fillers, but I'm afraid of side effects to be honest as I've read some concerning things.
Have you tried Scultra as you mentioned it's the first choice of your doctor? How did you tolerate the filler?
On 7/13/2020 at 6:48 PM, squeezeMcQueen said:Hi,
Each type of filler has its own benefit. If you have isolated volume loss instead of widespread, the HA fillers would be your best bet. These include Belotero and Juvederm. I would also put Belafill under this category.
HA fillers are good because if something does go wrong with injection, it™s easy to dissolve. But as you mentioned with Belotero, you will have to continually get injections which may cost a lot. Belafill is permanent, which solves the aforementioned issue, but if something goes wrong, you are more or less stuck with the result. I believe there were some people on here who had botched injections or bad reactions, and they were able to get the Belafill removed, but it was a very long and expensive process, and they had to fly to other countries to find a surgeon who could do it.
If you do decide on Belafill, it is recommended you try temporary fillers a few times to see if you like the results. Also, with Belafill, the long term effects are very much unknown, so there is also risk in that.
Sculptra and Voluma are more used for widespread volume loss. As you said, Sculptra does stimulate collagen, and when the filler is absorbed by the body, that stimulated collagen is yours to keep. However, Sculptra is hard to absorb prematurely by doctors if you don™t like the results. Voluma is an HA filler that lasts longer than any other HA filler on the market, up to 2 years. It also can be easily absorbed if you don™t like the results. The downside with this again is that you™ll have to keep getting injections, but not as many times as with Bolotero.
You may have also seen fat grafting as a potential solution. If you thought of this, I™ll just mention some things. Although this is described as permanent, results are not guaranteed. In most cases, a portion of the fat will be reabsorbed by the body before the 3-month acclamation period. (Whatever is there after 3 months is permanent.) But this all depends on the experience of the surgeon, how the fat is processed, your aftercare routine, and just how your body works. This is a very expensive procedure too, so keep that in mind. The people who have this done and the fat stays show great improvement in their scars, but this unfortunately seems to be the exception rather than the norm.
Hope I was able to help!
Hi have you tried Sculptra or Voluma yourself? How did you like the filler?
Thanks for the info. It was helpful. I didn't know you can dissolve Voluma if something goes wrong with the result.
@BlueMaloneyI've had subcision twice and have yet to try filler. I think I'm going to go with an HA filler first, do another round of Infini/35%TCA peel and see how my scars look in about 5 months time. I'm looking at semi-permanent/permanent fillers in the temple region. I know this is a danger zone but from the literature I've read experience injectors using this for acne scar treatment should never mess up on these areas. But for now HA fillers in case there's a serious mess up!
On 7/18/2020 at 10:10 AM, BlueMaloney said:Hi my understanding is that you first try all treatments w/o fillers to lift the scars and stimulate collagen as much as possible. But you can also do subcision plus HA filler as it is supposed to give better results - acts as spacer to prevent reattachment and stimulates collagen. That's what I tried sub plus filler. At first I was quite happy with the result. The injector is very experienced and it showed. However, the result lasted only for 2 months as he had warned me. So all in all it's not a good option for me. Now I'm researching the Sculptra and the Voluma fillers, but I'm afraid of side effects to be honest as I've read some concerning things.
Have you tried Scultra as you mentioned it's the first choice of your doctor? How did you tolerate the filler?
Hi have you tried Sculptra or Voluma yourself? How did you like the filler?
Thanks for the info. It was helpful. I didn't know you can dissolve Voluma if something goes wrong with the result.
Im finishing up a course of Accutane, so I havent sought any scar treatments yet. However, this quarantinehas given me plenty time to researchoptions!Once Im able to treat, I will most likely try Sculptra first and build up as much collagen as I can, and then Ill probably do Voluma for maintenance. I still dont know yet, andIll have a better idea once I seek consultation. Im sorry that I cant give you ananswer that youre looking for.
13 hours ago, squeezeMcQueen said:Im finishing up a course of Accutane, so I havent sought any scar treatments yet. However, this quarantinehas given me plenty time to researchoptions!Once Im able to treat, I will most likely try Sculptra first and build up as much collagen as I can, and then Ill probably do Voluma for maintenance. I still dont know yet, andIll have a better idea once I seek consultation. Im sorry that I cant give you ananswer that youre looking for.
Thank you anyways! Can I write to you in a dm? I have a question.