Help! Severe acne scars

[Danny562 0]

Hi, I have severe acne scars on my face. What would you guys recomend for me.

[Sirius Lee 382]

A few of them appear pretty deep, but it's hard to tell whether they're actually tethered from the picture. It might not be a bad idea to start with subcision. Then follow up with TCA cross to soften the edges. 

[Danny562 0]

Thanks for the reply. Do you think if I lost some weight around my face, the scars would improve in appearance. I noticed everytime I stretch my cheeks the scars are less noticeable. 

[Sirius Lee 382]

35 minutes ago, Danny562 said:

Thanks for the reply. Do you think if I lost some weight around my face, the scars would improve in appearance. I noticed everytime I stretch my cheeks the scars are less noticeable. 

Au contraire. If you read all the posts here, everyone is busy getting treatment in the hopes of increasing their collagen. To fill the hole, more collagen is better than less.

[Danny562 0]

Ok, thanks. I am in the process of seeing a dermatologist and wanted to hear other people's opinions before visiting one.

I have one more question if you don't mind me asking. Could these scars be removed or at least improved? I am starting to become really self-conscious and depressed about how I look. Having to wear a mask in public has been a blessing in disguise.

 

[Amanda Hall 40]

19 hours ago, Sirius Lee said:

A few of them appear pretty deep, but it's hard to tell whether they're actually tethered from the picture. It might not be a bad idea to start with subcision. Then follow up with TCA cross to soften the edges. 

I would suggest TCA Cross as well for the small crater scars. Multiple treatments are almost always needed for satisfactory improvement. Please talk to your doctor about the risks of this.

 

2 hours ago, Danny562 said:

Ok, thanks. I am in the process of seeing a dermatologist and wanted to hear other people's opinions before visiting one.

I have one more question if you don't mind me asking. Could these scars be removed or at least improved? I am starting to become really self-conscious and depressed about how I look. Having to wear a mask in public has been a blessing in disguise.

 

Scars can be improved but there's no guarantee. You also need to be prepared for risks (redness and scar widening).

Scars will not be completely removed, unfortunately. However, sometimes they can be improved to the point where people are happy. If your scars can be removed, they must be really superficial - something like a papercut or scrape. Most of the scars people talk about on the forum will never completely disappear.

[Sirius Lee 382]

4 hours ago, Danny562 said:

I have one more question if you don't mind me asking. Could these scars be removed or at least improved? I am starting to become really self-conscious and depressed about how I look. Having to wear a mask in public has been a blessing in disguise.

You might not get 100%, but it's still possible. I wouldn't write it off completely. This is a marathon and not a sprint that will be done with one treatment, so it's important to maintain a positive attitude. That's the most important thing that will keep you going.

[can i get a new life please 6]

On 11/30/2020 at 1:23 AM, Danny562 said:

Thanks for the reply. Do you think if I lost some weight around my face, the scars would improve in appearance. I noticed everytime I stretch my cheeks the scars are less noticeable. 

No if you loose weight your scars looks worse because fats on your are dissolving when you loose weight. Your scars not that bad actually.

[Danny562 0]

Thanks everyone for the replies. It's greatly appreciated. I have an appointment on Friday at california skin institute. Hopefully all is not lost.

[Amanda Hall 40]

2 hours ago, Danny562 said:

Thanks everyone for the replies. It's greatly appreciated. I have an appointment on Friday at california skin institute. Hopefully all is not lost.

Which location are you going to? 

[Danny562 0]

I am going to the Anaheim location.

[gynoscar 4]

9 hours ago, can i get a new life please said:

No if you loose weight your scars looks worse because fats on your are dissolving when you loose weight. Your scars not that bad actually.

Agreed with scars not too bad. I see a few box car scars and that's it. The rest are just normal pores to be honest.

[anonymous682 5]

IMO scars not that bad, can undoubtly be improved

I would recommend subcision first, they might be tethered might not. If they are (probably are at least minorly) this will help. After this, several rounds of TCA till its basically fully filled in, then fully ablative erbium laser. After this you probably will need a microscope to discern these scars.

 

Also use a retinoid

 

Edited December 1, 2020 by anonymous682

[Danny562 0]

I moved my appointment to Thursday and will be going to the Torrance Skypark location instead. I decided to keep you guys updated. Maybe, I could get a second opinion from the community before deciding to drop some cash at this place. I am going in just for a consultation.

[Amanda Hall 40]

6 hours ago, Danny562 said:

I moved my appointment to Thursday and will be going to the Torrance Skypark location instead. I decided to keep you guys updated. Maybe, I could get a second opinion from the community before deciding to drop some cash at this place. I am going in just for a consultation.

Don't be afraid to ask the doctor lots of questions. If you consider TCA Cross, ask the doctor how many s/he has done and what the risks (scar widening, erythema, etc.) are. 

[Danny562 0]

I went to the dermatologist today. After examining my face and asking me a few questions, he recommended we should first get the acne under control before trying to treat the scars and I agreed.

I was told to use  Adapalene gel 0.1% at night before bed and CLIDAMYCINPH 1% in the morning for spot treatment. 

Here's current picture of me and the new breakouts.

[Danny562 0]

*Clindamycin Phosphate Topical Solution, USP 1% is the correct name for the morning spot treatment 

[anonymous682 5]

On 12/3/2020 at 5:45 PM, Danny562 said:

*Clindamycin Phosphate Topical Solution, USP 1% is the correct name for the morning spot treatment 

If this doesn't work, dont hesitate to try accutane. I saw a doctor several times for my acne, getting prescribed antibiotics, topical antibiotics and then retin-a, each time being told accutane was too extreme and I shouldn't do it. None of these worked, I got scars but was scared to try accutane after what my GP told me. Finally went on accutane and it was certainly not terrible and hasn't (so far) shown any long term damage to me.

[Danny562 0]

22 minutes ago, anonymous682 said:

If this doesn't work, dont hesitate to try accutane. I saw a doctor several times for my acne, getting prescribed antibiotics, topical antibiotics and then retin-a, each time being told accutane was too extreme and I shouldn't do it. None of these worked, I got scars but was scared to try accutane after what my GP told me. Finally went on accutane and it was certainly not terrible and hasn't (so far) shown any long term damage to me.

I already started to see results. A lot of redness and dark spots are starting to fade away. I have an appointment next month with the dermatologist. We will talk about how to treat the scarring

[Sirius Lee 382]

2 hours ago, Danny562 said:

I already started to see results. A lot of redness and dark spots are starting to fade away. I have an appointment next month with the dermatologist. We will talk about how to treat the scarring

Have you received a treatment. In this pic, your boxcars are hardly visible.

[Danny562 0]

9 minutes ago, Sirius Lee said:

Have you received a treatment. In this pic, your boxcars are hardly visible.

No, I have not. I've just been applying Defferin at night and Clindamycin in the morning. 

[Danny562 0]

4 hours ago, Sirius Lee said:

Have you received a treatment. In this pic, your boxcars are hardly visible.

I forgot to mention to you that Clindamycin makes my skin tighten up which is why you probably can't see my boxcar scars. They are still there though

[Sirius Lee 382]

1 hour ago, Danny562 said:

I forgot to mention to you that Clindamycin makes my skin tighten up which is why you probably can't see my boxcar scars. They are still there though

Well, that's new. As you might already know, anything that ends with "mycin" means antibiotic (anti-bacterial) so I'm having hard time connecting the dots. But, geez, your scars are barely visible in the picture.

[thekingisdead 0]

Hi there. Be VERY CAREFUL with Clindamycin. I wouldnt recommend this topical gel prescription bc it ruined my skin in the areas applied. I used it for almost 8 months so please use it wisely and not long term. Doctors will not tell you this but this medication absorbs into the skin and buries itself deep into the skin and will create worse acne later on. Its also known to burn the skin layers off if used multiple times a week. Trust me since i am still healing from Clindamycin. Just a heads up, good sir. 

[Amanda Hall 40]

This is what my dermatologist told me about Clindamycin: You apply it on spots that already are already "grown." So if there's pus, and overgrown pimple, etc., then you apply it. Retin-A/Tretinoin/Retinoids are to prevent future breakouts.

I used Clindamycin on a few times and it seemed that the pimples came to a head where I could squeeze them easily. If you can avoid it, it's best not to squeeze pimples but I'm stubborn.

I had no side effects from Clindamycin. Please keep in mind that I did not use this product extensively.