Hello Everyone. This is my first time commenting here. I am a 21 year old university student living in Australia, and have had serious acne and weight problems growing up. The past year or so I was able to effectively combat my weight alongside the acne, but unfortunately that left me with some serious scaring on both my temples and right cheek.
A few months ago I spoke with a professional Dermatologist via skype, It was not a very long call, but he prescribed me Tretinoin alongside Benzoyl peroxide, both of which I have been taking for almost 3 months at a gradual increase of intensity (up to 0.06% now for Tretinoin.)
I have yet to see any major improvement in the remaining acne, specifically the big white head on my right temple (which I'm terrified will leave a scar if not dealt with, it has been there for months.)
I work in a place with many mirrors and reflections, and seeing my scarred face every moment of every day is really taking a toll on my mental health. Because I am unable to see my Dermatologist for another month or so, I am really struggling to get by.
I understand tretinoin cannot effectively combat my scars, but I just don't know what else I can do in the mean time to help. I return to University soon, and by the end of next year I potentially will be doing an exchange overseas, I just cant realistically see myself treating these scars to any effective degree between now and then, because all treatments I hear about (Tca etc) Usually require a lengthy down time, and even then there are risks that they wont help at all, or even make things worse.
So I am just looking for advice. Are my scars even remotely treatable in the short term? I understand stuff like this takes time, but I just would like secondary input. Is it possible Tretinoin will make any noticeable difference if I keep at it for the next few months?
My current Skin procedure is.
AM: Cleanse with the Ordinary Squalane Cleanser. use 15 Benzoyl Peroxide 2.5%. Apply Nivea Sun protect & Moisture if going outside.
PM: Cleanse again with the Ordinary Squalane Cleanser, use tretinoin, finish with the Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA after 20 minutes or so.
I appreciate anyone taking the time to read this and get back to me. I don't really know the genuine severity of my scaring because I barely see anyone else with a similar problem in public. Perhaps I'm overthinking it, but its really effecting my mental health. I had so much planed for this next year, but sometimes I don't even want to go to work because I just end up feeling terrible and hiding.
Well from my experience I only can tell you what you shouldnt do.
I wouldnt do Subcision ! I had a Subcision treatment and it did worsen my scar and I have a big lump now.
Other treatments like CO2 and Microneedling arent really effective either.
I tell you this because a lot oftreatments can worsen your scar and dont forget that doctors also want to make money. This is a big Industry.
Be aware of people who give you an advice.
Im pretty sure that people like BA were working for Lim and Weiner. (Maybe it was Lim himself)?. this way he could maybe operate without getting judged. On top of that I only read stuff about the same doctors on this Board, this makes me suspicious.
Just be careful
21 minutes ago, Stef3000 said:Well from my experience I only can tell you what you shouldnt do.
I wouldnt do Subcision ! I had a Subcision treatment and it did worsen my scar and I have a big lump now.
Other treatments like CO2 and Microneedling arent really effective either.
I tell you this because a lot fo treatments can worsen your scar and dont forget that doctors also want to make money. This is a big Industry.
Be aware of people who give you an advice.
Im pretty sure that people like BA were working for Lim and Weiner. (Maybe it was Lim himself)?. this way he could maybe operate without getting judged. On top of that I only read stuff about the same doctors on this Board, this makes me suspicious.
Just be careful
I got great results from subcision
56 minutes ago, Stef3000 said:witch doctor did you visit ?
Same as you, Dr Emil, 2 subcs with filler , then 2 subcs combined with Genius MRF , no problem at all, after first subcision i healed little bit longer and had one small lump on my forehead it was gone after 3 months, never ever happened again.
What actually Dr told u about your lump ? Is it from subcision or from Radiesse ?
I didnt have radiesse , but i red its not HA filler , it lasts longer and it can create lumps.
And do u think your scars look worse only because of this lump or u have also any other problem ?
Also I red most common side effect is lumps with radiesse, and its quite a problem from what i red, it cannot be dissolved same way as classic HA filler, dr may try MRF or CO2 laser to reduce the lump, apart from that to wait which can last years or to surgicaly remove which kinda sucks
Could you send me before and afters by dm ?
Well he told me that the lump is there because of the Radiesse. And I don't know if my scars look wore because of the filler or the Radiesse or even the TCA, I only know that my scars look worse. But I can say that my lump really enjoy me and I think this is the reason why my scars look worse, its like a ball under my skin and I have the feeling that it could be scar tissue.
But the doctor was really nice and told me that he would helpme for free. But if he can't dissolve the lump it doesn't help me really but I am still glad that he was so nice.
But after all I went through a lot of up and downs and I don't want other people to suffer like I did and that's was I warn them !
when I did need help everybody told me I should do subcision and everything and now when myproblem is worse I can't find help at all. Im just glad that mydoctor is still willing to help me.
I also think that some doctors have huge influence own this Board and that the operate indirectly. I mean BA did Q&As with Weiner and Lim, they must know each other personally ! And BA had a lot of influence here, you just have to do the math. And I think that the are also other characters here around that operate like BA, but are maybe more careful now.
26 minutes ago, Stef3000 said:Could you send me before and afters by dm ?
Well he told me that the lump is there because of the Radiesse. And I don't know if my scars look wore because of the filler or the Radiesse or even the TCA, I only know that my scars look worse. But I can say that my lump really enjoy me and I think this is the reason why my scars look worse, its like a ball under my skin and I have the feeling that it could be scar tissue.
But the doctor was really nice and told me that he would helpme for free. But if he can't dissolve the lump it doesn't help me really but I am still glad that he was so nice.
But after all I went through a lot of up and downs and I don't want other people to suffer like I did and that's was I warn them !
when I did need help everybody told me I should do subcision and everything and now when myproblem is worse I can't find help at all. Im just glad that mydoctor is still willing to help me.
I also think that some doctors have huge influence own this Board and that the operate indirectly. I mean BA did Q&As with Weiner and Lim, they must know each other personally ! And BA had a lot of influence here, you just have to do the math. And I think that the are also other characters here around that operate like BA, but are maybe more careful now.
BA did QaA also with Dr Emil, my dr has my before and afters, i ll ask him next time to send me, from what u say it makes sense that your scars can look worse from lump, sorry to hear that , radiesse can be great filler if everything goes as it should go, if it creates lump u have problem, and it lasts long, at least thats what i red on internet .
Massaging didnt help ? and what about scars that were treated with TCA ?
13 hours ago, SparklePeacock said:I understand tretinoin cannot effectively combat my scars, but I just don't know what else Ican do in the mean time to help. I return to University soon, and by the end of next year I potentially will be doing an exchange overseas, I just cant realistically see myself treating these scars to any effective degree between now and then, because all treatments I hear about (Tca etc) Usually require a lengthy down time, and even then there are risks that they wont help at all, or even make things worse.
If tretinoin is not helping, get tested for folliculitis. For info, check here: https://dermnetnz.org/topics/folliculitis/
You mostly show shallow to medium boxcars. Between 1 and 10, the right temple is around 4 and the cheek is about 3. The lighting is not all that great, so it could actually be deeper than on the pic. I should say upfront that treating scars on the forehead and temples are the most difficult due to lack of fat, muscle tension, etc.
Boxcar is made worse than what it appears mainly due to its defined edge. Whenever the light bounces off the edge, the scar is magnified. This is especially more evident under certain lighting. So the best solution is to smooth down the edge much as possible.
This can be done with eitherTCA cross or fully ablative laser. Of the two, TCA will be significantly cheaper. You should keep this in mind considering that you will require more than 1 treatment.
Once the edges have been flattened enough, the scars will look more like rolling scar. At the point, you can get fillers to elevate any sunken pits.
As for downtime, it takes around 2 week depending on how fast you heal. However, with the mask mandate everywhere this concern could be somewhat minimized.
13 hours ago, Stef3000 said:Well from my experience I only can tell you what you shouldnt do.
I wouldnt do Subcision ! I had a Subcision treatment and it did worsen my scar and I have a big lump now.
Other treatments like CO2 and Microneedling arent really effective either.
I tell you this because a lot oftreatments can worsen your scar and dont forget that doctors also want to make money. This is a big Industry.
Be aware of people who give you an advice.
Im pretty sure that people like BA were working for Lim and Weiner. (Maybe it was Lim himself)?. this way he could maybe operate without getting judged. On top of that I only read stuff about the same doctors on this Board, this makes me suspicious.
Just be careful
I've had subcision done before and it was actually the safest treatment I've done in my scar journey aside from a low percentage TCA peel. Most of the stories I read about subcision included great, good, and no results. But I'm not sure if I remember hearing subcision failures. The only downsides to subcision I thought were a possible mark/scar and hematomas if a big needle such as a Nokor is used.
True, doctors want money and they will give you any excuse including they just want the best for you. Lasers and large-device procedures generally yield the highest margins and cost the most.
Lim and Weiner have had great results but they only show their best cases. Lim has had bad cases but few people hear about them because he has such a dominance on YouTube.
1 hour ago, SparklePeacock said:Thank you for the advice. Is Tca cross or a Tca peel possible while I still have active acne?
It's generally believed that one should take care of his acne first before getting scar treatment. Please talk to a doctor about this.
My guess (seriously, I'm just guessing) is that TCA CROSS would be ok if it's not in the area of your active acne. But I'm also thinking that acne is not always visible so you don't know exactly where you will break out next.
1 hour ago, SparklePeacock said:Thank you for the advice. Is Tca cross or a Tca peel possible while I still have active acne?
No, you should get acne under control first. The best preventive measure to prevent scarring is not to get acne in the first place. So Ihighly suggest you consult with your derm about starting Accutane.
6 hours ago, Amanda Hall said:I've had subcision done before and it was actually the safest treatment I've done in my scar journey aside from a low percentage TCA peel. Most of the stories I read about subcision included great, good, and no results. But I'm not sure if I remember hearing subcision failures. The only downsides to subcision I thought were a possible mark/scar and hematomas if a big needle such as a Nokor is used.
Exactly, Cannula is safe as hell compared to nokor or even TL , i dont remember anyone complaining about subc with cannula, i dont even know if u can find someone like that elsewhere on internet, thats why I think Stef3000 problem is "just" that lump, which is from filler, i had lump from 1st subc , it was very small really, but it bothered me, and it created bad lightning and made scars look worse, i started to massage and after 2 weeks massaging it was gone, but it was blood , lump from filler must be pain in the ass, and if it is filler that cannot be dissolved .....
4 hours ago, Miro said:Exactly, Cannula is safe as hell compared to nokor or even TL , i dont remember anyone complaining about subc with cannula, i dont even know if u can find someone like that elsewhere on internet, thats why I think Stef3000 problem is "just" that lump, which is from filler, i had lump from 1st subc , it was very small really, but it bothered me, and it created bad lightning and made scars look worse, i started to massage and after 2 weeks massaging it was gone, but it was blood , lump from filler must be pain in the ass, and if it is filler that cannot be dissolved .....
On Realself they are many cases from people who have lumps. They are also some cases on this platform. We always talk about the positive effects from these treatments, but we must present possible bad outcomes as well so we dont mislead people.
Lim never mentioned on in hisvideos any side effects like lumps or stuff like that.
As a doctor you have to make this clear!
A Doctor also makesmuch moremoney from a subcision, becausea Canulla is much cheaper then a laser.
Andwho grantsthat he isnt activ and is influencing us on this platform with an other name ?
43 minutes ago, Stef3000 said:On Realself they are many cases from people who have lumps. They are also some cases on this platform. We always talk about the positive effects from these treatments, but we must present possible bad outcomes as well so we dont mislead people.
Lim never mentioned on in hisvideos any side effects like lumps or stuff like that.As a doctor you have to make this clear!
A Doctor also makesmuch moremoney from a subcision, becausea Canulla is much cheaper then a laser.
Andwho grantsthat he isnt activ and is influencing us on this platform with an other name ?
I saw some people on realself, most of their lumps is cause of nokor , i wrote one lady cause i wanted to know how it resolved, she wrote it resolved on its own, its blood, massaging helps. When theres a lump from filler thats worse case i guess.
Also theres nothing 100% in medicine even pulling teeth can lead to serious complications, i am sorry it happened to you, btw you wrote dr offered u subcision to resolve the lump, but u opted for massages, well if massages didnt help maybe u should go back to dr and let him perform subcision.
Btw I d like to know from someone like Sirius Lee or anyone who knows something about fillers, what do u think about this non HA fillers like radiesse ?
I know people try radiesse cause it lasts longer, but its also more expensive , and if theres complication looks like its harder to solve.
38 minutes ago, Tonitrus09 said:So nokor subcision is more risky than cannula subcision? Why is that? Is nokor a bigger needle and therefore more likely to leave a scar? Forgive my ignorance - I am interested in getting full field subcision and would like to know which option is safer. Thank you!
Some doctors such as Rullan do cannula subcisions because of the risks of hematomas associated with Nokor needles. Nokor needles are wider at the tip so the "pilot hole" hole needs to be bigger. I think most people heal well from that insertion point but when I asked a local dermatologist about a possible scar from Nokor, he couldn't guarantee that I wouldn't have one.
I believe Dr. Lim still uses Nokor needles for tough cases when he really needs to cut the bands though.
Then you'll have doctors like Dr. H who calls people idiots for thinking cannula is effective. He could be right though. I don't have much experience with subcision.