After years of battling acne and tolerating my acne scars, I have enough saved up to see a dermatologist. I mainly have rolling and boxcar scarring on my cheeks, so from what i've read so far, my best bet would be to undergo subcisionfirst before considering any laser treatments. I have just a couple of questions about subcision that I could not find answers to.
The doctor I'm seeing has written on his site that he uses a nokor or 18-23G needles for subcision, however I've read that using a cannula would be safer and would probably achieve the same (or better)results with lesser side effects, but at the same time some have said that the nokor would be more effective for deeply tethered scars, and that the skill of the doctor matters more than the needle used. Would it be advisable to ask the doctor to use a cannula instead of a nokor, or should I just go the tool that the doctor suggests or is more experienced/comfortable with?
Also, I have a natural tendency to get PIH, even a simple mosquito bite would leave me with a red mark, and PIH caused by pimple would usually take at least a month or two to fade. Just wondering if the needle entry points would cause any PIH or further scarring to occur?
Thanks!
Such great questions.
Here's the good thing. You are on top of it. You are asking good questions. You are being your own advocate. That's what's needed in scar repair. Absolutely, positively, ask your doctor both of these questions. And tip: If his/her recommendation changes based on what you ask for, that's a big red flag. You want whoever you go with to be absolutely confident in the right method of scar repair for you.
I would also get a second opinion no matter what. Maybe a third even. Go with a doctor who is confident in their recommendations, and listens to you, but knows what he/she wants to do. And be sure they specialize in acne scar repair.
Lastly, whatever you do, please let us know so we can learn from it.