I am a 22 year old female that had some cystic acne for ~2 years, andI now have some scarring. Isaw Dr. Rullan today and he said that I have icepick/boxcars andthat I should do TCA cross and Erbium laser. I am veryscared of doing treatment and ending up worse than before (especially with the horror stories I've heard about lasers). I also am considering going on low dose accutane (which I have never taken) because I still have persistent blackheads/whiteheads and the occasional cyst, but I am also scared that this can make my skin worse. Ihave never had success with tretinoin or other topicals. So, do you think I should go with Rullan's recommendations for TCA/erbium, and also should I try low dose accutane, or just accept myself as I am currently and not risk getting worse? Thank you!
Pics:
Your right side is practically perfection. Your left side has some very light pore scarring that most people have and by the way, that pore scarring is mostly only noticeable because of the redness. I don't see any boxcars, and I don't know much about Rullan except he's been given praise but also some said he's overrated so IDK.
I see almost no acne so I don't know if it flares up and the pictures are just when your mostly clear, but most derms will not prescribe Accutane for minor acne. But I'm all for Accutane if people have lingering problems or risk of scars in general.
I personally would not do TCA cross because your scars are not applicable for that and even if they were, there's way too much it or miss, you could end up with 10 wide scars from the TCA.
As for laser that may be hit or miss but could be a better option. As for which laser the others know more than I do, I shunned laser for years due to the horror stories and lack of significant results.
I personally think you look almost entirely clear, unless my eye sight is going. Not sure what Rullan sees that I don't.
Thank you for replying! Can accutane potentially worsen scarring or cause atrophy?
14 minutes ago, harmlessboy1441 said:Your right side is practically perfection. Your left side has some very light pore scarring that most people have and by the way, that pore scarring is mostly only noticeable because of the redness. I don't see any boxcars, and I don't know much about Rullan except he's been given praise but also some said he's overrated so IDK.
I see almost no acne so I don't know if it flares up and the pictures are just when your mostly clear, but most derms will not prescribe Accutane for minor acne. But I'm all for Accutane if people have lingering problems or risk of scars in general.
I personally would not do TCA cross because your scars are not applicable for that and even if they were, there's way too much it or miss, you could end up with 10 wide scars from the TCA.
As for laser that may be hit or miss but could be a better option. As for which laser the others know more than I do, I shunned laser for years due to the horror stories and lack of significant results.
I personally think you look almost entirely clear, unless my eye sight is going. Not sure what Rullan sees that I don't.
3 hours ago, sannagray said:I am a 22 year old female that had some cystic acne for ~2 years, andI now have some scarring. Isaw Dr. Rullan today and he said that I have icepick/boxcars andthat I should do TCA cross and Erbium laser. I am veryscared of doing treatment and ending up worse than before (especially with the horror stories I've heard about lasers). I also am considering going on low dose accutane (which I have never taken) because I still have persistent blackheads/whiteheads and the occasional cyst, but I am also scared that this can make my skin worse. Ihave never had success with tretinoin or other topicals. So, do you think I should go with Rullan's recommendations for TCA/erbium, and also should I try low dose accutane, or just accept myself as I am currently and not risk getting worse? Thank you!
Pics:
I think most peoplehere would consider a treatment that achievesyourskin as an unreasonably highexpectation.
Dont mess around. Accutane is for serious widespread cystic acne, and it can fuck your skin up, among other things.
The only useful use case for lasers Ive came across is to removehair follicles.
Enjoy life.
Yeah sorry but your skin is almost perfection. You will be devastated if the procedures you're pursuing actually cause scarring. Moreover I really see no significant acne and I'd be shocked if anyone prescribes Accutane. Try a low dose doxycycline or something else maybeif you really do get flare up acne or another condition it may even help your redness if it's rosacea related.
But for now I wouldn't do anything you're very lucky as is.
I highly suggest you ask a dermwhy the redness on your right side and if doxy or something else helps it should cut visibility of your pores by like 60% imo. You may even have a very light dermatitis for all I know.
2 hours ago, harmlessboy1441 said:Yeah sorry but your skin is almost perfection. You will be devastated if the procedures you're pursuing actually cause scarring. Moreover I really see no significant acne and I'd be shocked if anyone prescribes Accutane. Try a low dose doxycycline or something else maybeif you really do get flare up acne or another condition it may even help your redness if it's rosacea related.
But for now I wouldn't do anything you're very lucky as is.
I highly suggest you ask a dermwhy the redness on your right side and if doxy or something else helps it should cut visibility of your pores by like 60% imo. You may even have a very light dermatitis for all I know.
Yes I do have very sensitive skin/dermatitisthat flares up a lot and becomes red. This causes me to break out too I think bc of the irritation.I always thought that this was just genetic, but I think this may have been caused by long termtretinoin/differin use. I have tried antibiotics but that havent really done anything for me, thats why Im considering low dose accutane (which I think is sometimes prescribed for rosacea too?)
12 hours ago, Scars4Life said:I think most peoplehere would consider a treatment that achievesyourskin as an unreasonably highexpectation.
Dont mess around. Accutane is for serious widespread cystic acne, and it can fuck your skin up, among other things.
The only useful use case for lasers Ive came across is to removehair follicles.
Enjoy life.
Yes Ive been afraid to take it, butI thinkthe fact that Im still breaking out at 22 means that Ill likely have acne for life at this point if I dont try accutane.Are there any cases on here of people with mild (but persistent)acne taking accutane and getting their skin messed up?
3 hours ago, Candy Says said:stick to light peels
What peels do you recommend? I also have tanner Iranian skin so I have to be cautious of anything that can cause hyperpigmentation
4 hours ago, sannagray said:Yes I do have very sensitive skin/dermatitisthat flares up a lot and becomes red. This causes me to break out too I think bc of the irritation.I always thought that this was just genetic, but I think this may have been caused by long termtretinoin/differin use. I have tried antibiotics but that havent really done anything for me, thats why Im considering low dose accutane (which I think is sometimes prescribed for rosacea too?)
Technically yes Isotetrin could be used for things like that for a last resort, but I don't think it would start you on that, as there are still risks to isotetrin (accutane). Yes it's true that while on accutane my rosacea and dermatitis calmed tremendously but it's not sustainable (you cannot take accutane long) but for the record it worked for sure.If antibiotics don't work well they'll likely try you on some useless creams like elidel aka protopic that helps initially but also could irritate rosacea, or a wash like sodium sulfacetamaete (aka sulfar wash).
The problem is the creams/washes, whether effective or not, are sort of temporary and harsh. If you had active acne or bacteria I'd recommend using sulfur wash as it's strong and extremely dry right away on bacteria/oil, but does cause some murky effects. Protopic/elidel just calms your autoimmune reaction, but doesn't really tolerate well for rosacea imo.
Stay clear of steroids, you don't want any of that, take my word, not that something that strong will be prescribed, but as a warning you occasionally get some dumb doctors out there.
If you want my opinion, unless you tried it already, try a 20, 40 or 50mg doxy for 2-3 months and see if that works at all, as it should calm acne, dermatitis and helpful to rosacea. In other words it may help whatever you feel you have. 100mg is technically a strong dose and 20-50mg is a low dose. I would suggest asking for 50mg to start with the option to go down to 20mg tablets if it is too strong/dry.
I mean if you have something called neurogenic rosacea which is alleged rare, then no creams or antibiotics will help you, and the only real treatment for that is like SSRI's (anxiety meds), particularly duloxetine which (also) treats pain signalsand has been shown to be extremely helpful for neurogenic rosacea (or a combination that includes neuropathic rosacea).
Whether not not you have rosacea what kind I don't know but it's also helpful advice for anyone dealing with problems that can learn from my trial/error.
18 hours ago, dirigo39 said:Careful with the doxy, it can mess up your stamachs biome and give you all sorts of problems.
Rare for low doses, but true. Most doctors call 20-50mg a non-medicine dose or something like that.I've only taken 20-40mg tablets personally and had zero stomach issues for months and months.
On 2/4/2022 at 5:40 AM, sannagray said:I am a 22 year old female that had some cystic acne for ~2 years, andI now have some scarring. Isaw Dr. Rullan today and he said that I have icepick/boxcars andthat I should do TCA cross and Erbium laser. I am veryscared of doing treatment and ending up worse than before (especially with the horror stories I've heard about lasers). I also am considering going on low dose accutane (which I have never taken) because I still have persistent blackheads/whiteheads and the occasional cyst, but I am also scared that this can make my skin worse. Ihave never had success with tretinoin or other topicals. So, do you think I should go with Rullan's recommendations for TCA/erbium, and also should I try low dose accutane, or just accept myself as I am currently and not risk getting worse? Thank you!
Pics:
Do not ever do laser under any circumstances. And frankly you don't need TCA. If you need to you can do mild peels or microneedling professionally (never do chemical peels at home).Your skin is nearly perfect and it would be a huge mistake to do something like laser or an intense acid peel. Lasercan give you more texture issues and additional scarring, which is what happened to me. I strongly advise against it. Take a look at the AsianBeauty reddit board and see what kind of skincare can help with the acne and the mild issues you have. I do not recommend anything invasive for skin like yours. Best of luck!
On 2/3/2022 at 6:40 PM, sannagray said:I am a 22 year old female that had some cystic acne for ~2 years, andI now have some scarring. Isaw Dr. Rullan today and he said that I have icepick/boxcars andthat I should do TCA cross and Erbium laser. I am veryscared of doing treatment and ending up worse than before (especially with the horror stories I've heard about lasers). I also am considering going on low dose accutane (which I have never taken) because I still have persistent blackheads/whiteheads and the occasional cyst, but I am also scared that this can make my skin worse. Ihave never had success with tretinoin or other topicals. So, do you think I should go with Rullan's recommendations for TCA/erbium, and also should I try low dose accutane, or just accept myself as I am currently and not risk getting worse? Thank you!
Pics:
Gurl, if thats how your skin is in person Ill leave it alone.perfect is the the enemy of good .Id sell my soul to have you skin.tca cross can be hit or miss sometimes,might/ could worsen your scars and you dont need aggressive lasers at alljust take care of your skin or just stick to beautification med spa level light treatments if you likeacne can be hormonalnothing worked for my acne too before, I onlystopped getting acnewhen I started taking birth control pills (estrogen)..
