Hi,
I'm really new here, but I thought I'd share some info to (hopefully) perk some spirits up!
I've had acne scars for about 8 years or so. Most of them were rolling a few boxcar and a smattering of icepicks all over my cheeks. I was so depressed about 3 years ago I thought about ending it...and came pretty darn close.
Here's all the procedures I've had in the past 6 years:
Microdermabrasion (did nothing)
Subcision (short lived results)
Needling (had this done the same time as the subcisions)
Co2 laser (hated it)
Smoothbeam (did nothing)
Fillers (Zplast, Radiance, it's all faded now)
Punch Grafts (helped with boxcar, but rolling was not treated)
Dermabrasion (full face, helped a little)
Jessner's Peels (4 of them)
More Punch Grafts (helped a little)
And guess what? None of those treatments made much of a difference except for maybe the last 3....I still looked hideous in most lighting.
Finally I got to that point again where I felt like ending it all and I decided to try the most scary thing of all. I thought I might as well...what did I have to lose? So, I had the scars surgically removed one by one (except the icepicks. I'm working on that) and 3 linear scars that are mild and the result of Co2 laser. The ones I had surgically removed were the boxcars and rolling ones. They were incised not excised. My whole face was full of tiny stitches....36 of them in all!
I was really unhappy the first 3 months of healing. I thought I'd created a monster and I was freaked. But over time about 8 months I noticed that everthing was working out. Here was the KEY because so much skin was removed (in tiny parts), it made my skin tighter which I KNOW if you've ever pulled your skin tight you can see many of your scars flatten out and appear to disappear. It was an added bonus. I just wish I would've done it sooner.
I had to get rid of all the little red marks from the stitches. So I started off with some light peels and then had another Jessner's. That was in January. Now, I am basically scar free except for the *&(#@$ icepicks and linears. My skin texture went from a rippley effect to a muuuch smoother one I think because of all the peels and the stitches pulling the skin tighter. I did TCA Cross twice in March and it didn't do much. I'm hoping I can find a doctor who can do it. But so far the ones I've consulted with always push for "full face" peels.
My skin is by no means "perfect". After all these years and so many treatments I finally have HOPE and I'm not so insecure. I don't feel like hiding. I can actually look people in the eye which may not sound like much but to me that's huge progress.
I'd say I have about 90-95% improvement because I only have about a dozen tiny icepicks left and the linear scars are very mild, the dermabrasion helped to soften them. Keep in mind it took me 8 long years of failed treatments to finally figure out what to do. I'm actually thankful I became so hopefully desperate or else I would have never had the nerve to have the scars surgically removed.
Here are a few sites that mention "Punch Incision" which is what it's called. I think if you Google those keywords you might find something more than I did. They use the technique for lots of things not just acne scars
http://www.acne-treatments-guide.com/acne-scar-revision.htm
http://www.skinstreet.net/publications.html
I couldn't find an article EXPLAINING how it's done. I can tell you though. The doctor makes a tiny incision in the middle of the scar. Then he lifts up the depressed tissue inside so it's even with the surrounding skin. Then he removes the extra skin in the center of the scar and stitches it closed. With an excision, they cut around the outside of the scar and then stitch it back together. An excision doesn't involve LIFTING the ugly depressed tissue like a punch incision.
Here are a few sites that mention "Punch Incision" which is what it's called. I think if you Google those keywords, you might find something more than I did. They use the technique for lots of things, not just acne scars
http://www.acne-treatments-guide.com/acne-scar-revision.htm
http://www.skinstreet.net/publications.html
I couldn't find an article EXPLAINING how it's done. I can tell you though. The doctor makes a tiny incision in the middle of the scar. Then he lifts up the depressed tissue inside so it's even with the surrounding skin. Then he removes the extra skin in the center of the scar and stitches it closed. With an excision, they cut around the outside of the scar and then stitch it back together. An excision doesn't involve LIFTING the ugly depressed tissue like a punch incision.
Cap
Hi. Great news. Can you tell me who performed your incision? And where? And how much you were charged? Thanks,
JAmes
I have a question, isn't the place where the scar used to be indented in some way? So if you stitch it together the underground is still indented or am i wrong?
Sounds pretty good though, i'd rather have a tiny stitchline than a round indented scar of 0,5 mm. Where did you get this procedure done? Plastic surgeon? I wouldn'trust ordinary hospital churgeons, they never leave a decent scar..
I have a question, isn't the place where the scar used to be indented in some way? So if you stitch it together the underground is still indented or am i wrong?
Sounds pretty good though, i'd rather have a tiny stitchline than a round indented scar of 0,5 mm. Where did you get this procedure done? Plastic surgeon? I wouldn'trust ordinary hospital churgeons, they never leave a decent scar..
BadBoy,
The reason there is no idention is the scar was "lifted" in the center for each scar. If you read above I wrote "The doctor makes a tiny incision in the middle of the scar. Then he lifts up the depressed tissue inside so it's even with the surrounding skin"
There were really no stitch marks after they healed. I THOUGHT there would be and that's what freaked me out. But it ended up being just little "splotches" of redness. Those went away pretty quick with the peels. I really can't see where they were now.
I actually had 2 doctors do the punch incisions. The first few were done by a dermatologic surgeon. He only did 3 because I was too scared and wanted to see how things would go. When those healed I was more brave and had the rest of them the majority of them done by a plastic surgeon. I must say again that these are NOT excisions. If they were, I'd probably have horrible scarring.
nice man, gives us an extra option method to fix our scares for good or in a high percentage. Though i can afford 10.000 dollar, it's expensive indeed. Im curious if this is done anywhere else on the world, cuz im in europe..
I'd rather get this shit fixed than getting a crappy car .. although..
Though i must say that every skin reacts differently towards scars, so one might not get rid of the stitch lines that easily. Indeed I agree you should do some testpatches first, treat 2 or 3 scars first and wait what it will look like. If the end result is satisfying enough you might want to consider a fullface treatment.
cheers
Well, I don't know if it's offered in Europe. But I don't see why it wouldn't be. I actually didn't even know the treatment existed until about 2 weeks before I had it done. I think all it is is cutting in the center of the scar instead of around the scar. I guess it's just like the word means: incision is the opposite of excision. It's just a different way of taking the scar out. I've never had an excision though so I don't know how different those would've turned out.
I do scar easily too which is how I ended up with acne scars in the first place
FROM THE Q&A
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/index.php...=punch+excision
Punch floating or punch elevation
as it is also called is an inexpensive and most effective procedure for small pits roundish in shape. A small metal instrument is placed around the border of the scar and used to elevate or float it flat. I rate it the No 1 treatment being quick, easy and inexpensive.
Have as many of your scars punch floated as possible. If floats dont heal completely flat and need to be smoothed ask your Doctor to shave them flat rather than dermabrade or laser them flat as there are fewer risks.
Punch float scars are hardly noticeable because they are thin small and round in shape.
FROM THE Q&A
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/index.php...=punch+excision
Punch floating or punch elevation
as it is also called is an inexpensive and most effective procedure for small pits roundish in shape. A small metal instrument is placed around the border of the scar and used to elevate or float it flat. I rate it the No 1 treatment being quick, easy and inexpensive.
Have as many of your scars punch floated as possible. If floats dont heal completely flat and need to be smoothed ask your Doctor to shave them flat rather than dermabrade or laser them flat as there are fewer risks.
Punch float scars are hardly noticeable because they are thin small and round in shape.
No. This is not what I had done. I didn't have punch floats or punch elevations. If you read my first post I didn't have the icepicks treated. I had my rolling and boxcar scars removed. The scar was lifted manually layer by layer and not with a punch float instrument.
Hello!
I'm sorry. I've been answering tons of PM's about doctors and prices. I've answered most of them but have a few more.
Any plastic surgeon can do this procedure. Just tell them you want incisions instead of excisions. It's really common and used to treat many conditions other than acne. I also think it's a technique used for hair transplantation but I'm not sure. The problem is when you ask for a scar to be surgically removed this way almost any doctor will try to push you toward dermabrasion or laser instead. They just don't want to risk a surgical procedure. It was really difficult for me to get to the point where a doctor would do it. This is why I had a few to begin with and waited to see how I would heal. When I healed I went back for many more.
Keep in mind too that it takes a very long time to heal from this. By a long time I mean months. It's not something you go in to do and then are smooth in 6 to 8 weeks. You really have to be mentally prepared to look in the mirror and see stitches in your face and then many more weeks of odd shaped stitch marks once they are removed. It takes a while for the little marks to fade and become even. You cannot even think about wearing makeup for a very long time. It all just depends on how your schedule is and how willing you are to take the plunge. I would recommend anyone thinking about this procedure just doing one or two to begin with before doing several.
To Lexy............I don't think the stitches can be too close together. Mine were spread out over a large area.