Post: #1

I"m wondering if any of you have undergone laser treatment for medium to severe acne scarring. As of now my cheeks are pretty bad and the scars aren't going away quickly enough. Have any of you gone through this and would you recommend it? Or are there other effective alternatives for regaining skin as healthy as a baby's?

Post: #2

Grow a beard to cover it.

Post: #3

I used to have horrible acne when I was younger and that shit scarred up pretty bad. I remember cutting up Vitamin E tablets and rubbing the solution on my cheeks. Did it for a few weeks and everything started to clear up nicely.

Post: #4

Start drinking green juices and carrot juice.

It will help your skin recycle. Once you've done that for a few weeks, see how your skin looks.

Do that for a while before undergoing costly and painful surgical procedures.

Post: #5

In addition to consulting with a reputable dermatologist, the following is a regimen I would recommend.


Daily AM Care
-Wash with 2% Salicylic Acid Facewash* in shower
-Use Clarisonic Facial Brush in shower
-Let face air day for 15 mins
-Apply Zinc based Sunscreen

(* substitute 10% Benzoyl Peroxide Facewash 2-3x per week for SA wash ... SA + BP work synergistically)

Daily PM Care
-Wash with 2% Salicylic Acid Face Wipes
-Let face air dry for 5 mins
-Apply Retin-A 0.1%
-Let face air dry for ~30-45 mins
-Apply non-comedogenic Facial Moisturizer


Misc
-Avoid hard scrubbing when washing face (gentle application of cleansers is ideal; especially if using Clarisonic)
-Use of Clarisonic makes weekly exfoliation unnecessary
-I personally monitor Vit E levels via quarterly bloodwork; and am currently supplementing Vit E daily to keep my serum levels optimal (i.e. upper limit of normal)


Regarding Retin-A
-It is one of the best products you can use with regards to skin related anti-aging; has been proven to reduce the appearance of wrinkles
-A simple layman's description of how it works would be that it essentially gets all your skin cells dividing at the same time at a faster rate. This leads to more rapid cell turnover and more healthy, younger cells becoming a part of your top layer of visible skin. It also makes your skin thicker, which will make it less prone to wrinkling.
-Retin-A is also a treatment for acne
-Retin-A takes several (4-6) weeks of consistent use to get dialed in. In the interim, users will suffer from redness, flaking, dryness, sensitivity. These symptoms will subside as new layers of healthy skin replace old layers and all the facial skin cells start dividing at the same time. You must have faith and power through (especially weeks 2 & 3, which are the worst) the caustic phases, as Retin-A is arguably one of the best anti-aging products for your skin. If it is very irritating at the outset, application can be titrated in 2-3x per week (instead of daily) in the beginning.


Laser Treatment
-One of the most commonly recc'd laser treatments for Acne scars is Fraxel Laser
-There is a Fraxel re:store and a Fraxel re:pair
-The Fraxel re:pair is a deeper, more penetrating treatment as compared with Fraxel re:store; however re:pair is more painful and associated with a longer downtime. Re:pair may also be associated with a need for less follow-up treatments as compared to the Fraxel re:store (which may require ~3-5 repeat treatments typically a month or so apart.)

-You need to back off SA, BP, Retin-A for ~1wk prior & ~1wk post each treatment
-1 hour prior to treatment, you may get an intramuscular injection of ketorolac/toradol (potent anti-inflammatory) as well application of topical lidocaine cream all over your face/treatment area to help numb the skin
-The treatment is painful; best described as burning your face (after 1-2 treatments you get used to the level of peri-procedural pain to expect)
-You will likely be prescribed oral steroids (i.e. prednisone) for a few days following each treatment to help calm down any excessive redness/swelling
-There will be redness/swelling for a few days following the procedure. A facial ice mask can help in the immediate post-laser period.
-You are to avoid heavy sun exposure for a few days following the treatment (i.e. no beach vacations, be diligent about applying sunscreen when going out, wear a hat, etc.)
-Probably best to have it done in the winter months (especially if you have darker skin pigmentation) given the fact that detrimental sun exposure can cause cosmetic complications during the post-op course

-Results tend to take a few months to become apparent



Feel free to try some of the more conservative methods recc'd by others in this thread prior to taking the above recc's into consideration. Perhaps a simpler solution will work for you.

Post: #6

I'd recommend trying some dermarolling
http://www.owndoc.com

Apparently its similar to laser, 10% of the price but DIY