Treating / Preventing Facial and Acne Scars

[Ghost]

People from Burma rarely get acne...you may wonder why???

d

trekearth.com

 

[sasseestefanie]

I hear the laser is remarkable with scars and discoloration ... even capillaries!

 

[modelbehavior228]

I have a lot of acne scars but they look like genuine, flat, typical body scars. I only have a few "pits." The flat ones can be concealed w/ makeup quite easily, but the pit ones can't. I am planning on having those punched when I get older. They take a piece of skin from behind your ear and "punch" the scar out and replace it with the peice of skin. Cool, huh?

 

[twilight fairy]

I'm getting chemical peels soon to get rid of the red marks.. will let you guys know how that'll work out.

 

[nicholas2505]

I have a lot of acne scars but they look like genuine, flat, typical body scars. I only have a few "pits." The flat ones can be concealed w/ makeup quite easily, but the pit ones can't. I am planning on having those punched when I get older. They take a piece of skin from behind your ear and "punch" the scar out and replace it with the peice of skin. Cool, huh?

I've never heard of that, and I've looked into a lot of things. Sounds like hair plugs, lol. Where did you find info?

 

[maelstrom]

^ For scars and discolorations of the skin, there are several options. You could try a chemical peel or a laser resurfacing of the skin. Both methods work by burning or peeling of the surface layers of the skin and letting new skin come out in its place. The results can be really good, a blemish free, soft looking skin , but there are a couple of things to consider:

1. These types of procedures work best in fair skinned people. People of other ethnicities can have problems because of a condition called hyperpigmentation. If you tend to get dark colored spots wherever you've had a pimple, or if any scratch tends to get dark once it heals, then your skin could have a tendency to hyperpigment as a defense mechanism.

2. Any type of procedure that involves resurfacing the outer layers of the skin means that the new skin is really, really sun sensitive: high spf screen will become an absolute must and wide brimmed hats will be more than fashion accesories. You have to be really careful with any outdoor activity, and think about reapplying your sunscreen every two hours if you're out in the sun, specially if you're sweating and/or bathing.

I'm not trying to scare you from these procedure so I hope I don't come across as overly negative. I'm just speaking from experience. I'm latinamerican and have oily skin. Although I didn't have that much of a problem with acne as a teenager, I do have large pores and freckles that as I grew older I noticed they became darker and darker during the summer, until in my eyes, they made my face look a bit "dirty". A couple of years ago I decided to have a laser resurfacing to tackle both these problems. I don't remember the name of the type of laser that was used in my case, as there are several options, but I can only tell you it hurt a lot and when I came out of the procedure, I really looked like Wile. E. Coyote. Over the next few days, the burned sections formed a scab that got darker and darker but I wasn't worried because the doctor had told me to expect that. I was also told to avoid the sun as much as possible, but that wasn't a problem because I had no desire to leave the house looking like I did . After about 5 days, the scabs started to fall off, and I was really happy as the skin underneath looked pink and as soft as a baby's butt, but then about a couple of days after this, the new skin turned darker and darker, until in the end from a distance it looked like I had a beard, since my chin, above my lips and my cheeks turned black. I was horrified and puzzled as I had not even stepped out of the house since coming back from the doctor's office, so it couldn't have been sun damage. A week after the appointment I went back to the doctor's office and they told me my skin had hyperpigmented, a possible side effect, that is more common with people of my ethnicity. The hyperpigmentation fades even on its own, but it can take six months or more. In my case I was lucky my skin is not sensitive because I could use a solution of a lightening chemical called hydroquinone, which worked in about a month. Had my skin proved too sensitive for the hydroquinone, I don't really know what I would have done.

Anyway, this is my story. I was really mad for a while with the dermatologist, since no one had mentioned hyperpigmentation when we talked about side effects, but then I became mostly mad at myself, because I really didn't take the time to research the procedure properly. Once I started doing it (after the fact, sadly) I found a lot of info on the net, including many people who had experienced what I did. So, in a nutshell, my advice to you would be: find a reputable dermatologist and discuss what it is you want and the results you would like to achieve. Don't be afraid to ask all the questions you can think of (it's your face and your money after all) and then some. And do consider less invasive procedures (like microdermabrasion, for example), which while not as potentially spectacular as a chemical peel or laser resurfacing, can produce a glowing, healthy looking skin. And remember, your blemishes look surely much worse to you than to other people. I know for a fact that my husband had never even noticed my "large pores" anymore than he had thought my freckles were ugly. Sorry for rambling on, and hope this helps a little

I suffered second degree and deep second degree burns on one side of my face. THis happened when I was straining pasta, one of the handles of the pot broke and hit the counter, resulting in a splash of just-boiling water to the one side of my face. Some of the skin had fallen right off. Right away I used cold running water to sooth it and went to the emergency room. There the doctor told me to put aloe vera gel (the green stuff for sunburns) on it and prescribed me painkillers. The next day it was all blistered up. For a couple days after that it was inflamed and pink, and then the skin started to dry out and turn brown. A couple days after that it started to peel off and I went to see a dermatologist who peeled off the remaining skin (exposing pink skin underneath). He gave me some calamine lotion and hydrocortisone to use three or four time daily. He also warned me about hyperpigmentation (didn't say anything about race, but I do have an olive skinned complexion since I am Middle-Eastern). A week later, at my next appointment, my skin on one side of my face was dark and he told my to use Glyquin XM which has 4% hydroquinone in it twice daily and to also keep using the calamine and hydrocortisone at different times than the hydroquinone cream.

Its been two weeks since I've been using the hydrocortisone cream (I do find it really irritating but I put up with it). I haven't really noticed a difference yet. When I go out in the harsh -30C climate that is prevalent here in Canada in January (no sunlight, face covered with a hat and scarf) my skin in that area seems to get darker.

My dermatologist says that in three weeks I should start noticing something. So my questions to you are:
-Was it in one month that you started noticing a fading? Or was it in one month that it was completely gone?
-When was it gone completely? Is it back to completely normal? I.e. Do you have to maintain it in some way or is it back to normal?
-Did the skin around the marks lighten too (like when you put on cream and can't control the boundaries its applied to?)
-Once you stopped using the hydroquinone cream, did the marks come back?
-Did the texture of your skin change?
-Do you / Did you notice changes in your skin colouration in changes in temperature? (BTW in what sort of climate do you live?)
-What percent hydroquinone did you use?

Sorry for all the questions, but you're the only one here who has experienced anything like I have.

Any other input or experiences that you have, would be awesome if you shared with me. Greatly appreciated.

I will keep this thread updated so that anyone who experiences anything like I have will know what to expect.

 

[nuyste]

Preventing scar from curling iron burn

I was curling my hair and burned my jawline/chin with a curling iron. it's left a dark brown mark about an inch long. the skin hasn't broken, as I've been treating it with polysporin and 100% cocoa butter for the past day. not sure if this will scar - the skin is smooth, just discoloration up to this point, but the top layer(s) seems to be dead and will probably peel.

will this leave a scar? I've been hearing Vitamin E will prevent any scarring. tips and advice are welcome, thanks!

 

[kateelle]

Rather aloe vera. Yeah, I use aloe vera for just about everything.

 

[Fabulyss]

do any of you guys have acne scars that look like tiny little pin holes? that's what i have. and they keep multiplying. does anyone know about that and if so what can i do to get rid of them? also, could getting extractions during a facial on a regular basis be the cause of this? TIA

It definately could be. I know that performing extractions incorrectly can definately stretch pores (which can be permanent).

My dermatologist told me not to even go to facialists, he does the extractions himself. Though I must admit, I find that after an extraction, the hole just fills back up again

 

[kalli]

I'm getting chemical peels soon to get rid of the red marks.. will let you guys know how that'll work out.

Please do<I`ve been thinking about it but it seams a little to drastic.

 

[Suburban Snob]

I have very fair skin so I totally understand about blemishes leaving marks on skin. I have found a combination of a AHA (Alpha Hydrox Lotion is good) or a topical prescription like Tazorac works really nicely.

I've found that my skin is prone to 'purging' with these products but I discovered Short Contact Therapy where you only apply for 10 minutes, wash off and you still get the great results without the added purging or irratation.

Of course with strong products like these you absolutely need to use a high PPD sunscreen like Neutrogena Dry Touch SPF 70 (I don't know where you are, but here in the US it's one of the highest there is in the country).

 

[Virginielle]

^What's purging?

 

[notmanons]

The healing process of hyperpigmination (the dark spot left after a zit) can be sped up by putting vitamin E directly on your face. Just break open a capsule and apply it all over the area. Or you can go to Wal-Mart and get a higher potency oil, up to 150,000IUs (normal capsules are 200-400IUs)
quote]

What does it mean by IUS? I am currently using Vitamin E oil with 200IUS, would it still work as well?

 

[Virginielle]

A question for anyone who's used/is currently using vitamin E to diminish post-acne spots: how long did it take for you to notice results? I've been applying it before bed sleeping in it, and besides being a little annoying and somewhat sticky, it doesn't seem to be doing much. It's very possible that I'm just being impatient and should stick it out for a while longer.. but how much longer?

 

[Eurasian Mélange]

^ I used it for months (possibly even more than a year) and it made no difference. I think everybody's skin reacts differently to it. Either that, or I am just a freak.

 

[missbliss]

Try using Mederma and then applying the Vit E oil.

 

[Virginielle]

Has anyone tried Murad's Post-Acne Spot Lightening Gel? I just ordered it. We'll see how it goes.

 

[Eurasian Mélange]

Try using Mederma and then applying the Vit E oil.

I've wanted Mederma for a long time, but until I finally receive all the documentation I need, send it off, get accepted for permanent residence and am allowed to work, I can't buy it...

 

[Deleted member 102815]

any experience with microdembrasion for treating scars? I have a lot of facial scars (not from acne) and I would be so happy if there was a way to get rid of them.

 

[SHSH]

Vitamin E
Cocoa Butter
Pure Lemon Juice
Egg masks
Oilve Oil Butter
Exfoliant like home microdermabrasion
St Ives scrub
all these work for me