Acne Scar Treatments Archive 2
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PK Reporting in - Adrianna Scheibner -- PK, 09:30:41 12/06/03 Sat
My deep apologies for not having posted sooner - life has been very hectic.
BUT ironically, I just returned from having dinner here in So. California with
Dr. Scheibner herself, her husband and my boyfriend. Adrianna is visiting So.
Calif for this week, attending to various business interests, visiting
friends, etc. and there is much going on in terms of her efforts to FINALLY
have her license here reinstated, sharing her scar reversal technology with
other drs, etc. I honestly feel that her treatment method will be available
here in US wihtin a year's time, and "Anna" and I will be working to ensure
that this in fact happens, along with others.Having gotten to know Adrianna these past several months now, I can
unequivocally state that I feel it impossible for her to have harmed or burned
any former patient, and I've heard first hand of the scheme by her former
office manager to fabricate phony complaints to the Calif Med Board to
jeopardize her license, in order to keep her from practicing here and being
present to take legal action agaisnt him for his having embezzled millions
from her. She's just published a book which details all that occured, adn I
fully believe her. Sorry for typos please bear with me...IN any case A. explained that she had gone very gently in terms of treating my
skin given that she was concerned about how I might respond to my skin during
the healing stage of an aggressive treatment, given my past horror stories
with local "experts" (read former posts about my botched laser job, intended
to fix a botched dermabrasion job....).I will be returning to Sydney asap to have the treatment fully done, she
insists. I've met former patients now with flawless skin, seen hundreds of
photos of former scar victims, etc. to make it worth my while to travel half
way around the world to "finish up" my treatment. To those who have posted
from Sydney, you'd be crazy not to take advantage of her expertise there
locally. SHE IS THE REAL THING, I AM CERTAIN OF THIS, AND IS FULLY CAPABLE OF
TREATING AND REVERSING SCARS, as is her well trained associate dr, Dr. Della
Bruna, something like that.I see now about a 10-15% improvement in my skin even with this gentle
treatment. A. says that my scars will all be gone once she retreats me. Having
treated some 28,000 patients I trust that she knows what she's talking about.I feel incredibly blessed to even know this woman, she is a true humanitarian
and undisputable the world's expert in this field.To those considering her treatment, I feel 100% certain that there is no risk
to you and a high likelihood of being greatly helped.Hope this helps....
PK
Dr Scheibner -- HT, 09:08:13 12/06/03 Sat
Thank you for your update PK! I cannot wait to meet Dr Scheibner in 2 weeks
time, I was going to cancel my trip to Sydney to see her but having read your
post I am positive she will be able to help me!
PK Reporting in - Adrianna Scheibner -- PK, 08:58:05 12/06/03 SatMy deep apologies for not having posted sooner - life has been very hectic.
BUT ironically, I just returned from having dinner here in So. California with
Dr. Scheibner herself, her husband and my boyfriend. Adrianna is visiting So.
Calif for this week, attending to various business interests, visiting
friends, etc. and there is much going on in terms of her efforts to FINALLY
have her license here reinstated, sharing her scar reversal technology with
other drs, etc. I honestly feel that her treatment method will be available
here in US wihtin a year's time, and "Anna" and I will be working to ensure
that this in fact happens, along with others.Having gotten to know Adrianna these past several months now, I can
unequivocally state that I feel it impossible for her to have harmed or burned
any former patient, and I've heard first hand of the scheme by her former
office manager to fabricate phony complaints to the Calif Med Board to
jeopardize her license, in order to keep her from practicing here and being
present to take legal action agaisnt him for his having embezzled millions
from her. She's just published a book which details all that occured, adn I
fully believe her. Sorry for typos please bear with me...IN any case A. explained that she had gone very gently in terms of treating my
skin given that she was concerned about how I might respond to my skin during
the healing stage of an aggressive treatment, given my past horror stories
with local "experts" (read former posts about my botched laser job, intended
to fix a botched dermabrasion job....).I will be returning to Sydney asap to have the treatment fully done, she
insists. I've met former patients now with flawless skin, seen hundreds of
photos of former scar victims, etc. to make it worth my while to travel half
way around the world to "finish up" my treatment. To those who have posted
from Sydney, you'd be crazy not to take advantage of her expertise there
locally. SHE IS THE REAL THING, I AM CERTAIN OF THIS, AND IS FULLY CAPABLE OF
TREATING AND REVERSING SCARS, as is her well trained associate dr, Dr. Della
Bruna, something like that.I see now about a 10-15% improvement in my skin even with this gentle
treatment. A. says that my scars will all be gone once she retreats me. Having
treated some 28,000 patients I trust that she knows what she's talking about.I feel incredibly blessed to even know this woman, she is a true humanitarian
and undisputable the world's expert in this field.To those considering her treatment, I feel 100% certain that there is no risk
to you and a high likelihood of being greatly helped.Hope this helps....
PK
Acquamid -- John, 12:05:49 12/05/03 Fri
For those guys interested I had my second ml of Acqaumid and I am extremely
pleased with the results. This product is permanent and gives results like
Collagen. It is also cost effective as it costs approx $500 (AUD) (I am from
Sydney Australia) plus the surgeons fees. It is soft under the skin and not
hard and you wouldn't even know it was there. The only thing you have to get a
good surgeon to do it as once it is in it is permanent.This treatment in my view would be far more effective than Isolagen as I have
only had 2ml and saw about at least a 75% improvement so if I had 5mls like
Isolagen people experience much smaller % improvements plus Acquamid is much
cheaper.Anyway guys I think this is extremely promising as I have had lasers,
dermabrasions and this is the best result I have had and JJ the choice is up
to you mate but just don't ignore the warnings would be my advice to you as
your face is not a block of wood you can't through it away and start again.
Scheibner- PK -- JJ, 06:36:54 12/05/03 Fri
Hi
this is my first time at the site. The reason I am posting is because I
recently had a consult at the Scheibner Centre in Sydney and am contemplating
having some laser done there. I was a bit worried about Dr Scheibner's med
license being revoked etc., PK's last update was not terribly positive, but I
do understand that collagen takes many months to repair the damaged skin. This
aside, is there anyone that can say they have had a treatment done at this
surgery? good or bad results? or if you have heard anything else about this
Doctor/method. Anything would be appreciated as I dont want to end up with
worse skin than I already have. many thanks
Christine and Group -- Sam, 03:53:09 12/04/03 ThuChristine...WHO was your doctor? And where can I find him/her? I am very
impressed with your post. I don't ever remember reading a post in which the
person was 100% satisfied with the result. $12,000, I think, is a SMALL price
to pay if your scars are totally gone! Congratulations!ps Who knows about Artecoll? And Restylane? I have an appointment on Tuesday
with a Canadian dctor to discuss...I live on the US East Coast.BTW...I had a subsicion about a year ago on one large scar....NEVER again. It
produced a horrible raised scar that is worse than the acne scar! Everyone be
careful!Regards
Sam
Dr. Romano -- James, 08:55:06 12/03/03 Wed
My experience with Dr. Romano's staff was the polar opposite of yours. I found
the women at the front desk very freindly and helpful. I saw the esthetician
also. She was nice, normal.But the deal is that artecoll does not work for acne scars.
Did you find any help anywhere else in the Bay Area for acne scars?
James Dr. Romano -- vs, 08:05:03 12/03/03 Wed
I have also seen Dr. Romano about 6 months ago for artecoll. He said it would
fill my scars up, he never said it wouldn't work on me.He was very nice, however I chose not to go to him.
The girls at his office were very rude, especially the front desk girl and his
estitician was a total bitch.
I wrote dr.romano an email telling him how rude they were to me, and he never
responded.
Also I had billing problems with his office, the front desk girl would tell me
one price, dr.romano would tell me a different price, and his biller would
bill me something completely different. I got fed up and stopped going to him.
I lost out on like 300 bucks at his office and he didnt do anything for me.
Again, he was nice, but his office staff is full of bitches.
His estician basically made me cry.Anyways..I wouldnt reccommend dr. romanos offic untill he gets new staff.
Artecoll treatment -- James, 06:10:08 12/03/03 Wed
I have fairly moderate acne scarring. Just a few on one cheek. But they have
bothered me. In the past I have had laser surgery which does work well on
refreshing the overall face but has a minimum impact on atrophic acnes scars.The on thing that absolutely worked was collegen injections. But they are not
permanent.So I tried artecoll. It does NOT work for acne scars one iota. My doctor was
upfront that it might not work but it was my descion to go ahead.My doctor is Dr. James Romano. He is a very well known dermatologist in San
Francisco, and is a very nice guy.Anyone out here should check him out.
James
Answer for Marie -- JW, 02:16:32 12/03/03 Wed
There is an acne scar expert in the Boston area. He is Dr. Michael Kaminer. He
has co-authored papers for medical journals on acne scar revision. He is at
Skin Care Physicians of Chestnut Hill. He is a really nice guy and he is an
expert in acne scar revision. Make an appointment with him and he will tell
you what will work best for your scarring. He does subcision, laser
resurfacing, fillers and non-ablative laser treatments.
Beth - CO2 laser resurfacing -- Cameron, 01:13:16 12/03/03 Wed
Beth, if you can take about 10 days off in a row and you can afford it, it's a
great option for treating scars--unless they're really deep and they need to
be filled instead or unless they're ice pick scars. If you post a picture of
your scarring somewhere or send one to me, I could probably tell you if it
would be worth it.
Cameron--Great Site! -- Beth, 20:16:15 12/02/03 Tue
Thanks so much for being bold and sharing your story & photos. It really helps
to be able to see the progress of others so that we know what to expect. No
one likes to get a bad surprise--especially when it is our face!You look great and I am so glad that the last two treatments are starting to
show some results for you. I think needling is about as brave as I'm going to
get. The Co2 looks pretty grueling, though I'm sure that accounts for most of
your improvement. Co2 is supposed to keep working and rebuilding for around a
year after the treatment, so keep us posted as you continue to heal and the
collagen builds up even more.Take care,
Beth
Acne Scar Treatment -- Marie, 20:08:27 12/02/03 Tue
Hi everyone!I am new to this site, I think it is great!
I live in the Boston, MA area and I am considering Erbium Laser Resufacing and
possibly a collagen injection/fat augmentation for a depressed scar on my
right cheek (from being injected with cortisone several times to destroy an
acne cyst). I know there are scar doctors listed on this site, but some on the
list I have already seen with no luck! Would anyone have a recommendation for
any in the Boston area (or any New England state) so that I don't waste any
more time? Any info you could provide on a doctor or treatment option would be
so helpful! Thanks so much for your time!
BEFORE & AFTER PICTURES - Needling and CO2 Laser Resurfacing -- Cameron,
04:34:05 12/02/03 TueI just had my forehead resurfaced on 11/20, and I'm very happy with the
results!http://home.comcast.net/~camerons007/scarring/
Artecoll aka Artefill -- Mike D, 23:41:03 11/30/03 Sun
Can someone tell me about Artecoll aka Artefill? I know it's an artificial
filler. Has anyone tried it or knows someone? It's been in Europe for years. I
wanted to try Isolagen but it seems like most people have not had much success
with it. A permanent filler seems like a better choice.Mike D.
Wash,D.C. support group meeting Dec.7th -- greg, 15:31:18 11/30/03 Sun
hey gang,
we are having another real-life support group meeting (YIKES!) this Sunday
December 7th here in D.C. if you're feelin brave?..
I get emails from all over the world saying "i wish i could come but i live in
East Jesus" so i've been urging people to start there own little groups in
their hometown...it's actually quite easy cuz of the web....i have met so many
people thru my group that i learned a very valuable & unexpected lesson--like
most of you, I *mistakenly* think the scars are thee #1 defining feature about
you/me/us....but meeting others face-to-face with scars has taught me how
waaaaay distorted our thinking really is..it's more like the 10th thing that
people notice....that's your pearl of wisdom for the day...your welcome;-)
p.s.-if you can't stomach one of our meetings, read Christine's post
below--that's what i preach--it's a multi-procedural nitemare that takes lotta
time & money BUT it's a winnable war....only thing she left out was
needling--that's a good cheap scar fixer-with sunken saucer scars at least-take care!
Greg
PK?? -- HT, 06:19:43 11/29/03 Sat
Has anyone heard from Pk? would love hear how she is going?
To Christine -- Eve, 12:04:51 11/26/03 Wed
How much of that 18 months did you spend as "down" time? With all those
procedures and peels so close together, didn't you have to stay indoors a lot?
Were you able to wear makeup? Last of all, who was your doctor and where does
he practice?
christine -- sara, 09:37:51 11/26/03 Wed
christine:
WOW!! very few people ever post about how they have corrected their scars to
the point where you cannot tell there were scars in the first place. who was
your doctor? how long did you seek treatment - it sounds like a long list of
procedures. did you work during the treatment? what are you doing for your
skin now?sara
What Worked For Me -- Christine, 06:03:02 11/26/03 Wed
What Worked For Me
b I had the following:
Uneven Pigmentation (from acne that had healed)
Shallow Acne Scars (both cheeks and along jaw line)
7 Deep Acne Scars (left cheek)
2 Deep Acne Scars (right cheek)
Overall Dull SkinI went to a specialist and was PRIMED for a series of procedures. Here is
how it went...in chronological order:
1) Tissue was taken from behind my ears to fill the deeper acne scars on both
cheeks. (punch excision / grafting).2) On the less severe scars, the tissue under the scar was "released" so the
scar was not as depressed(undermining / subscision).3) Retin A was used to "thicken" the skin for the best results for upcoming
laser resurfacing. This was a crucial step.4) Medite C3 laser resurfacing to give me a "clear canvas" and remove all
blemishes and discoloration.5) Three months of chemical peels.
6) Retin A cycle for 6 weeks.
7) Co2 laser resurfacing (very very light)
8) Retin A cycle for 4 weeks.
9) Co2 laser resurfacing again.
The entire process was 18 months and a little under $12,000. But, you CANNOT
TELL I ever had a single acne scar (and they were BAD). I don't have to worry
about any fillers (ZyPlast, ZyDerm, Collagen...which never lasted more than a
few weeks on me anyway) and my skin has a radiant look to it for the first
time in about 14 years. (I'm 34/white/female).Christine
Perricone 5% ALA -- Avril, 18:13:54 11/25/03 Tue
Hi everyone!
Quick question: where can I get some of the Perricone 5% alpha lipoic acid? I
have looked all over online and have not been able to find it! Is there a
dermatologist who sells it anywhere?! Thanks so much in advance!
Best wishes,
Avril
To VS--Exoderm -- Eve, 17:07:58 11/25/03 Tue
I wish you the VERY BEST! I am out of town a lot, but whenever I'm home I
always check the site to see any Exoderm updates from Cityslicker. I don't
know how extensive your scars are, but please post your experiences with Dr.
Rullan and the procedure. Cityslicker was most helpful. I don't know if I will
ever be able to go to California for such a drastic procedure, but as the
adage says: "Hope springs eternal."
better skin -- jorge, 00:49:31 11/25/03 Tue
Hi,
I JUST HEARD OF THIS PAGE SEARCHING FOR ACNE SCAR SOLUTIONS. MY SKIN IS BAD,
SO BAD THAT I NEVER SEEN ANYBODY LIKE ME. I STARTED TO BREAKOUT WHEN I WAS 16
AND NOW BEEING 24 I STILL HAVE A WORSTH PROBLEM; THE ACNE SCARS ARE KILLING ME
AND I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYBODY HAVING SUCCESS WITH ANY PROCEDURE, SO WHAT HOPE DO
I HAVE, I EVEN HEARD SOMEBODY KILLING HIMSELF BECAUSE OF THE SCARS IN HIS
FACE. I WHICH I HAVE THE COURAGE TO DO SOMENTHING LIKE THIS BUT I DON'T. I
DONT KNOW WHAT ELSE TO SAID BUT GOOD LUCK.
Exoderm -- vs, 23:22:35 11/24/03 Mon
OK i scheduled my exoderm appointment.
I cant believe i'm going through with this. I'm so nervous. I hope it works
with good results and no bad side effects or complications.My apt is in Jan... so till then if you hear any horror stories about exoderm
please LET ME KNOW! sanjoseskin@yahoo.comtake care.
Needling and Subcision -- Nathan, 05:48:26 11/20/03 Thu
I have been reading about subcision and needling for the treatment of acne
scars, and am interested in finding out more info. Can someone tell me how to
go about finding these services in Austin TX or the surrounding area?
TO: Marie here is Dr. Jeff Rapaports website etc -- Kate, 00:40:36 11/20/03
Thuhttp://www.jrapaport.com
phone: 201-227-1555
adress: 333 Sylvan Avenue, Suite 207
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 07632GOOD LUCK!
COSMODERM INJECTIONS: HUMAN BASED COLLAGEN -- Kate, 00:30:23 11/20/03 Thu
Hi all,
Thought you might be interested in my cosmoderm results.
I had it injected into a depressed scar located on the right side of my
nose-upper cheek area. I AM VERY HAPPY WITH THE AMOUNT OF FILLING AND LEVELING
I GOT! A topical anesthetic is applied for about 10-15 min. But I don't think
you even need it as the cosmoderm already has one in it. The injection took
about 5 minutes. Some background on cosmoderm: It is made by Inamed.com. They
also have cosmoplast- this contains twice the collagen as cosmoderm. The type
and depth of scar determines what product the doctor should use. The
technology behind these products has been used for at least 15 yrs. to grow
new skin for burn victims. Just so you know- the cell line is derived from A
SINGLE SOURCE- THAT IS THE FORESKIN OF A SINGLE INFANT. I have even read the
the "donor" the maker used was his own son! THEY DO NOT USE MULTIPLE DONORS
FOR THE CELL LINE. The maker modified the collagen harvesting process to make
it an injectable. The collagen is GROWN IN A LAB-it is NOT from cadavers. The
cell line they use for
skin grafts is the same cell line that they use for the cosmoderm and
cosmoplast. THERE HAVE NOT BEEN ANY INFECTIONS WITH THIS CELL LINE TO DATE.
Each vial produced is tested for a multitude of diseases etc- FDA MANDATED.
Cosmoderm and cosmoplast come in a single use needle- 1cc. If you do not have
enough scars to treat- they can save it for you. The length they will save it
depends on the doctor. I paid $480.00 for the single dose 1cc needle. A lot is
left and the doc said he would save it for me for next time. I go back in two
weeks for a check up and if need be another injection. Of course, the staying
power of the collagen varies from person to person. I HOPE THIS LASTS AT LEAST
2-3 mths! I got to the point where I JUST COULD NOT STAND TO LOOK AT THIS DAMN
DEPRESSED SCAR ANYMORE-so if I can get a few months off from looking/thinking
about it-that will be an immense relief! The injection site is pretty pink
right now but the area was kind of red before I had the injection. So for any
of you who need a break- like I do- please check it out at Inamed.com
Also- be sure to read the pdf file on contraindications. I have an immune
system condition and up to now - I COULD NOT HAVE ANY OTHER INJECTABLES- most
have some animal component to them and that would probably affect my immune
system in a bad way- so I am glad this product is on the market. I HOPE IT
LASTS FOR A WHILE!
Thanks guys
GOOD LUCK ALL
Dr. Rappaport -- Marie, 16:00:56 11/19/03 Wed
hey guys
I know Dr. Rappaport and his subcision has been discussed a lot...especially
Mr. G
Where is he and how are his results
can anyone tell me if they had subcision with him and how were the results
also I need his number and location I can't locate him
I know it is in NJ
Someone please help me with this info
Frank and Needling -- Holly, 04:50:35 11/19/03 Wed
Sounds great about you training people to perform needling.
What about the Tacoma WA area? Any in this area? Thanks
Affordable Needling - Participate In a Training Class and get a GREAT service
-- Frank @ Transitions, 01:59:47 11/19/03 WedFrank @ Transitions
Age :
Gender :M
Country :USAHere’s a break for those who need scar needling and are upset at those
technicians who charge outrageous prices and rip up the delicate skin. I am
training nurses, estheticians, tattoo artists and other professionals in
needling and I need models to looking to have their scars needled. The
needling services will be This Friday in Northern NJ. There is a $50 equipment
charge for up to a 1 hour service. If interested or you need information,
contact Frank at Transitions – 845 225-5595 or e-mail me at
transitionspmc@aol.com. In Spring 2004, we are teaching needling in Eastern,
NY, Las Vegas, NV, Phoenix, AZ, San Jose, CA, and Florida We will be needing
models then also. Hope this helps some. Please spread the word around so we
can help those who can't afford to help themselves.
Best Wishes, Frank
resurfacing -- vs, 07:32:44 11/18/03 Tue
Well with laser the first day my face was covered in vasaline and gauze...and
I had to go in for a cleaning...they scrubbed the crust off my face with
hydrogen peroxide solution and water. And at home..I had to make a mixture of
distled vinegar and distiled water..dip gauze pads in the mixture...scrub my
face and get all the crusting off...then apply THICK THICK THICK LAYERS OF
VASALINE.For my dermbrasion same thing except it was more intense. Had to wash my face
with sterile gauze pads and distled water almost every hour or 2. so like 10
times a day i would say...and APPLY THICK THICK THICK LAYERS OF vasaline. I
was told if i didnt apply thick thich layers of vasaline i would scar badly
during healing...so of course i put on THICK THICK LAYERS...then washed it off
2 hrs later...then put more on...and so on. This went on for a good 2 weeks
with dermabrasion.I think the waxy/red/orange peel skin look is natural with almost every
resurfacing. I think even cityslicker said Exoderm gave him that too. I was
freaked out..but it went away...it just takes time.
VS - resurfacing -- Cameron, 04:17:26 11/18/03 Tue
Wow, that sounds pretty bad. Was your scarring very deep? In some areas of my
skin, I have lots of little imperfections (as opposed to deep scarring), like
big pores and very fine lines criss-crossing everywhere, that cause the area
to look ugly. It seems like a resurfacing procedure would at least get rid of
those, but I have no idea because I've never tried it. Did your aftercare
program involve something like this:- Keeping a bandage on for 4 days
- After the bandage comes off, soaking your skin for 30 minutes every 3 hours
for 5 days
- Applying ointment after every soakDo you think the orange peel look is a result of the skin not being kept moist
while it's healing? Or is it the result of the doctor going too deep?Thanks!
Resurfacing Cameron -- vs, 01:20:28 11/18/03 Tue
Hey...Cameron..I've had full face laser resurfacing..Erbium laser. It cost me
about 5 grand and I saw about 0.00001 percent improvement. It was the biggest
waste of money ever. It took about a month for visible redness to go away, and
pink-in some areas for maybe 6 months...but nothing too noticable.Then I had dermabrasion/dermasanding/dermabuffing---they use all these
different names to describe it. My doctor used sterile sandpaper on both my
cheeks. He went super deep, My entire head was shaking back and forth as he
was sanding my face down. I was red and bleeding and raw for a good month I
would saw. And honestly I dont think my skin healed completely untill 2 yes 2
yrs after dermasanding. I had red/waxy/orange peel looking skin after
dermabrasion for about 2 yrs. HOWEVER--it gave me the best results. My skin
smoothed out a lot-some scars went away completely. But also this was combined
with 4 treatments of subcision--and I believe subsicion was the biggest
factor!Hope my info helped.
Resurfacing -- Cameron, 00:23:14 11/18/03 Tue
I wonder how often resurfacing (using dermabrasion or lasers) is successful.
Is it possible that only the people who had a bad experience come to these
message boards? If the rest of them are living happily ever after, they'd have
no need to hang around on these message boards.For anyone who has had a bad experience, how deep did the doctor go? Past the
epidermis? What was your aftercare program like? How long did the bandage stay
on, and how did you keep your skin moist and free of infection?
steve exoderm -- vs, 00:00:03 11/18/03 Tue
Steve how has your skin since exoderm? Any new updates? Is your skin tone any
different now?
Isolagen -- Peter, 20:50:42 11/17/03 Mon
heidi,
I am not sure who the doctor is that Matt is using. I should be hearing from
him within a week or two about his second set of injections. When I do I will
email him back and see if he does not mind me informing the rest of the board.
Peter
To: Daniel -- Beth, 20:09:37 11/17/03 Mon
Hello, Daniel!
Your story sounds like many other people's experiences here. What I am getting
after reading all of the trial and error stuff is that it is always best to
start with the least invasive thing first. Unfortunately it is too late for
that since you've already done two very risky procedures, but there is always
hope. There is a guy named Greg who has a scar support group and often posts
on this (and other) message boards. He'd tell you that he has tried about
everything out there and his best results (to date) have been from needling.
(At least this is what I get out of his posts and emails.) Needling is not too
risky and is VERY cheap. If you don't heal up well from your last erbium
treatment, you may want to consider needling yourself. Hopefully that won't be
necessary though. Keep us all posted on your progress. If I go through with
the needling I will post my results here. Beth
dermabrasion, excision, and finally 2 Erbium treatments -- Daniel, 18:40:42
11/16/03 SunAge : 24
Gender : Male
Country: The Great U.S.A!!!Hey everone...I just stumbled upon this site and want to say that it was
pretty cool listening to everyones stories. It definetly made me feel better
about going through what i've been going through lately. It started with me
wanting to get rid of sime tiny pin head size scars on both cheeks...so I
decided to check this local dermatologist out...and asked him what I could
do...he said he recomended dermabrasion on those areas...when I asked him the
healing time for that procedure he said....about 5-10 days. I was
like...yes!..just in time for my junior year of college which started in 10
days...(at the time I didn't know anything about resurfacing)...so I did
it...and boy..that was the start of the worst few months of my life! I ended
up healing in 10 days all right..but he never botherred to tell me that I
would have up to 6 months of redness to deal with....nor did he tell me of the
possiblity of worse scarring....well...about 5 weeks after the procedure my
skin began to lighten up and I could see that he scarred me much worse than
before...man...I was upset...so I went to a well known plastic surgeon in the
area and he said that he wanted to excise the deep scars left from the
dermabrasion procedure...and then laser resurface the incision marks.
Well...its now been abotu 3 months since all of this started...and now I would
be completely happy if I was back right where I started...with those pin head
size scars on my cheeks. I ended up getting two treatments with the Erbium
over the incisions....hey...anyone have any experience with the
Erbium?...especially with spot treatments? Well..the story continues...and its
now been about 4 days since my second treatment with the Erbium....so if
anyone has any questions..comments or concerns...i'd be happy to listen!! Good
luck everyone....
Super CP Serum -- Robert, 18:37:54 11/16/03 SunOh yeah, sorry ... it's a 4 oz. bottle.
Super CP Serum for sale -- Robert, 18:34:28 11/16/03 SunFYI: I have a full bottle of Super CP Serum that I will sell if anyone is
interested.Best offer gets it.
Exoderm Update -- Cityslicker, 11:14:48 11/16/03 SunOn the majority of my face redness is mostly gone - close to 90%. It is a
little redder around my eyes but it was redder around one eye from even the
first day. One thing I was glad about, as I mentioned before, was that he did
my entire face so my skin tone is even completely. He stopped about 1/4 inch
from eyes and I can still see dermacation line, but only because I know it's
there.I finally had a chance to visit with one brother and his wife, one sister and
her husband, and my parents, and nobody said anything about my color.My scars on my face remain as previosly reported. My 2 neck scars which I was
concerned about and thought would get little to no improvement - one is
completely gone, and the other appears about 70% improved. I seen my personal
physician for a follow up on my back surgery, I had previously discussed
Exoderm with her as she had to fax Dr. Rullan some of my medical records, she
said, she could tell a difference in my face and that she thought that I had
gotten good results from the procedure.VS, I understand the nervousness. I was afraid myself, mostly fear of the
unknown. I will try an give an occassional update when I can, but unless I see
a radical change (which I would report), I need the passage of time before I
can gauge further improvement. If I could financially afford to do Exoderm
again tomorrow, I would do it in a heartbeat, without any hesitation. :-)
Cityslicker
Really Nervous -- vs, 12:17:08 11/15/03 SatHi everyone,
I'm really nervous...i been asking lots of questions about exoderm to
dr.rullan. I'm so nervous, I dont wanna get exoderm, but at the same time I
dont wanna live with scars. Ugh! I'm getting tempted to get it done, but i'm
so scared, i dont want my skin looking worse.I want to make a decision soon though. I wish more people would discuss their
exoderm results.EVERYONE TALK ABOUT YOUR EXODERM EXPERIENCES PLEASE!!!
THANKS
PK -- cubsfan, 07:36:32 11/15/03 SatI'm really hungry for an update from you...no pressure though.
Blackheads/dirt - VS -- Cameron, 03:07:12 11/15/03 SatVS, I agree with you there. That's great information. A lot of us do
everything by the book, which I'm sure helps to an extent, including...- washing the face with a non-irritating "pore-cleaning" cleanser twice a day
- washing off contaminants that settle on the skin with water periodically
throughout the day
- keeping the skin moisturized but not oily
- staying out of the sun
- sleeping on clean pillow sheets every day!
- avoiding iodine
- blah, blah, blahHowever, I for one, still get acne and blackheads in certain areas, and these
areas change over time. It has migrated around over the years. Does that mean
the areas of my face that have been dirty have changed over time? No way. It's
that damn sebum! I guess the extent to which the sebum, or bacterial infection
that it causes, or those outside factors that you mentioned cause the problem
varies from one person to the next.Thanks for your ideas on this. They're very helpful.
Quesion:
What is the best way to extract a blackhead? Everything seems to either cause
scarring or just be ineffective.
my friends and i made a new msg board... -- meeraboots, 05:03:58 11/11/03 Tueits discusses OTC acne treatments that actually work
and fitness routines for losing weight!
Cameron i'm not wrong -- vs, 04:04:54 11/11/03 TueOver the yrs drs have said dirt and food do not cause acne. New research is
proving those statements wrong. You will still find drs who say food and dirt
dont cause acne but drs on the cutting edge will prove you wrong.There was a Dermatologist on the morning show "The View". I forget his name
but he wrote a book on beating acne breakouts. In his book he talks about how
food actually causes break-outs and what food to eat and what foods not to
eat. He also said the myth that dirty skin wont break out is false. If you go
to sleep with a dirty face or put your face down on pillow sheets that are not
clean, you will most likely wake up with a new zit. He even said air
pollution, smog, oils, hair-products..etc from the day sit on your face and
can cause your pores to clog..you need to cleanse your face before sleep.SO again, its my personal experience over the yrs--that a face that isn't
cleansed is more prone to breaking out.Your also not suppose to touch your face during the day because bacteria gets
transmitted to your face through your fingers.I'm not making this up cameron, talk to a dermatologist who is on the newest
cutting edge of acne and he will tell you i'm correct.... Those days of saying
foods and dirty face dont cause acne is false.... some foods to avoid are milk
and foods like fries with lots of salt, salt with iodine makes you break out.
CHOCOLATE HOWEVER DOESNT CAUSE ACNE HE SAID.SO AGAIN A DIRTY FACE CAN BE FULL OF BAD BACTERIA AND PORE CLOGGING POLLUTANTS
AND CONTAMINENTS.... DONT LISTEN TO SOMEOMONE WHO SAYS OTHERWISE BECAUSE NEW
RESEARCH PROVES THEM WRONG. SO WASH YOUR SKIN BEFORE BED AND CHANGE YOUR
PILLOW CASE TO A FRESH NEW PILLOW CASE OFTEN! AND DONT GO TO SLEEP WITH A HEAD
FULL OF HAIR PRODUCTS.
THANKS!
Blackheads are not caused by dirt! -- Cameron, 02:42:42 11/11/03 TueHey, blackheads are not caused by dirt, although dirty skin can make the
problem worse. Acne and blackheads are caused by sebum.
JOYCE KELLY -- VS, 22:21:06 11/10/03 Monhi joyce kelly, the best thing for your sons blackheads in his ears is to go
to a dermatologist and get them extracted. or you can do it your self.I may be wrong but i think blackheads are caused by dirt, so he maybe is not
cleaning his ears very good. he prolly forgets to wash them when showering, i
use my facial cleansers on my ears too. Its Clearsil Daily face wash with
"triclosan antibacterial agent". works greatand tell him not to stick his fingers in his ears. anyways unlike some
dermatologists i believe dirt causes acne and black heads...so try my
suggestion. But deffinately gets those extracted or else they will just sit
there for ever.
blackheads -- Mrs Joyce Kelly, 20:22:27 11/10/03 MonMy thirteen year old son suffers a lot with blackheads in his ears. Please
could you recommend a treatment.thanks
Dr. Rapaport -- infoHungry, 18:37:58 11/10/03 MonI just want any input about Dr. Rapaport. Specially any catastrophies I should
know. Thank you in advance.
isolagen -- heidi, 16:39:14 11/10/03 MonPeter: Do you know who the doctor is in London? Could you ask him I am very
curious?Thanks
Heidi
To: VICTOR re: WHITE MARKS FROM C02 -- Kate, 00:36:56 11/10/03 MonHi Victor,
I also have white skin from C02 laser and have been deperately searching for
help with it. In your post you said you are using a special cream but you
weren't sure of the spelling- will you PLEASE post that info. I WANT TO TRY
IT! There are two non-invasive lasers on the market that are suppose to bring
back your natural pigment. The lasers are NOT LIKE C02- they don't burn the
skin off. They use intese light that reaches down to the layer where your
melanin cells are formed. The laser is said to "WAKE UP" the dormant pigment
cells. You can do a doctor search at the manufactures websites, the two lasers
are called Extrac eximer by Photomedex at: http://www.photomedex.com. This
laser is also used to treat psoriasis but is also FDA approved for
hypopigmentation induced by C02 laser. The other laser is called Relume, made
by Lumenis, the website is: http://www.lumenis.com- once there click on
products, a drop down list will appear, click on Relume- that will give you
the basics on how it works. To find a doctor who uses it- click on patient
information icon. Can I ask what state you are from? I am in Minnesota and NO
Minnesota doctors are listed. I thought I had a line on a local doctor who had
the extrac but he says they didn't buy it afterall,so this same doctor strung
me along that he was going to get the Relume and now 11 months later they tell
me they aren't getting it! Needless to say that really TICKS me off. I hope
you can find a doctor in your area that can help you with this- I KNOW WHAT
YOU ARE GOING THROUGH AND IT IS REALLY HELL! Also, please post back here and
let me know if you found one and if it helps you. I am determined to find a
doctor who will treat me with one of these lasers.
ISOLAGEN -- Peter, 01:43:07 11/08/03 SatHey to all. I have not posted on here for awhile since I have been really busy
with school, but I thought that a lot of you would like to hear this. For the
last few months I have been communicating with a guy from London who just
underwent his first set of Isolagen injections. He is has been giving me
information about the procedure and I must say I am getting very excited about
it!!! Below is what he sentme in his last email. I hope that you all find this
to be good news as I do.
Hi Peter,I had my first set of injections in London today. First of all the put numbing
gel on my face twice so that i couldnt really feel my face much at all. The I
went in to see the doctor, I had photographs taken then I had to use a cotton
bud to point out all the areas which I wanted treatment for. Iodine (red) was
put on all the marks that I want rid of (very satisfying!). The injections of
my cells went on for around 45 minutes and weren't very painfull, more like a
scratch. I can see an improvement already but thats just because of swelling,
I should see some real improvement after my second set of injections in three
weeks. I feel very positive after more photos which I saw today, around 90%
improved i'd say after a year. You can tell other people what ive written on
the main board if you wish, I dont get on a computer enough to answer
questions and things really. (My doctor is the best in europe and as been
involved in the trials for the past 8 years, the nurse was saying that he has
clients for this procedure flying in from singapore, spain, italy and the US!!
Also, he himself and the nurse have both had it done. That is testamony enough
for me!!)I will post more when I get some more feedback. Good luck to you all.
Peter
TO: MIKE DEFOREST -- Kate, 00:56:08 11/08/03 SatHi Mike,
I saw your post from June regarding SYCREAM and I was wondering if you are
still seeing improvement? I too have white, depressed scars and I recently
ordered sycream. Is the normal color returning without the use of the self
tanner? I would appreciate any info updates you have!
Thanks!
Correction -- vs, 19:09:46 11/07/03 Frilast week i was talking about therma-lift...I meant thermage--i got the 2
mixed up... maybe its the same thing i dont know...but i meant
thermage...sorry.
So hows all the exoderm patients doing,,, kit..steve..city...hows your skin?
Smoothbeam -- Kimmie, 05:23:43 11/06/03 ThuAge :42
Gender :F
Country USTo Beth
Thank you very much for the addtional message board! I checked it out and
found Monkee's comments! I appreciate your help! Kimmie
To: Kimmie -- RE: Smooth Beam -- Beth, 23:28:03 11/05/03 WedI saw your request for smooth beam feedback. I just read a post from a girl at
the message board address below who was very happy with her results. You can
read her experience if you visit that message board. Her name is MONKEE. Good
luck!http://www.enhancementmedia.com/cgi-bin/acne/index.cgi
LeoPolda -- vs, 08:14:55 11/05/03 WedHey, the dr that does that new subsicion technique with the sharp wire is Dr.
Noodleman and Dr. Harris From Age Defying Dermatology near Los Gatos and
Campbell.If you want I can give you the direct number to the patient coordinator, she
is very nice, if you tell her you wanna see dr.noodleman and that I reffered
you--she will get you in right away, otherwise if the receptionist makes the
apt it will take you forever to get in.
LeoPolda -- vs, 08:11:46 11/05/03 WedHey, the dr that does that new subsicion technique with the sharp wire is Dr.
Noodleman and Dr. Harris From Age Defying Dermatology near Los Gatos and
Campbell.If you want I can give you the direct number to the patient coordinator, she
is very nice, if you tell her you wanna see dr.noodleman and that I reffered
you--she will get you in right away, otherwise if the receptionist makes the
apt it will take you forever to get in.
vs: N. CA Dr. who does subcision -- Leopolda, 07:24:05 11/05/03 WedHi, VS. I too live in N. CA (Bay Area). I am pretty interested in this new
type of subcision. You're right--it does sound kind of scary, but it also
seems to make sense. I had subcision with the nokor needle (needle with a
little blade on the end of it), and I'm not sure I got much in the way of
results. But I do think the premise of subcision makes sense, if it were to be
implemented right. Anyway, I'd be really interested to know who this Dr. is
and where he/she is.Thanks a lot...
--leo
thank you denise for your help! -- Torrie, 07:21:53 11/05/03 WedYou're the best!!!!!!!!!!!
VS -- Cubsfan, 04:26:21 11/05/03 Wedthere's only one way to find out...look into the past archives.
I'm not trying to have a go at Dr rullan , just expressing my viewpoint on
exoderm...there's always 3 sides to story...the third side is the truth and
thats what we all want to know
Smoothbeam -- Kimmie, 17:50:30 11/04/03 TueAge :42
Gender :F
Country USI'm looking for some success stories from people that have had the smoothbeam
procedure done. What were your results and did your skin get worse before it
got better? I have really oily, oily, skin with breakouts on my chin. So far,
I can't tell that the smoothbeam procedure has helped. Any suggestions out
there?
Torrie -- Denise1, 16:16:22 11/04/03 TueTorrie, I havn't been using the gel long enough to make a determination on
whether or not it "repairs". I can say that I believe that consistant use is
key and that my skin and pores look way better. Dr. Perricone said in his book
on acne that the combo of ALA/DMAE used consistantly over time does change the
pore size. He made the comment that even the largest pores can change.All I can say is that you do see an immediate change in your skin when using
it, and that it gets better over time. Keep in mind I am in no position to
state specifically how far the repair work goes as I've only been using it a
few weeks.Again, you should get it and try it, and if you need more work done to your
pores, you can go the needling route.
Response to VS -- Dr Rullan, 05:06:00 11/04/03 TueDear VS: Thanks for the info of procedures your doc in NorCal does...that
water microdermabrasion (hydropeel) is just now being introduced- he sounds
like a progressive doc...and I like his "thinking outside the box" approach to
subcision. As you note, I've never admitted to doctoring the photos...as all
of us, you fix brightness, tones and clarity...Is this doctoring the photos?
My weakness was not having a great camera back then, but now I do. We do need
more research into Exoderm and all else as well...we don't need any more
studies showing that this or that works..we need comparative studies..showing
what work better and why.
..please continue questioning and looking for the best techniques...cost wise
as well as down time...and home-based remedies that complement more aggresive
treatments.
take care, Dr Rullan.
Denise -- Torrie, 04:54:48 11/04/03 TueThanks. can you clarify whether or not the demming gel just tightens pores or
repairs them??
I will give it a try only if I am actually repairing the skin permanently, not
just tightening and toning. Have you seen any permanent improvements from the
gel? I know it must be hard to tell since you've been using so many things but
you seem detailed oriented about your whole process so I trust your apprasial
of the gel .
thanks again, torrie
hey cubsfan -- vs, 01:39:35 11/04/03 Tueis that true? I dont remember reading anything saying the pics were touched
up.
Torrie -- Denise1, 16:19:28 11/03/03 Mon
Torrie: You can try the Pure Deming gel and see how it works and if it doesn't
effect your pores or scarred pores enough, I suppose you could always go for
needling. I did needling before I found out about it. It is a superior
product, though. I think the consensus with everyone who is using it is that
it really tones and tightens the skin and the pores.Keep in mind that some scarred pores are small pitted scars. I would think
that with those, only needling could help.
my views on exoderm -- cubsfan, 10:57:55 11/03/03 Monexoderm is not worth it...too much down time, too much risk, too costly and
not enough objective research has been done to suggest its effectiveness on
acne scars....plus most of the before and after pictures you see around of
exoderm patients are touched up...including the pictures on dr rullans
website...and even he addmitted to this in his post like a year ago...this is
my opinion on Exoderm.
Just Some Coments -- vs, 08:35:56 11/03/03 MonHey Dr. Rullan and all
Theres a dr here in norcal who uses Therma-Lift. I guess after a series of
treatments it tightens and lifts the skin. For example if you have droopy
eyelids and eyebrows, it lifts the eyebrows, and if you have droopy skin near
your neck, it will lift the skin to show your jaw line. I think it works by
tightening the collagin. I think this analogy makes some sense-- imagine your
collagin is long straight spaghetti--the therma-lift causes the straight
strands to curl, shorten and tighten causing the skin to lift. Thats what some
dermatologist on oprah said. Also, I dont think it works as-well on acne scars
as it does on sagging skin. But i really dont know for sure, i never had that
done.My dr here in san jose area also does something called a hydropeel I think its
called. The nurse was telling me its kinda like microdermabrasion, except the
machine has water, and the dr can control the pressure and how hard he pusshes
the wand against your face, and he can go really deep, even make you bleed
like dermabrasion. The water lets him go really deep untill you bleed.
Intersting huh.Another thing he does, is this new way of subsicion. This is going to freak
you guys out, cause it scared me when he told me. For all of you who dont
know, in normal subsicion you take a special needle, i forget what its called,
and go under each scar and cut up the scar tissue. Well the new way he does
subsicion is taking a long sharp wire instead of the normal needle. Sticking
it in your face and looping it all the way around your skin in a circle until
he comes out the same hole, then he pulls the sharp wire and gets an even cut
layer all accross your skin as the wire comes out the same hole he inserted.
Kinda like taking a string for those of you who have done clay pottery, and
cutting the clay in half with string. Anyways, it sounds weird, but he said
the results are much better than normal conventional subsicion. But to me that
just sounds scary, taking a long sharp wire and running it through your face
in a circle and pulling it, causing an entire layer of skin to lift up, i
dunno.I never done any of those, just wanted to comment on them :)
Just Some Coments -- vs, 08:34:21 11/03/03 MonHey Dr. Rullan and all
Theres a dr here in norcal who uses Therma-Lift. I guess after a series of
treatments it tightens and lifts the skin. For example if you have droopy
eyelids and eyebrows, it lifts the eyebrows, and if you have droopy skin near
your neck, it will lift the skin to show your jaw line. I think it works by
tightening the collagin. I think this analogy makes some sense-- imagine your
collagin is long straight spaghetti--the therma-lift causes the straight
strands to curl, shorten and tighten causing the skin to lift. Thats what some
dermatologist on oprah said. Also, I dont think it works as-well on acne scars
as it does on sagging skin. But i really dont know for sure, i never had that
done.My dr here in san jose area also does something called a hydropeel I think its
called. The nurse was telling me its kinda like microdermabrasion, except the
machine has water, and the dr can control the pressure and how hard he pusshes
the wand against your face, and he can go really deep, even make you bleed
like dermabrasion. The water lets him go really deep untill you bleed.
Intersting huh.Another thing he does, is this new way of subsicion. This is going to freak
you guys out, cause it scared me when he told me. For all of you who dont
know, in normal subsicion you take a special needle, i forget what its called,
and go under each scar and cut up the scar tissue. Well the new way he does
subsicion is taking a long sharp wire instead of the normal needle. Sticking
it in your face and looping it all the way around your skin in a circle until
he comes out the same hole, then he pulls the sharp wire and gets an even cut
layer all accross your skin as the wire comes out the same hole he inserted.
Kinda like taking a string for those of you who have done clay pottery, and
cutting the clay in half with string. Anyways, it sounds weird, but he said
the results are much better than normal conventional subsicion. But to me that
just sounds scary, taking a long sharp wire and running it through your face
in a circle and pulling it, causing an entire layer of skin to lift up, i
dunno.I never done any of those, just wanted to comment on them :)
Dr. Rullan updates -- Dr Rullan, 06:01:45 11/03/03 MonTo all: It's been months since I checked in..I had to laugh when I read
"cityclicker's" diary of his exoderm and how strangers reacted to his mask! It
reminded me of my own mother-in-law's experience...she also had an
exoderm..and while still covered with that green mask, had to answer the front
door to my house(everyone was busy) and put on a plastic shopping bag over her
head...the guy at the door was picking something up...and was quite
shocked...he thought it was a some kind of joke.Anyway...RADIANCE is now available..it's a permanent (7 years) injectable
implant for acne scars and wrinkles. It's pretty easy to use...the cost will
vary..from $750 to $1500 per 1cc....How it fits in to the overall acne scar
sequence will vary from person to person. ARTECOLL/FILL will be soon available
(possibly January 2004). I've used RESTYLANE AND PERLANE and they're easy to
use and should last only 1-3 months longer than Collagen...although you'll
hear claims of up to 1 year.Our next research is heading towards non-ablative measures such as Therma-Lift
and the Pan G non-surgical facelift that uses myofacial,sonopeel and
sonofacial using a machine called MEDUCE. Has anyone heard or tried these? Has
anyone used Strivectin? Hope to hear from you all, Dr. Rullan.
50% tca peels -- elizabeth rohan, 05:02:49 11/03/03 MonIf anyone is interested in tca peels they are available
at a reasonable price from ebay and loganwood skincare.
Question for Denise -- Torrie, 02:08:59 11/03/03 Monhi denise. i saw that you reccomended the demming gel for large pits and
scarred pores on another board. I thought that i had read you had better results on
those pit-pores from needling. Now if i can get rid of these pits with the
demming gel i would rather do that than go throught the needling which i had
planned on doing for the pits based on your reccomendation. Can you clarify
which you think works better? Has the demming gel got rid of any pits
completely and permanently? thank you denise I appriciate it.
Exoderm -- vs, 19:55:47 11/02/03 SunWell I've been talking to Dr. Rullan to answer remaining questions I have
about exoderm. I'm slowly feeling better about it.Steve, so are you saying your skin improved or you got deeper scars after
exoderm? I didnt understand your statement. How does your skin look now, your
skin texture, your skin color, any marks of demarcation? How does it all look?
Any new scarring or odd pigmentation problems or texture problems?
Hi -- Steve, 18:47:05 11/02/03 SunJUst to comment on City SLickers situation. Before exoderm i didnt suffer from
very huge and deep scars.. But alot of Pits, Visible Pores.. I MEAN A LOT..
And they were fairly deep too..You have to remember that Dr. Rullan had been doing the exoderm for less than
one year when i got mine done, so his exoderm techinques werent as up to date
as they are today.. Theres no doubt in my mind that people who get Exoderm
done today will probably see more improvement than i did, since Dr. Rullan is
constantly updating is techinques..
For Cam -- Robert, 17:40:10 11/02/03 SunCam, we are here to help. How serious is your condition? And what have you
tried as a treatment, if anything?
Cross Method for Scars -- Rob, 13:58:32 11/02/03 SunI was wondering if anyone has had any experience with the cross treatment
using TCA. I have read so much about it but have not heard from anyone who has
actually done it. If you have can you please let me know about the procedure
and if you are happy with the results. Thanks!
newbie -- cam, 06:13:44 11/02/03 Suni'm new an down about my skin can someone help
Smoothbeam -- Kimmy, 05:29:57 11/02/03 SunAge : 42
Gender :F
Country :US
I've just had my 3rd smoothbeam treatment. I have to say I'm disappointed.
Instead of getting better, my chin area actually got worse. I don't know if
this is a reaction and my skin is just spewing out the impurities or what. Has
anyone else had a bad reaction to the smoothbeam? In all the research I did on
smoothbeam, I did not see one side effect saying that your skin could get
worse before it gets better. Have I altered my skin for the worse? Help!
Smoothbeam -- Kimmy, 05:28:52 11/02/03 SunAge : 42
Gender :F
Country :US
I've just had my 3rd smoothbeam treatment. I have to say I'm disappointed.
Instead of getting better, my chin area actually got worse. I don't know if
this is a reaction and my skin is just spewing out the impurities or what. Has
anyone else had a bad reaction to the smoothbeam? In all the research I did on
smoothbeam, I did not see one side effect saying that your skin could get
worse before it gets better. Have I altered my skin for the worse? Help!
VS - Exoderm -- Cityslicker, 21:59:16 11/01/03 SatVS - my skin tone is fair complexion. I sunburn easily and my face stays
slightly red anyway, as I work outside year round. I'm classic fair skinned,
redish-brown hair, with a red beard. I always sunburn and only tan slightly.
Freckled when I was a kid, perfect candidate for Exoderm as far as skin tone.
I re-assessed my skin again this mornin' and perhaps should re-state my
redness is probably closer to 85% decreased, but feel comfortable talking to
people and not concerned about it. My sister invited me over for dinner
tonight, I'll see if she mentions anything.Yes, Dr. Rullan uses a little hand tool. I believe he stated it was called a
cruet, if I remember correctly. It felt like a razor, but your skin is so
sensitive to touch after the mask comes off. I asked him to show it to me
while he abraided the scars. It's just a slender hand tool with an eye loop on
the end. Nothing like I envisioned while he abraided. Actually, the term
abraid actually sounds too severe, he just lightly scrapes each scar with the
hand tool til it bled, which happens pretty easily after you've had the
Exoderm peel. The tool is slender and would easily fit in your pocket. Not
much longer than a pair of tweezers, but thicker like a pick that you would
use to pick pecans from a shell, but with an small eyeloop instead of a
pointed pick if memory serves me correctly. I have a similair tool at the
house, I bought to position over a pimple to relieve the buildup.As far as would dermabraiding the scar be cheaper than the exoderm liquid I
have no reference as I've not seen any results to compare with. If your
talking dermabraision versus Exoderm procedure which would give you a better
result for the money, I could only speculate that dermabrasion by itself may
have given better results as it can probably penetrate deeper on individual
scars, but then you have additional risk of scarring. In my area dermabrasion
runs $5000 for full face which is approx. what I've spent all told on Exoderm.
In the end it was just a personal preference that I felt safer with the
Exoderm.I was expecting and hoping for 80%-90% improvement only because everyone that
has seen my scars always stated ohhh... they're not really that bad or
noticeable, though Dr. Rullan stated that he was shooting for about 70% which
may eventually come to pass several months later or after additional
touch-ups. If I didn't answer your question please re-phrase it and I'll try
again. Regards. :-) Cityslicker
Thanks Cityslicker -- VS, 19:12:21 11/01/03 SatThanks citysliker for that exoderm update.
I'm still thinking about exoderm.
Dr Rullan didnt sand your face, he used a hand held tool to scrape the scars
correct?
Do you think the exoderm phenol solution is important on achieving good
results on acne scars, or could the scars
be abraded with normal dermabrasion for much cheaper?what kinda skin tone do you have?
thanks!
Update and Exoderm Update: -- Cityslicker, 09:28:58 11/01/03 SatBeen extremely busy last several weeks preparing for back surgery which I had
last Tuesday. Still have pain and stiffness that Dr. said would linger for 3-4
weeks and then should start to improve and said I should do well. He went in
thru the front of my neck with almost a 2 inch scar. Wasn't expecting that,
thought he would go from the side of my neck, another visible scar to contend
with. Though, he did go directly into a crease line and he said it wouldn't be
noticeable in a year. He said I had multiple bone spurs which he cleaned out
and he did a de-compression on C-5-C-6, and did a small de-compression on
C-6-C-7. He said it was so close to my spinal cord he was afraid to do to much
in that area. Hopefully, I'll improve as projected.My Exoderm update. I went by my neighbors house at about 10 days, he had
stopped by the house and I didn't answer, but as soon as it got dark I thought
I could sneak it by him and walked across the street. First words out of his
mouth (and it was 8:30 p.m., dark in Texas) was what happened to your face,
did you get sunburned??? I just said yeah, I've been on vacation and just got
back from San Diego. My redness started to fade at 3 weeks but was still
fairly red, probably 50% reduction. At 4 weeks my redness had faded about
75-80%. One good thing about my treatment, Dr. Rullan did my entire face, all
the way up into my hairline and down past my chin. A couple of nurses said I
looked flushed from my surgery, but I told them I had a chemical peel. Today,
at about 4 1/2 weeks I'd say close to 90% reduction in redness and not even
concerned about it. Could pass as mild sunburn, though as I mentioned a couple
of days ago 2 nurses did notice a redness in my face. I've been going out
everywhere since day one. I only avoided my neighbors for 10 days but after
that I've seen my neighbors several times. I'm still off work due to my back
surgery, but felt comfortable mostly at 4 weeks could have pulled it off
without much question from anybody. Haven't seen any family in a month, but no
longer avoiding them, just had have no opportunity to see them.Tio - yes, there is a slight orange peel from the Exoderm. It is just a slight
graininess that is sporadic in different places where pores have shrunk but
not completely eliminated. It's noticeable on close inspection but not a major
concern for me.Eve, yes, Exoderm is still the treatment that I've had the best results with.
My Fat Transfer with Dr. Capriotti were $1500 for 3 treatments, unfortunately,
I lost about 20% of the fullness in the last 2 weeks on my left side. I'm
disappointed, but hoping what improvement I have will not deteriorate much
further, but can only hope at this point. My right side has held mostly and
can live with those results on that side, but time will tell on my final
results.Dr. Capriotti was comparable in price to Dr. Rullan. Dr. Rullan charges $3750
with chemo-brasion and 2 free touch-ups. Dr. Capriotti charges $3800 or $4000,
I don't remember which but does not do free touch-ups or chemobrasion, he does
do the powdered mask which is an essential part of the Exoderm treatment that
must be worn for 7-8 days. Everyone I spoke with does the powdered mask.My skin texture has changed some as skin continues to repair itself, its
similair to anybody that has had a peel of any kind, your skin is always
smoother immediately after the peel. My exoderm improvement I would still rate
close to 45%-50% from where my scars were. I lost a little improvement in my
neck area where I thought originally was 70%-80% has diminished slightly to
about 60%-70%.I haven't noticed a considerable change better or worse in my other scars. The
majority of my class 1 scars I got a moderate to signifcant improvement. Class
2 scars I got a minor to moderate improvement.Overall, shallow scars improved significantly, the more deeper the scar the
less improvement. One of the reasons I may be rating a greater improvement
than Steve is he may have had more deeper or significant scars than mine. If
your scars are minor to moderate you should get a fairly good improvement, if
your scars are moderate to severe, not as well. I've had a chance to review my
face in several mirrors that I used to check myself in and there is a distinct
and definate improvement. I have several larger scars with not as significant
of improvement, but I'm hopeful that with time and additional touch-ups these
will continue to improve as well. The crowsfeet are still completely
eliminated and forehead lines about 20%-30% visible. Take care everyone. :-)
Cityslicker
Cityslicker--Dr. Capriotti in Houston -- Eve, 05:32:27 11/01/03 SatI am still intrigued with the Exoderm procedure you have done through Dr.
Rullan. How are you feeling now about the procedure? Are you continuing to
improve? Is the redness improving? You mentioned having fat transfers from Dr.
Capriotti. Were they expensive? He also does the Exoderm lift, but it doesn't
seem that he uses the powdered mask that Dr. Rullan uses. I am wondering if
that would make a difference. Does he charge less than Dr. Rullan? I would
prefer to go to California, but it would be more cost effective for me to find
someone locally.I realize you may not be checking in much lately, but hope to see a post from
you soon. I think many of us are interested in your progress. It was most
considerate of you to go into so much detail. I will be out of town for
awhile, but hope to have access to a computer to check out the site. I am
hoping to have something done before this summer, if possible.
Jack cool off -- vs, 17:18:48 10/30/03 ThuMy bad, KIT is a guy not a girl, I keep confusing that
But who the heck are you JACK, I was trying to encourage posts, seems like
posting has died down lately.JACK you can get step outa my face and mind your own business.
Dear kit, you havent mosted in months, I've read your last posts you Posted
months ago, contrary to what Jack says. Please come back and post.
VS / kit -- jack, 05:05:14 10/30/03 ThuVS,
Stop telling everyone to post if you're not going to pay more attention to
these boards. First of all Kit is a HE not a SHE. Secondly, he has posted a
couple of things after he got back from his exoderm and explained how he was
busy and hasn't had time to post. try looking in the archives for his opinion
on the exoderm.
Hey you all -- vs, 00:00:30 10/30/03 Thuok I've asked this a few times the last few days, but its like no one is
responding. What ever happend to KIT, she was on this post everyday, gets
exoderm, then never responds again?
Also all the people who recently got exoderm please continue posting on your
progress and results, as I am considering exoderm.Please continue to post people, its so important.
thanks.
cystic acne -- kitty, 20:32:35 10/29/03 WedThis is response for Natalie about her cystic acne. My problem sounded so
similiar to yours that I had to respond to you. I usually just listen on this
board. Im 34yrs old and have been dealing with cystic acne since I have been
around 14 yrs old. About a year ago I started to use a product called "clear
Skin Image" by coenzyme technologies. It is literally saved my face from
further cysts and further scarring. Like you, when my acne wasnt so bad I
would still get one or two cysts at the time of my period. Now I dont even get
those. I take 2 pills three times a day on an empty stomach. I dont know if
this is a side effect but it really makes me feel calmer to (usaully very
moody with PMS). It is a little pricey but I would pay double for it if I had
to. Goodluck
Good point, JW -- Denise1, 19:56:54 10/29/03 WedI suppose one could spot treat a scar or indent to heal it up and not use it
all over their face. Good point for people to remember......
ALLAN & DENISE1- Retin A & Smoothbeam -- JW, 18:15:44 10/29/03 WedDenise1 I already now that many people are very sensitive to Rentin A. I am
also very sensitive to Retin A also. I have never used it as a full face cream
for longer than two weeks because it just aggravated the heck out of my skin.
Remember what I posted, it was only for a dime size spot treatment; also, my
main goal was to cause irritation, peeling and redness. This is how I got the
Renin A absorbed deep into the skin in a highly concentrated amount. I also
suggested it was not for everybody, but this technique has the potential to
help very many people even the ones that are sensitive to it. I do caution,
just don't be as aggressive as I was, not that it hurt me (it only helped me),
but just cause a little redness to see how your skin does with it and just
keep on placing it on the mildly red area (un-aggressive) and soon you just
might get on the more aggressive track as that scar well start to disappear.Allan, I want to assure you that it is not the Accutane that is causing you to
want to take your life. In every case I have read the ones that are depressed
and suicidal are the ones that are not to happy with the results they are
getting from their treatment. Just imagine for a second that this stuff
started to work and your face was clear and you did not have to deal with the
acne no more, never again having to pass up going out with your friends
(especially the cute ones). That depression would be no more I assure you of
that. However, it may return when it is time to get off the stuff in fear of
it coming back. Talking from experience, if it does work your anxiety will be
very high it fear of it coming back. It did help me out quite a bit but it did come back
in my case soon after but they were not as deep. I am currently undergoing
smoothbeam treatments because I recently had a divorce and my acne came back
pretty bad. Not as bad as before the accutane just bad enough to want to hide
my face now and again. If accutane does not work for you try smoothbeam laser
treatments. I hear it works well for many people (you have to be somewhat
light skinned toned). So fare after my first treatment my acne has cut in
half. I am going back for a second one in one week. My face did blister a bit
causing a small scar but that scar went away after two weeks on its own. Take
care Allan and hang in there. I also guarantee things will get better, why,
because if you persevere and not give up something always tends to surface to
help you along your path. God rewards us like that, we just have to have
faith, even when you want to tell everybody in this planet to screw
themselves, don't give up faith and trying to find what works.
Blake -- Denise1, 21:25:39 10/27/03 MonBlake; I only do the salicylic acid peels once every 5-6 weeks as it is pretty
strong stuff...plus, if you do them too often, your skin will grow too
accustomed. I use Retin A nightly, and I use Super serum twice daily; once in
the morning, once at night after I use Retin A.My skin tends to flake more with Retin A than with the peels, but I use the
Pure Deming stuff also, like Maya. It has olive oil, vitamin e, other
nourishing things as well, and doesn't break me out. That's very nice, and
loaded with DMAE and ALA. Perfect for people with large pores, scars, and
blotchiness/red marks. It really is a wonderful product. I highly recommend
it. You can use the Pure Deming and leave it on for a half hour or several
hours, then wash it off. I use it twice a day, in the morning about an hour
after I use Super serum, (I usually wash it off after a few hours) then I use
it before I go to bed and several hours after I have applied the Retin A and
super serum and leave it on overnight.Hope that helps.
Denise1 and your regimen -- Blake, 10:05:16 10/27/03 MonJust curious what you use following your salicylic acid peels?CP?What kind of
moisturizer?I am a 40 yr old male and like you tolerate peels and retin-a very
well but am fairly knew to the salicylic acid peels.I really like it and do
know that there will be some peeling but am wondering what you use to minimize
the heavy flaking?Also how do you get your retin-a in your regimen?Are you
applying the cp products in the evening and removing them before bedtime then
apply the retin-a or are you using one on top of the other thru the night.Your
advice is always appreciated.Thanks
Please Continue To POST -- vs, 04:09:04 10/27/03 MonI just want to encourage everyone to keep posting their results with different
techniques.Especially the people who recently have gotten exoderm, please keep posting
your results.and again, what ever happend to KIT. she got her exoderm done and desapeared.
KIT if your out there, i wanna know how your skin is doing.
Robert -- Maya, 20:00:13 10/26/03 SunActually, ALA and other stuff in the intense gel is very anti-bacterial, so is
unlikely to break you out. In fact, it is very skin soothing. I'm sure you
will love it as many others do.Keep taking the Vit C orally - it's one of the best things you can do
internally for acne and scarring, and does not affect copper peptides
externally.
For Maya -- Robert, 19:36:17 10/26/03 SunThank you for the warning. I guess I'll alternate the two. I just hope the gel
doesn't break me out. :-(I'm taking Vitamin C orally. I wonder if I should stop.
Robert - about Puredeming Intense Gel -- Maya, 18:43:49 10/26/03 SunPuredeming are currently offering 2 types - 1 with Vit C and 1 without Vit C
(it doesn't state that on their site though)..The one you've ordered will have Vit C in it - and should not be used within
12 hours of using Copper peptides. Copper peptides (apparently) corrupts Vit C
and creates free radicles (or somthing equally awful like that)So, either just stick to the intense gel, or alternate daily.
Copper Peptides -- Robert, 17:07:05 10/26/03 SunThank you, Denise, for the detailed info. Yes, I have been exfoliating the
entire time I've been on the peptides. I'm going to finish off the bottles and
then reassess my situation. I will say, though, that my skin already looks
better after only 1 week of using the Mandelic acid. After 2 1/2 months of
use, the peptides have done nothing visible. Granted, I probably need to go 6
months or more to see results. If only the Super CP serum hadn't caused me to
break out ...
A warming about smoking & nonablative scar treatments -- Tina, 01:49:50
10/26/03 SunHi: Thought I'd would share my experience w/nonablative treatments. A few yrs
ago I had a derm use Versapulse on my depressed scars. Was supposed to
nonablatively stimulate collagen like Smoothbeam, Cool Touch, etc. It
backfired on me. I got major blisters & afterward my scars appeared somewhat
worse.The derm didn't understand what happened & just said he must've been too
aggressive. That could have been the case, but later I saw a derm named Dr.
McDaniel in Virginia Beach. He's supposed to be great w/Cool Touch, etc. & is
on the cutting edge w/LED technology. He said my bad results could likely have
been attributable to being a smoker at the time of the Versapulse tx. He said
he had done a lot of the initial Cool Touch testing & that they found Cool
Touch actually made things worse in some smokers.Yet ANOTHER reason to quit!
Here's some info. -- Denise1, 00:36:39 10/26/03 SunThe General Method
1. The use of a hydroxy acid slowly loosens and dissolves the scar tissue. For
most people the Skin Biology hydroxy acids work well. But some persons have
very tough scar tissue and may need a stronger hydroxy acid to get effects.
Persons with high skin oil seem to have very tough scars.2. The strong copper peptides help keep irritation down and create an
environment conducive for the rebuilding of new skin to replace the lost scar
tissue.3. As the scar tissue is replaced by healthy skin, the skin, like an elastic
balloon, pulls itself smooth.For Finding the Best Products for Acne Scar Reduction, try Item 300 - Acne
Scar TriReduction Test KitThe key is to improve your skin without causing more breakouts. The Test Kit
helps you to determine best products for your skin.In general, if you have continuing problems with breakouts, the safest
products for reduction of the appearance of acne scars are the lipid-free
products - CP Serum with Copper Peptides and Exfol Serum - an aqueous
beta-hydroxy salicylic acid serum. First try the CP Serum and the Exfol Serum.
These are the easiest on skin. Use the Exfol Serum in the morning and the CP
Serum in the evening. Rub the products into the scar area. Test these two for
2 weeks and see how they work. If your skin becomes irritated, then use less
of the products.If the CP Serum and Exfol Serum are tolerated by your skin, then try to see
how your skin does with the TriReduction P&R Basic plus the Exfol Cream. Use
the Exfol Cream in the morning and the Trireduction P&R Basic in the evening.
This is a little better way to work on scars, but has more of a risk of
breakouts. If no breakouts, then try this method for 2 weeks.After this you can decide which method (CP Serum & Exfol Serum vs.
TriReduction P&R & Exfol Serum) has the best potential for improving your
skin.Pitted Acne Scars
Pitted acne scars often respond well to these methods. Such scars are
difficult to remove with traditional dermatological techniques that try to
remove scars rapidly.The key with pitted acne is to rub the Exfol Serum in the morning into the
pitted scar on a daily basis. This slowly dissolves and removes the scar
tissue. In the evening use a copper peptide product. This helps stimulate a
slow rebuilding of your skin. As the scar tissue is replaced with healthy
skin, the skin's surface pulls itself flat like a balloon.Most people use the beta hydroxy acid at one time of the day, such as in the
morning and the copper peptide later in the evening.Some people use this method but also use a 30% glycolic acid twice weekly to
speed the process.If This Does Not Work Well Enough For You
Stronger alpha or beta hydroxy acids will speed the procedure but also
increase the chances of irritation or chemical burns. A 2% salicylic acid is
about equivalent to a 10% glycolic acid in terms of exfoliation and scar
removal. The Skin Biology Exfol Serum is a 2% salicylic acid at pH 3.2. Some
customers and clinics use stronger salicylic acids or 30% to 70% hydroxy acids
to loosen and dissolve the scar tissue then apply the copper peptide product.Such stronger hydroxy acids can be obtained from Estheticians and
Dermatologists at Spas and Clinics or from www.makeupartistschoice.com or
www.homepeels.com or www.platinumskincare.com.The Method By The Numbers
1. In the morning, apply the Exfol Serum beta hydroxy acid product to the acne
scar.2. You can apply more beta hydroxy acid during the day. But reduce the amount
if your skin become irritated from the hydroxy acids.3. In the evening, use copper peptide products (cream or serum) on the scar.
4. The key is to keep working on the scar.
5. You can use the copper peptide products also in the morning but because of
the blue color, most people prefer evening use.6. If after two months, there is little improvement, then use a stronger
hydroxy acid.Subcision or Needling to Break Down Scars followed by Copper Peptides
In this procedure, a needle (such as tattoo needle) disrupts the scar collagen
and stimulates replacement of newly formed collagen. Best results are achieved
with several sessions. This often used on pitted acne scars or at the margins
of face lifts. Some scars may be too deep and too hard for hydroxy acids to
effective loosen.Another idea is that certain scars form a barrier wall or "zone-of-stasis"
that blocks the body's scar removal systems. Scar-clearing macrophages cannot
penetrate the barrier and blood vessels will not grow through the barrier. The
subcision breaks down this barrier and allows the body to begin dissolving the
scar tissue.Some estheticians tell us that they use CP Serum or Trireduction P&R after the
needling and see a much better and faster clearing of the scars. However, do
not apply the copper peptides until the wound has scabbed over and is no
longer open or oozing liquid.
Robert and others -- Denise1, 00:24:55 10/26/03 SunI just wanted to remind everyone of something. The Skin Biology super serum
and even the regular serum must be combined with an exfoliant to target scar
tissue. This is repeated on the Skin Biology site.If you are only doing one of the serums and you aren't
exfoliating....(i.e....causing slight damage to the skin with the peel, which
is what peels do), then the copper peptides aren't being activated in a way
that will target scar tissue. It is reiterated on the site that if you are
doing something at a lower dose (using the Exfol serum combined with a regular
or super serum), then move up to a peel at 15% or whatever to achieve some
results. Then, move up to 30%....so forth, and so on. These aren't products
where you will see miracles overnight. These are products that work *over
time* WHEN COMBINED WITH PEELS AND EXFOLIANTS.I really cannot reiterate this enough. As I've said many times....I got
results with the regular serum and peels OVER A YEAR'S time. During that year,
I had a TCA PEEL as well. For me, the Super serum works just fine and ofcourse
I do peels and Retin A as well. The products, in particular the serums, work
with peels. You have to be consistant and use them over a period of months in
order to see improvements. As Maya has discovered, you also have to be careful
not to smoke as well. Tina even posted that Dr. McDaniel told her that it's
evident that some non-ablative lasers make scars WORSE in SOME smokers! This
is what happened to her.Anyway....I am going to provide what SB says on their site specifically about
this so all will understand what is involved in the process of the serums.
Mandelic, Lactic, Puredeming -- Robert, 22:57:15 10/25/03 SatMaya,
Based on your recommendation, I just ordered the Puredeming intense gel. You
seem to be the Web guru of acne scar treatments. I'll post some feedback in a
week or two.I'm starting to lose faith in the copper peptide products. I like the mandelic
acid serum and the lactic acid peels, but the CP products have done very
little for me. (And the Super CP Serum caused me to break out ... Arrggh.) I
guess I was sucked in by the hype and the MOST IMPRESSIVE Skin Bio website.
Just sharing Info on GOOD products -- Maya, 20:50:31 10/25/03 SatJust thought I'd bring to your attention some products I
have been using for some time with great success:1. MANDELIC ACID SERUM at 10%
(cheapest place is
http://www.skincarerx.com/ecommerce/index.html?category=serum at $30.99 for
4oz - can also get more info from www.nucelle.com ) - really excellent for red
marks/hyperpigmentation and also for active acne. This is a mild exfoliator
that can be applied to the skin daily (much more gentle but more effective
than glycolic)I find using the mandelic daily and doing a lactic peel every 10 days or so
really helps with red marks and exfoliation with no irritation (I am pale
Asian skinned).2. PUREDEMING INTENSE GEL - wow!! This product is a wrinkle reducing (and
possibly scar reducing) moisteriser that needs to be applied for 15 to 45
minutes (or longer) before washing off - leaves your skin feeling amazing,
hydrated, soothed and smoothed! http://www.puredeming.com/products/ - 2oz
bottle is $45 - use it daily and it would last around a month (they sell
smaller bottles and trial sizes too). It's based on the Dr Perricone skin care
system (so contains good amounts of DMAE, ALA, Vit C-Ester etc..)The above 3 products combined (mandelic, lactic and puredeming intense gel)
make for a very good all round treatment for people with shallow scars and a
little active acne - or can just be used for wrinkle free skin!The top two supplier deliver worldwide - gets to me in the UK from the US
between 4 and 10 days - both also have excellent customer care.
Robert - about Lactic Peels -- Maya, 19:24:49 10/25/03 SatI love them too!! You're meant to leave them on 5 minutes max .. but I have
left them on for 10 minutes with no problems - you might want to build up
before doing that.
40% Lactic Acid Peel -- Robert, 17:37:47 10/25/03 SatI tried my first lactic acid peel yesterday. It was very enjoyable. It didn't
burn me like glycolic acid and yet it exfoliated me well. I only left it on
for 4 or 5 minutes, however. How long can I keep this stuff on? Is 10 minutes
too long?
Michie - Colltouch -- Sweety, 02:24:46 10/24/03 FriMitchie,
I never used colltouch but i know that there is a new one in the market
cooltouch - 3. I think this is the latest and probably a better version of
cooltouch -2. So ask your doctor about it
EXODERM UPDATE -- vs, 23:52:45 10/23/03 ThuEVERYONE OUT THERE, keep up your exoderm updates please.
and what ever happend to KIT?
Michie and JW -- Denise1, 19:58:36 10/23/03 ThuMichie: If people havn't used Cooltouch II, then they probably cannot give you
an opinion on it. Don't feel bad, people aren't always here on a regular
basis. I don't hear a lot about CoolTouch nowadays. Everyone seems to be
focusing on Smoothbeam. I don't have experience with CooltouchII, but have
heard good things about it. Sorry, that's all I know to tell you.JW: I read various people posting on other boards boards saying that Retin
A had helped their scars tremendously, as it has mine also. However, I want to
strongly warn you that many people are just too sensitive for Retin A. Many
people cannot use it. If you can, then great. Everyone's skin is
different......I was trying to find that article that was posted and I couldn't find it.....I
skimmed through it quickly a few days ago and I think it was an article that
recommended Retin A treatment for a cystic skin condition that wasn't acne,
but was acne-like. I believe that the page was documenting that the Retin A
treats wrinkling, skin folds, cysts, etc.....it wasn't a study. Sorry for the
confusion! I hadn't read the article when I first glanced at it. It was
someone saying: hey, if you want to treat acne and remove scar tissue, go to:
blah, blah, blah....Anyway, that's it. I don't know if you can tolerate Retin A or not. I'm very
blessed with tough skin, so it doesn't irritate me, though I started off with
weaker solutions and worked my way up the vitamin A food chain.
To Mel--Skin-bio products -- Eve, 16:22:59 10/23/03 ThuI used the Super Cop and the Exfol lotion for about 6 months. I did not
receive any benefit from it, but it is possible I did not use it long enough.
My scars are very old and may be beyond help from products like these. I
probably need a more invasive procedure. There are others on this site and
other sites who have had success with the products. Good luck to you!
Skin Biology Products -- Mel, 16:05:18 10/23/03 ThuAnyone had particularly good experiences with Skin Bio? Ive just received CP
Serum and Super Cop, and also the new serums. I am new to this so I have no
real idea how to apply etc.Many thanks
Mel (Brit)
please give me a reply! -- michie, 12:40:20 10/23/03 Thucan someone pls answer me??
i've already posted earlier on asking about cooltouch 2 but nobody replies
pls!!! :(
Question For Denise1 -- JW, 01:37:50 10/23/03 ThuHi Denise. About a week ago, you had posted a message in which you referred to
studies on Retin A. You stated that the studies show that Retin A gobbles up
scarred/damaged tissue. You said that you had recently come across a link to
one such study on another site.As a person with shallow scars, that study sounds very promising. I am very
interested in reading that study.Do you know the name of the study or how I can find it? On what site did you
see the link to the study? Any leads you can give me would be greatly
appreciated.
Covering scars with makeup -- Holly, 21:42:27 10/22/03 WedDoes anyone have tips on applying camouglage makeup to cover up ice pick scars
and depressions in the skin?
PK & CitySlicker -- Eric, 18:11:45 10/22/03 WedHi PK-
That is excellent news about Dr. Scheibner possibly coming to the U.S. to
train doctors in treating scars with her unique laser methods. I sincerely
look forward to it... and to the results that these methods could bring here
in the U.S. My only reservation is that with such a unique method in the hands
of so few, this may make prices unfairly high... and putting it out of the
range of people who would have to turn to cheaper, and perhaps less effective
and more risky, scar treatment methods.Hey CitySlicker- I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate you
sharing your experiences with us... and I wanted to lend encouragement also.
If you remember, Steve's initial impression of his Exoderm was pretty
disappointing... with improvement anywhere between 10-30%... which your
results have already surpassed. But Steve also mentioned that by the time he'd
gone in for his first touch-up, he'd already improved to about 40-50%... and
so with additional Exoderm touch-ups, you should hopefully see some excellent
results. I personally think you made a good choice, and that Dr. Rullan is an
excellent caring doctor for acne scar patients. Please keep us in the loop and
let us know how you progress.Peace out and God Bless...
-Eric
to Cityslicker--exoderm update -- Eve, 17:38:20 10/22/03 WedJust wondering how the recovery from your Exoderm treatment is going? Do you
still feel it is the most effective treatment you have had so far? I have been
following several links on other boards about fat transfers, excision and the TCA
Cross Treatment. Each thread has positive AND negative postings. I did receive
an email from Dr. Fortes, one of 5 plastic surgeons at the Houston Aesthetic
Center for Plastic Surgery. This is part of his email: "...deep post-acne
scars.... respond most effectively to punch excision or excision with a tiny
scalpel blade. I have performed excisions of this type in the treatment of
these scars. The more shallow scars can be improved by dermabrasion (sanding
of the skin). Both of these methods can be performed under local anesthesia in
my office." I will probably not be having any consultations until after the
first of the year, and I'm thinking about buying the article on the Cross
Treatment and taking it with me to see if any doctors are familiar with it. I
know there are several of us that would be grateful if you would post updates
occasionally about how your recovery is coming.
Scheibner- JOhn -- Sweety, 13:37:38 10/22/03 WedJohn,
Thats great to hear that you got good results. Its not available in US at this
moment.I thought isolagen would be that miracle traetment but looks like its
not.
Regd Dr.S i just hope it works.
Sweety -- John, 02:39:51 10/22/03 WedHi Sweety,
Yes I do live in Sydney. I have had some really good results recently with
Acquamid. I have felt the happiest about my skin in ten years.Re Dr S, i found them all really nice at her clinic but I have to say I am
really sceptical just about laser. I had too resurfacing jobs, one light and
one strong and it did nothing. I know her methods are different etc but until
someone posts here saying they have good results from her methods I think I
will try other things. However not to dampen any one elses thoughts on this
just expressing my own opinion.Best of luck to you Sweety.
Scheibner- John -- Sweety, 16:36:34 10/21/03 TueJohn,
Do you live in sydney? I heard about Dr.Della and anna mentioned that most of
her staff wre her patients at one point of time...thats really impressive.
To: PK -- Thanks for the update! -- Beth, 16:14:01 10/21/03 TueHi PK
It sounds like this more gentle/non ablative approach with the C02 laser has
promise for people like you and me whose skin has been compromised at the
hands of other doctors.My skin has scarring all over that is very similar to what you described. My
scars were caused from a glycolic acid peel that was too strong for my skin
type. Now my face is very sensitive and develops new scars easily from acne as
well as contact with about any facial soap or skin care product. It's tough to
live like this. I can only hope for a miracle to undo the damage. Do you think
this more gentle version of the Co2 laser might work for me? Could this be my
miracle?Good luck with your continued healing and DO keep us posted on your progress.
Beth
PK Sweety -- John, 03:49:15 10/21/03 TueHey Sweetie,
I am pretty sure that this is exactly what happened with Dr Della Bruna who is
now her "protege" in Sydney. I was told by Dr S that she was a previous
patient who was impressed with her results that she wanted to help others and
hence if Dr S does return to the states she will be the main lady here in
Sydney.Again I am not saying this myself just passing on the info I received
PK -- cb, 01:36:20 10/21/03 TuePK-
Thanks for that update - hope your feeling a little better now. If you go for
another round of treatment, you'll have some major frequent flyer miles racked
up.I kind of agree with her in that you almost have to go as agressive as
possible to see some decent results. I would put up with some redness,
blisters, flaking skin if things would improve.Lastly, she had her own practice and a whole network of folks in the medical
field that she knew when she was in So. Cal last. Personally I don't see her
having trouble finiding a protoge to mentor on her methods.Best of luck, thanks for keeping us in the loop
~cb
Scheibner - PK -- Sweety, 01:14:27 10/21/03 TueHey PK,
Thats great news. But I dont know if we can find docs here in US who will be
willing to spend like 3-4 hrs on each patient. And with co2 laser you have to
be really really careful. I dont know how the medical system works here in US
but if some of us (maybe who has a minor in some medical realted field)could
get training/permission. We know how it feels to have scarring and i bet we
will be a lot more sympathetic....
Adrianna Scheibner calls PK with remarkable news! -- PK, 23:03:44 10/20/03 Mon
Hey everyone - sit down for this one! Dr. Scheibner just called me - fairly
long chat - without revealing too much which is confidential at this point,
suffice it to say that Adrianna is considering coming to US to train others in
her specialized methods of scar revision, a plan which likely would NOT
require the renewal of her Calif medical license. She is determined to get
this technology out to scar victims asap, and rather than working further to
gain her license back, perhaps thinks that this is now way to go.Anna who posts here, and I, would be helping her, and my fiance is a business
law attorney who is very adept at helping upstart enterprises set up shop. We
have all offered our support to Adrianna GRATIS in order to help get this
technology to hurting victims asap.As far as my skin is concerned, A.S. said that she treated me very gingerly
because of the horrific experiences I have had at the hands of two doctors.
She contrasted my experience with someone with, say, acne scarring - wherein
she would have felt comfortable going deeper and more aggressively as they
were'nt already harmed by another dr. Therefore, she erred on side of caution,
which I think is very wise. She said she will treat me again, this time far
more aggressively, and that there is no reason my skin shouldn't respond. You
can imagine how relieved I am.I know that this will prompt alot of quesitons. This is most all I know right
now, but wanted to give eveyrone hope. I am very behind in work, so not able
to post much more for a bit of time, but here is latest update and VERY
promising news. LEt's all stop and honor "Marcsheep" for a moment, had he only
waited perhaps no more than a year, I venture to say that this would have been
available in the US. Everyone, keep the faith.PK
Scheibner Laser - PK and Jack -- Sweety, 14:10:23 10/20/03 MonJack,
I think Dr.S's laser(supposedly CO2 lasers has the deepest penetration and she
uses a tweaked version of co2) penetrates deeper and got more control. Its
probably more aggressive than smoothbeam or any other non ablatives we have
now in the market.....I read somewhere taht in the next couple of years the
non ablative lasers will adopt a more aggressive approach without causing any
mechanical disturbance to skin and maybe Dr.S already has that. Besides her
technique also helps to reverse other abnormalities like hyper pigmentation,
pore size etc.I would like to know what she thinks of smoothbeam and why is
her laser different than smoothbeam?PK, next time she calls you or you call her, can you ask her about this. Also
i would like to know if her technique helps oil production? i mean normalizes
the action of sebacious glands? Because all of us have a normal skin until
like 13-14 (you do have those oil glands all the while only they remain
inactive ) and its only because of harmonal imbalance, they get activated and
in some due to bad genetic combination they become very sensitive to these
harmonal changes and cause more oil production....Can you ask her if she
thinks that those glands can be treated or closed to control oil production
which i believe is the main cause of acne in most teenagers.thanks
Sweety
Scheibner laser -- jack, 10:41:15 10/20/03 MonI wonder if Scheibner's laser is really all that different than something like
Smoothbeam. They are both non-ablative lasers that supposedly stimulate the
skin to regenerate its collagen. It seems maybe Scheibner's laser has more
direct control by the physician and might be better, but this isn't
necessarily true, and with the next round of post-smoothbeam non-ablative
lasers, maybe it'll start to be more individualized. (for example, it might
have a scanner built into the head unit that is able to gauge how deep the
scar tissue lies and where the healthy dermis cells are so that it can figure
out how strong and at what wavelength to pulse the laser. To be honest, this
type of development doesn't seem all that radical to me, and I'm surprised
we've yet to see something like that).
cooltouch II -- michie, 06:27:19 10/20/03 Moncan anyone who've used cooltouch II pls tell me whether this laser works for
atrophic acne scarring(does it fill up the acne scar over time?, how many
treatments should i get b4 seeing results?)..
i don't hear much about cooltouch II anymore,js smoothbeam..but we dont have
smoothbeam in my country.
So i really needed you guys to pls shed some light to this matter..pls!!
Thanks!!
PK - scheibmer -- Sweety, 15:15:44 10/19/03 SunHey PK,
Thats okay. I know you are busy.http://www.scheibner.com/lasers.html
There is a paragraph which explains taht the collagen formation is a slow
process and it takes upto 9 months to see complete results. I talked to
scheibner and she said i should wait a minimum of 6 months befor egetting a
successive treatment. And one more thing. From what i understand the treatment
is not standard and for some the healin gtime could be like 2 weeks and it
depends on the amount of work done on yoru face.....I talked to one of her
staff and she said taht if the treatment is very aggressive your skin will
scab a little bit and you will experience peeling for like 10-14 days. Maybe
she wasnt aggressive bcoz of your skin condition....Give it some more
time......In the mean time take vitamin C. It will help with the collagen
formation.anna and I were discussing about collecting signatures and submit to the board
about her practice. what do you think?Sweety
PK to Sweetie -- PK, 07:47:09 10/19/03 SunDear Sweetie,
Thank you so much for your words of encouragement, yes, I've been pretty
bummed. It's really hard seeing these damn scars coming back - I would LOVE to
believe that the collagen will still be growing. Can you tell you where on her
website you found that info? I couldn't...Yes, I did see some other patient photos. Acne scarring of all types seem to
respond. I'm sorry I hadn't answered your questions more fully before, I have
been so swamped, but I am fully committed to helping everyone else out there,
whehter it ultimately works for me or not. Obviously, it has for many others.
To PK - Scheibner -- Sweety, 02:51:26 10/19/03 SunHey PK,
I know everybody's healing process is different but on Dr.Scheibner's website
its mentioned thta it takes atleast 1-2 months for the collagen formation and
you will continue to see your results upto 6 months. I was a little bit
surprised when you reported 40% improvemnt. Becasue Dr.Scheibners technique is
no gimmick and i knew it was kind of impossible to see results in just few
days. Its kind of like subcision, needling where you see great improvemnt in
the first few days due to swelling and then the improvement will go down after
a couple of weeks but the netx few weeks you will see the real improvements.i
am very sure that you will see improvements in the next few months. And i dont
know how bad your scarrin gis but for me Dr.Scheibner said that i would need
2-4 treatmnets. So dont loose hope. Everything said, i know how you feel. We
would want to believe in some emiracle treatment.....i would die for that
"normal" skin. So please dont loose you rhope.
BTW did you see any other before/after acne scarring pictures at her clinic?
There is only one acne scarring pic on their website (scarring at the
temples). the others are more like redness and red marks from acne. I would
like to know if she treated pitted, icepick and depressed scarring with the
gentle laser technique.
If you need any help with the reopening of the clinic, please let me know. I
would be glad to help you.Sweety
Accutane Horror Stories -- Cameron, 23:42:39 10/18/03 SatIt works for some people, but not for others:
http://www.roaccutanesurvivors.com/
Cityslicker -- tio, 04:07:48 10/18/03 SatThank you for the informative posting with great details. You mention the
orange peel skin. Was this caused by the exoderm?
And how did the exoderm fair on those small icepicks that resemble pores?
Good luck with you healing.
thank u so much guys -- alan, 00:19:05 10/18/03 Satthanks alot i feel much better. i was on it before i was in 9th grade like i
said and i dont remebr feeling so bad.i used to do alot of drugs and dont
remeber it much. i do remeber wearing hoodies and hiding. i dont remeber
skipping school. like today. i feel better now as the day progressed. tomorrow
is a new day. i hope i feel better tomorrow. and things will clear up im sure
but it just takes for EVER. and also what do i do for shaving i will cut my
skin open. but its nice becuase it gets rid of the rediculius amount of dead
skin. right now my face just has scabs and dry skin. so i use the scrubs and
shave and get rid of dead skin then its all red. so i leave it and then its
all dead skin and gross. so either way im screwed and feeling self concious.
well thanks a bunch guys.
Denise/Alan/Eric -- John, 20:24:26 10/17/03 FriThanks, Denise. Yeah, I'm Johnnery, too! But thanks for taking the time to
answer my question about Retin A Micro Gel. I did call in to get a new tube of
it.Alan, I can't add anything better than what Eric wrote, but I wanted to let
you know that I read your post and you have my support and understanding, too.
I did Accutane for about 9 months in 2002---I cycled up to 80 mg. a day--and
Eric is right, nothing started happening for the first couple of months but
then at about the 3rd or 4th month, the oil decreased a lot and I didn't break
out at all after that. I've been off it since February or March of this year
and I have had no new breakouts.(However, the oil has come back, damn it. But
for most people, I don't think it does.)Do what Eric has advised. I think he gave you great advice. Yes, I, too, have
been there (missed out on a TON of things because I didn't like the way my
face looked that day, etc.) We're only human and I no longer feel bad or
guilty about it. I feel we have every right to feel the way we do about these
things. If I was made of stronger stuff, then I would be! Since I'm sensitive
about these kinds of things, that's just the way it is! The world keeps
turning...I miss out on a lot because of it,but that's my choice, I guess. As
long as we're trying to help ourselves the best we can, that should be what
matters most. Take care and know that a lot of people here DO UNDERSTAND.
unopened bottle of glycolic acid for sale and etc. -- ami, 20:21:58 10/17/03
Frihi, i have an unopened bottle of professional grade glycolic acid 30% (pH2.5)
2 Oz/60ml. i am hoping there are readers of this forum from Asia who would
like to purchase it from me for US28. this would guarantee more than 50 peels
i think. i use a very small amount, because i have sensitive skin and i think
my spots have cleared sufficiently enough for me to discontinue the peels for
a while. please email me: heart@press.co.jp
-Blackhead problem solved-
PS: i have struggled with blackheads since 14, i've always felt so self
concious of my nose because it is covered with blackheads and i ruined my nose
by using concealer to cover the blackheads, i am an easily excitable person
which means double sebum production and oily skin, for all my life.recently, i think i might just have found the cure for my oily skin. DEEP OIL
CLEANSING! OMG!TISS made by Shiseido. and another more expensive one from Shue Uemura, but i
won't recommend this because it is too unaffordable for me.it is oil-based, but immediately emulsifies upon contact with water, so
basically you scrub your face with it (face and hands must be dry) and then
wash it off. it removes every single thing and extra! gently! it is a miracle
for me and i hope you would try this. mild and tough cleansers doesn't work as
well as this does for me. and you can actually feel your blackheads flake-off,
and it removes makeup of course. i have tried SO many products for blackheads
and Nothing works as well as this! the results are permanent, which means my
blackheads never came back because my pores are smaller and over time, my skin
has produced less oil and my nose! has taken a normal shape again. before it
was always red with big open pores. i feel really transformed with TISS DEEP
OIL CLEANSING. and if it is available in the US, it should cost about 10
dollars i think.-the end-
thanks for reading. add me as your friend, if you have friendster.
heart@press.co.jp
John and Kelly -- Denise1, 19:37:18 10/17/03 FriJohn...I'm assuming you're Johnnery over at acne.org? If so, I guess you
already had your questioned answered.:-) But....I would NOT use old Retin A.
They put Retin A in a metal tube because it's very senstive to light and
oxygen, and looses it's efficacy rather quickly. I would NOT use it.Kelly: I will answer your questions here:
Thank you Denise! I am one of those who's skin is easily irritated by Retin-A;
but I havent tried the gel or the micro yet.I do have some questions about needling that I hope you can answer. First off
good thinking about marking up your scars before hand, I love that idea and
think anyone getting needling done should do this. I like that it gives you
some control over whats been done. How did your needling specialist respond to
this idea? The only problem I would have with this is that I have many scarred
pores they cover every inch of my face, I am gonna look solid polka dotted.
Did you have your unscarred skin done at all?Denise; Yes, I have a lot of skin that is unscarred, though like mostly
everyone, the t-zone area is the worst, and the cheeks. Lilian, the woman who
did my needling, is open to whatever makes you feel comfortable. Since she has
a light that is directly on your face and cannot see shadows, it only makes
sense for people to mark where they want needled.I live on the west coast and would like to go to the woman who did your
needling however it might be too exspensive for me. Do you think that someone
else could do as good a job? For instance if I tell someone to do my scarred
pore scars lightly and my deeper scars more aggressively will they know what I
am talking about? I guess what i am asking is how much skin is involved?Denise; That's something I probably cannot answer at all because it depends on
who you go to. I think you should check out Black and Blue in SanFrancisco. VS
who posts here says he didn't get good results with needling. I believe he
says he paid 400 bucks. But travelling there and paying that would be much
cheaper and I assume less time consuming than flying all the way out here. You
would need to talk to someone who does it to find out the answer to these
types of questions. I'm not sure I understand your question....the skin
involved will be whatever you point out to be needled. You will leave with red
dots all over your face and it will be swollen.Did you bleed with both the "slightly touched" areas and the aggresive areas?
How long after a procedure until I would feel comfortable showing my face?Denise: Yes, the slightly touched areas bled slightly and scabbed over a tiny
bit. Downtime is usually 5-7 days, though my scabs always fell off on the
fifth day. You have to be careful to let them fall off naturally, though.Thanks for giving us hope Denise and I am so happy for your success!
Denise: I'm truly grateful for finding Lilian. She's so kind, and Greg and
those guys up in DC are having good results too. She is supposed to be in
Richmond for a conference in November and I hope to meet up with her and take
her to dinner. I consider her a friend now. I hope to get up there and meet
that Scar support group one day...that is...after the mixing bowl construction
area is completed!Just keep in mind that many variables go into the success of needling; is a
tattoo gun or a hand tool used? A tattoo gun seems to get the best results. Do
you smoke or are you on an SSRI anti-depressant? Both slow down collagen
production. Be sure to use the copper peptides, Retin A OR vitamin c after the
scabs fall off for collagen stimulation. Dr. Des Fernandez insists that this
is important for the best results. If you can, add peels into the mix if your
skin isn't sensitive and can tolerate peels. Peels, when combined with copper
peptides, work fantastically with repairing scars.Hope all that helps and everyone have a great weekend.:-)
John and Kelly -- Denise1, 19:34:36 10/17/03 FriJohn...I'm assuming you're Johnnery over at acne.org? If so, I guess you
already had your questioned answered.:-) But....I would NOT use old Retin A.
They put Retin A in a metal tube because it's very senstive to light and
oxygen, and looses it's efficacy rather quickly. I would NOT use it.Kelly: I will answer your questions here:
Thank you Denise! I am one of those who's skin is easily irritated by Retin-A;
but I havent tried the gel or the micro yet.I do have some questions about needling that I hope you can answer. First off
good thinking about marking up your scars before hand, I love that idea and
think anyone getting needling done should do this. I like that it gives you
some control over whats been done. How did your needling specialist respond to
this idea? The only problem I would have with this is that I have many scarred
pores they cover every inch of my face, I am gonna look solid polka dotted.
Did you have your unscarred skin done at all?Denise; Yes, I have a lot of skin that is unscarred, though like mostly
everyone, the t-zone area is the worst, and the cheeks. Lilian, the woman who
did my needling, is open to whatever makes you feel comfortable. Since she has
a light that is directly on your face and cannot see shadows, it only makes
sense for people to mark where they want needled.I live on the west coast and would like to go to the woman who did your
needling however it might be too exspensive for me. Do you think that someone
else could do as good a job? For instance if I tell someone to do my scarred
pore scars lightly and my deeper scars more aggressively will they know what I
am talking about? I guess what i am asking is how much skin is involved?Denise; That's something I probably cannot answer at all because it depends on
who you go to. I think you should check out Black and Blue in SanFrancisco. VS
who posts here says he didn't get good results with needling. I believe he
says he paid 400 bucks. But travelling there and paying that would be much
cheaper and I assume less time consuming than flying all the way out here. You
would need to talk to someone who does it to find out the answer to these
types of questions. I'm not sure I understand your question....the skin
involved will be whatever you point out to be needled. You will leave with red
dots all over your face and it will be swollen.Did you bleed with both the "slightly touched" areas and the aggresive areas?
How long after a procedure until I would feel comfortable showing my face?Denise: Yes, the slightly touched areas bled slightly and scabbed over a tiny
bit. Downtime is usually 5-7 days, though my scabs always fell off on the
fifth day. You have to be careful to let them fall off naturally, though.Thanks for giving us hope Denise and I am so happy for your success!
Denise: I'm truly grateful for finding Lilian. She's so kind, and Greg and
those guys up in DC are having good results too. She is supposed to be in
Richmond for a conference in November and I hope to meet up with her and take
her to dinner. I consider her a friend now. I hope to get up there and meet
that Scar support group one day...that is...after the mixing bowl construction
area is completed!Just keep in mind that many variables go into the success of needling; is a
tattoo gun or a hand tool used? A tattoo gun seems to get the best results. Do
you smoke or are you on an SSRI anti-depressant? Both slow down collagen
production. Be sure to use the copper peptides, Retin A OR vitamin c after the
scabs fall off for collagen stimulation. Dr. Des Fernandez insists that this
is important for the best results. If you can, add peels into the mix if your
skin isn't sensitive and can tolerate peels. Peels, when combined with copper
peptides, work fantastically with repairing scars.Hope all that helps and everyone have a great weekend.:-)
Alan- Accutane -- Eric, 18:30:46 10/17/03 FriHey Alan-
Stay strong, buddy. I know exactly what you are going through and feeling. I
myself used to miss college classes sometimes because my face was so bad,
covered in huge pus-filled cysts, and I also stopped talking to many of my
friends, and avoided looking at or talking to girls. It was even worse at work
because I work at a drug store, and I'm a shift supervisor so I HAVE to talk
to and deal with people every day. It got to the point where I grew my hair
long in front so I could hide at least part of my face, and wouldn't look
people in the eye when I talked to them, I was so embarrased. I was severely
depressed, and contemplated suicide many times.However, this changed with Accutane. Accutane is a very powerful drug with
very good success rate (at least while you're on it), but it does take about 8
or so weeks to start clearing your acne. I saw no results at all in the first
month, but in a few weeks you should start to notice and huge improvement in
your acne. In the meantime... DON'T I repeat DO NOT pick or squeeze at your
acne!!! Or use scrubs!!! Accutane makes your skin super sensitive and paper
thin while you are on it and for months afterward!! The acne will start to
rapidly dry out and disappear in a few weeks... any few new pimples you'll get
will heal almost overnight because there will be no oil or bacteria for it to
grow on! But remember, Accutane makes your skin thin out and reduces healing
quality! I used to just brush against something at work with the back of my
hand, and it would cut and bleed. So the scrubs are not good for your face
while you are on it!!!I personally recommend using Cetaphil as a cleanser and Elicina snail cream
while on Accutane. I know people don't like it for scars, but I can personally
attest that it REALLY helps healing of cuts and abrasions and should help your
lesions heal better while you are on the drug. Also, it helps get rid of the
dry, peeling skin, and it give my face a nicer, more even tone.So don't worry Alan, your acne will soon start to shrivel up and vanish, in
the meantime, don't worsen the condition by picking! I have used Accutane and
can attest that this drug rocks! Although my acne came back after I stopped
using it, for some people it gets rid of acne forever. So relax man, and don't
pick.-Eric
acne= serious depression or is it the accutane? -- Alan, 13:45:28 10/17/03
FriAge : 18
Gender : Male
Country : USAHi everyone i posted before but i dont think it got up i might have messed
somthing up when posting. but here i am in my room alone.i should be at school
but im skipping because i dont want to face other people today. its friday
morning and the sox lost last night which is depressing. whats more depressing
is usually my face will look bad for a week or so and i can wear hoodies at
school and kinda pretend to be tired a few days of the week so people dont
look at me too much. Then the next monday its usually cleared up enough where
i think its ok. if my face isnt that bad i dont fell AS self concious. i enjoy
working out at the gym after school but when i look poorly i dont even want to
go. i skiped school today because yesterday i was SOOOOO self concious and my
face was so dry and skin was falling off my face. i felt horrible. i CANNOT go
through with another day. i feel irratable when people even want to talk to
me. i think its the accuane, but sometimes i just wanna say shut up when
people ask me whats wrong. i just try to look at my shoes and keep my head
down so i dont look at people. the other bad thing is that before my acne
girls found me rather attractive and i have alot of really good looking
friends. now when they talk to me i dont want to talk to them cause i look
like crap and feel it the same way. so now my friends think there is somthing
wrong and there is but i have to pretend there isnt. so i went home and washed
my face with one of those facial scrubs and now i have more cuts on my face
where pimples were. before when i wasnt on accutane i could pop a pimple and
it would go away within a few days. now when i do it turns into a cut that
scabs over and bleeds alot. i know this will happen but i cannot stop touching
my damn face. i dont know what to do and its been about a month on accutane
and my face still sucks. i cant stand staying home everyday. and then on top
of it i dont want to go any where and i have to make up lies of to why i cant
go places even when i really want too. im SO depressed and i wonder if its the
acne or the accutane. but i just dont want to go on. but i cant commit suicide
thats just not possible i wouldnt go that far, but i do just want to hide
until it goes away. i just dont know what to do to get over self conciousness.
thank u for ur time. 8'(
acne= serious depression or is it the accutane? -- Alan, 13:40:11 10/17/03
FriAge : 18
Gender : Male
Country : USAHi everyone i posted before but i dont think it got up i might have messed
somthing up when posting. but here i am in my room alone.i should be at school
but im skipping because i dont want to face other people today. its friday
morning and the sox lost last night which is depressing. whats more depressing
is usually my face will look bad for a week or so and i can wear hoodies at
school and kinda pretend to be tired a few days of the week so people dont
look at me too much. Then the next monday its usually cleared up enough where
i think its ok. if my face isnt that bad i dont fell AS self concious. i enjoy
working out at the gym after school but when i look poorly i dont even want to
go. i skiped school today because yesterday i was SOOOOO self concious and my
face was so dry and skin was falling off my face. i felt horrible. i CANNOT go
through with another day. i feel irratable when people even want to talk to
me. i think its the accuane, but sometimes i just wanna say shut up when
people ask me whats wrong. i just try to look at my shoes and keep my head
down so i dont look at people. the other bad thing is that before my acne
girls found me rather attractive and i have alot of really good looking
friends. now when they talk to me i dont want to talk to them cause i look
like crap and feel it the same way. so now my friends think there is somthing
wrong and there is but i have to pretend there isnt. so i went home and washed
my face with one of those facial scrubs and now i have more cuts on my face
where pimples were. before when i wasnt on accutane i could pop a pimple and
it would go away within a few days. now when i do it turns into a cut that
scabs over and bleeds alot. i know this will happen but i cannot stop touching
my damn face. i dont know what to do and its been about a month on accutane
and my face still sucks. i cant stand staying home everyday. and then on top
of it i dont want to go any where and i have to make up lies of to why i cant
go places even when i really want too. im SO depressed and i wonder if its the
acne or the accutane. but i just dont want to go on. but i cant commit suicide
thats just not possible i wouldnt go that far, but i do just want to hide
until it goes away. i just dont know what to do to get over self conciousness.
thank u for ur time. 8'(
PK with additional update -- PK, 07:31:28 10/17/03 FriHello all, and for anyone interested, please forgive my delay in posting. I
have been extremely fatigued and on overload since returning from Austrailia,
and have also been giving my skin additional time to heal, before posting
again.For those who have been following my "story", here is the latest:
Unfortunatly, the initial results which I saw immediately upon my return from
Sydney now seem to have been in part due to slight swelling if my skin. As the
weeks have passed, my skin has "settled in" and now the former scars (gosh,
both from dermabrasion and a botched laser job...) are again evident.I want to be very conscientious in providing accurate information to those
reading here: I believe that there HAS been some improvement, but not the
30-40 % I first saw - far less. My nose is back to looking pretty beat up, and
the shallow patch-like scars all over my face are again evident - maybe not as
deep.Dr. Scheibner has been so kind to call me several times since my return. I
have been emailing them regularly, as my hope is to help her get established
here in California. She actually told me that, given enough time to treat me,
repeatedly, that my skin could be completely healed. Which is of course
incredible, and I am so grateful for everything which this saintly woman has
already done for me.At this point, it's apparent that this may take a long time to finish the job,
although I hope that the collagen which has been stimulated will continue to
grow. My skin's history has always been that it pretty much is "done" healing
after about 2 weeks. So I'm really hoping that there will be more progress.Nonetheless, I know that this method has worked for thousands of others, her
credentials speak volumes about her capabilities. I'm just feeling low at the
moment that my healing isn't more significant. But I have to keep my faith in
her and God's ability to bring perfect healing. It may just take many trips
out there, which is hard to imagine, it takes such a toll on me, much less the
finances.Well, that's it for now, I hope to have better news next time, but again, I
believe in her fully, MY skin may just be the problem.PK
PK with additional update -- PK, 07:30:12 10/17/03 FriHello all, and for anyone interested, please forgive my delay in posting. I
have been extremely fatigued and on overload since returning from Austrailia,
and have also been giving my skin additional time to heal, before posting
again.For those who have been following my "story", here is the latest:
Unfortunatly, the initial results which I saw immediately upon my return from
Sydney now seem to have been in part due to slight swelling if my skin. As the
weeks have passed, my skin has "settled in" and now the former scars (gosh,
both from dermabrasion and a botched laser job...) are again evident.I want to be very conscientious in providing accurate information to those
reading here: I believe that there HAS been some improvement, but not the
30-40 % I first saw - far less. My nose is back to looking pretty beat up, and
the shallow patch-like scars all over my face are again evident - maybe not as
deep.Dr. Scheibner has been so kind to call me several times since my return. I
have been emailing them regularly, as my hope is to help her get established
here in California. She actually told me that, given enough time to treat me,
repeatedly, that my skin could be completely healed. Which is of course
incredible, and I am so grateful for everything which this saintly woman has
already done for me.At this point, it's apparent that this may take a long time to finish the job,
although I hope that the collagen which has been stimulated will continue to
grow. My skin's history has always been that it pretty much is "done" healing
after about 2 weeks. So I'm really hoping that there will be more progress.Nonetheless, I know that this method has worked for thousands of others, her
credentials speak volumes about her capabilities. I'm just feeling low at the
moment that my healing isn't more significant. But I have to keep my faith in
her and God's ability to bring perfect healing. It may just take many trips
out there, which is hard to imagine, it takes such a toll on me, much less the
finances.Well, that's it for now, I hope to have better news next time, but again, I
believe in her fully, MY skin may just be the problem.PK
Eve -- Cityslicker, 16:17:48 10/16/03 ThuEve, the make-up session is complimentary if you choose to use that service.
If Exoderm is a procedure you decide to do, you would meet with the make-up
artist (Diedra) before the procedure for a color match to your skin tone. The
make-up can be applied after / at 10 days. When I met with Diedra she advised
that any make-up applied before the 10 days would just slide-off, and that
only the make-up they used would stick as it's prepared to work in conjunction
with that procedure. Though she cautioned me to call her a couple of days
before hand so she could schedule me, had I wanted it. I was pretty beet red
but actually envisioned I would be even redder. I encountered people at
restruants, car rental, airport, airplane, motels all over everywhere, all
those places didn't really bother me as I didn't know them, and only one
person has asked anything and as I mentioned, she was my normal waitress.I've seen two other doctors on the Exoderm treatment. Dr. Benign in Okla.
City, and Dr. Capriotti in Houston, who also does my Fat Injections. Both
Dr.'s were comparable price wise but neither did the chemo-brasion or the free
touch-ups that Dr. Rullan does.As far as the hotel, after I explained my situation the night manager said it
wouldn't be a problem and that they would work with me, though the afternoon
manager advised it was company policy to empty the trash at least every other
day. After I conveyed I just did not want to be bothered he said he would note
in the computer my situation and try to go at least 3 days before they picked
up the trash.That was one reason I agreed to every 3 days as the afternoon manager said he
could stretch that, but then the morning manager said that wasn't possible.
The first 2 days I had them come in while I'll was at Dr. Rullans office, then
they came on the fifth day (after I swayed them)as I said, and then they
called to see if I even wanted them to come then. Basically, I piled all the
towels by the door and moved the trash can by the door and the maids only
speak limited english anyway, but they were advised by the manager of my
situation and didn't spend more than a minute changing the plastic and
dropping me off more towels. In the end they were accomadating. But I'm not
sure still if they will go 8 days straight without service. I had them come on
the 8th day while I was gone to Dr. Rullans office again, but at this point
the mask was off anyway. So realistically, I only seen them once on the fifth
day.I can understand to some extent from their point of wiew, as you are occupying
their property for 8 days and asking them not to check on you. To protect
their interest I think is why they have the every other day trash policy. I
mean, what if I had a drug lab going on, or even died, I think corporate views
it from that angle versus not wanting to accomadate your request. But after
everyone seen my situation, they were slightly more agreeable to fudge on that
policy. Anyway, good-luck in whatever you decide. :-) Cityslicker
To Cityslicker -- Eve, 13:33:33 10/16/03 ThuYou wrote that you skipped the makeup session...is the session something that
is included in the cost or is it additional? I would want to know the best way
to cover-up as much redness as possible. Would the skin still be too "tender"
at 10 days to cover with makeup? Did you see any doctors in the Houston area
about Exoderm?By the way, after your (hilarious) experience at the hotel in California, do
you think they would faint if I called them and told them I wanted a room for
that long without room service? :-)
VS -- Cityslicker, 11:26:13 10/16/03 ThuVS, yeah I did it. Actually when I was there last Wednesday my first day with
the mask coming off and my first Oxygen Therapy treatment, Dr. Rullan stated
that he had had a consult with one of the guys from our message board. I asked
"who was it?", but he just said he couldn't give no names (to protect your
privacy). I asked if his intials were VS, as I had read that you were planning
on seeing Dr. Rullan. He just chuckled.I was there for a 3:30 p.m. with Valerie, and he looked in on me for a few
minutes, and he mentioned he had seen you earlier, but never revealed who you
were.I read your message about being a little scared about the procedure. I was
scared too, but it was not as bad as I had imagined and as I mentioned to CB I
would seriously consider doing again, even after my 2 touch-ups. Though, at
this point, I doubt I'll do that.Dr. Rullan stated I should continue to have collagen build up and improvement.
Hopefully, after my 2 touch-ups and several months down the road I'll have
additional results to report. My redness improved a little today, I'm fair
skinned and sunburn easily, but also a perfect candidate for the procedure as
fas as skin tone goes.Keep me updated if you decide to pursue. :-) Cityslicker
Eve / CB -- Cityslicker, 10:50:07 10/16/03 ThuEve, my Fat Transfer would be the treatment that I received my greatest
improvement, but it was only effective for depressed area's and not scars. At
this point, I have close to 100% improvement (knock on wood) but I've had 4
injections and it's only been 3 weeks since my last one.Historically, I start losing the fat from the area's injected after about 4
weeks. So ...I'm anxious to see if these results will stay or start to fade as
has been the case the last 3 times. I've never gone more than about 6 weeks
between injections since I started, and still not certain, what the long term
effects will be. Though, that probably was my last injection for a while.Exoderm would be my most effective treatment on scars, followed by Needling,
then Cooltouch II, Subscision & N-lite combo, and then the 30-35
microdermabrasions would be last on the list. From my understanding, Exoderm
is extremely effective on wrinkles. From my own experience (and the pictures
I've seen also) it works very well. My crowsfeet lines were very deep (in my
opinion) and I was shocked in the dramatic improvement of 100% on my left
side, about 80% improvement on my right side. Now, I will admit, that these
areas are still paralyzed from the Botox injections and that may contribute
some to that effect, as those muscles aren't being flexed now. But still,
improvement was significant. Wrinkles were not really a concern of mine but
delighted with these improvements. I have seen pictures of several people at
the 3 different Dr.'s offices I've been to for the Exoderm consult's and can
tell you, from the pictures I've seen, Exoderm is very effective on wrinkles.
As far as bags under the eyes....I'm sure it would help some.... but I'm just
not knowledgeable enough to determine how much improvement you would get in
those areas. I've seen about 5 plastic surgeons in the last year and I've seen
dramatic results for the eyes with a lower eye lift. They make a fine incision
just under the lash and actually laser or remove the excess fat and / or
tighten the muscles there.I will tell you, if you are on a limited budget, several if not all plastic
surgeons work with finance companies that actually finance your procedure and
then you make monthly payments after the surgery. Some of these companies
offer 90 days, 6 months or 12 months, same as cash, if you make all payments
on time and pay it off in the required time frame.As far as Dr. Alkek goes, yes, I'm familiar with him and his reputation. I
called to get a consult with him.....but after they said it was $75.00 for an
office consult, I decided, unless I was certain I was going to do dermabrasion
which is $5000, I didn't want to pay for a consult when I could use that money
to go towards another treatment. The dermabrasion, laser CO2, both were an
area I had some reservations about. I've heard bad stories of a least 6-1
ratio that CO2 is just not effective or the people were left with a waxy look,
etc,. I've only read about 6 dermabrasion stories and they were 3 for and 3
against. I was a little queesy about a little wheel grinding my scars down.
Though, I have heard that Dr. Alkek is one of the best for that procedure, I
did give it some thought but was just too scared. One of my other
considerations was they said I had to have someone drive me to and from his
office the day of and the day after the procedure and could not take a taxi.
One of my considerations is to seek these treatments in private, I did not
want to have to get my family or neighbor to take me to and from the office,
so I just ruled out that treatment. I'm just not certain of CO2 results, I've
seen numerous Dr.'s that recommended it for me (and you would think they
should know if this is effective for you) and several encouraged me that it
would be a good treatment option, but I revert back to: I've read more bad
results from laser than any other treatment I researched in the last 2 years.As far as icepicks go, Exoderm wasn't as effective on my icepick scars as it
was for some of my other scars.. I've heard good reviews on excision and also
the cross method (from Korea, I believe) that Dr. Rappaport uses in N.J.,
where they use 100% TCA on your icepick scars and have had very good results.
I talked to Dr.Rullan's office yesterday and Dr. Rullan's patient care
co-ordinator said they were expecting approval of Artecoll possibly at the end
of Dec., of this year or early next year, though I do not know if this would
be effective for icepicks, it is a permanent filler and may be a benefit for
other scars. As far as touch-ups for Exoderm, at this time Dr. Rullan allows
you to do 2 free touch-ups, though I don't know how long he can can continue
to this....but this was one of the factors in my decision to get the procedure
done with him. I do plan on getting touch-ups, but unsure when I'll be able to
take off next year. Normally, he likes for you to wait about 6 months to allow
for collagen build-up, if I'm not mistaken. Also, if you could afford to do
excisions and Exoderm, Exoderm would probably help with the scars that the
excision will leave.CB, yes, after all is said in done, Exoderm has been the most effective
procedure for scars that I've done. I was hoping for like a 80% - 90%
improvement overall on all scars. Though I feel I got a good improvement, from
that stand point it was worth it. Dollar wise this whole procedure probably
cost over $5000 all combined when you consider my 3 trips to San Diego, rental
car for 5 days, 13 days of hotels etc., then the cost of gas and eating in
Calif., is outrageous compared to Texas. Fortunately, I work for a major
airline or it would have been an additionlal $1000 or so, minimum. For those
dollars, I was hoping for a radical improvement and wanted to be done with
this journey.I would have no reservations (other than the money) of doing another complete
facial Exoderm. As I stated previously in a different posting, Dr. Rullan has
mentioned that on your touch-up treatments that he concentrates on the
problematic scars and just does a spot treatment versus doing the entire face
again. While I'm hopeful these 2 touch-ups will yield even better results, I'm
not sure when I'll have the time to commit to do them. I factored in the
benefit of being able to do 2 more touch-ups in the cost of the procedure,
with these additional touch-ups, it puts the dollars spent in more favorable
terms and was the over-riding factor in my decision. I would even consider
doing another complete Exoderm treatment even after the touch-ups if I could
get the money and time off again. I was impressed with Dr. Rullan and his
staff, I thanked Dr. Rullan for checking on my care the first 2 days of the
procedure, after I returned to the hotel. He graciously said, "you're
welcome," and then added, "I care about you guys!" That speaks volumes about
the man. :-) Cityslicker
Exoderm..Cityslicker..KIT -- vs, 07:51:06 10/16/03 ThuHey Cityslicker...Wow you got exoderm while I was down in Souther cali to see
dr. rullan.
It woulda been cool to see you in person going through the process.So ya i'm still thinking about exoderm, totally confused if i should do it.
Dr.Rullan told me i would get 80 percent improvement... but sounds like you,
kit, and steve have said more around 50?What ever happend to KIT. KIT ARE YOU STILL OUT THERE???? how is your skin
healing from exoderm kit.????
Denise -TYPO in my message to you -- Kelly, 07:05:32 10/16/03 ThuI meant how much "SKILL" is involved in needling (not skin) =)
Kelly
Denise Thank you! -- Kelly C., 07:03:07 10/16/03 ThuThank you Denise! I am one of those who's skin is easily irritated by Retin-A;
but I havent tried the gel or the micro yet.I do have some questions about needling that I hope you can answer. First off
good thinking about marking up your scars before hand, I love that idea and
think anyone getting needling done should do this. I like that it gives you
some control over whats been done. How did your needling specialist respond to
this idea? The only problem I would have with this is that I have many scarred
pores they cover every inch of my face, I am gonna look solid polka dotted.
Did you have your unscarred skin done at all?I live on the west coast and would like to go to the woman who did your
needling however it might be too exspensive for me. Do you think that someone
else could do as good a job? For instance if I tell someone to do my scarred
pore scars lightly and my deeper scars more aggressively will they know what I
am talking about? I guess what i am asking is how much skin is involved?
Did you bleed with both the "slightly touched" areas and the aggresive areas?
How long after a procedure until I would feel comfortable showing my face?Thanks for giving us hope Denise and I am so happy for your success!
Cityslicker - Exoderm -- cb, 20:31:15 10/15/03 WedCityslicker:
Thanks for the comprehensive update on your procedure. I hope you continue to
heal and your results improve. Was all of what you went through worth it?
50-60% sounds pretty darn good for a weeks worth of hell.I couldn't help but chuckle on the part when you took your mask off and headed
to 'Carl's.' Thanks again, sounds like Dr. Rullan and his staff are very
attentive.I haven't heard too many sucess stories for acne scars with ablative
resurfacing procedures such as CO2, maybe this is the way to go?Regards,
~cb
Retin A -- John, 20:06:00 10/15/03 WedDenise1, I have an old prescription of Retin A Micro Gel 0.5% that I'm
thinking of getting renewed. I had originally stopped it because my doctor put
me on Accutane and she didn't want me to be on both meds at the same time. I
want to start doing what you have explained in your post to Kelly. My question
is, do you think the Micro Gel works as well at eating scar tissue as the
Cream? I can't tolerate Retin A cream at all because it makes me break out for
several months after I start using it. The Micro Gel, however, doesn't
(probably due to its different base). In your opinion, can I use the Gel every
night and put the Super CP Serum right over it? Do you think it would help
with dissolving the scar tissue as well as the Cream and the Super CP? Thanks,
Denise, for any help you can give me on this.
John
Denise, Retin A is a mirical scar fixer -- JW, 19:50:10 10/15/03 WedAbout 8 years ago right before an accutane treatment I got this badly infected
pimple. It started out small then I tried to squeeze it and "bam" I felt a
little pop like you usually do but this time no sebum came out only blood. To
make a long story short it stayed very small but lasted in duration for about
6weeks with a little "sebum" coming out every day. I really think the accutane
help to dry it up inside or it probably would have lasted all year. Anyway,
about the sixth weak I noticed when I tried to squeeze it (I squeezed it every
other day because it built up with fluid and I had a big white head just
sitting on my face, ya, that is what may have got me into this mess but I
would be dammed if I had a big white head on my face all day lasting for who
knows how long) some fluid came out but then it sucked right back in the
little hole. That really scared me because I knew for it to have sucked back
in there must have been a huge pocket of empty space in the deeper cavity of
the pimple. Well after three days since it started to suck the fluid back in,
I noticed the skin in that area sinking in; about a dime size area. Then after
it completely healed "oh shit" right in the middle of the depression a huge
ice pick scare. It looked like my check was a piece of clay and someone shoved
a pencil right in my face. After going to a surgeon to see what I can to get
it fixed he said I would have to get an inscion and cut the scare out which
may leave a keloid scare and then I would have to get that resurfaced and my
lead to other problems (mind you this was eight years ago). So depressed
because I was afraid the inscion was going to make things worse. I read about
scare reduction that Retin A is known for. So this is what I did:I placed a bit of Retin A (1% non-generic cream, not sure if the generic would
have worked or the gel) on the area and rubbed it in vigorously. I used a
cotton swab not to damage the skin because if I used something hard it would
have taken my skin right off, and my fingers were not abrasive enough. I
wanted to cause some irritation and swilling in that small area. So after that
I placed a bit on (lightly, just dabbing it on and not rubbing to much) about
seven times a day letting it pretty much absorb on its own. When it would
start to heal completely I would rub in vigorously again causing some mild
swelling right on the indention. So for the next three month I had a dime
sized red area that was slightly scabbed. The first four weeks I could not
tell if it was working because it was very dry and a little scabbed from the
irritation of the Renin A, but I kept proceeding because I had a feeling I was
on the right track and I saw a slight improvement at the end of the first
month. Then in the end of the third month after placing in on every day
constantly and rubbing it in vigorously when it started to heal it was 90%
gone. The "ice pick" hole is 100% gone and all that remains is a small shallow
depression where it once was (that is why I say 90%). If I look closely at it
I can see a small amount of scare tissue where the whole once was, so small
that you have to get within six inches of my face to even see it, also I have
to stick my check out with my tongue or I will not see it at all. As for the
mild depression around the ice pick hole that is 80% gone. The redness went
away a few weeks after I stopped using it. As of today eight years later the
very slight depression is still there with that very small amount of scare
tissue right in the middle reminding me how much pain I was in and so happy
that God blessed my with the foresight to take a risk and due such a thing. I
am not telling no body to do this at all because everybody skin is different
therefore may react different. What I am telling you that it was my saving
grace to get that unsightly thing off my face and worked so so much better
than any surgery would have done.. This is what worked for me eight years ago
and I know the pain scars and ance can cause. I recently got a very small
scare from a smoothbeam treatment and after all the treatments are over I will
use Rentin A to fix it. This one will be much easier to fix because it is not
nowhere near as bad as that huge ice pick scare. God bless and I hope this
helps someone.
Kelly -- Denise1, 15:29:38 10/15/03 WedHi Kelly. What has really worked for me on the scarred pores is needling. With
my second needling, I marked with two different colored pens; I used one color
for the scarred pores; areas where I wanted her to slightly touch the scarred
pore, and I used a different color for scars where I wanted her to go more
aggressive. Some of those deeper type scarred pores (small pits) I have had
done twice. Keep in mind that I am on Retin A and Super Serum (copper
peptides) and these things work great on acne and acne scars. I fully believe
that is why I have had a lot of success with my scars; Retin A stimulates
collagen by up to 80%. It's a shame more people cannot tolerate it; studies
show that it gobbles up scarred/damaged tissue. I just read a link to that
study on another site not too long ago. Anyway, that is what has worked very
well...exceedingly well for me. Yes, some were probably small pits but I have
countless numbers of these things, and most if not all that have been treated
with needling have responded very well. Some are just smallish pores now. Some
are tiny itty bitty microscropic slits. Some look to be totally gone, and
aren't noticeable at all with makeup, but overall....they all have improved.Hope that helps!!! Good luck.
To Cityslicker--one more question -- Eve, 15:21:20 10/15/03 WedDo you know anything about Dr. David Alkek in the Dallas area? He is suppose
to be extremely skilled in the use of dermabrasion, which he recommends over
lazers and peels. I've also heard he is very expensive. His website is
www.alkek.com
To Cityslicker -- Eve, 14:50:33 10/15/03 WedI have been waiting to read about your experiences with Exoderm. Thank you for
being so thorough! I have several questions for you. I remember you are from
Texas, which I am also. Of all the treatments you have had, which do you feel
gave you the most improvement? Also, are you planning on having the Exoderm
touchups and how much do they cost? Would the Exoderm treatment take care of
wrinkles and bags under the eyes also? My scars are very old (I'm 51) with
MANY icepick scars, especially on my cheeks. I also have a lot of tiny bumps.
My complexion is rough and is getting worse with age. How would you compare
the Exoderm to the Co2 lazer procedure? Three days ago I emailed a plastic
surgery clinic in Houston(mybeautifulbody.com) about excision, but they
haven't answered me yet. I read on Acne.org where several people had
significant improvement with excision of their ice picks. I have so many it
would probably take several surgeries. I would like to do something within the
next year, but my finances are tight so I will not be able to manage multiple
procedures at this time. That's why I'm interested in knowing which of all the
procedures you had done was the most beneficial. Again, thanks for the
excellent description of Exoderm.
Exoderm Update: -- Cityslicker, 12:58:22 10/15/03 WedWell I did it. Just wanted to update and give an account of the procedure.
Started off everything coming together as planned over 18 months ago. Took 4
weeks vacation, got my back surgery scheduled for the day before I come back
from vacation, which will give me an additional 6-7 weeks off work. Had the
hotel reservations lined up for Days Inn Hotel Circle for 10 days. Car rental
reserved for the first day to shop for groceries, and another car reservation
for the last 48 hours to go for oxygen therapy 3 times. Airline reservation
was made and I'd taken off an additional day before surgery to get settled in
to the hotel etc. Everything planned, then the day before departure, I came
down with what I thought was a herpes outbreak on my face around my lip area.
Literally seen it form right before my eyes. I had checked my face in the
mirror about 1:00 p.m. that afternoon, everything was fine, then about 2 hours
later, noticed a small spot starting to form and was thinking to myself, I
hope this is not another outbreak this close to my surgery. I started checking
my face regurally every hour or so......horridly, it kept getting more
prominent as the day progressed. Got about 2 hours sleep.... then got up at
7:00 a.m. the day of my departure, which is also the day before my procedure,
and went to my dermatologist and asked to be worked into their schedule for
the day, as an emergency. Still unsure at this point if it was a forming
pimple or an outbreak. The physicians assistant couldn't determine either and
did a swab test to study under the microscope. She said they look for large
nucleated cells under the microscope and that her and the Dr. had both thought
they had seen a partial one which would indicate the forming of the virus. At
this point, was unsure what would happen, and if the procedure would even take
place.Called the nurse that Dr. Rullan had recommended (Elizabeth) Sunday nite to
apprise her of this new development and advise her that the procedure might
have to be canceled. Flew into San Diego, Monday, Sept.29, as planned. Rented
a car at the airport, then headed straight to Dr. Rullan's office for him to
determine if we could proceed. Dr. Rullan looked at the inflamed area and put
me right at ease. He said, he thought I'd be just fine and didn't see any
reason to cancel the surgery, that he would inject the area with cortisone
shot, and that would kill the the virus if it was an outbreak, and kill the
inflammation if it was a pimple. He told me to rest assured, that everything
would proceed and I'd be fine, that in his opinion, it wasn't even the virus,
especially after I advised him that I'd been taking meds for 2 weeks at double
the dose that was recommended.That was what was so incredible, I have a history of cold sores and for the
previous 2 weeks had been taking 2 Vatrex a day when I developed a cold sore
on my lip 10 days before my procedure, I freaked out then and called Dr.
Rullan's office and talked to the patient care co-ordinator worried that I'd
had an outbreak. She recommended to keep taking the Valtrex at that time, and
that I'd probably be fine come surgery day. That was the real shocker, as I
was just recovering from that outbreak and then noticed 2 days before my
procedure that the spot on my lip was healing from the outbreak 8 days
earlier, and would probably be clear the day of my surgery, when I noticed the
other outbreak (I mentioned above) forming on the other side. At this point, I
had been taking 4 Valtrex a day, as well as about 4 herbals, and 5 different
vitamins to strengthen my immune system for the past week, to head off any
possible problem. Dr. Rullan said that we were more concerned with an outbreak
at the end of my procedure than at the beginning of it and to take the new
prescription he prescribed, and he felt if I took these new meds. for 10 days
that I'd be fine (my other meds were 2 years old and were expiring in Oct.,
03' and I wasn't sure how effective they were). Problem solved, case closed,
and never became a problem after all that worry.I checked in at the hotel, got my prescription filled, went and bought some
groceries for my 8 day adventure and then returned my rental car. They
shuttled me back to the airport, where I then called the hotel for their
shuttle van to come and get me. The room I stayed in had 2 queen beds,
refrig., stove, sink, cooking utensils, pots, pans, silverware, dishwashing
liquid, glasses, coffee maker, microwave, 27 in. TV, private bath and shower,
hair dryer, ironing board with iron, table with 2 chairs, and an additional
cushioned lounge chair, chest of drawers and a night stand w/alarm clock. Also
had free shuttle service to airport and local sites. Got a good deal 2 months
in advance at $62.95 a night.
Procedure Day: Elizabeth, the nurse, picked me up the at the hotel and drove
me to the office. I prepped for surgery and was advised it would take about 2
hours. Elizabeth left and was gone until they called her on her cell phone to
come pick me up. I met with the nurse and the anesthesiologist before the
procedure.The procedure took place at the office in a operating room with all
the essentials needed for the procedure. Dr. Rullan came in and asked if I had
any questions and noted that the spot on my face had improved already. I
didn't really have any questions.....and the last thing I remember was them
inserting the IV in my arm and the oxygen in my nose.....then it was lights
out. Only remember about 30 secs. of the procedure when I awoke for a half a
minute or so, and they were putting the Exoderm liquid on my face, then I was
out again, til I awoke later, and they said the procedure was over and that it
went well, and that I did well also. Had the tape strips all over my face, a
white medical grade fishnet stocking over my head and the IV taped, left in my
arm, for the procedure the next day. Transferred to a wheel chair, then to
Elizabeth's waiting car outside.Elizabeth drove me back to the hotel. I was awake and alert. Got back to the
room and walked to my room and to the bed on my own, where I stayed most of
the day, except to use the restroom, etc. Pain was tolerable and I took my
prescribed meds. as scheduled throughout the day. Dr. Rullan called Elizabeth
at the hotel, to check on me, the first day. She advised him, I was doing well
and was doing better than any of the other 6 patients she had sat with.
Actually, I felt I could have functioned by myself, on my own, but it was nice
having the nurse on hand to help and she was wonderful. If you ever have the
procedure done, would highly recommend her, she is very caring and considerate
person. She waited on me hand and foot and I wanted for nothing for the 2 days
she was there. She spent about $15 of her own money getting extra misc. items
I needed for the additional 8 days I was staying. I'm still trying to
re-imburse her but she won't take my money.With the pain medicine, pain was manageable the first day, though my entire
face and around my eyes were swollen. Had to sleep sitting up for the entire 8
days and this was difficult to sleep in that position, though, Elizabeth
requested 4 extra pillows to prop me up, and then she gave me an additional
pillow, from her bed, to use to put 2 pillows under my legs. Elizabeth stayed
2 days and gave me excellent care.Day 2, back to the office. Immediately ushered into the office upon arrival,
where I was prepped once again for part 2 of the procedure. No anathesiologist
today, but did have the IV drip. Dr. Rullan came in and answered a few
questions I had written down for him. The tape mask and fishnet stocking was
removed and only mildly painful. A dermatologist from Tijuana was in from
Mexico and Dr. Rullan asked if I minded that she observed, which I didn't
mind. After my mask was off I was able to talk while lying on the operating
table, and Dr. Rullan abraided my scars and put the additional Exoderm liquid
on.The pain was tolerable, but had a mildly burning sensation throughout the
process. Dr. Rullan commented that he was abraiding the scars til they
slightly bled, and that that was part of the magic and actually improved the
benefits from the procedure. After abraiding all the scars on my face and a
couple of scars on my neck, Dr. Rullan was done, (seemed like about 35 - 45
min.) and then his Nurse Assistant finished up with putting the powdered mask
on and removed the IV etc,. The mask is a bright yellow-greenish powder that
Dr. Rullan said was actibacterial, antivaral, and promoted healing. I was able
to talk for about 3-4 hours before it hardened and in that time, I put
retainers on my teeth that I wore for 7 days. I got braces off in December of
last year, my orthodontist said I could not go 7 days without wearing them or
my teeth would move....and that the 2 1/2 years would be wasted if I didn't
wear them, so for 7 god forsaken days I wore them, and couldn't talk, and
could barely open my mouth.Elizabeth came back to the office to pick me up. Back in the wheelchair I go,
and down to the waiting car again. We decided to stop by a dollar store to
pick up some supplies that were needed and I stayed in the car. A couple of
passing kids (about 13-14 yoa) couldn't help stopping in front of the car and
pointing and gawking at me with my bright colored yellow-green powdered mask
on. They stared at me, and I stared back at them......actually, they were
pretty rude about the whole deal, but I just shrugged them off, I didn't know
them anyway, and was glad I was able to add to their amusement for the day.
Though, that would be a different story at the hotel and I did not want to be
bothered with maid service for my duration there.Back at the hotel, Elizabeth stayed with me throughout the day. We
communicated mostly with pen, paper, and hand signals, except for the 3 hours
before the mask hardended. Meals and nutrition were Slimfast, cream of chicken
soup, liguid yogurt, juice, milk, a lot of water, cream of wheat, energy
drinks, carnation instant breakfast, etc., all of which had to be drank from
plastic squeezable bottles (hair dye bottles), and all got old quickly. Day 2
was with manageble pain once again, but the pain was more significant today
than the day before. Around my eyes and face became more swollen and my face
actually looked very bloated. Once again, I could have maneuvered around on my
own, but was helpful, to again have Elizabeth to tend to my needs and manage
my pain medicine and schedule of prescriptions to take. I had 3 prescriptions
filled before my surgery, and then his office gave me 3 different meds to take
with me in envelope packs. Dr. Rullan called again, late in the day, to check
on my recovery. Again she stated, I was a model patient and had done better
than any patient she had seen to date. At one point though, later in the day,
I did get nauseous from the different meds. and had to take another medicine,
specifically, in case I got nauseous. About 30 minutes later, I improved from
the nauseousness and was able to sleep sitting up once again. Slept about 10
hours a day first 2 days.Day 3 and Elizabeth was leaving today. Pain was still managable and improving
slightly over the day before but still took all recommended pain meds as
required. Before Elizabeth left, I asked if she'd go talk to the manager to
request "no maid service" for the next 6 days, and to inform them, I did not
want to see anyone, all I needed was 6 days of towels, and if that wasn't
possible, then could I request maid service every 3 days, knowing I would see
a maid once in 3 days and then 3 more days would actually be my 7th day of
which the mask would be coming off, and I could leave that day before the maid
came in. Back she came 10 mins. later, to tell me they said "that was not
possible, that I could not go more than every other day without maid service,
as they had to empty the trash." The irritating part was: I had already talked
to 2 managers before my surgery to get this approved, the nite manager and the
afternoon manager, but unfortunately it was 11:00 a.m. (day manager) and I had
yet to talk to him/her.After Elizabeth came back and said they could only do every other day, I was
infuriated these people were so rediculous, I didn't want to see anyone. I
would compromise (I thought) to allow the maid to come every 3 days. So......I
decided if they were going to be rediculous, so would I, off to the office I
went, bright yellow-green powdered mask and all. I marched into the front desk
lobby area with a crowd full of people, actually it was a little bit of a
commotion, a child with his mom, actually jumped behind her, heads turned, the
office manager looked up and immediately ran to the back room to call her
supervisor to advise him/her of the situation she was now in. Another office
mngr. helping customers appeared a little unnerved and apprehensive as well, I
motioned for a piece of paper and wrote.... I do not wish to have to come back
down here again, can you please accomadate my request!!! I turned and left,
leaving Elizabeth still at the front desk and several people staring at me
trying to figure out why I looked so horrific. Back to the room I went, a
little embarassed, and a little proud I addressed their inflexibility.
Elizabeth returned a few minutes later and stated they said "no problem" maid
service every 3 days. At that point, Elizabeth decided she wanted to make some
coffee and realized that there wasn't enough coffee packs to last me 6 more
days, so she went back to the office to request more packs for me. It had only
been about 10 min. since I had my fateful encounter with them......she came
back with more coffee packs and they gave her a whole plastic bag full of the
packs and said......I could have anything I wanted (slight change of
attitude). I don't think that they wanted to see me again.Slept sitting up all 8 days. Days 4-7 were pretty uneventful, boring, boring,
and then more boring. Watched a bunch of commercials about Carl Jr.s new
burger and Wendy's new chicken strips, torture, torture, torture, as I
couldn't eat solid food or talk still. Watched the latest on the Arnold saga,
daily, until he finally bacame elected. Basically, 6 worst days of my life, no
food, no talking, no company, (maid once., ha, ha,ha,) funny thing was, they
originally said they couldn't go but every other day without maid service,
then the third day they were scheduled to come at 10:00 a.m., they didn't even
show. They call about 3:30 p.m. and ask, Do you want maid service today? They
were asking if I wanted service, even on the one day I was scheduled (like it
was no big deal I'd gone 3 previous days without service) and I could've said
no for this day also, and did, but then she said, how about trash, do you need
trash emptied? So I mumbled "Okay" to come get the trash. They were quite
accomadating, looking back it is a chuckle. After day 3 though, I did not take
any more pain pills and only took the Valtrex and the antibiotics til I ran
out on the 7th day. Also, Day 3 and Day 4 my swelling was probably at it's
worst but began to slowly diminish each day thereafter. By the 7th day of
mask, swelling was completely gone.Wednesday the magic day 8. Actually, 7th day of mask. It began to crack
slightly about the third day. And Dr. Rullan's office had given me some extra
powder in a plastic cup to apply daily, that was why we stopped at the dollar
store previously, to get a re-fillable spray bottle and a make-up powder
brush. You lightly spray / wet the mask, then dab on additional powder daily
to help strenthen the mask and dab places where cracks formed. I was also
given a package of vaseline to keep the area around eyes and lips from drying,
and I applied daily. On the 4th and 5th day, pretty extensive cracks were in
the mask but I tried to mend them by dabbing the powder in the cracks and then
all over to help keep tight. By day 6 mask begins to crack around edges of
neck, ear, eyes, mouth, etc., and I begin to peel slightly at the corners
around neck and ears. Midnite comes for day 7 of mask, can't wait, I pick and
peel about 1/2 of mask til about 2:00 a.m. when I stop for a couple of hours.
Supposed to use vaseline to loosen, of which I'd not used up to this point.
About 4:30 a.m. can't wait to get the rest of this mask off. I saturate the
rest of mask with vaseline and spend an additional 30-40 minutes to dissolve
it. Take a shower and 98% is gone at this point. Finally, shower to wash hair,
take out retainers, brush teeth, put a can of real soup in the microwave, Life
is good, finally....freedom to return to eating, walk outside for the first
time in 6 days, just to get out. Later, in the day, day 8, I get the rental
car, (I can take it no longer) I proceed to Carl Jr.'s to get that burger, it
wasn't as good as it looked though, the previous 6 days.The Results: Please bear in mind, I've been told numerous times that my scars
are rated a 1-2 on a scale of 3 with 1=mild, 2=moderate, and 3=severe. My face
is still sunburn red, all abraided scars healed completely (under the mask),
except neck area. Dr. Rullan had stated the mask actually becomes simular to a
scab sealing off your face and providing a healing environment. Crowsfeet
virtually eradicated on left side 100%, only about 20% remain on my right
side, noticed the same on frown lines the first day, virtually gone, but as I
began to express myself the second day, I noticed frown lines had slightly
returned about 20%. Then I took a shower and noticed they were diminshed back
to about 10%. Crowsfeet were injected with botox about a week before Exoderm,
as well as I received a 4th Fat Transfer injection in the cheeks. I expect for
crowsfeet to become more prominent, in a few months, when muscles return to
normal.The acne scars??? I feel like I got a good improvement, but was hoping and
expecting a greater improvement. Dr. Rullan said as my skin continues to heal
from the wounding scars will continue to build collagen. On my right side, I
feel I got a fairly good improvement of about 60% - 70% and actually looks
fairly good, but the left side where most of my scars are more prominent, more
deeper, and more clustered, I felt the improvement was only 30% - 40% for an
average improvement of about 45% - 50% overall from where scar's were. It's a
little difficult to gauge somewhat as the stage 1 scars were about 65% - 75%
eliminated in most cases, more thouroughly on my right side, though I do have
3 - 4 (Stage 2) larger scars remaining. My left side would be the same,
somewhat, except for where they are clustered around the deeper scars. On my
left side of which about 20 deeper scars remain, some of the bigger scars
appeared to only slightly improved, my deepest scars 25% - 30% maybe, next
deeper maybe 40%, some 50%, fingernail indents about 40% - 50%, nose scars
about 50% - 60%, scars around mouth about 50%, the 2 scars on my neck, and
they were actually quite big pock marks, appear to be 70% - 80% improved.
Funny, only area that was scabbed after mask came off is where I got the very
best improvement and actually figured before he started, I be lucky to get
much improvement from those areas.A comparison to illustrate only, (not what actually happened) would be to
imagine that you were able to peel off 4 - 6 layers of your skin, thin layers
like when you sunburn, imagine those 4 - 6 layers peeled off evenly across
your face. Now, your smaller pock marks and large pores would improve
significantly (which mine have) but your larger scars would still be there,
just not as deep. I can see where my larger scars have improved, but they are
still there. Icepick scars still there, not as deep, fingernail indents still
there, but more faint, depressions still there but scar inside depressed area
improved. Large pock marks improved, but still there. All scars improved,
deeper scars not as good, smaller scars significantly. Some scars improved
better than I expected, some scars didn't improve as much as I expected.Overall: I got a good improvement of close to 50% with the larger icepick and
pock marks dragging down that average some. I'm satisfied with my results but
at the same time, had hoped for an even greater improvement. I do have a
slight orange peel look in some places. The remaining prominent scars on my
left side are more deeper and tougher to eliminate, perhaps as continued
collagen build-up and then 2 additional touch-ups, additional penetration will
be made. Face is still sunburn red, oxygen therapy did help redness and the
make-up session that I had as a back-up, I didn't even schedule. Still
avoiding family and friends because of redness, but other than that, flew back
home and didn't even wear the hat I'd bought. Still eat out everyday and
average person probably notices redness, but only had one comment, and that
was from a waitress where I frequent to eat, she commented you got your face
sunburned, HuH??? And I said yeah, then she came back to take my order, and
said okay, what really happened to your face, I just shrugged and said, I'm
sunburn, so she dropped it.Anyway, another chapter is written in the saga of acne scarred soul, and life
continues. May your journey bring your dreams to reality. Good luck all. :-)
Cityslicker
Thanks Jack -- vs, 19:23:36 10/14/03 Tuethanks jack, thats a good idea.
any others out there who undergone exoderm...let me know!
vs/ exoderm -- jack, 08:02:42 10/14/03 Tuehey vs,
exoderm does seem to be quite a big procedure. Honestly I'm kind of scared of
it myself, but that might be unfounded. What I would suggest, however, is to
call dr. rullan and ask if he can give you the phone numbers of patients he's
had. We already know about Steve (thanks steve!) but maybe if you can talk to
five or so patients that have undergone exoderm (for more than a year or so),
then you can have a better idea. If he says he can't give it to you because of
confidentiality, ask him to call these patients and ask them if they'd be
willing. I'm sur emost people who have scarring and have undergone the
procedure would be more than willing to talk to someone if they think it'll
help them.That's what I would do, anyway.
Jack
Denise advice please -- Kelly C., 03:58:35 10/14/03 TueHi Denise, I have been coming here off and on for a while and have read your
posts with great intrest because you mentioned that you had some success
getting rid of those large pore thingys(or are these just small icepicks?). I
have not had time to go over all the past postings because I can not spend too
much time on the net. I was wondering if you could sum up what has worked the
best for these type of scars? The ones I have are small but they cover every
inch of my face and truly ruin the overall texture. Also what method would you
suggest for shallow scars like those that appear when scabs come off too soon
(what are these type of scars called)? I do appriciate it. Thank you much.
Kelly
Denise advice please -- Kelly C., 03:56:52 10/14/03 TueHi Denise, I have been coming here off and on for a while and have read your
posts with great intrest because you mentioned that you had some success
getting rid of those large pore thingys(or are these just small icepicks?). I
have not had time to go over all the past postings because I can not spend too
much time on the net. I was wondering if you could sum up what has worked the
best for these type of scars? The ones I have are small but they cover every
inch of my face and truly ruin the overall texture. Also what method would you
suggest for shallow scars like those that appear when scabs come off too soon
(what are these type of scars called)? I do appriciate it. Thank you much.
Kelly
To: Natalie -- I have the same thing -- Beth, 00:41:39 10/14/03 TueI am 40 and have only been dealing with this chin acne thing for the past 3
years. I don't seem to break out anywhere else other than on my chin and
always in the same spots. I too think it is hormone related since I usually
get 1 zit per month around the time of my period. I never used to scar from
acne, but my skin burned pretty badly from an acid peel a few years ago & now
seems more prone to scarring. I wonder if vitamin B would help in our
situation. How old are you? (if you don't mind me asking) Are you late 30's or
early 40's? Just curious. Beth
My Dr. Rullan Consult -- vs, 23:48:08 10/13/03 MonHi All
Well I'm back in San Jose. I drove to southern california to see Dr. Rullan.
That was one long drive, my god. Its south of san diego, very long drive! I
suggest flying next time. heheAnyways. I first met with Valerie. I think she is the patient coordinator or
head nurse or something. She is really nice. We spoke about exoderm and stone
peel--stone peel is a cheaper chemical peel.Then I met with Dr. Rullan. He was also very kind. He basically said I'm a
good canidate for exoderm. He also assured me I wouldnt get any aditional
scarring or weird pigmentation problems.I also Had swelling that was a result of subcision which he injected with
Kelog steroid. However It didnt help. The area is still swollen.Anyways, my conclusion is this. Dr. Rullan and his staff are very kind. And as
many people know, I was a skeptic of exoderm. I still don't know how I feel
about exoderm. I guess i'm just really scared. We have all wasted money on
treatments that dont work, and I dont want to fall into that situation again.Exoderm looks promising, but then again it frightens me. I'm scared by such
issues as: what if it doesn't work and I waste 3700 hundred dollars, what if
it scars me, what if my pigment changes for the worse. Again--I was assured by
Valerie and Dr. Rullan that it won't effect my pigment nor scar me.So at this point, I have lots of thinking to do. Exoderm is a huge treatment,
in terms of cost, mentally, and physically. I have to think about this before
I jump into it. Its so hard to decide what to do.I would love your inputs, what do you all think?
City -- cb, 23:25:30 10/13/03 MonCityslicker:
How are things looking after your peel? Is it too early to give a report? Let
us know. Thanks in advance for the insight into your treatment.
smoothbeam treatments for active acne -- JW, 19:54:55 10/13/03 MonTammy what was your setting on the laser your doctor/tech used. Mine was at 13
joules although my acne seems to be improved it cause me to have seven small
blisters which healed in a week, but two left behind a small indention scar on
my check. I think I might try 12 joules next time to prevent scaring,
hopefully. If you don’t know what setting your laser was set at can you find
out, also, ask if he/she is planning on raising the joules on you, if so how
high.
Thank you Marcos -- Elaine, 19:13:49 10/13/03 MonThank you Marcos for responding and for your ideas!
Cystic Acne -- Natalie, 11:41:18 10/13/03 MonHi guys,
I am glad i finally found a message board for acne sufferers.
I have been suffering from adult cystic acne for a few years now. At first it
hasn't been too bad, but it is getting worse with years. As far as i remember
really i haven't had a face free of spots and now i also have quite a few
scars as well, which will be permanent.Well, my cysts mainly come out on my chin, in the same places every time. The
rest of my face is actually ok and skin is in good condition, but cysts on my
chin are constant, painful and unsightly. It seems to be hormonal related in
my case, and always gets worse around my period. Don't know what to do to
actually stop those cysts appearing.Considering Vitamin B5 at the moment. HAs anyone tried it and had results.
Perhaps, anyone can suggest something for my hormonal cystic acne. It would be
great to find new ways of fighting this condition. Any suggestions would be
really useful and much appreciated.Thank you for reading
Natalie
smoothbeam laser for acne -- Tammy, 18:08:53 10/12/03 SunHello, i'm glad I found a site with an acne message board. I wish I would have
found this long ago. I have tried everything you can imagine for acne. My
family docter prescribed antibiotics, and retin A and also an antibiotic cream
and none really helped so, i went to the derm. and he suggested smoothbeam
laser. So, i had my first treatment 4 days ago. I am praying that this works
because I hate to spend money and have no results. It didn't hurt and my face
was red the first hour and then it looked normal. I am to go and get 3
treatments, my next one is in january (or if I can save the money up before
then) He said i will see results from 7days to a month but, he said I will see
a bigger difference from the next treatment. So, anyone out there that has had
it done.......let me know how your results are. So far, my face doesn't look
majorly different but, I have noticed my face is drying up a little and I had
2 very large pimples and they are just about gone.....so I will keep in touch
on my results.....bye :)
smoothbeam treatments for active acne -- JW, 17:35:19 10/12/03 SunI had a smoothbeam treatment done to treat my active acne and it has been 12
days now and I would say my acne seems to be reduced by half or more. It was
at 13 joules. It caused 7 little blisters on the right side of my face in
which 3 of them left little indented scares. I am not sure if they are going
to heal but it seems to me after 6 days they stopped healing and are staying
the same. Due to my good results so fare on the soothbeam for my active acne I
am going to go at it again, but am wondering if anybody can give me some
insight into this procedure.
EXCISION -- Jonah, 07:07:07 10/12/03 SunHi, I was wondering if anyone has had excision of any kind, and if you could
tell me wut the original scar was, and what the resulting scar looks like.
Were you happy etc. I have 6 or 7 thin, but deep holes in my face from acne.
Thanks a lot.
Super CP Serum Arrived -- Robert, 22:42:54 10/11/03 SatWell, my Super CP Serum arrived today. It definitely feels and looks more
potent. It stains a bit, but I really don't care about that. The Super Cop
arrived, too. I took a look at it, and it looks like it will break me out, so
I'm not going to use it. I still have an unopened bottle of the regular CP
Serum also. If anyone wants these, e-mail me.I found a 15% glycolic acid cream that doesn't burn me (from
www.homepeels.com). So I'm happy about that. Hopefully the cream and the super
serum will help over time.
To: Charlotte -- Thanks! -- Beth, 22:40:27 10/10/03 Fri
I appreciate the info about Mr. G and I'm so happy to hear that his good
results have held up. I think it would be easy to go away if my skin were
repaired and not hang out here anymore either. I hope I am so fortunate one
day.Thanks again!
Beth :-)
Eric -- Charlotte, 15:38:18 10/10/03 FriOkay, I'll let you guys know how it's going. I'm working on a photo link,
although my photos aren't always the same lighting, angles, or even the same
camera. My before any scar treatment pictures are good and clear, taken
outdoors, up close, and shows loads of scarring. I thought I lost the film,
but found it recently and processed it with that Kodak Special Touch or
whatever they've been promoting lately - can't remember the name right now.
When I'm done, I'll post the link here.The reason I'm not waiting until after my six smoothbeam sessions are over to
get needling is because I have heard that smoothbeam works best on newer
scars. Needling essentially creates a new injury inside the scar, causing the
body to send collagen to fix it. I'm waiting about 3 weeks after needling for
my second smoothbeam apptmt. I'm contemplating maybe even pushing it out
another week or so just to be sure my skin isn't undergoing too much. And the
needling I just had will probably be my last one unless I need a touchup later
on. My needling yesterday involved a lot less spots than my first needling in
July, so that tells me there is improvement because she needled every possible
indentation she could find.
Charlotte- Smoothbeam -- Eric, 09:58:52 10/10/03 FriCharlotte-
I have an appointment in Sacramento in a few weeks for a consultation for a
series of Smoothbeam treatments. I am hoping they will clear my acne and help
some with my acne scarring. If you don't mind, please keep us updated with
your Smoothbeam experience and let us know how it goes. If Smoothbeam works to
clear my acne, I will probably pursue needling as a method to further improve
my scars as well.Thanks,
-Eric
