I'm so fucking tired of feeling ugly. My teenage years I had horrible acne, my twenties I have deep acne scars and in my thirties I'm going to get wrinkles anyway and blow money on treatment. People who got to enjoy having nice skin don't know how lucky they are.
I came across a video of this girl who had her pitted scars removed by having a major major chemical peel. They actually have to put you under sedation that’s how intense it is. Only certain doctors do this and it’s not something that any doctor can do. This will remove the scars. You will look scary for awhile bc there’s a full face of burnt skin that stays on your face until the doctor removed it. If you search on RU-vid u will find them.
As someone who is acneic, I actually think these pitted scars are worse than the active acne itself. The amount of time and stress acne scars have caused me is exhausting just to think about.
@@notsooxtreme1 For sure. I feel like no one warned me about acne scars. It was devastating (still is) for me when I realized I had them. It helps to know I'm not alone, but it just really makes me sad for all of us; as if we haven't suffered enough with acne.
1- retinoids 2- Chemical peels, aha bha 3- radio-frequency, safe for dark skin too 4- radio frequency 5- accutane, some procedures can be done while on it 6- ablative lasers= lasers like co2 , yag laser = has more side effects like hyperpigmentation hypopigmentation specially in dark skin tone 7- subcision 8- punch excision (quite scary) 9- fillers, permanent or temporary 10- tca cross = effective inexpensive No approach fits all.
@chandamamakathalu9489hi i tried microneedling.. there is a very little improvement. I still have visible scars. Now im using retinoid. Did you find retinoid helpful for scarring. Please let me know your thoughts on retinoid
@chandamamakathalu9489hi bro, do you see any improvements with tretinoin and chemical peels from the ordinary? I currently suffered from box and rolling scars. Do you think using retinol can improve the scars as well?
True, i used to jump from dermatologist to dermatologist before when I was a teen. I wish they recognized how cystic my acne was and just gave me accutane earlier instead of their lotions and other stuff
I used to be desperate. However: four TCA peels followed by a couple of CO2 fract. laser treatments + VBeam treatments - my skin is like glass. Do not lose hope, I had disfiguring acne conglobata. After I was done with Accutane it took less than two years for my skin to completely ... ...be remodeled for lack of a better word
@@mv848 That's great! I have very mild scarring but considering TCA cross for the small ice picks I have and Co2 to smooth out things. I'm just nervous of the fractional
@@Uncharted95 Small ice pick: TCA Cross (35% TCA applied with a toothpick into the depression). That particular concentration is safe and should not lead to discoloration. CO2 Ellman Cortex: 22w 2ms with the density @65 - really safe. I needed a couple of treatments though. Scars *can* completely go away do not let anyone tell you they cannot. It takes a year and a half to have all the treatments needed, for they need to be six weeks apart from one another + ideally not to be done during summer months. Be vocal and try to find a caring dermatologist.
I have severe anxiety and I’ve developed a bad habit of picking at my skin as a result. Over quarantine my scars have gotten so bad, I have never been so self conscious about my skin so much that I can’t leave my house without makeup. So I can’t thank this channel enough for helping me seek treatments for my scars. Thank you for the informative video 🙏
Same, i picked at my skin a lot while had my anxious depression episode - broke out a lot due to medication. Now i'm tying to get rid of those scars and discoloration
I just saw your comment, I hope your doing better, I pick scabs over and over when stressed, I don’t cause it myself, but if I accidentally get a scab I pick and pick to never let it heal properly. So I understand it, and I noticed it was worse with COVID, and then after Jan 6th and so much brutality with our police force and school shooting’s, 😢 Anyway I noticed my anxiety is through the roof. I started to take supplements, melatonin, L-Theanine, and Saint John Wart has helped me tremendously, I also keep 2 Valerian, Chamomile, Ylang ylang, and of course lavender, essential oil that I keep on my nightstand while I sleep, the moister from the essential oil mist machine truly helps, and you can easily change the essential oils by dumping out the water and then adding uplifting scents like Lemon Balm, Orange essential oils as well help motivate me, and up lift my mood during the day. Another thing I’ve implemented to help distress myself from picking at my scars is I keep Amethyst Crystals near by me when I sleep, on my night stands and I have a big Amethyst on my coffee table in our tv room, it has also helped me with my anxiety as well… Now of course please speak with your doctor before taking any supplements but I wanted to share this with you. Another good point is when buying supplements and essential oils try to only buy USDA Grade, when you see the USDA Sticker it means that it’s passed the test for using the best products that aren’t chemicals and they are basically guaranteeing that nothing harmful is used. Meaning it’s pure and natural. Your in my prays 🙏 and I totally get it. Doesn’t seem like things are getting any better, so sending you love ❤️ and light, Okay I hope this helps you, and you see it I know you comment is 7 months old, but I wanted to share with some things that have greatly reduced my picking habits.
Because of you I finally made the decision to see a derm after suffering from acne for more than a decade. I had literally given up on myself and had been so distraught over the condition of my skin for so long, I was a serious skin picker and my face was full of painful cystic acne + whiteheads. I'm 25 now, I use tretinoin, sunscreen and moisturizer religiously but now have to deal with the pitted scars left behind by the years of untreated acne. I just wanted to thank you for the wealth of knowledge you put out there and how much it's encouraged me to take care and preserve the health of my skin. You're awesome Dr. Dray!!
@@ritabaglin8752 when I started to use differin, yes my acnes kinda get worsed at first 2 weeks but I kept using and I can say it is really helpful for acne
Honestly,I find it astounding that our skin can repair itself after trauma like that. Yeah, scarring sucks and we should try to avoid it... BUT, you can’t help but look at those scar pictures and be blown away with how intelligent our bodies are. It’s like, I can’t even mend my own clothes so how the heck is my skin mending….ITSELF!??? Amazing
Idk I think it’s amazing. Vanity aside. When you consider the wounds they started as, it’s amazing to see the fusion of those regenerated skin cells after all they’ve been through! Each scar represents a different consequence of some event that happened during your organic life and each one is like a tiny time capsule symbolizing who you were and where your mind was at that particular moment. I just find it amazing to know how fragile and delicate we are, especially because we’re also extremely adaptable at the same time and our bodies just refuse to let us get hurt without at least fighting to recover from that injury at any cost. I think the same can be said about the psyche, metaphorically of course. Obviously most of us would choose to retain our most pristine skin if we had the option. Of course we would. But whether we like it or not, all scars, by definition, are *permanent.* Well actually, I guess the “dictionary definition” of the world ‘scar’ is more like: *The final imprint that remains wherever some form of damage has fully healed with significant resilience.* Which I think is just a beautiful fact of human nature
Viewer from India here! You’re a godsend. It’s been so helpful to learn from your content, in countries like India, where products like cera ve, inkey list are rarely available and super pricey, it helps that you give treatment options not product recommendations per se that are available to viewers across the globe. Great content, my skin and wallet thank you!
I cannot stress enough how life changing Accutane was. I had really bad, painful cystic acne all over my face, chest, and back and aside for some topical acne I get around my period, I haven’t had cystic acne since then and have had mostly clear skin with minimal effort.
I have one from chicken pox. It doesn't really bother me but I can understand if someone had multiple ones it might bother them. I know so many people appreciate all that you do to help with various skin issues. You've definitely helped me! Thanks, Dr Dray for all of your hard work. Happy Tuesday! Hope you have a wonderful evening. 💛
I have one pitted scar on my right cheek. I got it when i had chicken pox few years ago. My friend thought it would be funny if she popped my blister using 50 cent coin. It was so painful. 8 years had past, and i regret it so much that i wasn't punch her till she broke her nose for giving me that permanent scar.
@@SyazanaSaad I have a recently formed chicken pox pit on my left cheek. It looks brown arround the edges. I want to do something about that can u please suggest me some tips?
I’m so grateful for this video. I actually just recently found your channel. Last year I went to a dermatologist that I was referred to by my PC and they were terrible. I went for a skin check for skin cancer and a few other concerns, I asked while in the office if there was anything they could prescribe me for my acne, and pigment issues, I’m in my 40’s, and she said no. But we can do a free consultation For one of our laser treatments, but you have to make another appointment and pay completely out of pocket. I was so angry. Because I knew about retinA already and I also knew that there were other less invasive procedures. At this point I don’t even trust the skin check they did. I’m going to another dermatologist next month because skin cancer runs in my family and all these people wanted to do was get money and not from insurance. I’ve learned so much from your channel by the way. And I did finally just start retinA because my other doctor had no issues prescribing it. Thank you. I’m writing this because some dermatology offices are not in the business of helping clients especially if you live in a large city like me, definitely educating yourselves and not falling for some sales tactic is super important.
This is an old comment but keep in mind that extremely superficial textural irregularities can be remedied with tretinoin but anything more deeper requires in-office treatments like microneedling or lasers. I don’t think the derms were trying to be greedy. The reality is that acne scarring usually needs something heavy duty to treat - which is why it’s important to treat acne as soon as possible.
If I could give this video a hundred thumbs up, I would. I've struggled with acne, and acne scars have been a major cause of my insecurity since my early teens. I've noticed improvement after starting Differen, which I've been using for about 3 years now. I used to feel a sense of hopelessness when I saw my scars, but now the severity of their appearance have minimized to the point where I find myself feeling more neutral about them.
I am really happy with the results of using Adapalene. My skin has greatly improved and my friend that I hadn't seen in a year thought I'd had botox. I plan to switch to Tretinoin at some point.
@@westernncgirl101 I was using it before and it gave me results but now its giving me severe allegy redness itching irritation and severe swelling of eyes...
@@farahhabib8298 oh no... don’t apply around the eyes, nose & mouth. & try to use gentle products. I remember at one point I was using too many things! My skin was literally peeling off!! & I mean thick layers of skin! It was awful & horrendous! This was before the pandemic and I had to go to work like that! It was by far the most depressing time for me. I switched out all my products and switched to basic gentle skin care. I swear by the vanicream moisturizer. It was so gentle. I had to apply many times throughout the night because my face was in so much pain. I left it on my bedside table & applied it while having my eyes closed lol. But it really was the worse pain ever! After I switched to more gentle products I introduced adapalene again slowly and on top of my vanicream moisturizer. I had great results after that! Hope this helps in any way!
Thank you, I was reading the TCA cross peel can cause hyperpigmentation in brown people. I just wanted people to know in case they see this comment. Thank you so much for providing information on the types of pitted scars. I had no idea!
Something I wish I’d heard sooner - if your acne isn’t responding at all to topical treatments after 6 weeks or so, please see a doctor sooner rather than later, especially if your acne is inflammatory or cystic as opposed to just closed comedones. For years I wasted time trying to cure my cystic acne with topical skin care, and while they were useful ingredients like benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid or retinoids, the pathophysiology of my inflamed cystic acne was just too much for some topical OTC agents to fix. After 6 months of oral isotretinoin, my skin has been remarkably different, even though my last course of it was 3 years ago. I’ve still got to deal with the pitted scars from my acne, and they’ve gotten better over time, but as a teenager I wish someone had told me about the different options I had, and not to minimise the effects on my mental health from having acne. :)
Exactly, me too. Suffered with acne for 6 years until I found out that if it’s not responsive to topical treatments, then you must see dermatologist. Got prescribed accutane took the course for 6 months and now Im healed. 3 months after finishing now I don’t get any pimples.
I suffered from cystic acne very bad. I didn’t pick, I saw a derm, I did everything…I still ended up with scars. The cystic acne was so fucking deep that it destroyed my collagen in the worst way. My scars are much much better after years of Retin A. I still have alot of scars, but it’s better. I look at photos of me in childhood and I had beautiful skin. Once I hit 8th grade, things took a turn for the worst. Im 29 now, and still dealing with breakouts at time. I no longer get cystic though. The pitted scars are the worst because it’s like the ruins left of the demolition. Stay strong, and never stop trying to find what works for you. God bless you.
I think an important thing to bring up with Accutane also is that you have to get blood work once per month to make sure it's not completely failing your organs as well as you have to be on birth control (which for me and a lot of others causes really bad side effects) because if you get pregnant it will be a birth defect
I just had my first CO2 laser five days ago. My cheeks had an orange peel texture, with a couple boxcar and rolling scars. My technician said the CO2 laser she used is both fractional and ablative which I don't understand. Most of my skin has peeled already and I see pink skin underneath....I cannot find my acne scars or pores. Except my scar on my nose. My laser tech passed twice on my cheeks and if this result is permanent then it is amazing. Don't freak out right after, the face will swell so big I looked like a balloon for two days. Prepare for 1 week social isolation at home for fractional and for traditional CO2 is about a month down time. It was recommended that I get 3 lasers done.
@@mithun8492 i started on 0.25 but my dermatologist moved me up to 0.5 after 3 months,and i think so it really has transformed my skin for the better tho it did get a lot worse to start with. make sure you are using SPF!!!!!!
I’m still in the healing phase of MRSA on my face (a month before pre-wedding photos, two months before my wedding), and I have depression scars in many of the healed areas. I’m so bummed, but I’m hopeful I can repair much of it with time. ❤️💛💙
This is a fantastic video and will help a lot of people! I've been helping with my mum's scar with a Plasma Pen by checking the angles, then using the fractional tip and has given her more confidence.
I’ve always been curious as to how these scars form it’s nice to hear it explained. You could definitely be a neck model if there is such a thing that necklace is awesome! Popular topic today great explanation and discussion!! ☕️🧴⭐️
My face was fully covered with cystic acne first, and then with all kinds of depressed scars. I put shitload of money into my skin. Tried everything except for radiofrequent microneedling. Regular microneedling and fully ablative CO2 gave me the best improvement so far. Going to try micro RF this year, since I still have 50% of depressed scars left.
You probably have tethered scars if they’re depressed. Get subcision before anything else. Lasers/micro won’t be as effective if the scars are still tethered.
Just by following all of your advice I have been able to clear all my acne and most of my scars are much less noticeable. Thanks dr Dray, appreciate your dedication to helping us❤️
I’ve been giving myself 20% TCA peels every 3 weeks for the past 3 months and my skin texture and sun damage has greatly improved. I also just started using the DHC Astaxanthin cream along with taking Polypodium Leucotomos and an astaxanthin supplement, all from watching your past videos. I think the combination is really helping my skin.
Heeeyyy lol Happy Tuesday May all of us feel gentle healing, and be released from any ailments and be graced with feel good vibes. Sunscreen hugs 🙏🐎🐎🐎💞✨✨✨
DR DRAY How can you read my mind! 😩 I’ve been searching for this yesterday and I wasn’t satisfied! I woke up to YT’s noti and saw this… I’m so blessed 😇
This is fascinating. I suffer from chronic HSV1 and it leaves terrible scars on my face without antivirals. It presents atypically and many dermatologists mistake it for acne. The lesions leave box scars, the same typically left by chickenpox, which are in the same family of viruses. Now I at least have some options to try to heal the wounds after the lesion heals. Doctors do not take me seriously about how severe my case is without medication (the scars are usually the diameter of pencil erasers.)
I used to pick and scratch my acne, after my acne was completely cured, I realized that the deep scarring I have had for the past years afterwards are WAY worse 😢 if I ever have kids, I will teach them to never pick acne from an early age 😅
Thank you Dr. Dray. I’m a new subscriber & really impressed with your thorough detail in your explanations. I’ve literally wasted my times going to see dermatologists who wasted my time by not providing any good information. They just acted dumb when I asked questions! So I stopped seeing them & let them know why.
I cannot seem to be able to get Adapalene and Differin here in France, but I have made great progress with my skin patchiness by using salycilic acid, retinol serums, and serums containing licorice. Takes quite a time, but don’t give up. I only started at 70, and now 2 years later I am getting compliments about my skin. Thanks Dr Dray, my guru.
What!! go to a doctor, a generalist ( doesn't have to be a dermatologist ) one and ask for adapalene, he will prescribe it to you. that's what I did and adapalene is very available in France you only need the prescription. hope I helped
Thank you for this video. I have done the CO2 fully Ablative LASER and I could see such an improvement in my acne scars! But I think that my doctor should have told me important CONS before doing this
Honestly, I love your videos. I have watched different videos for many years but you are the only review I actually trust. Just wanted to leave this here and thank you for your videos.
I was looking for a video by you on this topic a while ago and didn’t manage to find a recent one - and then you uploaded this today!! What a godsend :)
Other than the cost, I think the other issue is that a lot of the treatment options aren't permanent. I thought that microneedling over the course of a year would actually smooth my skin out permanently, but the results are only a temporary fix until the next session. I'm scared to try the more invasive options as I'm getting married in 5 months and worry that the recovery period is gonna be a long time. Has anyone tried some of these options?
I’ve had forehead lines since I was in my 20’s. They got deeper as I got older and nothing really helped them much. I tried retinoids and peels but it barely made a difference. At age 54 I finally gave in and got Botox and it was AMAZING. Within a week my forehand was smoother than it was in high school! I now get touch ups every 4 months and I’m so happy I finally gave in and did it
I went to the doctor for my acne three times as a young teenager... each time I was unlucky enough to have the same replacement to my regular doctor. EACH time she sent me away with antibiotics or benzyl peroxide despite me pleading and saying it wasn't working, making me believe I really wasn't a candidate for anything stronger. I eventually after years got my regular doctor who gave me accutane STRAIGHT AWAY. It's really bad but I actually hate that woman who has left me with all of these scars.
Seriously, it'd be great if I could get all the microneedling I need to fade my acne scars...but it's all out of pocket and completely out of reach for us working class folks. I fucking hate that insurance doesn't cover this, and that derms aren't more sympathetic to those of us with moderate to severe scarring and won't cut us a deal. Like...I'm not trying to look younger, I just want something close to normal fucking skin!
I don’t have acne. I picked the absolute crap out of my skin due to stress and just kept picking the scab because it was healing strangely. Ha. now I have two huge boxcar scars right on my cheek. One on my forehead. Neat
Paint your fingernails now...so then you won't want to ruin your nail varnish, or your skin. Or, perhaps do a face mask treatment, or apply some pimple patches (if you have some). Good luck! 👱♀️❤
@@nadab4750 for me nothing will stop me, it's subconscious at times... I feel it I squeeze it 🙈 but having false nails helps, but I don't wear them either Lol I'm trying tho xx
@@Only1Sosa. I used to, but going on ADHD and anti-anxiety tablets (which I actually need to take) ended up being the only thing that stopped me. My skin has cleared up too (avoiding dairy food/whey protein, healthy lifestyle, following Dr Dray's skincare advice double cleanse, salicilic, retinol, azelaic benzol peroxide, oilfree sunscreen etc.), so now I only get pimples when I don't do these things e.g.. eating mozzarella! 👱♀️❤
I wear bangs bc I had chicken pox at age 5. Once the pox scabbed over, my mom put me in a hoodie, which rubbed off the scab of one of the pox on my forehead. It left a small but DEEP scar!
Dr. Dray, if filler is used to fill the space of the scar, will the filler just sit there or will it move around? How long does filler typically last when used in scar correction? If the filler isn't permanent, I guess the other options you mentioned are better.
I got filler in my rolling acne scars, it lasted >1 yr before I needed another round. For me, it was totally worth it! I've spent so much time and money on radiofrequency microneedling, lasers, peels, etc and the filler fixed the rolling scars immediately. I cried while getting it done because it was so satisfying.
Which type of filler did you get and where do you live? I’ve had a lot of filler but it’s been years, I think there’s newer options now. Also, I’ve noticed it depends greatly on who is doing the injecting.
Just pick a small area. Then use a cheap St. Ives facial scrub until it bleeds. Let it scab over and let fall off by itself in a week or two You will have flat new skin.
Has anyone started to realize people tend to scar differently due to genetics? I am not that blessed genetically since I am acne prone thanks to my pops but I never quite had pitted scars from acne. Even the ones I picked and became pitted is no where as extreme as the examples in the photo Dr Dray showed us. Then again I did kinda treat my acne since I have always fairly regularly used hyaluronic acid and collagen face masks and moisturizers.
Absolutely, and it also depends on the type of acne that you had. I've never really scarred from acne vulgaris but with hormonal acne (which is deeper), I have some left over marks (not disfiguring but still there). What I've actually done always after touching any spots, is wash my face with a salicilyc acid cleaner, apply moisturizer, and cover the places I've touched with cotton covered in moisturizer to "seal it". I don't know if this ever helped but after all the trauma my skin has gone through, it looks pretty normal.
Thank you for this information. I have Celiac Disease and suffer from Dermatitis Herpetiformis. I have scars on my shoulders, upper arm and thighs. I have tried many products but nothing seems to help. Can't wait to try your suggestions.
Thank you so much for this information, Dr. Dray! Sadly, I used Differin a few years back and I broke out every month 😢. I may visit a dermatologist and try micro-needling or TCA
I have never pick acne but cause of acne didnt go away for a month, they left a athropic scar. Now my skin is more worse than having acne. Yass athropic acne more psychologically damaging than acne. Im always bad mood in all aspect, I have no confidence anymore
I had really bad cystic painful acne at 18-19 and it left large looking scars and it’s been affecting my self confidence and my body image and it has very negatively affected my life and mental health, now at 28 years old I still have the scars and under certain lighting conditions it looks really bad and makes me feel awful about myself, I’ve developed social anxiety because of the scars
I just used Mederma. That stuff actually worked really well, and it’s fairly cheap. It took the redness out of my facial scarring, and pretty much healed it to where it’s hardly noticeable.
Unfortunately I had inflammatory acne and went on Accutane. The medicine helped drastically!! But I still had some left over rolling scars and pink acne marks . So far sunscreen and tretinoin has helped. Hopefully some lasering soon 🙏 Thanks for the info!! ☺️
@@gordonsmith5589 hey do you wanna share what it did? I was put on accutane too, I didn’t take the meds properly tho and I had way too many side effects and eventually stopped taking it. Only after I stopped I read about the Side effects
Aaah!!! Lovit! I have the Peach Slices because Cassanda Banks saw Dr Dray promotr this product. Then, I went back and watched Dr. Dray's video. I'm glad I bought it
I have had these annoying dark chicken pox scars since 2015 all over my face and it was messing with my self confidence because I felt like when people talked to me they would stare at the marks because of the extreme hyperpigmentation it left behind. I just recently got subcision done and it IMMEDIATELY got rid of the depressed scar so now all the scars are leveled but I just have the hyperpigmentation to deal with which I am relieved about bc atleast it can be covered with makeup better! I was prescribed tazorotene for discoloration I will use that and get frequent chemical peels and update! :)
Hi! Did the results from the subsicion last? I heard that after a few months the scars can become depressed again. Very curious to know since I want to try this procedure. Thank you!
InvisiScar Resurfacing Treatment Claims to fill pitted acne scars. Is there really a cream that has the ability to fill in dented scars in? People think a red mark is a acne scar but it's not. Indented scars are actual scars.
First one here. Sorry off topic right off the bat. I just watched your video “Amazon skin care product must have for sensitive skin, acne, rosacea and more from last year. I ordered the Skinsmart. Thank you! I’d seen you speak earlier about Azelaic acid. Should I use both?I have Rosacea. Appreciate your comment for help. Now to your new video.
Accutane. It works. You won’t break out. Laser treatment I have read works too. Stay away from hot weather and humid weather. Put on the air conditioner as hot weather makes it worse. I notice I perspire a lot from my forehead in the summer and my face is super oily and I perspire, driving me crazy I can’t take it. I’m considering in the future to take the laser treatment that shrinks perspiration and oil ducts at hairline
I have lots of deep scars now. Hopefully being on accutane will help both my acne and pitted scars. Dr. Dray can you give a post accutane skin care guide?
Hi Dr. Dray, thank you for making such informative videos. BTW, I love your outfit and necklace! The blue/grey color coordination is so beautiful on you. Have a great day 😊
