What have you used for facial scars? How about NuSkin?

[mayachel]

Hi everyone. I''m on the search for the right product, path or system to fix my face. A couple of years ago, I used ProActive for a short period of time and it caused a ton of scarring on the sides of my face. I quickly stopped using it, but the damage was done. I''m about to turn 28 yo and though my skin is clear, (super sensitive) I''d like to know what I should be doing for the acne pitting. My skin just looks uneven, as if it is broken out when it isn''t. I tried using Oil of Olay''s home microdermabrasion and liked it, but the results were very minimal. I use the oil of olay regenerist serum and weleda''s rose face wash. So, I''m quite minimal. Someone suggested NuSkin but I can''t begin to navigate the options on the site or figure out how to find a representative. All which makes me very leery.

Suggestions? Thanks.

 

[Deelight]

My sister used NUskin on me when I was about 15/16 for an acne pited patch on the side of my skin and it worked for me. Since then though I don't know if they have changed thier formulas.

She used the following
Celltrex, Glacial Marine Mud and Face Lift.

This page lists all thier products View all Products

ETA: If you change your market to United States you can shop online

 

[marcy]

I started using Clinique last fall and it has done some amazing things for my face. They have different products for different things. It''s pricey but it really cleared up my skin. It''s for sensitive skin too.

 

[CDNinNYC]

I''ve never used it myself but FI''s sister liked to use Mederma for her acne scars.

 

[JulieN]

I think you need to be way more aggressive.

You might start with alpha hydroxy acid, and start building up. If you want to go prescription, do Retin-A 1/3 days, and start building up.

During my strictest face regimen, I alternated between Retin-A Micro, 2% salicylic acid, L'Oreal microdermabrasion, and a mild AHA lotion (I went through all that because I never felt safe using Retin A every day...it's really strong.) It worked well for me, and I never went too rough on my treatment (redness/peeling) except for one time when I had applied a salicylic acid lotion and several hours later, applied Retin-A. I got pretty tired of anally wearing sunscreen, though, so I stopped...

 

[Anaïs]

What is it exactly that you want to minimize? Scarring? If so, then I would go with professional microdermabrasion (if that''s an option). I''ve seen it do amazing things. Otherwise, I have no idea what sort at home treatments yield anything near those results.

 

[mayachel]

Thanks for your ideas ladies.

JulieN-alpha hydroxy acid? Any particular brand? (I know I should use a sunscreen in general but I do need extra with this?)

Anaïs-My skin is mostly clear, young(ish) and yet when I turn sideways in the light, it sort of looks like a shallow sponge. All over I have skin colored light depressions (scars) that make my complexion uneven and never looking smooth. It''s not so much that it has changed recently, as it is getting more noticeable to me.

 

[tlh]

I have a friend that uses Bare Minerals on her face... Essentuals? I don''t know if I have the name right. It really evens her out, and you cannot see any of her skin discoloration...

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

There''s a NuSkin rep on this site. I don''t want to say her name, but I''m sure she''ll see this and reply.

 

[JulieN]

Date: 2/19/2009 11:30:28 AM
Author: mayachel
Thanks for your ideas ladies.


JulieN-alpha hydroxy acid? Any particular brand? (I know I should use a sunscreen in general but I do need extra with this?)

AHA you can get in your drugstore. My Rite Aid carries products from the brand Alpha Hydrox, and their most popular product is the 12% AHA Souffle, followed by the 10% gel.

I always wear SPF 15 on my face, but when I was doing my regime, I had to wear something stronger, or else I would get spots. To be safe, I wore SPF 55. Yeah, it''s probably overkill, but I was ok with it.

 

[mayachel]

Great, I will look for this! Thanks.

 

[LabRatPhD]

I''d like to second the suggestion for microdermabrasions! I had a lot of acne when I was a teenager and had some pit-like scars from the various treatments I was on. I started getting microdermabrasions last year (I am 26 now) and they have helped with making the scars less noticeable. They are pricey and I tried a lot of things before I resorted to the microderm but I can honestly say this is the only treatment that has helped. I have them done at my dermatologist''s office (she has a package deal where you get a discounted rate if you purchase 6 in advance). She also had me start using a 1% retinol cream at night (1% retinol by Skinceuticals) which is very potent and has also helped with some of the unevenness.

Good luck!

 

[bebe]

Hmm, I''m not sure if any cosmetic will work here. My first thought was microdermabrasion or another type of skin resurfacing treatment.
Dermabrasion scares me because it can and has caused broken capillaries on some women, my daughter included.

I''d suggest further research, maybe reading the forums at: essentialdayspa.com or makemeheal.com

 

[mayachel]

Thank you for sharing your experience with microdermabrasion. I have been reading up on the process. I think I would definitely prefer to find a good dermatologist vs. a spa place.

 

[LabRatPhD]

Date: 2/23/2009 2:23:38 PM
Author: mayachel
Thank you for sharing your experience with microdermabrasion. I have been reading up on the process. I think I would definitely prefer to find a good dermatologist vs. a spa place.

Hi! I am sure a spa would be able to do a good job too, but I prefer going to a dermatologist (psychological, I guess). It''s a very short procedure (15-20 mins tops) and will leave your skin a little pink after, but you can cover it up with make-up. I have sensitive skin and haven''t had any problems. I don''t know if it works for everyone, but I had some pretty ugly scars and they are virtually gone now. Your derm will be able to tell you if it is a good option for you based on your scars and skin type.

 

[mayachel]

Just an update to say, I have been using mederma for 3 days now, and WOW I can''t believe the difference. The tube says it''ll take 3 months+ So I was dubious, but I can honestly say that I look like I lost 5 years off of the age of my skin. It''s remarkable. DF has no idea what I do with my lotions and potions, and last night commented on how different I looked, without being able to place why.

Alpha Hydrox next!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/28/2009 9:54:22 AM
Author: mayachel
Just an update to say, I have been using mederma for 3 days now, and WOW I can''t believe the difference. The tube says it''ll take 3 months+ So I was dubious, but I can honestly say that I look like I lost 5 years off of the age of my skin. It''s remarkable. DF has no idea what I do with my lotions and potions, and last night commented on how different I looked, without being able to place why.

Alpha Hydrox next!

Is it reducing the scars do you notice?

 

[mayachel]

Date: 3/1/2009 9:08:46 AM
Author: Lorelei


Is it reducing the scars do you notice?

Yes! I have light scaring all along my upper cheek bones, down to the jaw on both sides of my face. It has smoothed out the skin incredibly. They are much less noticeable. AND the difference is there whether I have just applied it, or just stepped out of the shower. My compliance rate has fallen to applying it 2 times a day, and i may skip tomorrow because it has started to itch like crazy as of today (day 4). I''ve found that it tends to happen if there is ANYTHING on my face other than freshly cleaned. For example, post toner...need to give it 5 min. to dry. moisturizer? out of the question. My skin looks so good though, that I don''t miss the occasional times I wear foundation.

There are varying theories on the itching...one allergic reaction to something, though the ingredient list is short.

two...that it is the skin repairing itself. I know it sounds far fetched, but high cell turn over, does result in itchiness under normal healing processes such as under a scab. (My face has not turned into a giant scab).

 

[JulieN]

sounds good!

Just remember to go slowly... any redness or peeling, you take a break! It can take just a few days of overdoing it, and then you're stuck peeling for a week or two...

 

[mayachel]

Date: 3/2/2009 12:59:22 AM
Author: JulieN
sounds good!


Just remember to go slowly... any redness or peeling, you take a break! It can take just a few days of overdoing it, and then you''re stuck peeling for a week or two...

You are so right Julie. Thanks for the reminder. Even though I had decided to give it a break last night, this morning when I got out of the shower it was the first thing I wanted to do

. You know, that voice that says a little works great, a lot must be even better, ignore the itching! I stepped away from the medicine cabinet.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/2/2009 9:22:27 AM
Author: mayachel

Date: 3/2/2009 12:59:22 AM
Author: JulieN
sounds good!


Just remember to go slowly... any redness or peeling, you take a break! It can take just a few days of overdoing it, and then you''re stuck peeling for a week or two...

You are so right Julie. Thanks for the reminder. Even though I had decided to give it a break last night, this morning when I got out of the shower it was the first thing I wanted to do

. You know, that voice that says a little works great, a lot must be even better, ignore the itching! I stepped away from the medicine cabinet.

How are your results looking now?

 

[mayachel]

Hey Loreli, just saw the request for updates.

So, it''s been two weeks, and no peeling or irritation. I will say, my skin MUST be free of anything else, no toner, lotion etc... or else there is still itching. It must react with something. Still, the immediate results were great, but as of today, I''m questioning if there is continued improvement. I''m going to be more vigilant about using it at least twice a day, and am not discouraged in the least, since the bottle originally said something like 3 months to see results. The side that I was focused on is completely smooth. It has not changed pigmentation issues, but the surface of my skin is incredible.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/11/2009 7:54:26 PM
Author: mayachel
Hey Loreli, just saw the request for updates.

So, it''s been two weeks, and no peeling or irritation. I will say, my skin MUST be free of anything else, no toner, lotion etc... or else there is still itching. It must react with something. Still, the immediate results were great, but as of today, I''m questioning if there is continued improvement. I''m going to be more vigilant about using it at least twice a day, and am not discouraged in the least, since the bottle originally said something like 3 months to see results. The side that I was focused on is completely smooth. It has not changed pigmentation issues, but the surface of my skin is incredible.

So this cream has actually completely got rid of the scars??? Wow!

 

[monarch64]

I am so glad I found this thread...over the weekend I took a nasty spill at my friend''s house (sidewalk, too much wine, stilettos=busted chin) and cut my chin open. I decided not to go to the ER or get stitches since the wound is a straight line and I was worried that stitches would cause more of a scar. I''m doing butterfly bandages and neosporin at the moment, but was considering buying Mederma once the wound heals. This thread is convincing me to spend the $20 on the Mederma for sure!

 

[mayachel]

Absolutely worth it Monarch. Sorry to hear about your fall!

 

[monarch64]

Thanks Mayachel. I actually spoke with a medical professional two days ago, and she told me before my chin heals and before I use the Mederma (which she also said really works) to use vitamin E capsules twice a day. SDL also recommended vitamin E to me, and I have to say after using it for two days the healing process definitely seems to be moving faster than I thought it would!

 

[soocool]

Didn''t see this thread earlier, but has anyone heard of Bio Oil. My sister had pretty bad acne in her teens and twenties that left some scarring. She found out about Bio Oil to help get rid of her stretch marks and used it on her face. Cleared up a lot of the scarring.

Funny, everyone in my family except for me had acne. Luckliy my daughter is taking after me and just a few pimples here or there. My nephews have acne even worse than their mom had. I wonder why?

 

[mayachel]

It sounds like your Doctor hasn''t seen the latest guidelines. I don''t know how I first came across this but the current research actually warns against using Vitamin E on wounds. Here is a snippet.

© 1999 by the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, Inc. • Published by Blackwell Science, Inc.
ISSN: 1076-0521/99/ • Dermatol Surg 1999;25:311–315
The Effects of Topical Vitamin E on the Cosmetic
Appearance of Scars

Leslie S. Baumann, MD, and James Spencer MD, MS
University of Miami Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, Miami, Florida
background. Vitamin E is a generic term for a group of tocol
and tocotrienol derivatives. Since the discovery that vitamin E is
the major lipid soluble antioxidant in skin, this substance has
been tried for the treatment of almost every type of skin lesion
imaginable. Anecdotal reports claim that vitamin E speeds
wound healing and improves the cosmetic outcome of burns
and other wounds. Many lay people use vitamin E on a regular
basis to improve the outcome of scars and several physicians
recommend topical vitamin E after skin surgery or resurfacing.
objective.
We attempted to determine whether topically ap-
plied vitamin E has any effect on the cosmetic appearance of
scars as suggested by multiple anectodal reports.
methods. Fifteen patients who had undergone skin cancer re-
moval surgery were enrolled in the study. All wounds were pri-
marily closed in 2 layers. After the surgery, the patients were
given two ointments each labeled A or B. A was Aquaphor, a
regular emollient, and the B was Aquaphor mixed with vitamin
E. The scars were randomly divided into parts A and B. Patients
were asked to put the A ointment on part A and the B ointment
on part B twice daily for 4 weeks. The study was double blinded.
The physicians and the patients independently evaluated the
scars for cosmetic appearance on Weeks 1, 4, and 12. The crite-
ria was simply to recognize which side of the scar looked better if
there was any difference. The patients’ and the physicians’ opin-
ions were recorded. A third blinded investigator was shown pho-
tographs of the outcomes and their opinion was also noted.
results.
The results of this study show that topically applied
vitamin E does not help in improving the cosmetic appearance
of scars and leads to a high incidence of contact dermatitis.
conclusions. This study shows that there is no benefit to the
cosmetic outcome of scars by applying vitamin E after skin sur-
gery and that the application of topical vitamin E may actually
be detrimental to the cosmetic appearance of a scar. In 90% of
the cases in this study, topical vitamin E either had no effect on,
or actually worsened, the cosmetic appearance of scars. Of the
patients studied, 33% developed a contact dermatitis to the vi-
tamin E. Therefore we conclude that use of topical vitamin E on
surgical wounds should be discouraged.

 

[CDNinNYC]

Hey mayachel,

I just saw your update re: Mederma. Glad to hear it''s working out for you!


CDN