Keep Your Compliments

23/CA. Accutane from 12-8-14 to 5-29-15. Now I'm documenting my efforts to reduce the acne scarring.

[keepyourcompliments]

What type of birth control was helpful in reducing your acne?

Yaz. It's one of the only 3 FDA approved to help acne

[keepyourcompliments]

This is a before and 3 weeks after my first subcision in the worst lighting in my house that really accents my scarring. I just had my second subcision, and my doctor said he saw 15-40% improvement after the first one, and the nurse also said it looks much better. I see improvement, but it's easier for me to see it in pictures than in the mirror because I forget what it looked like before. I'm happy I did this procedure. I am hoping this second subcision helps even further.

[yanelknows]

Protect your kindness and beauty from men who don’t give a shit

[keepyourcompliments]

Did you experience fatigue? My derm upped my dosage Tuesday and I've been so exhausted all week 😴

Major fatigue! I'm not sure how fatigue and accutane are correlated but yes I felt totally exhausted. I'm always exhausted lol but it was more so than usual

[keepyourcompliments]

Well, I also have indented acne scars and also little pigment spots but I know they will dissapear just by time so that is not a big problem. But I hate the indented scars!! I have them on both sides of my face, next to my eyes ( not on the cheeks). What is subcision actually? A few weeks ago I went to a dermatologist because maybe they could laser them, but they were not able to laser the scars so I really don't know what I should do :(

Don't waste your time with lasers for indented scarring. They cannot lift scars. They can smooth skin texture a little but not enough to produce the kinds of changes you want to see. Subcision is an in office simple surgical procedure where they numb each scar and use a special needle to undermine each scar individually to break up the fibrous bands pulling down the scar. The goal is to lift the scar and stimulate collagen to fill in the scar. 1-3 procedures are typically needed. Results typically occur 3-6 weeks post op, but can continue collagen growth for up to 6 months. Results are permanent. I am getting a second procedure in 2 weeks and hopefully I can finally come to a place where my scars don't rule my life anymore.

[keepyourcompliments]

Hi darling, I just found your blog and I really really admire you. I have had terrible acne in the past and right now I have really bad scars left. Could you tell me something about your treatment? I sometimes still feel very insecure. Thank you so much 😘

Sure! I don't have hyperpigmentation (which many people mislabel as scars) but I have actual indented scarring. I got my first subcision two weeks ago and have been so happy with the results. The scars look much softer and less glaringly obvious in certain lighting. What questions do you have?

[keepyourcompliments]

Day 5 on left, day 7 on right The hyperpigmentation is fading so quickly! Yay. I wore makeup yesterday for Thanksgiving and it didn’t look great- the spots are flaky from healing so makeup and flaky skin never mix well. However, the scars looked a lot less deep. I was happy about that. I’m continuing to suction the scars twice a day to help prevent a lot of reattachment.

[keepyourcompliments]

So I’m rewatching KUWTK and its all in HD (unlike when the episodes originally aired) so you see them all up close. In season 6 episode 2, Kendall’s 15 and just starting her modeling career. Her skin is so broken out and I truly feel so much sympathy for her for having to live that out on tv. Shortly after this episode, she goes on birth control for her “cramps” but I’m 99% sure it was actually for her skin bc her skin quickly clears up. Kendall recently opened up about her past struggles with acne and how deeply it affected her self esteem and self worth. I love that she was honest and real about this because so many people go through those same emotions and anxieties because of their skin. Now she’s a supermodel with flawless skin, so I just find her so inspiring. If Kendall can come out on top, so can you, babe.

[sosuperawesome]

[keepyourcompliments]

Day 3 on the left. Day 4 on the right. Scabs are starting to fall off. I can see my big scars starting to sink back in but just slightly. I've also been suctioning the scars and icing them afterwards so I've really not experienced any bruising.

[keepyourcompliments]

Day 1&2 post subcision No bruising, but the entry point of the needle left red marks. 42 of them! Hope it fades quickly.

[keepyourcompliments]

Okay thanks, I've had mine for a while and they don't seem to be fading even after using tretinoin cream, so I was just wondering if yours had went away :D

Well I'm in a similar boat now bc the needle marks from the acne scar surgery I just had left dark spots like the ones acne leaves behind, so it'll be interesting to see how long it takes to fade, but the good thing is that color is not a scar so it's not permanent. We can look forward to it fading eventually :)

[keepyourcompliments]

I've been on accutane for 2 months now and I was just wondering did you have any post acne redness and did it go away when you finished your course?

My skin was mostly clear when I started accutane. I had been on Yaz which cleared it up, but I went on accutane bc I'm in my 20s and just wanted the breaking out to stop for good. When I started Yaz and my skin was clearing up, I did have red and dark spot hyperpigmentation, but it eventually goes away. I don't remember how long it took, but I used a skin lightener with hydroquinone and I used at home chemical peels to expedite the process. I am also on a prescription retinoid which speeds up cell turnover.

[positivedoodles]

[keepyourcompliments]

Top pictures are immediately after the subcision. The bottom pictures are about two hours after.

[keepyourcompliments]

Exactly 6 months post accutane. I haven't had any problems with acne, knock on wood. I get SUPER tiny red bumps once in a while, but if I dab tea tree oil on it, it's gone in just a few hours. The only lasting side effect from the medication is dry lips. It's not nearly as bad as while I was on accutane (my lips would crack and bleed if I yawned too big) but it's worth noting. I'm getting my first subcision surgery for my acne scarring tomorrow. I'm very nervous but I'll be so happy to have ANY improvement in these scars. I took these pictures in natural light this morning. My bathroom lighting shows every little awful scar, so I'll post true before/after pictures once the surgery heals. Thanks for everyone's support! Good luck on your journey to finding peace with your skin.

[keepyourcompliments]

you're so cute!!

but you’re so sweet!! thank you xo