Hey all!
I got subcision with Bellafill done yesterday with Dr. Suji Park-Idler in Raleigh, NC, and I am going to document my story and my experience of my scar-battling journey here! My first procedure is subcision with Bellafill for my depressed scars. If you haven't read my first post, feel free to check it out for a more detailed description of my condition, and what my treatment plan looks like. I am writing this post about 24hrs post procedure, and I am feeling pretty ecstatic about my looks right now. I am going to start from my state of mind and the state of my scars pre-procedure and record my everyday feelings and pictures chronologically.
Day of: I woke up both excited and anxious about going in for my first ever scar remedy treatment. I reached Dr. Idler's office right on time, and Becky, Dr. Idler's wonderful assistant, and Dr. Idler were both ready for me. It was nice to see the punctuality and friendliness, and it eased some of my nervousness immediately. Becky gave me some paperwork to fill out, and even offered my some mocha, and my day was made, even before the actual procedure began. Anyone who knows me, knows my insatiable love for Starbucks mocha. Haha! After that, Dr. Suji Park-Idler took me to the procedure room, and explained all the ins and outs of my procedure. I have to say, it is always so great when a doctor takes the time and care to discuss the minutiae of things with her patient. I think it instills immediate trust and bonding between the doctor and the patient, and needless to say, all of my worries just floated away after that.
The procedure itself went pretty smoothly, and I didn't experience much pain or discomfort at all, especially not anything unbearable. The only slightly painful or rather uncomfortable part was the numbing inject itself. Other than that, everything was painless albeit weird. Weird because you know what is happening but you don't really feel it at all. Also, instead of working on my dissertation, I spent the last 2 weeks since my initial appointment looking at videos of subcision on YouTube, and so I fully knew what Dr. Idler was doing. The total procedure took about an hour or so, and before I knew it, it was done. Dr. Idler had given me a hand held mirror, so I could check my progress in between the procedure. I could immediately see a vast difference, and Dr. Idler told me that she was very hopeful that I would see over 60% improvement, because of the way my scars reacted to the subcision. I was so excited that I wanted to plan the rest of my treatment immediately, but she said we should wait and see how this first round of subcision + 5 syringes of Bellafill performed on my scars. She massaged my face both during and after the procedure to ensure I didn't get any odd bumps and lumps. She also showed me how to massage my own cheeks at home, and then applied a think layer of make up on my treated areas to cover the mild redness and bruising that had ensued due to the procedure. Sweet, right?!!!! I know! I am never going to anyone else for my skin again!! In fact, I am planning on bringing my mom to Dr. Suji Park-Idler, who, by the way, has always had flawless skin, to get some filler for her wrinkles. She is 63 and almost perfect.
After this, I paid and chatted some more with Becky, who also kinda told me what to expect in 2-3 weeks, and drove back home. I did ice my face a couple of times yesterday, the day of the procedure, and took some ibuprofen for pain. The pain was very mild, but I had a bad headache, and once I took the meds, I felt totally fine. My cheeks felt heavy and I had some bruising and some bleeding from the injection site, but nothing that uncomfortable.
Day 1: I woke up this morning, and my cheeks were slightly sore, and so I took some more ibuprofen, but I don't think my swelling has gone up much. Plus, my scars look really good today! I know it's because of swelling, but I don't remember my cheeks looking this smooth since I was 16. I am posting before and after pics for reference, and I hope to update this blog as much as possible! Thank you for this amazing community, y'all!!!
Updated on 10 Feb 2018:
Its been almost 48 hours since my procedure, and I think my swelling and bruising has gone down by at least 20%. My cheeks are still tender to touch, but the pain is also pretty minor. I am posting a couple of new pictures from this morning.
Cheers!
Updated on 10 Feb 2018:
Updated on 21 Feb 2018: