Treatment options for skin atrophy on arms from steroids?

Question

I have visible lumps on my arms and am looking for options to help treat them. The skin is thin to the point where it cuts easily. I would like something to help thicken the skin and get rid of the lumps. It’s been about a year of healing.

Anna Chacon, MD, FAAD · Answer

Thank you for your question. Skin atrophy and visible lumps from prolonged steroid use can be challenging, but there are several treatment options that may help improve the appearance and thickness of your skin.

Topical Treatments:

Retinoids: Topical retinoids (like tretinoin) can help to stimulate collagen production and thicken the skin over time.
Moisturizers and Emollients: Regular use of high-quality moisturizers can help improve skin barrier function and hydration.
Microneedling:

Procedure: This involves using fine needles to create micro-injuries in the skin, stimulating collagen and elastin production.
Benefits: It can improve skin texture and thickness over several sessions.
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy:

Procedure: PRP involves drawing a small amount of your blood, processing it to concentrate the platelets, and then injecting it back into the affected areas.
Benefits: PRP can promote healing and collagen production, helping to thicken the skin.
Laser Treatments:

Fractional Laser Resurfacing: This can help to stimulate collagen production and improve skin texture.
Non-Ablative Lasers: These can also promote collagen production with minimal downtime.
Dermal Fillers:

Procedure: Injecting hyaluronic acid-based fillers can help to fill in depressions and improve the appearance of lumps.
Benefits: This can provide immediate results, although they are temporary and may need to be repeated.
Collagen-Inducing Treatments:

Sculptra: This is an injectable that stimulates your body’s own collagen production over time, potentially improving skin thickness and texture.
Lifestyle and Home Care:

Nutrition: Ensuring a diet rich in vitamins (especially Vitamin C and E) and proteins can support skin health.
Sun Protection: Protecting your skin from UV damage is crucial, as thin skin is more susceptible to sun damage.
Given that it has been about a year since the initial damage, some of these treatments may take time to show significant results. I recommend consulting with a board-certified dermatologist to develop a personalized treatment plan that addresses your specific needs and concerns.

Best wishes for your recovery and skin health!

Best regards,

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Our office has many different treatments for scars depending on the depth of atrophy or hypertrophy. Scars require a combination approach using our HI DEF protocol which uses a combination of lasers, topical scar modulation, and RF treatments to pixelate scars, improve contour, reduce hyperpigmentation, and improve the visibility of the scars so that they are no longer visible in ambient light. Everyone has a unique pattern of scarring and we employ our HIDEF technique to improve texture, color, contour, and topography. We often use a combination of treatments that begin with a careful examination to examine the micro texturing of the acne scars. Atrophic scars and indented  scars can benefit from injectable fillers such as Radiesse, Sculptra, and Restylane with or without subcision to remove tethered scars and atrophic depression. Hyper-redness in scars can be improved with V beam laser, Excel V, BBL, IPL, and Venus RF to improve  the redness and reduce the visibility of deep scars. Fractional Thulium laser and clear & brilliant can also reduce the inflammation and redness of the scar when combined with topical therapy. Fractional lasers such as Fraxel, erbium, and CO2 laser can be combined with radio frequency and also fractional RF to improve textual issues and microtopography. Subcision and TCA cross are also used for deep ice pick scars and narrow valley scars in order to improve the micro texture.  Above all, our combination approach with our clinical nurses and board-certified plastic surgeons can improve the quality of your skin by using at home Melarase creams combined with PRP treatments in our office to improve your skin quality and tone. I recommend getting a formal evaluation with an experienced team of experts in order to reduce your scarring.
 
Finally, hyperpigmentation of scars can be improved with at-home Melarase AM, Melarase PM, and Melapads to help reduce active PIH and melanin deposition.

Best, 
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Nelson Lee Novick, MD · Answer

You would be wise to consider consulting with an experienced, board certified cosmetic dermatologist to discuss the use of a series of injectable Profhilo/SkinVive treatments to help to build up collagen and elastic fibers in the atrophic areas, as well as to stabilize the fat layer--i.e. thicken the skin. This may be accompanied or followed by the use of professionally performed, manual dermarolling (no need for the added expense or risks of RF microneedling) to further improve the superficial, surface texture and color irregularities evident in the photos provided. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Jeffrey H. Spiegel, MD · Answer

It looks like you had a brachioplasty (arm lift) and then had a thickened scar that was treated aggressively with steroids.  There are some things we can do to improve this.
The first step would be microneedling and radiofrequency microneedling.

These are done in the office.
You may also need some additional liposuction to eliminate some of the lumpiness.

Treatment options for skin atrophy on arms from steroids?

Answers (4)

Answer: Brachioplasty

Answer: Brachioplasty

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Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.

Treatment options for skin atrophy on arms from steroids?

Answers (4)

Answer: Brachioplasty

Answer: Brachioplasty

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Scar Removal

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.