In the Process, Will Share As Much As I Can! - Indianapolis, IN

I've had acne scarring since I was about 17 or 18. I'm 22 now. I can't remember if the scars got worse with time, or worse with previous procedures. I've had:

• microdermabrasion (did nothing)
• chemical peels (I think scarred my face)
• silicone injections (was supposed to fix it in a "year", now has been almost 2 years and a WASTE of money)

I recently started researching because I've heard of lasers before but I've gotten scared with the risks that I've read about.

Did I mention I'm half korean? I get dark the minute I step into sunlight, so the risks I've read for anyone of ethnicity, has scared me.

One day I came across DOT laser and I've read many great reviews. I found only 3 doctors that offered this, but I ended up going in for one consultation. I was told that I was at risk for hyper pigmentation, so we did two test spots behind both of my ears.

I cannot tell you the level she tried (there were three different levels though). One was a lower, medium (behind one ear) and a higher level on the other. I wasn't sure what to expect, from other people's experiences that I had read about- I thought it was just a burn, then sun spots. The pain was bearable, I only had numbing cream on for like ten minutes and I could sit through it. The smell was expected (burning hair). My skin was red for only an hour or so. I used cetaphil gentle face wash and put on Eucerin moisturizer.

Within two days, I noticed the dot pattern. It kind of freaked me out because I didn't expect that. It was like a square with a TON of little dots that had formed. I was concerned and wasn't sure if this was normal (which it is). Within the next couple of days, they started flaking off- I used a gentle make up remover cloth to wipe them off.

I didn't notice any hyper pigmentation, so I went back in for another consultation. This time, I had a test spot done on the side of my face (beside my eye- the entire area and part of my cheek but barely). It hurt less. I was expecting much pain but the numbing cream was on for about 30 minutes. He apparently used a high level for my skin type as well ( Since I am asian, I can't have an extreme level setting). My face was red for a couple of hours that day. It felt weird, like I was feeling someone else's skin, kind of leathery. But I was excited because my skin was slightly swollen, which meant it was plump and there were no scars visible at the time.

By night time, my skin was a little red. I gently washed it and caked on the lotion. I heard that keeping it moisturized will avoid further scarring and quicker healing. (Not sure if true, but I did it anyways) The dot pattern formed a day or so later. They came off faster than behind my ear. Probably because I wash my face twice daily. My skin looked great after but a few days after, it looked back to normal. I think!

So here's where my confusion comes in. I can't remember honestly how deep my scarring was before (I have deep acne scars) so I can't tell if new ones formed, because I had read that they did OR if the previous ones had gotten smaller. I do believe that they have gotten smaller/softer.

I have no hyper pigmentation thankfully. So I have my actual Dot laser this Friday on my entire face. I was told that it will take 2-3 treatments and possibly another after that. It's kind of disappointing because I was hoping that this was a one time deal, but I understand with my skin tone AND the deep level of acne scarring, it will take more than one try.

I am really excited to do this, however. I pray that I don't get any hyper pigmentation on my face. My doctor said she will do her best to target the deeper scars.

I will keep posting with my journey! I hope that I see great results. This is honestly my last hope in trying to fix this terrible things. I've gone through a lot emotionally and I'm putting a lot of positivity towards this laser. I've also read that some people have waiting months- even six months to a year before getting a second treatment. My doctor is going to do two treatments before the end of August, so I will be able to keep you posted.

She also did a cooltouch laser on my face last week. This is also an interesting laser. It takes 3 treatments before seeing results but it also triggers collagen production. It's much cheaper but I haven't heard that great of results from it. This can be performed on all skin types so that's why it would be a better candidate for darker skin types. This hurt hardly but she did a very aggressive cooltouch. It's a weird feeling but I think it was worth the 200 dollars. I saw slight results from it.

If anyone has any questions, let me know! I will try to give as much detail as possible.

I got the dot laser done this morning.
I was really nervous, but I absolutely hate the numbing cream. It feels like vaseline with a burning sensation. I hate when they put it above the lip because it makes my entire lip numb. Anyways, she wanted to do my entire face so that it would all be an even color.
The first few laser passes were bearable. The entire thing was bearable actually. Around my eyes and mouth were a little painful. It actually made my eyes water a bit. I expected my nose to hurt but she used a lower level on that section. It lasted maybe 25 minutes. She did a moderate level due to my skin type.
After the procedure was done (once again- very bearable, just uncomfortable), she showed me the white dots that formed but they wiped it off. I actually cursed out loud when I saw my face haha.
They put a cool wash cloth on my face and put Cetaphil lotion on it. I sat for a few minutes with a fan on my face. My face was pulsating for a few minutes but felt fine after. I left and went straight to the public bathroom.
When I looked in the mirror, I was kind of freaked out because my face was bright red (and I'm sure I scared the people I passed in the hallway). I looked like I had sat in the sun for 3 days straight and turned into a lobster.
When I left to get into my car, the heat hit my face and it started to burn. The temp. here is almost 100 degrees though, so it wasn't helping. On the ride home, I had an ice pack on my face (with a towel covering it). This ended up wiping the cream off but my face felt a ton better. So far I have been sitting with a fan on my face but it's drying out the lotion so I might have to just deal with a little burning sensation for awhile.
I was told to use cetaphil lotion but I've read so many places that use aquaphor by eucerin- however, the doc told me that it could break me out so I think I'm going to purchase cetaphil lotion later. Every three hours I'm supposed to use a cold wet washcloth and then put on lotion. She also said that I shouldn't over moisturize.

I feel fine and am glad so far that I did this. My face is still very red but my scars are plumped up so I am happy. I know that this will go down but I am able to wear my hair back and up with no scars visible, so I'm going to take advantage of these hours with smooth (and dotted) skin!

Day 2:
Last night was uncomfortable. I attempted to wash my face with cool water but the minute the air hit my face, it began to burn. It was also hard to put on lotion. So I sat in front of a fan to help deal with the burning.
I ended up napping for three hours and woke up less swollen. Little dots were forming all over.
I went to bed with a thick layer of lotion on my face but woke up with a greasy leathery feeling face. I had my contacts out so I just washed my face without looking in the mirror.
I used a mild warm to cool water setting with cetaphil gentle cleanser. It was hard to wash or get anything to lather due to the texture of my face. I ended up soaking a wash cloth in cool water and patted my face gently. Later I will probably lay with a wet.wash cloth on my face for awhile.
I put my contacts in and was happy to see that my face was better. It isnt swollen as much as they warned me. The dots are def. forming. My face is a bronze-y red but so much better than yest. I feel more comfortable today.
So far, im praying for no post inflammatory hypetpigmentation. I plan on staying inside for the entire healing process to avoid any sun exposure.

Ill keep posting each day and if anything changes throughout yhe day, ill update!