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CO2 Laser for Scars-update after 7 months
Still experiencing discoloration after 7 months of my treatment. I've been getting microdermabrasion, micro-needling, IPL laser, and using bleaching cream. Honestly, I wish I never would have gotten this treatment done. The scars look the same, and I have to cover the treatment area with makeup just to wear short sleeves. If you have fair skin, this is not a good idea. I can't go in the sun (because if I do, I'll get permanent hyper pigmentation), and I'm even more self conscious about the area than I was before the treatment. I'm even considering paying $360 for a serum from La Mer to help reduce the scarring in the area, as the reviews for the serum say that it dramatically helps trauma from cosmetic procedures. If anyone has any tips on how to help reduce discoloration and scarring please comment! :)
This is going to be a REALLY long review, because...
This is going to be a REALLY long review, because everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong.
So in January of this year, my mom recommended I get some laser on my old self harm scars on my forearms and upper thighs. I agreed, because after 4 years, the scars were as healed as they were going to get on their own. Tiny, white lines that almost completely blended into my skin (because I'm super pale) couldn't be that hard fade, right? So I had my consultation, and to be completely honest, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The nurse told me I would have redness for a few months after the procedure, and to stay out of the sun until it went away. Seemed easy enough. No one ever told me that CO2 pretty much burns your skin off. First bit of advice to anyone getting this done, CO2 LASER TRIGGERS THE HERPES VIRUS. If you've ever had a cold sore or the chicken pox, this laser could trigger it, so make sure you're ready for it. I'll get back to the herpes thing later.
Yeah, the procedure hurts even with the numbing. That's a given. They're burning your skin off.
So a few days after the procedure, I'm smothering my treated areas with Silksies and wrapping them up with burn bandages like I was supposed to (I was super anal about the aftercare because I didn't want anything to scar), and I start feeling really sick. Out of nowhere. I mean really sick in a matter of hours. Fever of 105, chills, vomiting, etc. I go to the emergency room because I think I'm dying (seriously I've never been that sick in my life) and I get tested for the flu, and nothing. So I show the doctor my arm, where a little yellowish green spot had developed where I got treated. It didn't look right. They knew immodestly that it was an infection, so they scrubbed the area, gave me a shot in my ass, prescribed me some steroids and sent me on my way. I had a check in appointment at the laser place, (at this point I was so sick I was completely disoriented and I was vomiting, whatever) and the nurse told me "Oh, thats completely normal it's not infected" and proceeds to take off the antibiotic wrap the doctor put on and advised me to just carry on the way I was. Still to this day have no idea what that sickness was all about, but I'm fine.
Finally, after about 2 weeks I was able to stop wrapping my arms in saran wrap (because the nurse didn't give me nearly enough burn bandages to last me more than 2 days). Also, burn bandages at the drugstore are like 30 bucks for 2 of them. I had 4 treatment spots. I started getting rashes. Like chicken pox rashes. Throughout the course of a month I was going to the doctor every other day, getting new steroids and antivirals for a new skin issue. I had a chicken pox like rash over my entire face and neck, and once that went away I got eye herpes (which feels similar to a stye, but worse), and it just keeps going. Its still happening. So now I'm also dealing with the herp.
Fast forward to June. I got 2 IPL treatments for brown pigment in my skin and another for redness. Didn't do much. I've been using bleaching cream twice a day every day. I'm getting microdermabrasion from a WONDERFUL esthetician every 2 weeks to help with the appearance. I haven't been in the sun AT ALL this summer, can't wear short sleeves, have to put makeup on my arms if I do, its just a mess. I'm over it. I also have an appointment to get CO2 AGAIN to reduce the redness on my arms, but this time I'm getting it done by someone who knows what she's doing. The place I went to obviously went way too deep on my skin because its been half a year and my arms still look like [RS bleep] (excuse the language). Also, my upper thighs are pretty much completely healed, and the scars are more prominent now than they were before I got the laser done.
LOOONG story short, don't get this done. It's not worth it. Just get Microderm, because it's much cheaper and does pretty much the same thing. Also, I lost all my before and after pictures.
So in January of this year, my mom recommended I get some laser on my old self harm scars on my forearms and upper thighs. I agreed, because after 4 years, the scars were as healed as they were going to get on their own. Tiny, white lines that almost completely blended into my skin (because I'm super pale) couldn't be that hard fade, right? So I had my consultation, and to be completely honest, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The nurse told me I would have redness for a few months after the procedure, and to stay out of the sun until it went away. Seemed easy enough. No one ever told me that CO2 pretty much burns your skin off. First bit of advice to anyone getting this done, CO2 LASER TRIGGERS THE HERPES VIRUS. If you've ever had a cold sore or the chicken pox, this laser could trigger it, so make sure you're ready for it. I'll get back to the herpes thing later.
Yeah, the procedure hurts even with the numbing. That's a given. They're burning your skin off.
So a few days after the procedure, I'm smothering my treated areas with Silksies and wrapping them up with burn bandages like I was supposed to (I was super anal about the aftercare because I didn't want anything to scar), and I start feeling really sick. Out of nowhere. I mean really sick in a matter of hours. Fever of 105, chills, vomiting, etc. I go to the emergency room because I think I'm dying (seriously I've never been that sick in my life) and I get tested for the flu, and nothing. So I show the doctor my arm, where a little yellowish green spot had developed where I got treated. It didn't look right. They knew immodestly that it was an infection, so they scrubbed the area, gave me a shot in my ass, prescribed me some steroids and sent me on my way. I had a check in appointment at the laser place, (at this point I was so sick I was completely disoriented and I was vomiting, whatever) and the nurse told me "Oh, thats completely normal it's not infected" and proceeds to take off the antibiotic wrap the doctor put on and advised me to just carry on the way I was. Still to this day have no idea what that sickness was all about, but I'm fine.
Finally, after about 2 weeks I was able to stop wrapping my arms in saran wrap (because the nurse didn't give me nearly enough burn bandages to last me more than 2 days). Also, burn bandages at the drugstore are like 30 bucks for 2 of them. I had 4 treatment spots. I started getting rashes. Like chicken pox rashes. Throughout the course of a month I was going to the doctor every other day, getting new steroids and antivirals for a new skin issue. I had a chicken pox like rash over my entire face and neck, and once that went away I got eye herpes (which feels similar to a stye, but worse), and it just keeps going. Its still happening. So now I'm also dealing with the herp.
Fast forward to June. I got 2 IPL treatments for brown pigment in my skin and another for redness. Didn't do much. I've been using bleaching cream twice a day every day. I'm getting microdermabrasion from a WONDERFUL esthetician every 2 weeks to help with the appearance. I haven't been in the sun AT ALL this summer, can't wear short sleeves, have to put makeup on my arms if I do, its just a mess. I'm over it. I also have an appointment to get CO2 AGAIN to reduce the redness on my arms, but this time I'm getting it done by someone who knows what she's doing. The place I went to obviously went way too deep on my skin because its been half a year and my arms still look like [RS bleep] (excuse the language). Also, my upper thighs are pretty much completely healed, and the scars are more prominent now than they were before I got the laser done.
LOOONG story short, don't get this done. It's not worth it. Just get Microderm, because it's much cheaper and does pretty much the same thing. Also, I lost all my before and after pictures.
Provider Review
Dr. Jane Doe