Voluma After Laser Treatments - Sumter, SC

I had a light and then deep treatment using the Matrix CO2 semi-ablative laser, and then had Halo for the third. If laser can destroy fat, I wouldn't be surprised if it destroyed filler, too! I had 2 full vials for 1175. They filled my apples and hollows. I had some placed under my cheekbones originally but do not like it; I have always had a round face and did not like the shape it gave me. My new filler, however, is the best! I am looking into fat transfer once this breaks down with the same plastic surgeon. :)

So 585 per vial/cc. He is a small town doctor so his prices are pretty low. He's fantastic though!!!

Wow that's a great price!
Up here they charge 800/vial!
I'm soooo concerned about fillers going away. Like even using the Clairsonic I heard isn't good.
Then other Drs say, it's fine.
They all have opinions.
I def won't do laser after fillers. This was the first time in my life I've done fillers, everything I've read says anything higher than fraxel 1529 nm or whatever that's called, will melt fillers.
Sure is a lotta work to keep up lol
Are you going to post more pics ?
Your voluma looks very natural
Def not harsh. :)

If I can fill my face back in, the laser was still worth it. My acne scarring is much improved compared to what it once was. I'm happy to update them but my acne scarring did improve.

Updates would be great, thanks.

Peyton, if you have acne scaring, try micro-needling (see my note above). It's wonderful! Some initial redness and peeling aside (2-3 days post treatment) there are no negative side effects and it really delivers.

I've been needling for IPL damage for months now -- I have a review for it under "Dermaroller" in the Treatments section -- and will soon be trying a light peel.

Hey! I am actually looking to try subcision next year but haven't had it done before. i don't think the lasers completely untethered the scarring.

My dr said my scarring doesn't look deep enough to have amazing results from subcision but that he's willing to try it if I'm against lasers (which I am not going to do again). And, yes, I was actually on accutane THREE times when I was a teenager. It would be clear for a few months and then break out horribly again! I'll be sure to update again once I have another procedure done. I have heard great things about subcision with fat transfer. Fortunately, my doctor does both!

And thanks so much! I finally have my face back from the fillers! Fat lasts longer so I'm hoping to do that next time! Good luck to you!

Thank you Hun!,so would you ever recommend laser? Having a very thin face and been consulted about it by three physicians is deterring me I'm not sure if I'm being bamboozled or if this is really the best way to go about it. Like you I want to do fillers and fat transfer but so very hard to find a physician who does it without laser. But to counter that I've seen two derms that said my scarring was that I shouldn't bother to do anything until some time and if that chemical peels; not very sure who to trust. It is very hard to make a decision but I thank you for letting us share your journey and letting us know what works and what doesnt!!!

Doing Accutane three times must have been brutal and also deserves an standing ovation. I have done it twice and could barely stand the 2nd round!!!!

If you have a thin face, I would be super cautious about lasers. I had a very full face prior to lasers and my face fell flat afterwards. If I could do it again, I would look into subcision and fat grafting or temporary fillers.... If that doesn't work for you, the fillers will gradually dissolve and you can look into other treatments. My scarring used to be worse before the lasers... It helped reduce them about 50% but I didn't really look like me after my fat disappeared. I think it's best to start at the lowest tier of treatment and work your way up! Subcision seems to come with fewer side effects than laser... Chemical peels are pretty awesome... I would maybe start there and work your way up to subcision if you don't get the results you want! Laser should be a last resort, in my nonprofessional opinion! :)

Hey girl! First of all, you're gorgeous, and the hollows/wrinkles you mentioned are not nearly as noticeable/troublesome as you may think. That being said, I feel your pain regarding acne scarring. I had the same problem on my cheeks (fewer in number, but deep ice picks and quite troublesome). "Had" being the operative word. Thr only thing that really works is micro-needling (derm pen). In 3 treatments you can get rid of 90% of scarring and remove any fine lines. Furthermore, it will stimulate your skin and might even add volume to your face. Try it! I and a number of my girlfriends had wonderful results. I can see you had some improvement w/ laser resurfacing, but it also removed a lot of wonderful skin layers/collagen off your face. As someone with thin skin and a thin face (I'm in the same boat), it's not the best option for you. So if you want to further improve your skin in the future (not that you need to!), micro-needling is a lifesaver. All the best!

I'm glad you described all this because now it better prepares me for what I should do in the future. Do you think 23/22 is too young for fat transfer? or would you advise fillers first? haha sry for being blunt but I supposed I'd ask the one with the most experience. Right now I'm 21 but have been in battle with my acne scars since 18. I know it's not the end of the world but at times it can be frustrating. I am so disposed to doing anything and everything but I know that this is a dangerous cycle. What you proposed sounds like the a good place to plan from.. are there any other suggestions I can get before I leave you on this last note? Thanks for your patience, it has really been a blessing to watch your journey and only hope the best for you!!

I would not think about fat transfer yet if you're in your early 20s unless you've had fat loss from scarring (which does sometimes happen). I had fillers because the lasers zapped my facial fat and I looked deflated. I would start out with microneedling... I've heard good stuff about it (just like in the comment above yours) and the risks are really low. Or subcision but fillers and fat are both expensive. Microneedling is a little cheaper. I would read reviews of both procedures and see which you're most comfortable with. :)

Thanks for your responses Mitty27!! I truly am considering seeing your same doctor, if I happen to see him do you think he has experience with subsicion? My scarring is tethered idk so I'm confused at if I should get subsicion done first or fillers but maybe your doctor has the skill for both? lol prbly need to consult the doc for these inquiries but idk so many and so far away, I’m sorry if I seem to be clustering material.
I am debating on doing subsicion/ with chemical peel with a doctor in california but he is not versed in doing volumna for acne scarring but it's seems the best decision out of all the fillers. I'm scared of throwing away money. I think your right about the fat transfer, I really want to do it but maybe in mid thirties to late twenties is best.. Lol, both ways I'd have to travel but the reason I'm thinking of your doctor is because you've had such great results and the price is not too steep for immediate results! I might just go ahead and do one subsicon with a medium peel and report back but I also can't help fighting the urge to possibly get immediate results as well!! Hmm.. here’s to hoping!! I was wondering if you could review a set of pictures I’ve set up on here to get an opinion from you whether you’d think it would be a good option for me? I know your not an expert but I’d like to think you are experienced haha anyways if you get too it I'd be very appreciative of your counsel!! here’s my link

https://www.realself.com/question/california-ca-fat-grafting-subsicion-fillerslike-volumna-medium-depth-chemical

Hey! He does have experience with subcision. Your scarring is very, very light though... I'm not sure if subcision would be super effective. Have you thought about microneedling??? Thst would break up some tethering but would be able to stimulate collagen growth in those areas. My scarring is actually much worse than yours, even after multiple kinds of treatment. My dr said he would do subcision along with fat transfer later on but wasn't sure if my skin was tethered to my scars or if all the scar cartilage was the cause of the divets. Please be careful; while it might not seem like it, your scarring is pretty minimal in a lot of ways. You could try the peel but I'm not sure if medium is going to be deep enough.... They will likely want to start you on a lighter peel though since you're not super light skinned. There is a risk of pigmentation damage with chemical peels if you're not super duper white so I would encourage you to start off light if you decide to try the peel. Subcision is usually (from what I've read) done in tangent with fillers. I might be inclined to try microneedling first.... Are there any drs in your area that offer that? My dr doesn't but he could do subcision with a chemical peel. He showed me an example of a deep chemical peel he did on an older woman and it wiped out most of her wrinkling.... That's a different skin issue though. What do you think would work best for you?

Well my" go to" first treatments are medium depth chemical peels in combination with subsicion probably 3-4 times spaced out over a 1-2years;maybe one every 6 months. This is the most conservative thing I can do while waiting to decide on other options without going broke and allowing my skin to heal from the peels. In combination, I have the option of going up to 35% tca but have to find a doctor that has experience in ethnic skin as you described. I have a derm who offered to do tca cross but she is not experienced in the procedure.. I want to try one scar but it pains me that it might get bigger (there are about 5 pitted scars that are not covered with primer and rolling scars on the otter sides of boths sides of my face with about I'd say 5-10 shallow boxcar scars that are less noticible then my pitted scars but still noticeable with makeup because of their wideness, I'm not sure if filler can help with these but when I pull on them and the rolling ones they disappear they are kinda linear;my large pores aggravate the texture so hopefully the above treatments can be the base of a long journey). I do not have microneedling close to me though I would love it as an option but I would like to try it after subsicion and chemical peels and possibly fillers (preferably volumna). I have read about microneedling on realself and found some people losing elasticity in their skin.. while other people had good results. Do you have experience with tca cross/ are contemplating microneedling? I believe that the best thing for me would probably be to consult to see if some of my scars can be fixed with fillers the first round and do fillers with subsicion on account of that determination of a doctor. I have to wait 1-2 years so I'm hoping for more techniques to come out and am very anxious to get something done when it's time but thank you for the support it means a lot to get advice from someone else that has been in similar shoes! I hope you get the further improvement that you want, your skin seems in pretty great shape as of now, your doctor did wonderful with his technique and skill!!

I haven't had subcision done but would recommend trying that before laser!

I had two total :)

I am wearing makeup the after pics. I don't do anything fancy with my makeup like contouring or anything so my face shape is no different from how I look without it.... The only difference is you can't see my red acne scars and present acne. Fillers made my skin look smoother since my cheeks have volume again. My skin looks shinier too. Love my fillers.