Severe acne scars :(

[acnesadface]

I’m just about at my wit’s end when it comes to my acne scars.

I completed 5 sessions of fractional lasers (did very little for me, gave me hyper-pigmentation, and left me with horrid “orange peel skin” for more than a year), TCA cross (didn’t really work for me either unfortunately), and needling (made my skin look significantly better for a week or so before it reverted back to its original state), and I’m still left with all these horrible scars on both cheeks as you can see from the pics.

I’m based in the US too so all those procedures cost way too much (went to the best dermatologist as recommended by my GP) and I really can’t afford anything else.

What would you do in my position? My confidence is completely shattered and I can barely leave he house for work let alone do any kind of socialising. Primer + thick foundation works sometimes but not in harsh lighting.

Right first of all these marks will fade over time. If you can’t do a lot to change the texture then aim to change/blend the colour as this is what is most noticeable. Easy to say but they don’t look anywhere near as bad as you think. Look at the bigger picture of yourself hair clothes etc as I promise you this is what people first see and remember about you. If you saw someone else with this skin issue what would you think? This is a 1/10 in the big picture!

Have a look at cosmolan/dermalan. I can't recommend it personally but I've heard it's meant to work.

There's a brand called 'ordinary' I'm not sure if you've heard of them. They're relatively new. They have lots of products for scarring and pigmentation which I've used and can say they're amazing. Check them out!

I have some acne scars on both cheeks too. There have been times when they really bothered me, but they do get better over time.
The scars are nowhere near as bad as you perceive them to be and the earlier poster is right when they say that people focus on other things. They are probably to busy worrying about what you think of them to notice them too.
Personally I would suggest investing in some therapy for your self esteem and your difficulty in leaving the house.

Jmmmm I came across that exact brand whilst browsing the web yesterday! Do you have any particular piece to recommend? Bit overwhelmed by the selection that's out there (I'm currently only using the alpha h liquid gold + some basic moisturiser - they're both nearly empty by now) and I can't really afford to test them all out one by one atm.

I've got slightly dehydrated skin that gets really oily about 2 hours after washing (awful I know) if that's any help?

@acnesadface the ordinary do a glycolic acid 7% which is so similar to the alpha h liquid gold and pixi glow tonic and it's only £6.80! It's a firm staple in my routine. I'd also recommend the hyaluronic acid for dehydration! A lot of the other products I have from there are for pigmentation. Hope that helps x

I think it's not as bad as you perceive it to be, but I'm sorry it's affecting you. Have you thought about derma rolling? Ive read that helps. Agree the ordinary is great - glycolic acid for refining pores and rose oil to help with scarring. good luck :)

Go to the Deciem website contact page. They have a button “ask a product or regimen related question” tell them your skin concerns and they’ll recommend a regime. They don’t push unnecessary products either.

You could join the FB group which has loads of info and help. m.facebook.com/groups/1152773461498024

@Jmmmm Which specific product from Ordinary do you recommend for the scars?

@PlugInOut azelaic acid suspension is one that I use and love and recommended to other people who have got on well with it. Took me about 2 weeks to notice the benefit it was having on my skin but worth it!