Help! Am I going to get pitted scars from thermo?

I just finished nearly 45 minutes of thermolysis on both cheeks by an experienced practicioner who has been doing this for >20 years. When I looked in the mirror immediately post-treatment, I was shocked at the scarring on my skin which I have never had in dozens of prior electrolysis treatments on other areas. It looks like these areas were very overtreated. Am I going to get scarred pores? What can I do to speed healing and prevent this?

Here are some before and after treatment pictures:

[image] http://img573.imageshack.us/i/dsc00027q.jpg/ [/image]

[image] http://img823.imageshack.us/i/dsc00048ba.jpg/ [/image]

Breathe deeply … no problems guaranteed! Crusts are a tiny big larger than we like to see, but they are beautifully separated by clear skin (full blood supply). I’ve done countless beards; you are fine. Just leave it alone. (Folks will suggest vitamins and various oils. I’m not against them, but they are not going to make any difference. Apply the nostrums if you wish, but you’ll be fine anyway.)

Thx for the reassurance. I sure hope you are right. Any idea how long these scabs will take to resolve? I am afraid to go into public and be seen by my friends.

I would dab a little tea tree oil and then cover that with aloe vera gel, the purest you can find. You can use as much aloe as you desire for a couple of days. You might need anywhere from three weeks to three months to heal?

Yes, this will heal, but my thoughts are, people do not want to walk around with noticeable side effects that bring attention. I am a real fan of the higher tech epilators. When used PROPERLY, there would be no tell signs as noticeable as this - there may be nothing except a little redness and swelling that subsides within hours to a few days.

Please show your electrologist this picture and tell her that this is too much of a reaction. She should know what to do to minimize this.

May I ask what kind of needle was used to get these results ?

… as we grind out own axes …

They’re not “scars”. I see large pores. They probably can use a smaller needle. “Scars” is something that is left after irritation heals. It takes months to find out if something will scar.

Meanwhile, buy some tea tree oil and apply at night. Witch hazel during the day.

3 weeks!? Where did you get that number from? Why would it take three weeks for a small scab to fall off?

Here is a pic from day 2. I have been putting witch hazel twice a day and applied 1:4 diluted tea tree oil at night. I have also been using anthelios sunscreen when going anywhere out into the sun.

[image] http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/27/dsc00054wf.jpg/ [/image]

Should I put 100% tea tree oil on it?

don’t put 100% ttoil on! besides it’s only really useful for it’s antibacterial properties to prevent whiteheads, so just needs to be used once or twice.

it can take 3 weeks for the scabs to fall off. it depends on your skin and the body area treated. my sister’s facial scabs take 1-2 weeks to fall off. the scabs i got on my feet took a month or more - i lost count! there is a recent thread about treatment on the feet and that the scabbing and pigmentation can last months but it all heals.

Answer: Depends on your body’s healing properties, quality of the work done on you, area of your body where it was done, and experience of electrologist. Good Luck.

Goal of treatment is to DESTROY the papilla (the area at the bottom where the hair is formed). When tissue is destroyed it is replaced with scar tissue and scar tissue does not grow hair. This is obvious when a cut happens across an eyebrow. No hair grows on the scar.

In electrology treatments, EXPERT operators can make “micro” or “mini” scars at the base and inside the follicle, below the surface, where it does not show (in other words it was not overtreated).

As for treating scars… If you heed all the ridiculous suggestions that are listed here, you will go nuts as they do not do anything except make you feel you are doing something as opposed to doing nothing. If the person telling you this wears a white coat then you MUST believe it. If that is so… how come people get a second and third opinion before surgery? All you get is an “opinion”. If one therapy was that good everybody would suggest the same thing. Like diets… if one was so good why do we have a new one every day? We all know excercise and less food is the answer. Once the wheels are set in motion to make a scar there is nothing you can do. Women who get treated for “stretch marks” should take pictures before and after treatments to see if there was any reduction. The people who take your money for this all use the same excuse… “No two people are alike, consequently, you can’t predict the outcome and that is why there is NO guarantee with any medical treatment or procedure. You pays your nickel and takes your chances (but you have to TRUST ME regardless of what the outcome is).”

What is tree oil? What kind of tree? How old does the tree have to be? Gathered in the spring or fall? Is it as good as St. John’s wart? Or ecinacia? What ever happened to them? (See what I mean?)

Too soon to guess what it will look like later, however, I don’t like the way it looks. Notice how large the pores are above the beard line. Darker complected patient with oily skin all tend to have large pores. I would NEVER predict the outcome of any procedure as there are too many possibilities that can affect the outcome.

Have you ever nioticed that ALL OLD LADIES have such beautifull pink cheeks with NO SCARS? Some of them must have had acne when they were young. It seems the scars eventually go away, however, it does take time.

“As for treating scars… If you heed all the ridiculous suggestions that are listed here, you will go nuts as they do not do anything except make you feel you are doing something as opposed to doing nothing.”

You know what? I didn’t have the “nerve” to say this, but since Lefty has made this statement … I can only say DITTO! DITTO! YEAH!

Lefty, are you referring to the pores on the left side of the image near my nose? I’ve had a small patch of scarred/enlarged pores there since I was a teenager. That was there pre-treatment and can be seen on the first pre-treatment photo. If I were to apply something over the skin to conceal it, how long do you guys suggest I wait?

Some advice P.Gorilla, don’t feed Lefty.

Since our brothers above choose to belittle a regime that is helpful, why don’t you do an experiment and treat one area with witch hazel, tea tree oil with aloe vera gel spread directly over the tea tree oil and leave another area untouched. See if using these simple products are helpful for you. I get good feedback from my clients. Let’s see how it works for you. Personally, I would not be pleased if I had this much reaction on my face. Please communicate with your electrologist and see what she thinks.