impossable, do you have any recommendations for a urea cream that you thought worked particularly well?
Which urea cream would you recommend? To be honest i think its not too bad. It should eventually resolve by itself as my electrologist said who is fairly competent and knowledgeable and from advice of josefa and others on here it is a temporary side effect all be it more than i expected but this is only on my right upper arm left has more or less resolved and it has been less than a month…
I wasn’t going to recommend a particular one because not everyone is as OCD about ingredients like I am. But what I try to look for in a cream is, does it have any PEGs, silicons or parabens? If yes it’s off the list.
Most creams in the market have these ingredients. This means your skin will feel great at first but it won’t last.
Americans might consider trying Flexitol. I haven’t used it personally but it sounds very much like the one I use. (ie. Paraben/silicon free)
People in the UK might try Dermatonics Heel Balm.
Personally I’ve used two different ones and I haven’t noticed any funny smells nor has anyone complained. (Trust me they would.) There are some which contain 35% and 40% urea but I haven’t checked them since I’m happy with 25%. This is very rich so eventually you’ll want to reduce to creams containing 5% or 10%.
I apply very thinly during the daytime after every wash and a little thicker in the night time.
If you use one let me know how it works out for you after about a week or so.
Mith check your messages.
Geeza your treated areas look ok, as far as I can tell, and I think that any issues should resolve within 3 months or so. Body work is rarely a problem but facial treatments are another story…
Yes Mith, I think I can say without fear of contradiction, that there was a substantial improvement with electrolysis and tretinoin. What do you think? 
Honestly it’s difficult to tell, given that the pics seem to be before and after hair removal of some sort, and the lighting is different in each one. but the non-hairy pictures honestly don’t look that great to me, there are still marks that i can match to the acne.
thanks anyway for the update.
I do not understand what you mean here. Can you be clearer? thank you.
Sorry, let me clarify. I am assuming that the top two pictures are before and afters, and the bottom two are also matching before and afters. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
- It’s hard to tell the difference between pictures because the before ones have hair and the after ones don’t, which means I can’t even see any of the marks clearly enough in the before pictures to assess properly if they faded. If I can’t see the skin because of hair in the before, how can I be sure of what I’m seeing in the after pics?
- Regardless, the pictures without hair still have marks on the skin. The pictures are not zoomed in enough for me to make any definitive conclusions, but from what I can tell, there are still scars present (hypopigmented spots mainly), and the skin tone is hardly even looking.
I’m sure the electrolysis removing the hairs helped skin texture a bit by inactivating the follicles and preventing ingrowns/bumps, but I’m just not convinced of anything regarding tretinoin, other than that maybe it makes skin redder.
mith, you can read up on tretinoin on the internet. it is clinically proven to build collagen. it has become extremely popular for with those wishing to prevent/improve wrinkles and other skin issues such as hyperpigmentation.
there is a reason why it is prescribed for those with severe acne.
Hi stoppit,
yes i know about tretinoin. i’ve also tried it in the past myself, and i still don’t trust it. if it works for some people, great, but it seems to be prescribed too easily for how irritating and sensitizing it is, and i’m just not comfortable using it. i’m simply interested in seeing what results people claim to be getting from it.
Sorry myth, my client came late when distributed the miracles that day.
If you take the trouble to click on the image with the right mouse button, you will have an extension of the photos. In the photo “before”, you will see entirely white old scars, and other more recent marks slightly more pink. In the photo “after” white marks have lost highlights and have acquired a pinkish color, which means that the healing process has been reversed (new collagen is taking place). The recent marks, some have improved and others have completely disappeared.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
If anyone is interested to know the trade name of this product is Retirides®.
I have no financial gain but perhaps it’s time to reclaim it. 
Nothing happens when I right click on it, and there are no options in right click menu that seem to do what you suggest. It’s okay, I believe you, I just am not convinced that what you’re seeing is necessarily a good thing. Skin shouldn’t be made MORE pink, it should be made more skin colored. When a wound or scar heals, it progresses from red to pink to white (assuming natural skin color is white…basically it goes from darker to lighter). If it’s already white, then an increase in pink/red pigment means increased bloodflow, indicating irritation. In my experience, white marks left by acne or ingrowns generally are lighter because that’s the natural color of the skin, which contrasts with the surrounding skin that has produced more melanin. This happens to me in the summer if I get a bit tan and then sustain a cut or acne or something. This fades on its own, so most likely the marks that have completely disappeared have disappeared because, well, they fade.
And increased collagen is not the goal for me. Remodeled, properly organized collagen is the goal for me. I have plenty of collagen in the form of scar tissue, it’s just not in the pattern it needs to be, and making the skin pinker and more swollen with tretinoin isn’t going to achieve that.
As long as this person is happy that’s great. As for me, I’ve been getting further results with my oil regimen (especially with the daily castor oil massage), and am adding a botanical scar cream that seems promising. I still would not use tretinoin, I just am not convinced its perceived advantages outweigh its adverse effects. But that’s a decision each person needs to make for themselves.
Thanks anyway for all your pics!
mith,
My comment has got nothing to do with Josefa’s posts or photos, just my own knowledge. I didn’t know she was recommending it until I read her recent posts here.
Redness, irritation and dryness is completely normal when you first start to use retin-A. Once your skin becomes used to it, these side effects are minimal and you just see the good effects. The regime needs to be very strict, with certain concentrations, for a certain amount of time, with a certain amount of spacing, no concurrent use of other particular products, moisturising well with oils (argan, rosehip). Wearing a high spf but also avoiding the sun as much as possible.
My brother has terrible cystic acne on his back and I always had the opinion that retin-A was way to strong with too many negative side effects. Only a derm can prescribe it here and first your GP needs to believe your condition is bad enough to warrant a derm referral. He hasn’t had that referral yet. However, I have since found out that women my age are using it for keeping their skin looking young - wrinkle prevention and pigmentation issues. They all say the same thing - it works but you need to be very careful how you use it and a lot of people are scared off by the strong reaction they see in the initial period of use.
You’re right about your last line. Personally, I’m going to give it a try because an acquaintance who helped me a lot with AHA peels strongly recommends it. Her father and husband are both physicians and she really knows her stuff. I’m also going to get it for my bro. Interestingly, this stuff costs peanuts in France and online.
Ok i have been using RETIN A or Tretinoin or Retrirides all the same thing for six weeks mainly for its anti ageing benefits though I have always had trouble with spots my freind brought me back some from India to try it is the BESt thing I have ever used on my skin I have not had a break out since using it and old acne marks and scars are fading fast
I did plenty research before using it and it seems that the lowest strength .025% is ample used X3 per week back off if you get any irritation there is no need to use the higher strengths wait 20mins after using a mild cleanser and another 20mins if you want to apply any moisturiser on top.
I am also using a DIY Vitamin serum both help with collagen production and a whole host of other benefits there is plenty science to back the use of these actives up if you search for it
plant oils and essential oils do not increase dermal thickness or make your skin produce new collagen Retin A and Ascorbic Acid are proven in the scientific literature to do both,
Lots of info here on Retin a and Cserums they have a cool DIY section too
If you want to re organise your scar tissue have you looked into Dermarolling
.
Stoppit,
Yea, we can only get Retin-A in the US through a doctor’s prescription as well, though derms don’t seem to hesitate to prescribe it for the smallest of reasons here. I actually never got any swelling or redness when I did use it (about 2 years ago), but I did feel a bit of sun sensitivity, and I just don’t think it helped my skin very much. My face would look a bit brighter and glowier in the morning, but within a few hours that effect was gone. It just wasn’t worth it for me. Hopefully it works better for you and your brother!
Dolphinz,
There are some plant oils and extracts that have been shown to aid scar reduction and increase dermal thickness, and if used soon after injury, have shown miraculous healing effects. I’ve used them to heal cuts and bruises and acne myself. I’ve even used them with great success on tendon injuries/inflammation and muscle knots. I wouldn’t write them off just yet!
And yes, I have looked into dermarolling. I understand the process is to create a second intent healing response, ie, injure it again to stimulate fibroblasts. Currently I do not want to reinjure in an attempt to heal, since I’m still less than 18 months out from my original injury. However, if the scar is still present after about 2 years, I will probably reconsider. Thanks for the suggestion!
[quote=mith]Stoppit,
Dolphinz,
There are some plant oils and extracts that have been shown to aid scar reduction and increase dermal thickness, and if used soon after injury, have shown miraculous healing effects. I’ve used them to heal cuts and bruises and acne myself. I’ve even used them with great success on tendon injuries/inflammation and muscle knots. I wouldn’t write them off just yet!
Do you have any links to published peer reviewed scientific research for the above.
Retinol Retin A effects on skin
.
.
here’s a website with info on studies for the active ingredients that they use. i haven’t kept track of all the info i’ve read over the last half a year or so that i’ve been dealing with this scarring, but this page provides some references for a variety of ingredients that i’ve used myself.
there are also testimonials that are always interesting to read. home remedies tend to be overlooked in the scientific community more often than not, but i’m always encouraged by reports of success with clear documentation. here’s my favorite one: http://skinverse.com/how-castor-oil-healed-my-scar-with-before-and-after-photos.html
pigmentations fade with time and I don’t think they are described as scars. I developed pigmentations changes in both laser and electrolysis but with electrolysis they were gone in a month or so whereas in lasers it took more than 3 months to get the original colour back.
I had electrolysis done on my upper cheeks, at first I thought I had scarred pores but this was because the hair is gone and I am only left with pores so basically they are more pronounced to you because there is no hair. My skin texture is better than before having electrolysis. Of course, electrolysis can go wrong it’s the same in every fields that’s why you need to search for someone you can trust. I had to travel to get electrolysis because I didn’t want to risk my face and I am very glad I did. It’s your face after all.
I’ve been using retin a as well. I read a study somewhere where people experienced improvement in their shallow scars (not pigmentation) but a very small percentage of people who participated experienced raised scars because of retin a. For me I don’t think retin a will do wonders like it will fade a very deep acne scars I don’t think topical creams would help with these kind of scars.
I hope this would help.
I’d like to reiterate what nicefeeling88 mentioned above. Scabs and hyperpigmentation, as long as they are on flat skin (and not on pitted skin) are nothing to worry about. They will go away with them.
You start worrying about SCARS (not hyperpigmentation) when you lose skin tissue or damage skin tissue such that it deforms aka pitting, tiny tiny (they look shiny when they turn white) or big keloids, other hypertrophic (raised) scarring etc.
If hypertrophic scars can be improved, and it is clear that this has been, atrophic scars are more susceptible to evolve favorably. This will not happen in a week or two, you will need months. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is more common in superficial wounds, hence the tretinoin is more effective in these cases.