Laser resurfacing?

[pinto123]

Hi...anyone here made a big enough mess of things (like me) that they are considering laser resurfacing or actually had it done?

Any/all tips greatly appreciated.

feeling hopeless, ashamed, defeated...

[Kitfel]

Hi

I'm new to the board but wanted to reply. I had a laser & dermabrasion about 3 years ago. Been quite a journey. Not sure how bad your scarring is, but mine is pretty bad. If you have deep scarring it won't get rid of it completely but will soften the look of the scars. Of course we all hope to have perfect skin especially when we shell out tons of money and time for something like this even when everyone says don't get your hopes up too much. It's real hard.

I'm glad I had it done. Beforehand, no matter what the light when I looked in the mirror I looked horrible. I had not actually looked in the mirror for years before I decided to have it done and actually because I started to really look at my face in ways it looked worse because I had not looked in so long. But now most times I look in the mirror I don't see the scars too badly. Nothing like before. But they are definitely still there. It was worth the pain and time and money though so that when I glance in the rear view mirror or bathroom mirror or reflection in a window, my face doesn't look hideous, it looks okay. I know some people who just meet me probably think wow she has a lot of scars on her face, but I KNOW for a fact I used to look 5 times worse... and for that I'm happy. Combined with really learning how to do my makeup, I think people don't get too distracted by my face now and are able to get to know the real me

Pick a good doctor. Whatever the cost.

[pinto123]

Kitfel,

Thanks so much for your openness in your post.

Just wondering...did you have *both* dermabrasion and laser resurfacing? and if so, in which order? how would you compare the two procedures, in terms of cost, pain, results, etc? Was the dr at al judgmental because you were a "picker"?

How did you go about finding the right dr? What area are you in?

[stilltrying]

I have used chemical peels because you can have reasonably high strength ones and for the scars on my arms, I needed that to even them out even a little. I had it done 5 years ago and it was amazing. I went back to picking though.

I had it done again just a month ago and plan never to pick my upper arms again (we'll see but that's my intention whereas last time I just wasn't prepared for the bumps to come back).

Some sort of procedure is useful because it will make some difference, small or big, and give you some time to get distance from the situation.

Kitfel, did you think about having it done again? I understand that repeated resurfacing over a short period of time can help a lot.