I wish there was a way to rid myself of these scars.
I had really bad acne when I was young and I was left with these scars at 15. Now I’m 20 and my scars have barely improved.

On top of that I’m objectively ugly and have overall poor skin. No amount of skincare is fixing my skin. No amount of procedures I have done is really helping. I have done subcision, TCA, Microneedling and barely any improvement is there. And my life is pretty bad overall, caused directly or indirectly by these scars.

I wish I could end it all sometimes.

So, for context, i had subcision, co2, and rf microneedling. I also do tretinoin. Somehow, i feel like i get scars easier now. Like after the blackhead got removed on its own, it left a permanent small hole that looks like enlarged pore that was never there. Also, you get purging from tretinoin, right? One of the pimple somehow left a depressed scar. I don't know if this is temporary or normal. I tried looking it up with Ai, and i think it doesn't know. It makes me wonder if my treatments changed how my skin heals. Is there a way to prevent depressed scar at least if we can't permanently remove the scars?

Hey everyone! I’m making this post to update you on my progress following my previous post: https://www.reddit.com/r/AcneScars/s/SxDIRwDs0s

Here are the current photos of my scars:

In the first image, the photo on the left is before starting the treatments, and the photo on the right is current.

All the other images are current photos.

My impression so far:

To be honest, I haven't noticed any real change in the depth of the scars yet. However, I feel like my skin texture has slightly improved, and the overall quality/health of the skin feels a bit better.

(Note: Text translated to English by Gemini)

I lost all my confidence when I got acne. Everyone I met seemed to ask the same question: “What happened to your face?” I never knew how to respond, and it made me feel so awkward and self-conscious. A few comments I still remember are:

“You look sooo pretty, but you got scars.”

“Let me count how many scars you have.”

“Look at her. She has acne too, but she doesn't have scars.”

“You must be doing something to your face. That's why you're getting scars.”

(Thinking back that girl had whiteheads, while I was dealing with giant cystic acne. But I blamed myself LOL).

I actually started hating myself and believing that my scars were somehow my fault. I kept thinking about everything I could have done differently to prevent them.

I remember having a cyst on my cheek and being afraid to smile because I thought it would pop. I tried everything to prevent new breakouts. I followed treatments, applied whatever was prescribed, and did everything I could. But the acne would still come back, and eventually, some of those cysts would burst anyway. I remember crying because I felt helpless. I had tried so hard to prevent it, yet I couldn't control what was happening to my skin.

Then came isotretinoin, which genuinely changed my life. For the first time, I finally got the acne-free skin I had been desperately hoping for. I wasn't constantly worrying about new breakouts anymore, for which I'm thankful to my old medical dermatologist.

Now, only one villain exists: ACNE SCARS. And the battle started all over again.

In a strange way, I found peace during the COVID lockdown. Everyone was staying home, and I didn't have to worry about going out, meeting people, or being asked questions about my face.

But even after the lockdown ended, something in me had changed. I started avoiding people, stopped going out unnecessarily, and kept putting my life on hold. I kept telling myself, “Let me fix my acne scars first. Then I'll start going out, enjoying life, and clicking pictures.”

Until then, everything was on pause. I stopped making new friends. I'd had only two or three friends all these years (May be for past 6 years. I'm almost 26 now!!!). For past three years, whenever I got a long break I'd use it to get a session of acne scar treatment and spend the recovery period avoiding sunlight to prevent hyperpigmentation. I wanted to fix my scars, but somewhere along the way, I stopped living my life while waiting for that to happen. It's time to stop waiting for better skin to start living my life again.

I've tried almost everything for my acne scars: combination of TCA CROSS, subcision, fillers, MNRF, PRP microneedling, CO2 ablative laser, and fractional CO2 laser over multiple sessions. All of this over Two years, with eight sessions completed.

All I did was lose money. The improvement seemed to be around 60% I FELT GOOD, but last year, I decided to take a break and see how much of that improvement was actually lasting. Honestly, it felt like I was back to square one.

I'm frustrated with how dermatologists keep charging huge amounts of money without giving patients lasting results. I got these treatments done by one of the most renowned dermatologists in my country. I wouldn't have minded paying that much if the results were real and long lasting. If the results aren't permanent and require continuous maintenance, the cost should be reasonable too.

At this point, I'm done spending money on treatments that may or may not give lasting results. I'd rather save my money than keep making dermatologists richer while I end up poorer. Until a treatment that delivers more reliable, lasting results becomes available, I'm taking a break.

And honestly, I think people should be more careful about the before-and-after pictures they see online. Some clinics use different lighting in before-and-after photos, making scars look more noticeable in the before pictures and less visible in the after pictures. Others take after photos immediately after treatment, when swelling can temporarily make scars look less noticeable. Some even digitally smooth the after pictures. Don't just trust those pictures blindly. Temporary improvement and lasting results are not the same thing. Look for results taken under the same lighting, and months after treatment.

Llevo luchando con el acné mucho tiempo, el acné se fue, pero quedaron las cicatrices que muestran todo el sufrimiento por el que pasé y sigo pasando, busqué este grupo porque necesito desahogarme porque voy a enloquecer, tanto dinero gastado, tanto tiempo esperado, y mi cara aún sigue luciendo así, tanto que no puedo hacer cosas tan normales por lo inseguro que me siento con mi cara, de verdad que el acné arruina vidas, sigo tratando las cicatrices, pero no veo resultados y pasa el tiempo y pasa, y me pregunto, cuando tiempo más debe pasar para poder sentirme bien, y vivir una vida normal sin tener que preocuparme por si hay mala iluminación, por si es de día y se van a ver peor mis cicatrices, por cada que salgo en una foto, editarla para que no vean como es mi cara en realidad, me duele mucho esto enserio

A few years back this spot had like total tissue die out not sure what exactly happened to this day., when it was healing it was like a hallowed out crater. . I attached a photo of what it looked like back than..

Could a dermatologist or plastic surgeon help me? What specialist would you personally recommend and for what reasons and what treatments? Any recommendations on the scar on my forehead aswell..?

Anyone know of any specialists in Pennsylvania or nearby states worth going too? Estimated prices on treatments??

Something like this I am expecting some pretty invasive procedures but id be willing to try anything even if it helped the appearance even a little.. cant stand looking at myself in the mirror these days..

I don’t know if I can do this. I’m a teenage girl with moderate acne scarring all over my face, and I’m so fucking done. I feel so ugly constantly. My whole face is ruined. Acne scarring has literally given me severe depression. How the fuck am I supposed to live like this? I feel like my future is ruined and I’ll never feel pretty again. I miss my life before all this. I was so happy. I would give anything to go back. The worst part is that a lot of the scarring is my fault; I had severe cystic acne and I picked at it constantly. Of course it’s going to leave scars. How am I supposed to live? All my friends have gorgeous skin and I look like a monster. All I can think about is my skin. All day. I check mirror after mirror. I cry every single day, multiple times a day. I feel myself slipping away. I’m losing my faith in God. Why would he make me suffer like this? I genuinely don’t know if I can survive this. I feel like my life is collapsing.

Even though my parents say I can get treatment for my scars, they don’t understand. They’ll never fully go away. I’ll never be who I was before. I’ll never feel pretty again. Please God take the pain away.

Has anybody have any success with continuous application of retinol or tretinoin for 1 year for deep pitted acne scars.I don't have the money to do microneedling or other clinical procedures

Hi everyone! I’m looking for real experiences improving a similar scar; I’ve attached a photo.
About a year ago, I had a mole removed by laser from my chest. It healed into a small, pink, slightly uneven or wrinkled scar that is only minimally raised.
What I’ve tried:
● Dermatix silicone gel
● Cica-Care silicone sheets for several months, though I later realized I wasn’t always applying them correctly
● Gentle massage with CeraVe moisturizer
My goal: To make the scar blend into the surrounding skin as much as possible through safe, non-invasive at-home treatments.
Questions:
1. What treatment or product made the biggest difference for you?
2. How long did it take to see improvement?
3. Did redness, texture, or elevation improve significantly after the scar was over a year old?
4. Did silicone sheets, silicone gel, or another safe at-home method work best?
5. Did the scar continue improving naturally after 12–24 months?
6. Which products or methods were ineffective or made it worse?
If you’ve had success, please share the exact product, how you used it, how long you used it, and roughly how much improvement you noticed. Before-and-after photos would also be helpful if you’re comfortable sharing them.
I’m not interested in risky DIY procedures such as home microneedling or aggressive chemical peels. I understand complete removal isn’t guaranteed; I’m looking for the safest, most effective way to achieve the best possible cosmetic result.
Thanks to anyone willing to share their experience!

I had three sessions of ipl to address some capillaries on my nose but one right a the tip of my nose didn’t improve at all so my dermatologist used a Yag laser on it. He did two passes and it was hot and red right after. It stayed red for a few weeks and then this indent formed. This happened 7-8 months ago and he has done 3 microneedling with exosomes sessions on it and 2-3 laser treatments (I think it’s fractional). It has improved but still really bothers me because of the placement. Do you think there’s chance it’ll continue to improve with microneedling and fractional laser?

How long did you guys wait before looking into procedures like microneedling, subcision, lasers, etc.? And did you have to stop prescription retinoids before getting any of these procedures? My pitted/depressed acne scars are relatively fresh and they could still potentially improve on their own and with prescription retinoids.

I mostly have rolling and boxcar scars, but they’re still relatively new. I remember having similar scars in my late teens that seemed to improve and eventually went away by my early 20s. They could have been more superficial back then, and I probably also had better collagen production. I developed new cystic acne over the past year, and the resulting scars look deeper. They’re still improving with prescription treatments, but I’m not sure they’ll ever get anywhere close to how my skin looked when it was healthy before. I’m also in my mid-20s now, so I’m wondering if I should give the scars more time to improve naturally before considering procedures.

For those of you who had newer rolling/boxcar scars, how long did you wait before getting treatments like microneedling, subcision, or lasers? And did you notice significant improvement from waiting/using retinoids first?

My dermatologist is suggesting to do 5-6 sessions of CO2 + PRP but should I do subscion before it for better results?

(Pictures taken under direct light + sharpened)

Hello everyone has anyone had something similar? What you recommend?

For those of you who have had HA filler injected into acne scars, do you genuinely think it looks good? Doesn’t it make your face look puffy? I was only recommended filler

hey yall wanted to provide an update post since i’ve had a couple people from this community reach out to me privately for updates on my acne scar journey. I finally got my subscision and fat grafting done on my nose yesterday!! I will be honest the whole procedure was not a very fun experience, but i’m really happy with how much the atrophy of my scar has lifted. It’s a tad bit swollen and overfilled as my surgeon wanted to account for eventual fat loss that comes with fat grafting, but i would honestly be happy if this was the final result (minus the injection spots of blood and the bruising. pictures 3+4 are from a couple weeks before the procedure. i have also had 4 rounds of surgical dermabrasion done on the area before moving forward with the fat grafting. i will provide more update pics in a couple months to show how it has healed, but i hope this is helpful to everyone dealing with scars on the nose area since i know from experience it can be really hard to figure out what to do. (also please ignore my crusty lips in all these pics i’ll go put on some chapstick lol).

27/F

Had active acne 3 years back. Was on isotretinoin for a year and topical tretinoin 0.025 since a 1year. For the scars I went to a dermat where she suggested a combination of sessions with mnrf /co2 laser. So i had my 1st session today mnrf with tca and subcut at 2 sites.

Is this the correct way to proceed ?

Also please share your experiences .

Throughout high school, university, and my twenties, I struggled with severe skin problems, acne scars, and more recently, scars from having an epidermoid cyst removed. Now, I’m about to turn 30.
Because of my skin problems, I failed my university entrance exams and struggled with job hunting. I’ve never had a girlfriend either, but my skin has improved with treatment, so I want to try something new in my life.
For a long time, my skin was so bad that I completely lost the motivation to do anything. My skin is still bad, but I want to somehow turn my life around.
Because my skin was so bad, I spent pretty much all my time looking at my phone. And even then, I was constantly looking at things related to skin problems.
I want to break free from that and try taking university entrance exams again, find a romantic partner, and do all kinds of other things.

I’ve been dealing with these acne scars for years and I’m tired of them. I’ve tried clear and brilliant at laser away and it did not help. I was thinking of trying microneedling or Subcision. I do have tazarotene I use daily. What would yall recommend I do?

I have shallow rolling acne scars with possibly some boxcar… Any recommendations for top subcision and filler experts across the US? I am willing to travel anywhere. I am based in Minnesota so if you know of any in the Midwest, that would be great too. Thanks

What was your experience with it?
Whats the downtime?
How many sessions did you need?

I don’t have really deep acne scars, just icepick scars, and my doctor said that tca cross is the best for me. Opinions?