Facial Scar Revision

[jigga2181]

Hey Doc:

I have asked you questions before on this site..thanks always..here is my situation:

I'm on accutane, I got about a 1inch scar below my cheek from a car accident I was in..I needed stitches...it has been 5 weeks since I got the stithches out and I'm not too happy with the way my scar looks and I'm afraid its because of the accutane. My face is already red and slightly irritated from being in the 5month of my accutane..I take 80mg a day. I had a cyst removed from forehead 3 years ago and It healed up awesome..you can't even see it...I was never on accutane though. I feel my skin texture is tight now and more red and I'm afraid this is causing my scar to look more red and causing it to heal slowly. I tried mederma but I felt like this made the scar look more red...so I have just been moisturizing it 3 times a day with a moisturizer that has vitamin E in it...should I be worried about the accutane effecting my scar from healing..is there anything I can do? Should I go back to my dermatologist and see if there is anything he can do..give it a shot or something? I know it has only been 5 weeks, am I jumping the gun or should I be seeing some improvement by now...the scar isn't that big but it is really dark around the scar..will this darkness fade?

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

There's really not much you need to do.  Scars do indeed take a long time to fade--up to a year or more--and Accutane doesn't really interfere with healing, despite its reputation.  I advise you to just let things be.  In this situation, the less you do, the better off you'll be.  Mederma, like any cream, will make red spots look redder, but that's just because it helps transmit light more.  You did yourself no harm by trying it.

Take care.

Dr. Rockoff

[loiloi]

I know Dr Rockoff will give you excellent advice, but may i share my experience too. Scars can take up to a year to fade. Don't stop taking the accutane now, as it will affect skin healing for 6 months after stopping anyway, so you might as well finish the course and cure your acne. I'm sorry to hear you were in a car accident. I wanted my experience on accutane to be "perfect" and for nothing to go wrong, but i seemed to have more accidents than ever whilst on it. I got covered in flea bites from a dog, and was worried that they wouldn't heal, i burnt myself with the iron and got deep scratches from my rabbit. The accutane makes your skin redder so all pigmentation and scars appear worse. Once i finished the accutane, my scars-both from acne and from mishaps-began to fade. Loiloi x

[jigga2181]

Loiloi...

I really appreciate you taking the time out to tell me that...thanks much...it's nice to hear some stories from others like yourself...it gives me some confidence.

Kind Regards!

[loiloi]

No problem. I've had spots for twenty years and have taken accutane twice. I'm very aware of the physical and psychological problems acne causes, and would like to help other people. If you have not already done so, read the posts in the acne community on this site. x