Now what?

I am a 28 year old female. Here is some of my background.

At the age of 17 I developed cystic acne. My 1st DR would cut the cysts open and drain them. After going through many painful incisions, my parents decided to look for another DR. Needless to say, my face is scarred. Other than surgery, is there anything else that can be done to help smooth out my face? I do realize the scarring will never go away, but I would like to help my skin look less blotchy.

My 2nd DR gave me Accutane and this helped tremedously! Its been 5-6 years since the last treatment and I hope I don't have to go through that again!

I also have a problem with my skin being VERY RED, sometimes purple. It doesn't itch or hurt. I wash my face with J&J liquid soap and pat dry, no scrubbing! It is mainly on my forehead and cheeks. I wear makeup to cover it and sometimes that doesn't help. Do you think something would help this redness?

Thanks for your insight! Anne

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Anne:

The best available treatments for acne scars are dermabrasion and laser resurfacing.  Neither produces more than 30& improvment, though each can be repeated for better results.  I suggest you consult an experienced dermatologist or plastic surgeon to at least look into these.

There's not much for redness, other than makeup, especially one with a green tint to hide red.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff

P.S.  Accutane is good stuff!