Laser Treatments for facial scars – Do they work?

You see images like this all the time. But are they for real?

I have talked a lot about my facial scars on this blog.

I blame them for the resurgence of my BDD and I also blame them for the inescapable nature of the beast.

I blame them for my ugliness and my shame

I blame them for my fear of face to face casual conversation. Something I used to look forward to prior to the unfortunate events.

What is really to blame?

I am pragmatic enough to know that facial scars alone are not enough to stop anybody from doing anything, it is not the scar but my attitude towards the scar that proves disabling

That being said, I did give laser treatment a try, in hopes that it would help decrease the scar, and give me my life back.

The results?

I had 3 treatments of fractal laser on my cheek scar and my recent nose scar.

They helped some, according to my wife it was noticeable, according to me it is “what it is”, but better than nothing at all.

The shave biopsy scar on my nose is vascular so the laser didn’t help to the degree I had hoped, but time will tell, especially as the scar tissue starts to develop some more and the redness fades.

The Paucity of Information on Facial Scars

As a medical practitioner I have been horrified by the lack of information there is on facial scars and facial scar treatments.

It is something we didn’t learn about in our medical training. We learned how to do very basic interrupted sutures, we learned how to take these out later.

But facial scars last a lifetime, not just the few minutes a person is in the exam room with us.

When I saw the dermatologist about the small growth on my nose he took a shave biopsy and said “no big deal”. For me it is a big deal and is having a serious impact on my life. He cut too deep and left a depressed hypertrophic scar that went into the subdermis which is vascular and now created a red circle on my nose.

When I saw the ER PA who placed 7 poorly done interrupted sutures in my face saying she wouldn’t be able to bring in a plastic surgeon, she lied and she was just trying to get me out of there as quickly as possible. This had long-term consequences and took 20 minutes of her time.

When I asked the professionals if there was anything I could do to make these facial scars better they said no.

When I went online to do some research I found that laser therapy done early can have a big impact, done later (in my case 18 months) it is not nearly as effective.

I also found out that you do not need to close a wound so quickly, in the case of a facial laceration there are techniques that can drastically reduce scaring especially with appropriate follow-up care.  So I could have walked out of that ER and waited for a plastic surgeon who could have provided me with a much better outcome.

Lying to my Face

People have a tendency to act like they know all the answers even when they don’t.

I now really regret consulting a dermatologist about my scars. The dermatologist I saw had no idea bout laser therapy but said it would change my skin pigmentation, that it would make it worse, that there was nothing that could be done.

Of course none of this was true. She knew nothing about laser treatment and was speaking out of her ass.

I got a free consult a year later and that is when I found out there are options.

Laser Therapy

I assume there are good laser treatment centers and bad ones. I found one simply by using Google, calling and signing up for a free consultation. The nurse who runs the fractal laser machine sat down with me and right away said I could see a 30% improvement of my deep cheek scar and probably some noticeable improvement on my nose as well. It would take multiple treatments and it was $50 per treatment. Very reasonable!

The treatments took 10 minutes each, Each treatment was separated by 30 days but a minimum of 2 weeks is necessary, and like I said, there has been improvement.

How much of this was from the laser versus simply time, I will never know.

I will post pictures here in due time, when I am ready. 

But, if you have had any type of facial scaring I would say at least for now, that you should consult a laser treatment center to see if there is something they can do. You really have nothing to lose.

Some Recommendations for Laser Therapy and Facial Scars

• Try to find a center that will give you a free consult. Ask how long they have been doing their job, what their experience is with treating these types of scars.
• The nurse who did my 3 treatments was amazing. She promised me she could not make it worse (which was my biggest fear) and she was right. It did only get better. I trusted her, and I trusted her judgement.
• If you have a recent scar, also it is a good time to seek consult maybe 2 weeks or so after they have pulled the stitches. The fractal lasers can promote colleen synthesis and speed up healing, so often, as was in my case, sooner is better than later.

I caution you against believing medical practitioners, even specialists such as dermatologists regarding laser treatments.  They know nothing about laser therapy and they will lead you astray. Contact a specialist or even a plastics office that does laser treatments and see your options.

There is some hope out there if you have had facial scaring.  Yes, I still have BDD, but seeing improvement in my scars has helped, and I think this is a much better option than scar revisions or plastic surgery, which often can make matters worse!

Just look at Michael Jackson.