Blog with Dr. Irwin

Hi, I have body acne and over the years the number of breakouts has diminished but has left a lot of scars which of them are mostly skin discoloration. I am dark skinned. I have tried varies things like micro crystal dermabrasion, topical cremes and glycol peels. I was not sure about the peel first but then I have tried most of the stuff out there and risked it and it left a couple of very dark spots which hasn't faded even a little bit after 2 months. I am starting to feel that the only option would be expensive laser treatments. I would really appreciate if you could offer me some advice. Thanks.

Hi Dr. Irwin- I believe I either have hormonal or cystic acne along my jawline and neck? I also have scarring in this area due to the acne. Do you have any recommendations for products to use? Thanks so much! Sincerely, Amy

Hi doctor I have 2 scars on my lips from 10 years ago. The scars occured after removing warts electrically. One on my upper left side lip and the other on the right side bottom lips and they are all hypertrophic. I had consulted with a plastic surgeon and he said that fraxel laser could help to makr the scars shrink I am so afraid because the lips are so sensitive . Does fraxel cauuse any more hypopigmentation or hyperpigmentation in my case? And does it work well to blur the scars edges because they are so reaised which get me embarassed

Hi doctor First of all, please doctor I hope you answer me via my e-mail because I don't want my problem to be seen publicly, I sent my first message to you without telling you that (the e-mail thing) by mistake. I have 2 scars on my lips since 10 years ago. The scars occured after removing warts electrically. One on my upper left side lip and the other on the right side bottom lips and they are all hypertrophic. I had consulted with a plastic surgeon and he said that fraxel laser could help to makr the scars shrink I am so afraid because the lips are so sensitive . Does fraxel cauuse any ,more hypopigmentation or hyperpigmentation in my case? and does it work well to blur the scars edges because they are so reaised which get me embarassed I will be so grateful to see your openion . regards,

Dr Irwin- I have been on the internet reading some reviews regarding Fraxel Restore. I wasn't aware that you can actually scar from this treatment. I never considered Repair because I thought that would be of a possible side effect of the more aggressive treatment. Have you seen this happening to patients before. I have had several treatments of Restore and once a year I have a very mild one when I go back to maintain. My skin looks great.

Re: Fractionated Carbon Dioxide Laser I was most interested in your article on this laser. I have acne-related scars including depressions in my skin. Also, I had some hypertrophic scars excised, which resulted in deeper depressions. To date I have done 5 treatments of Fraxel at ever increasing strengths. I have just had 2 treatments 3 weeks apart at Fraxel's highest level (i.e. level 12). Yet I STILL have the aforementioned scars. They have faded a bit, but they're still there and quite noticeable. Do you think the Fractionated Carbon Dioxide Laser would be a good option for me. If the answer is yes, do you know of a dermatologist located in NYC who has the necessary expertise w/ this laser? Thanks for your help, Simone

Dr Irwin i am a african american 68 years old reasonable good health and i have this horizontal line between both eyes which causes one to not look pleasnt i also have those cooma on the side of face or labia and question is this i keloid and i am wondering if it botox would cause big problem for me i would so badly like to have just a little something done for me oh my what a life lift that would be thanks warmly

E-mail Print Share Feb 22, 2010 I HAD BREAST AUGMENTATION (LIFT WITH IMPLANTS) ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO. MY SCARS ARE REALLY BAD. THE DOCTOR HAS BEEN TREATING MY SCARS WITH THE STEROID SHOTS AND THE DIFFERENT LASERS. THE SCARS ARE MUCH SMOOTHER BUT THE REDNESS/BROWN COLORATION IS JUST AS BAD!!! I AM NOT SURE IF THERE IS HOPE FOR THE SCARS TO FADE??? I KNOW TIME IS OF ESSENCE BUT I AM GOING ON TWO AND A HALF YEARS. I AM STILL SO SELF-CONCIOUS/UNCOMFORTABLE THAT I REALLY REGRET DOING IT.ON MY LAST VISIT HE GAVE ME.... WHAT DO YOU THINK I SHOULD DO? I AM THINKING OF GOING TO A DIFFERENT DOCTOR AND I WILL HAVE TO PAY SO I AM AFRAID TO PAY HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS FOR THE SAME RESULTS. THE SURGEON HAS NOT BEEN CHARGING FOR THE SCAR TREATMENT PROCESS WHICH IS ABOUT EVERY THREE MONTHS OR SO. WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND I DO? I HAVE BEEN REALLY FRUSTRATED AND WAS HOPING YOU CAN GIVE ME THE DIRECTION I SHOULD GO IN. THANK YOU FOR YOUR WEBSITE. I REALLY FIND IT HELPFUL/INFORMATIVE. ARE THERE ANY PRODUCTS YOU RECOMMEND? I would like to try to help you but I need to know exactly which lasers were used, how many treatments for each and about how long in between each treatment. Dr. I I called to ask the laser name and they told me it was the Lime Light Laser. I assumed it was different lasers because the settings varied so I assumed they were diffferent (so they tell me)?? The first year he did the steroid shots every three months or so. The last year and a half he has been doing the laser every 2 months. My appointments have been about every two months and I would say he would do a laser treatment every other time-so a total of 5 treatments. The scars would form a scab (and get very dark) that would take about a month to heal. The last visit he had me buy Skin Ceutical serum 20. I am supposed to apply it twice a day to the scars. What do you think of this product and is there anything you recommend. I am willing to try anything!

Hi Dr. Irwin, I recently read your book. I was very impressed with the information provided. I do have one question that I'd like your opinion on. I had upper eyelid surgery a year old. Although the incision line is white and flattened, it's more noticeable than I expected. I'm wondering if you think a particular type of laser treatment on the upper eyelid could help improve the scar appearance. I'm 37 and my goal is to improve the incision line appearance (any skin tightening, extra would only be a bonus, but not a priority). Thank you

Hi Dr. Irwin i have superficial scarring from childhood on my face, i also have african american skin type, is it true that laser resurfacing is not that successful at treating my skin issue due to my skin type?

Hello I broke my legg and had surgery last year from this I have scars on my leg and will like to know how can I remove them. Should I have cosmetic surgery or laser. Thanks.

Hi Dr Irwin, I had kenalog shots for my keloids on my arms. I didn't realised that one of the side-effects was thinning skin (I can see the blood vessels) and the skin is depressed and indent across a large area on the arm. Its been more than 8 months since my last shot. Would fillers like Restylane or Juvederm reduce the overall appearance of the indent?