Okay...

My update. I've been using the products for about a month or so now, and overall skin texture looks better (tightened pores! nicer skin tone! I'm having some issues in places though...

I've heard it gets worse before it gets better, but mostly I had attributed that to the 'uglies'(so far so good on that front). When I look at my face now tho, and I have lumps of red tissue under thin layers of normal skin that seems to be forming--even in places where I've never had scars before (or minimal depresions). There seems to be a 'dimpling' over some of the scars, that are not quite deep enough to be icepicks.

My first post on the forum, I had talked about thinking I may have caused some damage from rolling, but that was in July. Wouldn't damage from that roll have surfaced by now? I thought one aspect of the products was to inhibit scar formation...would the cps alone be bringing old tissue to the surface, and this quickly?? I'm a little freaked out and wondering if this is normal, or if other people have had similar concerns?

For the record, my routine:

am: cleanse with oil
skin signals
squalene

pm: lacsal or tazorac (newly added)alternations
trireduction
spot treat with super cp serum
squalene

Every few days or so i use a dermabrasion cloth and a lactic or fruit peel.

Any input would be appreciated. Thank you

This is our general advice on scar reduction.

Keep in mind that scar tissue is not dead tissue but a self-replicating differentiated form of skin - something like a callus. If scars were dead tissue, the normal wearing-and tear on the skin would swiftly remove them.

So you have to remove it totally to keep it from coming back. But with needles and hydroxy acids you can remove the scar tissue with time.

We think almost any skin blemish (scars and pitted scars, keratosis, skin tags, moles, age spots, sun damage, stretch marks, warts, hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation, white scars, discoloration) can be reduced or removed with a combination of hydroxy acids, skin abrasion, and Skin Remodeling Copper Peptides (SRCPs).

At times, it appears that under the right conditions, the skin activity ejects damaged skin and blemishes.

Copper peptides also suppress the production of TGF-beta-1, the scar forming protein. So as you remove scar tissue, the SRCPs help prevent new scar formation.

The hydroxy acids and abrasive methods slowly loosen and dissolve the blemish tissue and the SRCPs help the rebuilding of new skin.(Caution: This advice applies only to normal skin blemishes. Any skin blemish that appears dark, irregular, or bleeds should be promptly checked by a dermatologist.)

Scar reduction is a balancing act of scar removal and rebuilding skin. Too rapid removal of scar tissue and you get a hole in your skin and too little scar removal and there is no progress. In the past, dermatologists often observed that strong hydroxy acids, and other methods like the use of liquid nitrogen on blemishes, would remove the skin blemishes but subsequent skin irritations limited the use of these methods.

Skin may look worse for a time during scar reduction. Some deep scars such as from acne are covered over with a layer of good skin but as the buried scar tissue is pushed to the surface, it becomes noticeable. Often, one has to first get the skin into a healthier condition and then focus on removing the scars. More SRCPs makes skin healthier, more hydroxy acids remove tissue. The method is slow but usually works and has no downside.

We find that repeated use of moderate strength hydroxy acid, followed by the use of SRCPs, usually removes skin blemishes without excess skin irritation.

The SRCPs are usually rubbed into the scar area in the morning and the Hydroxy acid product rubbed in at night. Stronger hydroxy acids and our stronger SRCPs work faster but irritation can sometimes be a problem with the stronger products. Sometimes, people also use retinoic acid (Retin-A or Renova) along with the hydroxy acids to speed scar removal. The products should be used every day.

Some people with severe scars have had good results by applying the products four times daily a hydroxy acid at 8 am, a SRCP at noon, a hydroxy acid at 5 PM, and a SRCP before bedtime. You should see an improvement in a month but some old scars such as stretch marks and keloid scars may take 6 to 8 months to slowly remove. Slower is better in scar reduction.

1.If you are under 30, have acne in the scar area, or have rosacea, then use Super CP Serum in the morning and LacSal Serum at night. Start the products lightly - 1 drop of each daily then slowly increase the amount used.

2.If acne is not a problem, then use TriReduction Cream in the morning and LacSal cream at night.

3.If you are not getting enough effect, then try Super Cop or SuperCop 2X Extra Strength Extra which are our strongest SRCP but can cause itching. If it itches, you can wash it off with warm water. Skin slowly adapts to the Super Cops but this can take some time. Usually Super CP Serum is applied lightly in the AM ( 3-4 drops to the entire face) and concentrated specifically on your areas of concern. A Super Cop Cream (or Super Cop 2X) can be used as a spot treatment once a day very lightly. You can even work it into the skin with a flat toothpick.

4.Some clients report good results after applying Super CP Serum, letting it dry for a short time, then applying LacSal Cream over the Super CP Serum.

5. If you still are not getting a good enough effect, then replace our hydroxys with a 30% glycolic acid or lactic acid product. There are links to sellers of these at www.scar-reduction.com or http://www.reverseskinaging.com/resellers.html. For difficult lesions, like age spots, the salicylic acids (about 12% salicylic acid) used for wart
and callus removal often work well - drugstores have these.

6. Skin color usually reverts to its pre-damage color.

7. Blemish reduction can be further accelerated by skin abrasion with exfoliating washcloths (microdermabrasion cloths), pumice stones, abrasive pads, or microdermabrasion kits such as those used to remove calluses. Flat toothpicks can loosen pitted scar tissue. Needles are often used to break up hard or fat-containing scar
tissue in depressed scars such as after cystic acne.

Skin Needle Rollers (roller with needles) often reported work well with our copper peptides. It is available on Internet. Don't use it more than once weekly. Clean it after use and sterilize it before further use.

8.Using Retinoic acid (Renova or Retin-A) with SRCPs often produces faster scar reduction. Use 0.05% to 0.10% retinoic acid creams.

9.Daily supplements of 1 gram vitamin C, 1 gram MSM, and 1 gram each of either flaxseed oil, borage oil, or primrose oil also help skin rebuilding.

10.Stress inhibits skin repair and the rate of scar reduction by increasing blood cortisol. Taking 75 to 100 mgs daily of DHEA during periods of high stress may help block the cortisol effect and stimulate skin repair.

11.Regular aerobic exercise floods more blood into the skin and speeds skin repair and scar reduction.

12. There is more information at www.scar-reduction.com.

Pertified, From my experience, the 1st 4 months after starting to ROLL was the easiest for me. The damage is in layers with the newest being closer to the surface. The unveiling of the damage is in REVERSE. I ROLLED every 2 to 3 weeks for 6 months then took a break.

While my skin has become clearer & clearer the "deepest, oldest most stubborn level" is what I am currently working on. One spot on my cheek must have been a nasty breakout from my teens... ...It was riddled of pcs of scar tissue residing in the pores. It shrinks a little more everyday as I remove the tiny fragments. I have been working on it for about 6 weeks. These fragments are the "self-replicating differentiated form" that Dr. Pickart is talking about.

You have to needle & use hyrdoxy's to stimulate the scars to move so they can ultimately be removed. So keep in mind, that it is in layers & will be removed one layer at at time with the oldest,deepest damage last to come up from the deep...and last to leave for good.

This is why no matter what, it takes UNDERSTANDING, TIME & DILIGENCE. If you are willing to "go for it" like myself, you can walk away with nearly perfect skin.

Yes, it is an underground "Monster Festival" but it can NOT withstand the ROLLER/CP/HYDROXY COMBO... ...
Good bye forever is what I say everyday!...

Well that makes me feel a little bit better

Dr. Pickart: Thank you very much for your reply. I believe you've posted that to me before, but for some reason I must have missed some vital pieces of it reading the first time around. I'll try to keep it handy for the next time I start to panic. Hehe. :-)

Stoney: Interesting--6 months! I actually started rolling the first time in february, and generally I looked worse for about a week (nothing like this!) or two and then improvements could be seen after a month or so.

You are totally right about the damage expunging itself in layers...I see a -line- now on top of my cheekbone that I remember from when I had my face melting pdt incident.

What is maybe so surprising to me is the speed at which my face can change? One day its looking worse than it ever has before, and a week later the source of my frustration is gone or in a different shape/width completly. Maybe between hitting the six month marker (and expunging older damage) and adding the CPS to my routine, things are moving along faster than I anticipated.

As long as it sounds like things are happening as they should (I did gather that from both replies!) I can deal with the dimpling and gross tissue thingys.

Thanks again

Yes, You are definitely on the right road Petrified... ..I like to call it the adventures of the "Yellow Brick Road" with lots of twist & turns but with a definitive goal at the end of the rainbow...

Many people have a hard time understanding what is happening & often mistake CPs for causing more scarring...NOT SO! The scars are hiding & often disguised under the skin & when CPs stimulate NEW collagen production they start to move closer to the surface looking worse than when they were in hiding. This is a positive sign of skin renewal.

While Dr. Pickart technically refers to the scar tissue as a "self-replicating differentiated form of skin" that lives under the surface, it is ONLY pretending that it is as good & worthy as "healthy skin"...it is NOT & it is what makes the surface of our skin a little bumpy & not perfectly smooth.

I happen to have another name for the demons, but I can NOT repeat it here!... ...

My all time secret in controlling the damage removal process is to use only P&R & Emu Oil only on my skin at night if I have to go somewhere the next day. That stops the action, then I get more aggressive when I am ready.

You seem to be getting the hang of it...Just keep at it. It can be a looooong road, but it is worth it!