LAM FACIAL PLASTICS

Hi Dr.Lam

How long do the scabs from cross usually last??..I read that the longer they last the better, is this true?

1. it does not usually fully scab. it just pigments. on occasion, i have seen it scab for a few days, typically no more than several days to a week at most. by keeping it very moist that week with a cream prevents the area from truly scabbing.
2. the length of time it scabs has nothing to do with anything.

DR. LAM,

HELLO MY NAME IS VAL. I LOOK FOWARD TO READING YOUR NEW BOOK. I WAS READING YOUR PREVIOUS BOOK AND YOU MENTION THAT THE CROSS CAN BE USED ON DILATED PORES TOO, NOT JUST ICE PICK. DR .;EE ALSO MENTIONED THAT IN HIS STUDY

I HAVE SOME BIGGER ENLARGED PORES THAT ARE RANDOM ON MY CHEEK, NOT CLUSTRED
. LESS THEN 10 OF THEM. SO NOT EVERY ENALRGE PORE ON MY FACE I WANT TREATED.
CAN YOU TREAT THOSE WITH CROSS SO THEY CAUSE LESS SHADOWING. OR WILL IT NOT WORK AND SCAR DILATED PORES? THANK YOU VAL

Hello Val!
I am not the doctor, obviously , he will be the one to give you the really educated, proper answer, just wanted to share my experience and what I already read here.

The doctor does not treat enlarged pores per se. That is, enlarged pores that are just that, pores that can be more or less "open" looking but that are the normal openings of the sebaceous glands and not scars.

That said, some "enlarged pores" are actually scars, or pores that eventually turned into scarred pores. Only he can tell you which type of scars or pores or scarred pores you have, by seeing them.

Personally, I have had a great success with some scarred pores that filled the same conditions that a scar must follow for it to be treated with TCA Cross. I did not go in there to treat pores, but some of my small scars were scarred pores and the TCA improved some a tiny bit, others a lot. It is really variable from scar to scar, but I was never left with a scar that was worse than before and in general I ended up with the scar looking at least a bit more even.

I do not live in USA and did not get treated, sadly, with Dr Lam, but was treated by a doc who followed his very same method, with the one difference being that my doc chose a smaller percentage in the TCA concentration because he is not as experienced as Dr Lam, nor my case is that serious to require drastic measures.

In all cases, as someoneg going through the same at some point, I want to warn you of two things. a) it works, but to what point is really variable on the person and the scar (and it is a given that the doctor makes all the diffeenrence to begin with!) and b) it takes patience. You might fee disappointed at first, or think it is not working. I found out that for some reason most people I know who had it have seen visible results about the third treatment, not before. I guess it really takes more than one treatment and some space apart, ptience and good skin care to start seeing results. I must admit I was a bit sad over it not working when I suddenly reaalized, as days went by and no longer thought of it, that many scars had filled in a lot.

Good luck

hi mystery,

were you able to tell which of your pores my scarred versus just enlarged which are not scars? such are the scars pores red while enlarged are not, or depth?


when you had the tca cross did it make the pores red and how long did it last and did it make it look deeper or wider after sessions?

how many treatment did you have and how often?

thank you so much take care vla

Hi Val

> were you able to tell which of your pores my scarred versus just enlarged which are not scars? such are the scars pores red while enlarged are not, or depth?

Usually, yes. Double check this with Dr Lam, anyway, ok? For once the enlarged pores that are not scarred tend to react quite well to cold water, masks, etc. and are those that sometimes, some days, are not as noticeable. It's like they remain permanently in the large mode.
Usually, too, they are not as uniformly "round", so to speak, but oftentimes have like a more marked edge, or the "pore" is a bit bigger than those around and seems to, as I said, not be round and smooth but be "marked". In other words, like pores more irregular in their shape. Finally, something that helped at identifying them was making my skin tight around. Usually the "pores" (normal) "disappear" but the ones that are scarred are still visible, they create a line, or stll are seen as a small hole.
Anyway, it is the doctor who is doing the TCA who can identify them. I would tell the doc where I "thought" I had that sort of scars and he would look and he would assess if they were scarred or plain large pores. They have experience, especially Dr Lam, he will be able to tell you

>when you had the tca cross did it make the pores red and how long did it last and did it make it look deeper or wider after sessions?

>Not really, at first they have a frosted appearance (white) that goes away in a few hours (more or less depending on the strenght of the acid and the person's particularities), then that goes away. Usually they darken as days go by, as the crust is created (sometimes no crust but still get darker). Like small dark spots, that you can conceal, usually (ask when and how to to the doc). The skin is a bit reddish when the scabs fall because of the skin that is regenerating, but unless you overtreat an area (better treat few spots at once), people won't notice them, and if you use a foundation or concealer they might be not visible.

>how many treatment did you have and how often?

About 3, 1 month and a half apart, more or less

My keyboard is not ok, sorry if I type wrong, ok?

when you had the tca cross did it make the pores red and how long did it last and did it make it look deeper or wider after sessions?

how many treatment did you have and how often?

thank you so much take care vla[/quote]

nice answers MA. agreed.
sml

hi dr lam

for the 1mm deep scar pores. how long after 5 sessions does it take to fill in some so doesnt look as deep with shawdows? good day

always hard to guestimate. i would say that it takes typically 90 days after a treatment for collagen to form so if you don't see it after one or 2 rounds, consider seeing it about 90 days after whichever treatment session you do.
best,
sml

[quote="dr. lam"]always hard to guestimate. i would say that it takes typically 90 days after a treatment for collagen to form so if you don't see it after one or 2 rounds, consider seeing it about 90 days after whichever treatment session you do.
best,
sml[/quote]

Well, it is sort of funny to say I agree... because he is the doctor and of course knows more .
But it is only to say that while I have not counted the days nor millimeters of each of my scars, I still have a notion of both, at least for some of the scars... and what the doc says apply. I was more self conscious about little scarred pores next to my nose and in my nose. Those were 1mm or a bit more, those who were a bit more, in the nose, filled up to 50%, those that were 1mm or so filled up almost completely, at least to the point of having to look (really, to look) for the right bad lighthing (how funny does that sound?) to notice them. At naked eye, and with tinted moisturizer, not visible, with loose powder, not in the least, gladly! The ones in the nose a bit more noticeable, but again, they were deeper, and didn't have 5 rounds. Getting there... slowly but surely!

haha. i'm going to hire you MA to answer for me. lol.
best,
sml

hi MA and Dr. Lam thank you. one last thing and i got it down. if you get 4 once a month treatments, do you notice the deep holes filling in during the monthly treatment course time. or most of the filing in happens during a certain period of time after the last cross treatmentt for deep 1mm scar holes? thank you

it all depends. you have to reach a "tipping point" to see changes for larger ones. that is, it might take more than one round to see enough change. typically (but not always), the smaller ones close faster and take fewer rounds so you might see changes earlier with them. everything is variable between individuals and scars. there are no absolute patterns per se.
best,
sml

hi dr. lam, on page 2 of this post of the before pic of . in the square in the top left hand corner there is like 4 small scars that cast a dark shadow with no visible base. are those consierderd deep or shallow? , and for those several monthyl sessions and more time after for collagen to grow. mine are like that