LAM FACIAL PLASTICS

Hi Dr. Lam, thank you so much for maintaining this forum! I am hoping you can give me some expert advice regarding skin thinning.

I have always had quite thin skin around the tear trough area, with a bluish purple colouring near the corners of my eyes, and a somewhat crepey texture due to to the thin skin. I saw some plastic surgeons about what could be done, some suggested fat transfer, but one suggested i try a laser specialist colleague of his who might able to perform a less invasive procedure first. His colleague reccommended a fraxel laser to possibly help renew and thicken the skin.

I had the laser performed but i reacted terribly to it, with prolonged inflammation. The doctor prescribed a three week course of topical steroids (Advantan, which i believe is a moderate strength steroid?) to help with the inflammation. I am convinced my skin has thinned out noticeably further since I have used the steroid, but my doctor disagrees and says this is not really possible. I'd like to know from you if a short three week course of topical steroids such as Advantan around the tear trough area could in fact thin the skin. And if it has, can I ever expect it to return back to normal, or are there medical procedures/ medications that can help it return to normal? I'm 24 years old if that helps with your answer.

Thank you So much!:)

This is a question that is better left to a dermatologist. Although I could respond, I would be afraid that my response may not be 100% accurate. I know that injected steroids could thin the skin almost immediately. That is a known risk. I know that long-term steroids (there is the problem because I don't know what is long-term and what is not) can thin the skin and make it more fragile. In terms of reversibility, my understanding is that it is reversible in most cases. But, once again, ask a dermatologist not a surgeon. Sorry that I can't be of greater assistance.
Just trying to be honest about the limits of my knowledge base,
SML