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Tue Mar 12, 2019 3:35 pm  |
Thanks GW , I tried Retin A many years ago too & it was really harsh . Differin seems more tolerable , been trying it for 10 days and it's certainly degunking my pores so far but they reckon minimum 4 months to get the skin turning over (I agree that photo looked quite remarkable ) . Having had no skin regime for probably 25 years I need to try something ! Same with my GP , she said my SH was genetic and can't do anything about it .
I've had two SH that I had to squeeze out blockages so far. I'm praying that I get the same results as you in regard to scarring , had a down day today as two of the treated SH are a bit depressed into the skin with the heat from the needle , they are still red so hope they plump up ( 3 weeks post zap so far they look like a burn impression) on the plus side by far the biggest one was on my forehead and that is now 10 weeks since being zapped and that had a really large hole that has filled in relatively well all things considered , maybe I'm too impatient .Please post any helpful skin care regime you may have found successful ? I'm also looking at Dermapen hopefully later in the year for scarring/sun damage can't see many negatives about it yet ,as long as it doesnt induce SH then I'm going to give it a go ,the receptionist at Winchester seemed quite honest with patient testimonials on skin outcomes of Dermapen , even with patients with SH . Best Regards |
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Wed Mar 13, 2019 10:23 am |
Yeah Retin A made my skin really red, sore and flakey.
Also you have to be careful with sun exposure but then we are both doing that anyway so that's no loss. Still that guy in the photo does have a bit of a red and sore look in the second photo. Not as bad as I had though. It's barely noticeable.
Don't want to tempt fate (touch wood) but I've been getting 50 to 80 treated each time, have had 5 treatments and whilst the 5th was a week ago today so is still healing (very well), there is not a single mark on my skin from the previous 4 treatments.
Probably around 250 individual treatments and if you had seen me last Monday before I had the latest treatment, you could have looked with a magnifying glass and found zero evidence of any of those 250 having ever occurred. That's before you consider that 12 months ago you would have seen horrible wart type lumps in their place....
I'd have settled for a very slight dip versus the wart sized lump but as it stands, the wart sized lumps have gone and there is no evidence of anything having ever happened.
I don't think the pen will induce SH. In fact it sounds like something similar I saw on a forum and that worked successfully for me. Repeatedly needling a large SH actually killed it off. It's not practical for mass treatment but yeah it will do more good than harm!
I don't have a skin care regime per say. I wash with radox shower gel morning and night. I also still use benzoyl peroxide at 5% to keep acne and razor bumps at bay but that's it really. Nothing else goes on my skin.
A year or so back I really changed my lifestyle. Lost 2 stone, do a lot of running but eliminated junk foods like Mac D's, all chocolate and cakes etc and drink a lot more water. That helps.
Although I actually find that nuts are a real killer for my acne!!! I can eat a bag of mixed nuts and get spots so maybe that triggers the glands? I swear they are just as bad as Mcdonalds, Chocolate and fizzy drinks!
Certainly that and drinking more water has a greater impact on my skin than the vitamins that worked for others like Hemp. I also change the pillow cases more often! |
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Wed Mar 13, 2019 3:51 pm |
Thanks GW , So far I've found the Differin to be really working well , also application is a quick wipe over the entire face before bed . Some mornings I can use a fingernail to pull out gunk from the pore that the Differin has brought out overnight , I would definitely recommend anyone to give it a go .Totally agree about sun exposure , can't believe Ive spent most of my life outside without protection whilst believing it was good for the skin.I think the sun is definitely a co-factor in SH . Excellent news about your zero scar levels ,hoping I can say the same soon too . For example one SH I'm getting re-done has healed like a large raised pore , but they could be because its still there and needs another zap , but its easy to over examine with a X5 mirror which doesn't reflect real life appearence.Encouraging also about microneedling , I have also heard it's good for blocked pores so maybe SH as well ? I'm the same as you , gym , swim and healthy diet , however you've made a really interesting point about nut butters , I eat loads of nut butters as I thought it was more heart healthy than dairy butter , only recently cut down as my family couldn't believe how many jars a week I was getting through ! Maybe it can have an effect on skin clogging !(I also believe decaff tea and coffee really helps as well )
What has also worked for me is stopping piping hot showers/ baths, I now take short tepid showers which has really helped my skin coupled with exfoliating my back and face with a quick towel rub post shower.(Doctor did mention skin is healthier when it retains natural mantle) Good luck with the healing , I'm going back in a couple weeks for 3 more SH touch ups then hoping won't have to go for a while ..I find the downtime really stressful as worry too much about the healing outcome ! |
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Fri Mar 15, 2019 5:11 am |
Where do you get differin?
Typed it into amazon and just pulls up retinol creams at 2.5%?
Already got some in a liquid form. Stung like hell when I put it on first time so never touched it again! |
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Fri Mar 15, 2019 10:26 am |
| "simpleonlinepharmacy" , I got a large tube for about £25 , I also got the gel rather than the cream , so far I've found it to be very good , although I'm going through the "purge" stage , seems to be working well and clearing gunk out of the pores but it does say you need to use it regularly for at least 12 to 16 weeks so that's my plan moving forward . Also I got free delivery with this code "freedel" |
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Thu Mar 21, 2019 1:21 pm |
How are the pits healing up now?
Have they filled out some more and returning to normal skin colour? |
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Thu Mar 21, 2019 1:45 pm |
The largest one, which was treated 3 months ago left a huge hole in my forehead as the scab fell off too early , however considering the size of the hole, its filled in fairly well , I anticipate if it carrys on at this rate another 3 months or so and it might be better ? Time will tell , to put into perspective it will look alot better than before treatment !
I have a burn mark depression on my temple however which is distressing me alot , what doesnt help is that I think he treated two SH close together and they are still there as well within the burn mark . I'm going back next week to have 4 SH re-done , they are a bit smaller but just still there , I'm just hoping the treatment will work for me as feeling rather depressed overall.(Generally finding any forehead / beard area SH heal quite well , anywhere else like soft cheek temple could be prone to scarring ?)
Maybe I'm being too self critical but when you get a new scar alonside old ones it can be very demoralising , unless I'm not allowing enough healing time ?
How's your healing going ? Are you finding your treatment healing still similar to the previous treatments ?
Also I've been using Differin for about 3 weeks , its still working well & what is very strange (but encouraging) is that on 3 of my very old atrophic acne scars the Differin has somehow smoothed them and plumped them up somewhat . I hope this is permanent . I have googled this quite a bit and found reports of similar effects on scars ?
Also I have to say my oily forehead has subsided quite a bit in the last week , not sure if it's the Differin or just being less stressed / keeping out of the sun etc... |
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Thu Mar 21, 2019 1:52 pm |
GW
Did you say in the past you had tried microneedling or Dermapen treatment on your skin ? |
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Mon Mar 25, 2019 12:48 pm |
No I’d tried repeatedly needling a large SH and it made a mess but it didn’t come back. It’s not a practical cure though.
3 weeks since my treatment and healing is definitely slower. He was definitely more harsh than the previous guy.
The scabs came off but the dents haven’t fully filled out yet but it’s the pigmentation that is most noticeable.
So will see how well that fades and if the SH recurrence rate is better with the harsher treatment. Currently have feint brownish reddish dots. Never had this before so one to closely monitor.
Won’t return to that clinic if it doesn’t fully recover by June and will update again so hemp is aware. |
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Wed Mar 27, 2019 12:10 am |
I'm sorry to hear it's taking longer to heal GW.
I was always worried that when Andy left it may be different.
I'm due to go June/July. Are you aware of any other clinics that do this treatment. No idea where Andy has gone as I would have travelled to see him.
Please keep updating on your healing. |
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Fri Mar 29, 2019 5:55 am |
The depressions continue to fill and fade.
His technique does destroy more tissue but it will take time to learn if this delivers improved outcomes.
I've seen improvements in the last week but I'm definitely lagging a couple of weeks behind previous recoveries.
Will post further updates. It may turn out the new guys technique is superior even if it is more painful and frustrating in the following weeks. |
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Wed May 01, 2019 3:24 pm |
Hi GW , how is your healing progressing ?
After some deliberation a month ago , I decided to try a different clinic. The new person was excellent , I won't ever be returning to Winchester. |
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havana8
Moderator
 
Joined: 09 Sep 2005
Posts: 3449
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Wed May 08, 2019 7:19 am |
G901 I am very interested to know where you went. How many did you have done and why was it better.
I too am now dubious of going back to Winchester and I am looking to go elsewhere.
Could you PM me if you don't wish to name the place you went to on hear.
I'm so interested to hear how your recovery has been and the treatment you received. |
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Sat May 11, 2019 9:43 am |
Keen to hear where you went G901?
My "dents" and hyper pigmentation has continued to improve but very slowly. I have a few tiny dents left and to be honest the recurrence rate hasn't been any better than the less harsh treatments I had in the past.
As I said before, the previous 4 treatments I had with the old guy never left a single mark on me.
So I am a little wary about my next treatment and am keen to go somewhere else if you can advise? |
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Mon May 13, 2019 9:17 am |
Ok another update.
I decided to look for an alternative treatment option near me. I'm from Bristol and found a place not too far away in the Chew Valley. If you search for ACP Chew Valley you should find it.
I phoned them up and asked to speak to the lady who does the ACP (Janet) to get some idea as to what she was like.
First impressions over the phone were outstanding. She reminds me very much of the original guy Andy in Winchester in that she is a people person and you take an instant liking to her.
She also sounded very intelligent, polished and very professional. I explained briefly everything that has been said in this thread and my concerns about my last treatment and she was clear that she starts off using the bare minimum setting and builds up from there.
I was impressed and based on the conversation I was certain that moving to her would be the safer option. So I booked up and hopefully (if she doesn't leave like Andy did!) this can be a longer term process of finding what works best for me.
She has experience of treating SH. She was quite shocked when I talked about having 100 done my first time. I think she is more used to dealing with a dozen blemishes at once. To be honest though, if you can treat one you can treat one hundred.
I've booked a 45 minute session to do the initial consultation and then see how it goes with the treatment. I won't have any pain relief in advance as I can use the pain to compare the treatment to Andy and the new guy and then feed back to her so that I can get something close to Andy's treatment.
She is cheaper than Winchester too although frankly I couldn't care less about price and as I said to Andy, I'd gladly have paid double for what he did for me. |
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Tue May 14, 2019 11:34 am |
Good luck GW.
I too will give winchester a miss now.
I have booked to see a lady called Elaine Stoddart in Southampton on the 25th July.
I still firmly believe that ACP is the best way to deal with SH alongside washing with Salicylic Acid face wash twice a day. I am still taking B5 so will be interested to see how my skin is doing on the 25th.
It looks pretty good to me but then I don't have a magnifying mirror to look in. That would scare me to death.... |
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Tue May 14, 2019 1:51 pm |
That’s a bit far for me. One to remember if Chew doesn’t workout though.
Let’s feedback on these new clinicians once we’ve been treated. I’m first week of June.
Is that the person G901 told you about? |
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Sat May 18, 2019 4:47 am |
Well hello again to Hemp, GW and G901
This is Andy who treated you all at the clinic I used to own in Winchester. I sold it 2 years ago and continued to work there until January this year. Due to reasons I can't state on here, I walked out of the clinic back in January.
I did then fully retire, but the truth is I really miss treating my clients. I am therefore going to start up again in a few months time.
I'm not sure exactly where it will be, but I am in the early stages of getting everything organised as we speak.
Had a long chat with Hemp on the phone this morning which was great.
GW, I know who you are due to your Psycho (Cougar) woman incident ha ha.
G901 I'm sorry but I would only remember you if we met again. But then I have treated over 5000 clients in the past 7 years.
Iv'e read all through your threads over the last couple of hours and it's great to see everyone sharing their experiences and thoughts, as well as supporting each other.
I have recently been writing up my webpage for Sebaceous Hyperplasia. This is what led me to digging out Hemp's details and giving him a call. I used to mention his own thoughts on potential D3 deficiency and B5 supplements to clients. Also his experience of high stress followed by an outburst of SH, as with GW's I would also use to highlight the importance that stress can play on our skin.
In a couple of weeks I am able to treat clients at a different clinic in Winchester before I get more established elsewhere.
Good luck with whoever you see from this point onwards. I am here if you need me in the future though
Best regards - Andy |
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havana8
Moderator
Joined: 09 Sep 2005
Posts: 3449
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Mon May 20, 2019 9:30 am |
That CellFX treatment looks interesting. Any method by which the gland can be completely destroyed whilst causing minimal damage to surrounding tissue would be excellent.
Just Googled it but couldn't find any treatment options in the UK.
Would be keen to know the price. If the equipment/training are complex and expensive, it may be limited to a few very expensive clinics such as those who do the more advanced laser treatments at the moment.
They charge more per lesion than it costs for an entire face full (approx 100) to be done with ACP! It could also be that the machine has to be very carefully setup and targeted for each lesion such that you could only treat half a dozen in 30 minutes where as ACP could do 100 in that time.
The main advantage with ACP as I see it is that the machines and training are relatively low cost. Small businesses can afford to get started without a massive and risky up front investment. The ease of entry into the market and the resulting competition keeps the price of treatment down. Plus of course when being charged by the minute rather than per lesion, the advantages of being able to treat so many so quickly cannot be understated. The downside of ACP as we have just recently discovered, is that the low cost and limited regulation can lead to cowboy operators giving poor unprofessional treatment and potentially causing long term scarring.
On that note, it is fantastic news to hear that Andy is back in business. Unfortunately he can't treat me on the week I have booked off to go to Chew valley and I have to be treated that week as I specifically book it the week before my annual holiday to get maximum healing time.
I'm confident the lady in Chew won't do permanent damage so that will keep me going until I can see Andy in September. I am looking forward to going back to him as the last treatment he did for me at Xmas was the best yet with very fast healing and even 3 months post treatment I was still highly satisfied with the cosmetic outcome.
Andy very kindly told me the setting he uses on the machine so I can at least pass that on to the Chew Valley lady and say "please don't go higher than that"! As Andy pointed out though, it is as much about his technique that he has mastered over years than a pure power setting. That being said, I will know immediately from the pain if she is over treating so I am not too concerned.
I am hopeful that with time, the damage that the cowboy caused will heal up. I hope G901 also makes a full recovery too. It was a lucky escape and just goes to show the value of recommendations and boards like this where we can compare notes and advise others as to the safest, most reputable and effective providers. |
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Mon May 20, 2019 10:24 am |
Hey GW, thank you and Hemp for your kind words. For anyone who's interested, I am treating people for Sebaceous Hyperplasia again in Winchester (UK).
For anyone who wants to know more about this condition, please note the following bullet points.
* 'Sebaceous' refers to the glands within the skin responsible for secreting an oily substance called sebum. 'Hyperplasia' simply means enlarged or raised
* It usually starts in peoples 30's or 40's
* The most common areas are the forehead, temples, cheeks and then the rest of the facial area.
* 99% of people will have oily skin
* The older they are, the bigger and more established they become
* It can be caused by an over production of oil (sebum) in the glands, genetics, hormones and stress
* If it's worse on one side of your face, it will normally be the side you sleep on
* There is no treatment I am aware of that will get rid of it for good. But it can be managed and kept in check very successfully.
* Remember, you look in the mirror and focus on them because they get you down. The vast majority of people won't even realize you have them unless you point them out. It's true, I promise you.
* Thanks to 'Hemp' on this thread, it appears that Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid) can greatly reduce the over production of oil from the sebaceous gland. Don't worry if you take B vitamins and your pee is a bit yellow. It's just the bodies way of excreting this water soluble vitamin naturally. Our bodies can't store B5 so we need it every day. Recommended daily doses vary from country to country so check yours.
* If you find it looks worse in one particular mirror, it's actually not the mirror, it's where the light is coming from. Hold a mirror in front of your face and turn all the way around to the same point very slowly. You will notice that if you catch the light coming from a window at just the wrong angle, they will look awful. But they also appear to vanish when the light is at the opposite angle. Hope this makes sense.
Good luck everyone! |
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lin52
New Member
Joined: 08 Dec 2018
Posts: 5
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Wed May 22, 2019 4:30 am |
Hi Andy,
I have been following this thread with a view to getting my SH treated, are you able to let us know where you are now and where your blog is please? The last couple of months on this thread have been incredibly interesting, many thanks to you, Hemp and all. |
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Wed May 22, 2019 6:43 am |
Hi Lin52
Thanks for your post. I don't have any blogs out there and I'm only in the early stages of getting back up and running as an independent practitioner after selling my clinic in Winchester UK.
I am currently seeing the odd client at a clinic in Winchester. I will be treating Hemp there in a few weeks time. I will try and pass my number to you on here if they let me. That way you can give me a call and we can go from there. You can call anytime and if I'm unable to answer I will get straight back to you.
If anyone else in the UK wishes to call and speak to me about Sebaceous Hyperplasia I'd be only to happy to talk to you
Don't forget that I'm in Winchester in the UK
Kind regards
Andy 07872 058949 |
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Thu May 23, 2019 4:59 am |
I'd just like to say i think it's great Andy is on here.
He has real experience of treating this condition and can answer any questions regarding ACP people may have.
He has been a massive help to me and I hope people can make use of the knowledge he has of treating this condition. |
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