sebaceous hyperplasia
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » Skincare Tools & Do-It-Yourself Skincare

Fri May 31, 2019 8:21 am

Yeah it's quite amazing looking at my Facebook as for ten years prior to my treatment it's like the dark ages and a black hole from where I had these wart type lumps all over my face and just stayed at home. Since my first treatment with ACP/Andy it looks more like a non stop party! Laughing

Seeing that new lady I found this coming Monday so will report back on how that goes in case there are people for whom that is more convenient than Winchester.

Sun Jun 02, 2019 1:23 pm

Hemp , GW & SH101 ,
My sincere apologies for not posting sooner , I haven't received any new post notifications via email recently so I thought that the posts had dried up .
Thank you everyone for the information.

Hemp , I went to the Southampton clinic and was treated by Elaine . You will be in very safe hands , she is excellent . I had overall about 4 large SH treated and about 10 small ones , success rate on the large ones was first time removal with no scars .

Andy , I'll make a note of your number if that's okay please and make contact with you in the future , unfortunately I didn't get treated by you in Winchester .
I may have mentioned before that on 2 large SH I had treated the heat brought to the surface hard milia like plugs deep in the pore that I had to squeeze out ,
I understand SH is benign oil gland growths but I'm also wondering if they could ALSO be caused by a pore blockage that doesn't inflame like normal acne possibly ?
Or it could be that ,maybe, as they gland grows, sometimes they can develop a pore blockage as an extra complication ?

I've also adopted a new skin cleaning regime in hope that it may prevent new ones forming , I've been using a mild Salicylic acid toner on cotton pads twice per day . (The Differin was great but it really dried my skin out )

I'm getting there , probably have another treatment session in a couple months & praying after that I can get on with life without worrying about SH as you know it can dominate your thoughts especially when you are going through the healing process.

Hope this helps, not sure how to PM on this forum if anyone needs support or wants a chat ....

Mon Jun 03, 2019 5:09 am

Just got back from my treatment with Janet Barton at the Chew Valley Therapy Practise. Janet was amazing. Really - words can’t describe. Everything I’d imagined from our initial phone conversation. Very professional and intelligent lady with a clean and professional looking practise room. Very cautious attitude with a heavy focus on not over-treating. Very good people person and made me feel at ease. Absolute top-class lady and practitioner all round.

Janet had treated many people with SH but in terms of the quantity I had on my face, she said that I had a large amount – she looked with the dreaded magnifying mirror/light. On the plus side, she said mine were tiny like milia and only visible to the naked eye if she got into my personal space. Whilst that is good news, the people we are most self-conscious around (new romantic interests) are the only people heading into that personal space so it is important to remedy that cosmetic issue.

I could tell she was good from the second she handled me. That cowboy guy was heavy handed in how he yanked my head around whereas she was far more delicate and gentler.

I laughed when she started the treatment as she was very cautious and wanted to see how my skin reacted, but I couldn’t feel a thing on the setting she used! I could have fallen asleep! I remarked that it felt like she was dabbing my skin with a blunt pencil!!! Andy uses a setting of 45 but as I recall Janet started on 23 and turned it up a tiny bit to 25 although actually that was very noticeable in terms of the sensation.

Janet was content that at this setting it was taking out the gland. She let me have a look in the mirror and it did indeed appear identical to how it looks when Andy does it and not as red/swollen as when the Cowboy did it. If I were to guess, it felt like she keeps the needle in contact with the skin longer than Andy so that could explain why they both use different settings for a similar effect - Andy has a higher setting and brief contact, Janet has a lower setting and longer contact.

What will be interesting now is how it heals. I told her that previously it took 10 days or more, but she felt it wouldn’t take half that time after her treatment. I can believe it given how much lower the pain was but let’s wait and see.

The real proof of the pudding will be to see whether the lower setting is as effective in terms of the cosmetic benefits at 3 months post treatment. If they don’t grow back any quicker, the lower setting is the way forward. Andy had noticed my skin was more sensitive than average so it could just be the lower setting is more suitable for me.

Anyhow, if I were to rate Janet on various categories, I’d give her 10/10’s across the board. I can highly and without reservation recommend her. I think she would be especially good for someone who is going for their first treatment and is worried about pain, scarring and wants to be safe. Even for those of us who have had lots of treatments I think she is excellent as she would have gone higher if I’d requested but I was happy to do it her way and stay at 25. Will post updates as it heals and then see what the recurrence rate is like.

Edit: she recommended I try some Witch Hazel Hydrolat/Hydrosol to control oil so I might give that a go given that Hemps vitamins gave me a tummy ache! Laughing

Mon Jun 03, 2019 6:50 am

G901 wrote:

I went to the Southampton clinic and was treated by Elaine .

Just found your PM thanks G901.

I also just Googled your "Elaine".

Rather bizarre but as per my post above, I was talking to Janet this morning about her training on the Sterex machines and it turns out she was trained by your Elaine!!!

When she was treating me she said she can always hear Elaine's voice in her head saying "don't over-treat"!!!

Guess that new guy at Winchester didn't get that message. You wouldn't notice my dents and pigmentation from his treatment now. I struggle to find it myself even with my nose on the mirror. Lucky escape.

Rather sad that he will give ACP a bad name and I feel bad for those unwitting customers turning up there who know no better.

Mon Jun 03, 2019 7:47 am

GW,
Thats great news on your treatment today . Elaine also used the smallest probe and lowest heat on me and healing was half the time , in fact you could go out in public the next day . I would much rather have a non invasive treatment and then return for a touch up if necessary .
I feel like you now about Winchester , wish I had never gone in the first place & feel lucky I am not more scarred than it could have been ( The one I had done on my forehead has left a dent due to too much heat , however it's probably noticeable to me more than others and it may well fill out a bit more towards the end of the year hopefully )
It's good news you've found another excellent clinic , good luck with the healing and please keep updating .....

free skin care · Mon Jun 03, 2019 8:45 am

Nice positive posts from 901 and gw.
Very interested to see how quickly you heal from your teatments.
Downtime is the only negative from ACP that i can see.

Please keep us updated if you can.

Mon Jun 03, 2019 9:47 am

Quite surprised as at the moment (7 hours post treatment) I could go out tonight and I bet no one would know I'd been treated. I'd have no issue going to the supermarket whereas normally I'd be housebound.

Never seen this before.

Of course this is the "calm before the storm" stage before the scabs form but the redness/swelling at this stage is the lowest I've experienced out of my six treatments to date.

Mon Jun 10, 2019 5:45 am

It's a week since I was treated and if I wasn't on holiday I could return to work as I currently look as I previously did at the 14 day point.

Very hard to tell anything has been done.

So this is the best healing I've ever experienced.

Of course I'd need no healing at all if my skin had been rubbed with a feather instead of ACP although that would not have removed the SH! What I'm saying is that it's the results that matter as much as the healing.

Currently the SH that were treated are gone. So let's see how long they take to return compared to normal.

I'm treated every 12 weeks and Janet has given me an extra two weeks of looking good at the start of that window but will it come at the expense of not looking so good nearer the end of the window?

Time will tell. Can say without a doubt that Janets treatment is safe and won't leave scars, dents or much down time.

free skin care · Sun Jun 16, 2019 2:06 pm

Hi Guys

I went to see Andy yesyerday for my annual ACP treatment. Im sure Andy wont mind me posting how it went.

The bad news is i still have them , the good news is they are very small and pretty much of no concern to me in everyday life.

I trust Andy and as a direct result of the posts on here he wanted to try the lower settings .
He tried the machine at 25 and did not feel it was doing anything. He gradually increased the settings until he eventually settled on 40.
For me personally i have had great results in the past and did not want to possibly jeapordise that by using a lower setting.

We talked a lot yesterday. Its interesting because it made me think that 5 years ago when i first saw Andy SH was dominating my thoughts. Now 5 years on they are to me just an annoying inconvenience that can be managed.

I dont think i will ever be rid of SH but i do believe i am doing all i can to prevent them from being an issue in my life.

Mon Jun 17, 2019 9:32 am

Am wondering if these machines are different in some way?

As I say she stepped it up from 23 to 25 and that made a huge difference in sensation. It sounds like 25 for you was the same sensation I had at 23.

25 was quite a step up in pain and wasn't massively different to how it felt when Andy used 45 although it was definitely more tolerable.

But as I say, I am very sensitive to it.

I remember one of your very first posts Hemp about your recovery from the first treatment and how you went to a social event at 10 days and no one noticed?

How you described that recovery was how I was after the treatment on the lower setting.

On 45 you can see my scabs at 15 days!

Janet said she would be there until the end of this year so I suspect I will see her in Sept and Dec and then return to Andy in March. Might ask him to try something in the middle like 35 but as I said before, I think it comes down to technique and how long the person doing it holds the needle on contact with the skin. Andy has a very fast tap tap technique where as Janet was slower and seemed to maintain contact longer.

That's probably why when Andy used 25 it wasn't powerful enough. Andy did better than Janet at getting all of them. She only really did those that were raised where as Andy seemed to get tonnes of the little ones that were almost level with the skin but where you can see the discolouration.

Glad you have them under control and I wouldn't say it is bad news that they are still there in the sense that they will never be cured anyway so as long as the treatment is working, it's all positive!

Mon Jun 17, 2019 11:43 am

Hey guys

It's always interesting listening to your thoughts and experiences on here. And I'm always up for improving anything in anyway that I can.

So when I saw and treated Hemp on Saturday we thought we'd try the lower setting. I use a Sterex short wave diathermy machine with a standard size 10 ACP needle. I tried the treatment on setting 25, 30 & 35 but it didn't do anything. At 40 it was working but at 45 it worked better.

I did keep the needle on the lesion with a slight pressure for a few seconds, but it wasn't affecting them at all. So I'm wondering if the lady uses a smaller needle. With a smaller size needle I really mean a thinner needle. They come in sizes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 10. Size 10 is considered the basic needle for ACP, although I use smaller ones for some small tags and milia. If she is using a smaller needle it could be inserted into the tissue because it's so thin.

Shame that lady is moving from Bristol though GW, particularly as she's right on your doorstep. Is she retiring or moving away. You may be able to travel to her somewhere else. If not, I'm still around. And I was thinking that if you and Hemp wanted treating on the same day you could actually meet and even watch each others treatments if you were brave enough. Mind you, that's it for another year for Hemp.

The good thing is, everyone's happy and we know that these pesky bumps can easily be managed. And if I do end up seeing you again GW, can you please find out what machine she uses and the needle size and I'll try it the same way for you.

Take care everyone

Andy

Mon Jun 17, 2019 12:20 pm

Ah there must definitely be some equipment difference as even on 23 she said immediately that it was working and drawing all the sebaceous material out etc. She didn't have to tell me as I could hear it crackling!

When she went from 23 to 25 I thought there must be something different here as that was such a big jump in sensation that if the equipment were the same then 45 would have melted my entire head off! Laughing

Another difference is she actually drew blood a few times where she said she hit a capillary and I don't recall you ever doing that. Not that I felt anything or had anything visible the following day from it.

The lady is retiring. She is winding down at the moment and just doing a day a week. She sounds very posh and I doubt she is short of a few bob so probably just does it for a bit of pocket money!

I sent her an email after it had healed thanking her and probing as to how long she would be around and by the sounds of it this will be her last year. I may as well go there in the meantime as I can drive there, be treated and drive home again in less time than it takes just to get to Winchester P&R. Also when isn't there a problem on that blasted A34 Rolling Eyes

Early days though. I'm still concerned about how deep her treatment went and if the glands will be showing on the surface again within a few weeks. Doesn't matter how much I like her personally, how short the journey is and how short the healing period, it's the results that matter.

And actually the last treatment you gave me a few days before Xmas was absolutely fantastic. It healed up fast and I was still looking good when I saw the other guy in March. I have fond memories of that period as a result. I think by Xmas we had got rid of all the big ones so you were only doing light treatment on small bumps anyway.

So yeah will probably see you late Feb/early March at the latest and maybe sooner depending on how I look in a month. Based on the comparing of notes we've done here I'd suggest we just stick to what you have always done rather than lowering the strength.

Tue Jun 18, 2019 12:39 am

Yes it almost sounds as though she is either using a different machine or if she does have a Sterex machine the setting numbers aren't reflecting the energy it's releasing at the needle tip.

I have used 2 brand new machines at my old clinic in Winchester and have just bought another brand new one again for when I get new premises. Where I am currently working in Winchester the machine is a few years old. But they all do exactly the same at the same settings.

Don't understand why a few of them bled, unless it's were she pierces the lesion with a very thin needle on a low setting. Too low to cauterize any blood but maybe enough to treat the lesion once it's broken the skin?

You really must find out more me please GW

free skin care · Tue Jun 18, 2019 7:25 am

Its 3 days since i saw Andy and i can now see clearly where the SH i had were.
I have counted a total of 24, now to many on here that may seem a lot but to put it in perspective i had 75 treated the 1st time i saw Andy 5 years ago with some very large ones indeed. I think that is pretty conclusive proof that they can be destroyed permanently or else they would have all come back.

Of those 24 the majority are small and i anticipate they may well have healed in a week or so.

One noticeable difference is my forehead. This was a major problem area for me with some quite large SH when i started treatment. This time i counted a total of 4 treated which are all tiny. After a year since my last treatment this is a major boost to me.It tells me that i am doing the right things and preventing them from reappearing. I have total faith that if they were there then Andy would have found them.

This gives me confidence in my appearance which reduces the stress and anxiety i used to have about them.
I would say 80% of the SH treated i did not know i had and if i do not see them then nobody else does.

It has gone very quiet on here about any other successes people may have had using alternative methods to ACP which leads me to believe that destruction and then maintenance is still the most effective way at this time to deal with this condition.

A lot of posters have come and gone so if you are still lurking on here i would be interested to know how your personal battles with SH are going and if you have had any success with SH since your last posts.

Once again thank you for seeing me on a Saturday Andy , i appreciate you going out of your way for me.

Tue Jun 18, 2019 8:07 am

Hey Hemp

It was good to catch up with you on Saturday and even though the actual treatment only took around 6-7 mins we spoke for about an hour as we put the world to rights.

Don't forget that although you counted so many that I treated, most of them were tiny ones just starting, so you are now completely up together for another year.

My old business and co-clinic owner Cathy is just in the middle of making my website. When it's completed I'll send you guys a link to it.

Also guys, I treated a lady on Monday who was an ex-client from the 'other' clinic where I worked/owned. Lets just say that she will never be going back there again! Not for the same reasons as you guys though

free skin care · Thu Jul 04, 2019 9:09 am

Just an update on my treatment for those interested.

Of the 24 treated SH i would say the scabs had gone after 8 days on 20 of them.

I went out to a restaurant for a meal on day 9 and felt very comfortable. I think i am lucky in that as my SH are all small now they obviously heal a lot quicker than the dark old days of a few years ago when they were much larger.
All mine were treated on a setting of 40 i think and have healed beautifully , no blemishing or scarring.

Thu Jul 04, 2019 9:36 am

That's always good to hear Hemp. It normally takes around 7-10 days on average. But if they're bigger to start with, the healing process can take a little longer due to more tissue. Those dark days have gone for you now bud.

I'm also taking B5 for my own mild SH. I'm starting on 500mg a day at the moment.

Not sure if it will work but I'll try and provide a link to my website for Sebaceous Hyperplasia

Nope, it won't let me as I'm a new member

free skin care · Fri Jul 05, 2019 7:02 am

I am glad they are responding to the treatment.
Excited to hear if the B5 works as well!

Fri Jul 05, 2019 8:57 am

Hi AnnieR

Hemp is the expert when it comes to using vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid). He feels that it has definitely helped in the reduction of oil or sebum production.

Like just about everyone else who has Sebaceous Hyperplasia, I have oily skin and open pores. To me, word-of-mouth is always the best recommendation anyone can have. So if there's a chance I can reduce both my sebum and pore size, I'm giving it ago! And having met both Hemp & GW several time over the past few years, I can certainly vouch for their integrity and honesty

free skin care · Fri Jul 12, 2019 2:31 am

B5
I take 2 x 500g before bed every night.
Have done this for about 3 years now with no side effects whatsoever.
I am convinced it shrinks pores and reduces oil. However at the doses i take it takes time.
My understanding is that the more you take the quicker you will get results.
I am in no way telling people to do that although as the body does not store B5 i do not believe it would be dangerous to do so.

Google is full of info on this . B5 has been labelled the natural accutane and we all know that accutane will magically make sh disappear.

Acne forums were a great place to gain an understanding of how b5 helps to control your oil.

My only advice to anyone that tries it is to give it a good go. A few weeks is not realistic.

I had one huge open pore on the side of my face that had been there forever.. Literally a hole clearly visible. It is now gone completely. I dont know what else could have done that other than B5.

free skin care · Fri Jul 12, 2019 6:21 am

Hemp, have you had any issues with hair loss in taking it? That is the one side effect I have heard when taken in higher doses.
Kind of partial to this big ole Texas do! Wink

free skin care · Sun Jul 14, 2019 3:54 am

No issues at all Annie.
Im 51 and at an age when i should be thinning. Im blessed with a full head of hair and its not even receding in all the places men of my age usually suffer.
I have been takimg it for 3 years so no. Not had any effect on me.

free skin care · Sun Jul 14, 2019 8:45 am

Hemp, thank you! I have been reading up on it.
Do you find taking it at bedtime works better?
I heard it also gives you energy. I have trouble sleeping so I wouldn't need that!

free skin care · Tue Jul 16, 2019 5:31 am

No science behind why i take it at night.

The bottle is by the side of my bed which helps me to remember.
Its said your skin repairs itself while sleeping so maybe it helps with that.
My skin was always oiliest when i woke up in the morning. Literally running with oil. It is no longer like that , im amazed every morning when i look in the mirror.
As regards energy i dont know. I certainly dont have any trouble sleeping but to be honest i dont think it matters when you take them as long as you do. I am religous and never miss a day 😊

Mon Jul 29, 2019 4:02 pm

Hi All,
Been catching up on the forum tonight .
Hemp , was interesting what you have experienced regarding oil reduction when you wake up and taking B5.How long does it take before B5 works ?
I've always been averse to using creams/lotions etc... on my oily skin, however I have for the last month persevered with moisturiser ..
I've been using L'oreal for men pure power anti-spot moisturiser twice per day ( its high in salicylic acid ) coupled with good old St Ives apricot face scrub twice per week )
Have to say that the moisturiser is excellent ! My skin is starting to look the best it's ever been , its definitely the exfoliation coupled with the moisturiser,
Current situation on SH is that all the large raised ones are gone , what I do have is some small ones along with some larger oil glands you can see under the skin ( not sure if I can have these treated or not seeing as they are not raised ? They are within the skin's surface ? So perhaps will monitor for time being)
But the L'oreal moisturiser is really very good , I'm hoping another couple months of use will clear my skin even more, I'm only just starting this year to feel like I'm controlling my skin & not the other way round .

Automatic Message

If this is your first visit to the EDS Forums please take the time to register. Registration is required for you to post on the forums. Registration will also give you the ability to track messages of interest, send private messages to other users, participate in Gift Certificates draws and enjoy automatic discounts for shopping at our online store. Registration is free and takes just a few seconds to complete.

Click Here to join our community.

If you are already a registered member on the forums, please login to gain full access to the site.