Can weight loss make scars more prominent?

[KT]

Hello all,

I have recently started the dermarolling process for many acne scars on my face. I have performed my first session with the 2.0 roller and I do appear to be getting small improvements already. However, I am also about 50-60 pounds overweight. I was somewhere around 100 pounds overweight, but I have slowly been losing weight for about 4 months now. I have searched the forum for an answer to my question, and while I did find some threads about loose skin after weight loss, I could not find any information on whether losing weight can actually make scars appear worse because of lost fat and/or tissue, etc. in the face (or other places). I suppose it doesn't really make a difference because I will still continue to lose weight and dermaroll, but I want to brace myself, so to speak, for a negative outcome since I believe realistically this could happen. Any thoughts, opinions or relative experiences?

[SarahVaughter]

Congratulations with your weight loss. It is hard..

Yes, the scars, wrinkles and lines may look worse because there is no better plumping material than your own fat.

Basically, you either have to sacrifice your face or your butt. Meaning, if you want to have a naturally wrinkle-free face, you basically have to be at least moderately obese (= big butt).  As soon as your butt shrinks, say goodbye to the plumpness of the face. It's not fair, is it?

Concerning acne scars, you should add a dermastamp:

https://http://forums.owndoc.com/dermarolling-microneedling/best-way-to-get-better-results/

[user886]

Oh wow this is interesting.  I had no idea.  Funny I actually started needling around the same time I started dieting.  I have lost a ton of weight and am in the best shape of my life yet have still seen improvement in my acne scars from needling.  Now I can't help but wonder what they'd look like if I didn't just drop 30lbs of fat lol

[KT]

Thank you for your honesty, Sarah. It's refreshing. It is a little disappointing since I was holding out hope that just maybe as I lost weight, the skin would tighten to accommodate less fat, thereby essentially giving the skin a mild face-lift and making up for any lost fat. I am glad you cleared that up for me because there is nothing worse than unrealistic expectations. I am going to add the dermastamp as you suggested. Also, thank you user886 for your input. It gives me light at the end of the tunnel. I am so happy that you have seen improvements while losing weight. That is a great accomplishment and I hope to follow in your footsteps. Did you lose the weight quickly or slowly? I think that might also make a difference. Also, do you have a percent estimate of how much your scars improved?

[user886]

I've been losing weight quickly at 2lbs a week.  Percentages are hard because I didn't take any before/after pictures and scars look so different depending the on angle, lighting, etc.  But with that being said, I can safely say that I see noticeable improvement in them...perhaps 10-15% from needling and stamping two times.  The box scar probably showed the most improvement, the rolling I feel like has improved but the weight loss definitely seemed to affect it negatively, the ice picks improved some, enlarged pores didnt seem to change much at all. 

I just stamp the large/not so bad scars and for the smaller and deeper ones I needle the heck out of them and then stamp them a few times right after.

I don't apply anything.  Maybe I should.  I just dont know what to go with exactly and im worried about side effects like redness, irritation and breakouts.

[SarahVaughter]

Do not worry about it - I was mainly referring to wrinkles. When you lose fat, scars may or may not worsen in appearance. We have customers whose stretch marks look worse after losing weight - they look deeper and the elasticity deteriorated but we also have those whose stretch marks kind of shrunk in width after weight loss so it can be both.

I am not saying losing weight will make definitely worsen scars, I am just saying it can negatively affect scars and especially lines and wrinkles because the thickness of the underlying "cushion" is reduced.