I started shaving when I joined the Army at age 17. I'm not sure when the color of the skin on my chin and neck started changing, but it did. I vaguely recall having more of the symptoms of pseudofolliculitis barbae, specifically the bumps, but that hasn't really been a problem in recent memory, even though I shave daily. But the discoloration remains.
I started making inquiries in the Army about this, since healthcare was free. I got creams in Maryland, but they weren't effective. When I got to Korea, the thought process was to stop the hair from growing, so I wouldn't have to shave, which hopefully would allow the skin to heal. I got laser treatment, and the hair stopped growing, but the skin didn't recover.
During my last conversation with the dermatologist, he said that there were devices that could probably help, but he didn't have one in Tampa. He mentioned picosecond lasers, nanosecond (q switch) lasers , and non-ablative resurfacing lasers. These lasers are used for tattoo removal. He figured those would remove my pigmentation too, but he said the last one was probably questionable on the neck.
They had one of these devices in San Antonio, but I didn't pursue trying to have it done through the Army when I learned that it wasn't super expensive. Less than $1000. I found a place in Tampa called Erasable that did the work. I contacted them via email, but never followed through on it. Now that I'm back in Houston, maybe eventually I'll have the procedure. Maybe not.
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