54 replies to this topic

[jjp007]

thanks for the information...very informative.

[Airin1974]

Sassy,
Thank you SO much for posting your experiences. It's really helped me understand what to expect. I'm eager to hear more about your results now that we're in December. I just had my first session of eMatrix yesterday. I'm a 36 year old Cuban/American woman with light/medium tan skin. I have mild/moderate acne scars, a lot of sun damage (live in South Florida...many years of tanning!), some sagging skin around my chin/neck, and some light wrinkles around my eyes (lots of smiling in my lifetime!).

Knowing that the procedure not only improves acne scarring, but also reverses sun damage, kills basal (pre cancerous) cells, improves skin texture/wrinkles.... SOLD ME! I also saw it on The Doctors, The View, and the Rachel Ray Show.

The procedure in itself took about 40 minutes and I had my whole face & neck done. My face was already cleaned but prepared with acetone. It felt like little pin pricks all over my face... bearable, but not fun. She used a level C (a bit aggressive but decided upon because of the extent of my skin damage). Immediately after, I didn't look too swollen but you could tell that something was up. Last night, maybe because of the swelling, I actually thought that my scars looked better.

Today was day 2, and it was a ROUGH one. I woke up VERY swollen and the grid marks were pretty apparent. I washed my face (Cetaphil) for the first time in 12 hours (wasn't allowed until then), put Aveeno baby sunscreen 55 spf, and moisturized with Cetaphil lotion. My face (especially my around my eyes) was very irritated and tender. I was unsuccessful in covering up with mineral foundation and opted to just using my Bare Minerals Mineral Veil (which helped calm my skin). Unfortunately, I had to attend a field trip to the Everglades with my students today and felt miserable all day. On the bright side, (haha...no pun intended), it was a VERY CLOUDY and COLD day which meant that the sun wouldn't be beating down on my face. I was swollen and uncomfortable all day long. I've heard that many who have had this treatment done are comfortable the 2nd day...not me. The scabs are definitely up on the surface and the grid marks are REALLY there! Two things I have done that has been helpful today is take Tylenol (not allowed to take anything else) and I've been keeping my Cetaphil lotion in the refrigerator. Applying cool lotion helps "calm" down my skin. I'm also taking Sea Buckthorn Oil caplets (omegas) that are good for the skin (I'm a big fan of SBO). I think after the initial few days, I'm also going to continue using the topical Sea Buckthorn as I did prior to the treatment.

I decided to take tomorrow (Day 3) off from work because I'm nervous about what to expect. I'll keep you posted. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Thank you again to Sassy for being so thorough!

Have a great night!

[Airin1974]

Ematrix Day 3 update... swelling is gone. I do have pin-like scabs all over my face and neck. I took pictures again today and I can say that I can start seeing a positive difference in my skin. My troublesome scars on my left cheek to look smoother. I'm not sure if it's because of some mild swelling that may still be there, but none the less... they do look smoother. Some of the scabs on my right cheek have fallen off. I'm eager to see what tomorrow brings. I did opt out of going to my work holiday party tonight. Not feeling quite confident to face the world tonight.

I have continued to moisturize with Cetaphil lotion however, I have put a few drops of Sea Buckthorn oil in the lotion. Hoping it will help accelerate the healing.

Will update more tomorrow...

[sassy74]

Sounds like you're healing quickly! Good for you My scars always looked "poofed out" during the first week of treatment. I'm usually pretty jazzed during that time!

I've found that the swelling decreases and my scars reappear as they were before, but in a few weeks, I do notice changes for the better.

Don't get discouraged if your skin returns to "normal" next week, you will begin to notice collagen remodeling within a few weeks that will continue for several months.

Thank you so much for posting your progress. So nice to hear from others that are undergoing the treatments.

Best of luck w/ your continued healing and God Bless!

[Airin1974]

Sassy...thank you so much for your reply. I was actually getting ready to message you. I'm curious, have you had an opportunity to compare your pictures over the last few months? Are you happy with your progress? I really do appreciate how elaborate you are with your blogs. There isn't much information 'out there' on how people are doing with this treatment. Did your skin go back to feeling smooth over time?

Day 4 - swelling is completely gone. My skin feels rough and I do still have scabs on my forehead, neck, and the sides of my face. Cheeks look clear of scabs but do feel rough. Tried to wear mineral foundation but due to the roughness of my skin, looks very uneven Not much else to report... still keeping my fingers crossed that over time my skin texture will improve. I am taking pictures everyday to compare (maybe a little obsessive...but I thought it would not only help me but also my dermatologist).

[sassy74]

I've never personally taken pictures, but every time I go in for treatment my aesthetician snaps new pictures before & after the procedure. I'm able to look at my photographs from my past treatments as well. Yes, there has been improvement. My deepest and oldest icepick is now as small as some of my minor icepicks. It's has definitely filled in and the pictures show that as well. I wish like heck it was gone all together, but it's still there, just not nearly as deep. Oddly, it's the scar that has responded the best. Also, my mild saucer scar on my left cheek, which is really the only scar I have on that side, is practically undetectable. You'd really have to look for it in ugly lighting.

Your skin will have a rough texture to it for a couple more days. This is because you still have "new" skin that is in the process of regrowth. I'm sure I've already mentioned it, but it is worth repeating, that I'm told to discontinue any retin-a or retinol products up to a week before the tx and not resume until a week after. However, I usually only stop my retin a (tretinonin cream, 0.025%) the Fri night before my Monday tx's, but I do wait the full week post-tx before resuming my regular skin care regime. I also only use mineral powder and no liquid foundations on my skin for the week after treatments. I was told it could lead to breakouts and that is my # 1 fear, right before snakes & spiders!!

My skin is incredibly smooth, I think, due in part to my retin a use since mid-May, regular moisturizing, and PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW, a significant reduction in breakouts. (I take Yaz and recently went on Spironolacatone 50mg/daily to combat the occasional beastie I would get on my chin during that "time") I don't really do any abrasive exfoliation. I use a Clarisonic brush every so often and manually exfoliate any loose/dead skin while I'm in the shower just by rubbing my face with my hands.

Do you have a second appointment scheduled?

Best of luck and God Bless!

[Airin1974]

My next ematrix appointment is on Jan 5... however, I do have a follow up on 12/15. Happy to hear that my skin will smooth out. I'm also on Yaz and LOVE IT!! I'm not taking anything else although I think I may ask my derm about Retin-A at my follow up.

Thank you again for your reply... so glad to have connected with someone who's been through this Have a great night...

[RS79]

Just wanted to post another bit of information. I found a clinic that offers the Matrix RF treatments about 2 hours drive from my home. I scheduled a free consultation appointment for Friday, May 28th, following my Matrix IR treatment on May 25th. The clinician is interested in seeing my skin post-Matrix IR procedure. I explained my skin condition and she said, "Probably have to have the PS look at your skin. Ice picks have to be excised and then have dermabrasion done." YIKES! I went on to explain that my scarring is shallow and I don't know if excision is the answer for me, but I guess I'll wait and see. I just finished reading the ENTIRE (72 page) thread on TCA cross, so I'm wondering if this isn't worth a shot for me in the future if these treatments don't have good results. Dermabrasion scares the ever-livin' crud out of me :{!!

Hi Sassy74, First of all I want to thank you for your extensive notes. It encouraged me to get sublative rejuvenation last week and I am already beginning to see results. I have two quick questions for you - 1) can sublative rejuvenation and photofacial be done together? 2) Does photofacial get rid of pigmentation and age/brown spots and sublative rejuvenation can't do that? Any insight will be helpful.

Edited by RS79, 29 December 2010 - 02:25 AM.

[Airin1974]

Just wanted to post another bit of information. I found a clinic that offers the Matrix RF treatments about 2 hours drive from my home. I scheduled a free consultation appointment for Friday, May 28th, following my Matrix IR treatment on May 25th. The clinician is interested in seeing my skin post-Matrix IR procedure. I explained my skin condition and she said, "Probably have to have the PS look at your skin. Ice picks have to be excised and then have dermabrasion done." YIKES! I went on to explain that my scarring is shallow and I don't know if excision is the answer for me, but I guess I'll wait and see. I just finished reading the ENTIRE (72 page) thread on TCA cross, so I'm wondering if this isn't worth a shot for me in the future if these treatments don't have good results. Dermabrasion scares the ever-livin' crud out of me :{!!

Hi Sassy74, First of all I want to thank you for your extensive notes. It encouraged me to get sublative rejuvenation last week and I am already beginning to see results. I have two quick questions for you - 1) can sublative rejuvenation and photofacial be done together? 2) Does photofacial get rid of pigmentation and age/brown spots and sublative rejuvenation can't do that? Any insight will be helpful.

Edited by Airin1974, 02 January 2011 - 12:23 AM.

[sassy74]

I swear I had responded to this! I guess it never posted! Oh well, to answer your questions

1.) Yes, photofacial and eMatrix can be done together. My last 3 treatments have included and IPL followed by the eMatrix.

2.) Yes, photofacial (IPL) does help get rid of sunspots/freckles. Some of my spots have disappeared, some have faded, but are still visible. If you're having the eMatrix done for scarring, then the levels used are penetrating deeper into the dermis and not really having an effect on the epidermis which is where pigmentation issues usually lie. They have a newer treatment tip designed specifically for pigmentation that has more grid dots on it, but doesn't penetrate the skin as deep as to cause collagen remodeling. I think if you're going to do eMatrix w/ a hope of working on pigment issues, an IPL followed by the traditional eMatrix is the way to go.

Some of my red/purplish spots have not responded as well to the IPL, but simply have faded w/ time and the use of retin a cream (I use the generic trentinonin 0.025% cream)

Hope this helps!

[Bonbonique]

Hey can you please provide us with some post treatment tips, I have a few questions regarding ematrix:

- what face wash/cleanser and moisturizer should be used and what if a scab accidentally came off while washing the face/showering/removing makeup, will that cause scarring?

- is there a chance that ematrix can make old scars look worse or form new ones?

- can I undergo this procedure if I still have active acne?

- does it work on old chicken pox scars?

- is it true that it increases the surface area of ice picks and makes them shallower?

- would I break out after the procedure?


I've seen a lot of before and after pics, and some after pics seem much worse as in I noticed new scars and pimples on areas that were clear prior to the treatment.

[kim31]

Hi,I did 2 matrix treatments and I must admit I love it!My 3 visit is next week,I cant wait. First treatment didn t have much results,well I didn t see any,second one showed a lot more promise. My skin is so beautiful,its even toned,pores are significantly smaller. Scars are smoother looking.Im doing whole face procedures,highest intensity level. I get 300 pulses,doctor does double passages where my scars are. I can just fall asleep when they are doing it,it feels so good . The clinic is very nice,I got post care creams and lotions for free and even a baseball cap,lol.

[Bonbonique]

Does eMatrix work on pIH spots left after acne?

Edited by Bonbonique, 04 May 2011 - 03:58 AM.

[hyderabad]

I have done RF E-matrix on Thursday 07/15/2011and today is Monday 07/17/2011. I have taken this treatment for hyper pigmentation. But now I have a bumpy face with red blood clots on my face. I am so worried whether this will go away or not. Please help me if anybody have such experience.

[Fatima_raza]

I have done RF E-matrix on Thursday 07/15/2011and today is Monday 07/17/2011. I have taken this treatment for hyper pigmentation. But now I have a bumpy face with red blood clots on my face. I am so worried whether this will go away or not. Please help me if anybody have such experience.

well me too i have done Ematrix 1st teatment on 7/15/2011 but my is really rough and i have no idea what should i do how much time it's gonna take to just go because my skinn is really dry and it's not just going and i don't know what should i do eaither because the worst part is to remove my make up and i don't want to touch the matrix dots...lolz (btw hyderabad don't worry the blood matrix dots will gone just give them few days)