36 replies to this topic

[turd]

Going in december 7th for my first fraxel.. $1000 for an 8 pass

What type of results should i expect? Both my upper cheek bones have rolling pitted scars medium in depth and a few boxcar scars. I have laughter lines around my mouth that are noticeable when I smile.

[turd]

oh really? thanks

[DudleyDoRight]

Re:Store is not the answer!

[cmcgloth]

Hey,

What to expect:

Throbbing skin post op.

Swelling the next day.

You look much better the third day but you still look kinda red.

I get some comments at work but they are mostly along the lines of. Did you get a sunburn?

I didn't notice much improvement until my 4th treatment. It's cumulative. A lot of people on this board get discouraged after, like 2 treatments. If you stop at two treatments you are not going to get the payoff.

I had moderate scaring and it got a lot better after 4 treatments. It really worked and changed my life but my scares aren't completely gone. I'm currently going for a second round of treatments and a hoping for further improvement.

Hope that helps!

Oh! I forgot I've had some breakouts about a week after the treatments but it wasn't that bad and didn't result in any new scars. Additionaly, although I am 25 and they weren't really noticeable yet, I had some mini wrinkles on my forehead that went away
Also STAY AWAY FROM THE SUN! Wear sunscreen even when it is cloudy. Any sun exposure will undue the positive effects of the treatment.

Edited by cmcgloth, 27 November 2011 - 11:16 AM.

[Adam128]

Hey turd, I'm assuming you are going in for a fraxel:restore, You probably don't know the difference and are going in blindly because that's what your dermatologist/nurse/laser technician told you that it will improve your scars and you should see an 80 percent improvement. I'll save you some time and money, it's all a load of crap. You only get micro-swelling with these non-ablative lasers. AND, you also risk making your scars look worse. Yea, i had 4 rounds of this shitty fraxel:restore years ago promising 80% improvement and they claiming it's better than C02 laser. Please do some research, because there are so many of us here that wish we have done a little bit of reading before opting for this bs treatment. Though, if you still insist on getting a laser, then get an ablative laser. Listen to this Dudley guy above. I have no experience with the fraxel:repair, but i do hear you do get this so called "improvement."

And to this CMC guy above my post, I'm willing to bet your still in your microswelling stage, and that shit stays for like 6 months AFTER your last treatment. So don't even talk until your over your treatment. Everyone on this board has been there, the scars come back, and probably a bit worse because laser is very harsh for your skin. I speak from experience and from what i read on these boards.

[dx4567]

Adam128, on 27 November 2011 - 03:59 PM, said:

Hey turd, I'm assuming you are going in for a fraxel:restore, You probably don't know the difference and are going in blindly because that's what your dermatologist/nurse/laser technician told you that it will improve your scars and you should see an 80 percent improvement. I'll save you some time and money, it's all a load of crap. You only get micro-swelling with these non-ablative lasers. AND, you also risk making your scars look worse. Yea, i had 4 rounds of this shitty fraxel:restore years ago promising 80% improvement and they claiming it's better than C02 laser. Please do some research, because there are so many of us here that wish we have done a little bit of reading before opting for this bs treatment. Though, if you still insist on getting a laser, then get an ablative laser. Listen to this Dudley guy above. I have no experience with the fraxel:repair, but i do hear you do get this so called "improvement."

And to this CMC guy above my post, I'm willing to bet your still in your microswelling stage, and that shit stays for like 6 months AFTER your last treatment. So don't even talk until your over your treatment. Everyone on this board has been there, the scars come back, and probably a bit worse because laser is very harsh for your skin. I speak from experience and from what i read on these boards.

I agree with this entirely, it is a load of rubbish. The mechanism by which is supposedly 'works' is pretty convincing though, which is probably why so many go for it (and why fraxel clinics are raking it in).

It's pretty crafty, how these treatments claim to 'show improvements after 4-5 treatments' etc - the time frame is so long that you don't notice any changes, and by the time you realise its all a load of rubbish it's too late - they've got your money.

As far as I'm concerned a treatment will either work or it won't - none of this 'results over time' rubbish. Plus if the consultants etc really cared they wouldn't charge ridiculous fees - this only makes me more suspicious of them.

Edited by dx4567, 27 November 2011 - 04:19 PM.

[turd]

I brought up subsicion to the derm. and she said that laser are more effective and most people are turning to them over subsicion.

[Dazarooni]

I guess she doesn't know what a rolling scar is then as lasers are useless for rolling scars. Rolling scars can only be treated by 'untethering' which means cutting the tethers that bind the scar down which gives the rolling appearance. These tethers that need cut are beneath the surface of the skin so how can a laser treatment help?

Subcision is only one of a few modalities that work for rolling scars.

It sounds to me like your dermatologist (if that is what she really is) is just after your money.

[turd]

Where can I search for a dermatologist that will perform subcision?

here are my scars soo you tell me what kind you think they are

86623524.jpg

22131627.jpg

zdfl.jpg

imag0218v.jpg

when i stretch my skin and pull it back the scars go flat and it looks fine

[hellohellohello]

You might be interested in this quote:

"If you judge the results after one treatment each, then the Fraxel Repair is better. But this requires you to stay at home for a week or more to allow healing. Most patients require about 12 days to heal and most will stay at home for the first week because it is equivalent to a wound from a second degree burn. If the Fraxel Repair is to be repeated, then at the most, usually, it’s one year or later. The Fraxel Restore gives less impressive results with just one treatment, but the results tend to be better than Fraxel Repair when a patient undergoes multiple Fraxel Restore treatments."

http://www.thenyac.c...ar-removal.html

It looks like you have tissue loss and not bound down scars. Therefore, subcision will not be as effective on your scars, but it may help a little if repeated. Fraxel Restore is the laser they recommend to build collagen from tissue loss, not Fraxel Repair. If you had ice pick scars, Fraxel Restore would not be very effective and an ablative laser would be used in those spots, typically. I think people really need to go to a doctor that has several types of lasers, not just one. Otherwise they will offer you what they have.

My daughter also has tissue loss and even though we went to a university laser research center with probably close to fifteen lasers in the treatment room, the head of dermatology still recommended Fraxel Restore over the others.

You have a broad, deep scar on your left cheek and it may take many repetitions to fill it in. Probably many more than the three treatments typically recommended.

Apparently you need to be in the higher ranges of treatment in order to get the best results for acne scarring, i.e. 50-70 mj. However, you can be limited by your skin's response to lower levels.

Good luck with your treatments.

Edited by hellohellohello, 28 November 2011 - 09:40 AM.

[DudleyDoRight]

Know what you are doing. Most of these links still work.
http://www.acne.org/...er-link-o-rama/

[turd]

so I should stick with the scheduled fraxel on december 7th instead of canceling it for subsicison? Some of these replay made me want to cancel it

[tricia]

So many people on these board come back and say after multiple treatments fraxel restore, in the end, it did not affect their scars much. Fraxel repair may be a better option for you. I also think something like artefill would help you.

[turd]

what is artefill? dermal filler?

[tricia]

It is a permanent filler, I would recommend it over silicone microdroplet at this point. I have had one session and will probably save up for more. You get a good correction at first because they put collagen in with the PMMA beads but then the collagen disappears and you don't see much filling after the first session. After three session you should see a fullness but if you have any thicker scar tissue around your indents, then it will all likely be pushed up, so laser is good to smooth the edges and thin out the thickers scars.

[captshiner]

where do you live?

see a male doctor. truthfully i would not trust a female doctors advice or work on my face.

[turd]

lol why not? I live in the Cleveland, Ohio area.

[turd]

Just talked to my doctor.. she is going to do subcision first then do the fraxel in the same appointment at no additional charge.

[Nelo18]

turd, on 28 November 2011 - 03:34 PM, said:

so I should stick with the scheduled fraxel on december 7th instead of canceling it for subsicison? Some of these replay made me want to cancel it

u have skin color. from what i here fraxel can have a lot of side effects on people with color (latino, asian, black, etc). but if ur derm knows what he/she is doing u should be okay.
talk to him about ematrix laser. i hear its safer and for all skin types, minimal downtime.

i find that a lot of derms dont really care about peoples scars or if they improve. they just want money, so negotiate pricing. and always ask if the treatment will help ur exact type of scarring.

Edited by Nelo18, 30 November 2011 - 06:04 PM.

[turd]

she asked about my nationality and my ability to tan.. she said "you look italian is that true?" I said yes... and that i tan very easily.. two days in florida and im very bronze.