39 replies to this topic

[caesar2]

It is now nearly two months since my last Fraxel (I had four) and as promised I have posted photos of my Fraxel results in the gallery. Before anyone criticises the photos because they are of different resolutions etc let me say that I am an amateur at compression and because they were all originally VERY high resolution (12 pixels) and I cropped (to preserve some anonymity!) etc somehow they all ended up at different resolutions. There was NO attempt to make the after photos look better than the before ones.

Also please do not tell me that light etc is different. They were all taken in the same position using the same lighting source and we worked hard to make the scars look AS BAD AS POSSIBLE in all instances. I have cropped the photos but that is all. (I appear to have less facial hair in the after ones and I have in fact wondered if the Fraxel did reduce my facial hair somewhat - but just an aside).

I don't think that the gallery photos really do justice to the improvement which the original photos show. I was SHOCKED at the difference and wouldn't have believed it without the photos to prove it. I have been very happy with my skin since the fraxel (more confident) and my husband has told me how much better it has been looking, but I didn't really believe him until I saw the photos. I believe my experience shows just how important it is to take LOTS OF PHOTOS BECAUSE THE IMPROVEMENT IS SO GRADUAL WE DON"T SEE IT.

As mentioned above, I had four treatments. The Australia Gov has stopped subsidising Fraxel, and as it would now cost around $1,800 per treatment I have decided to have a break for awhile. I was treated with Fraxel 2 using the blue dye for first two treatments, and no blue die for last two treatments.

I will now be using a dermaroller from clearskin with copper peptides and Retin A on alternate nights and see how that goes.

I have provided numbers below. They don’t mean a lot to me except to say that the higher the mj level the more it hurts and the more effective it is meant to be. I found, however, that at 70mj my skin broke out and if I do more fraxels I would only do that level where I am most scarred.

I am a 39 year old female.


Treatment 1 – 4 july 2007

40mj
Rx level 8 (23% coverage)
8 passes 57MTZ per pass 456 in total
5.75 kj


Treatment 2 – 31 July 2007

Fraxel 1 intially @ 40mj level 8, 8 passes Total 5.75kj
Fraxel 2 on forehead @ 45mj level 8, 8 passes
Cheeks, chin, lips and nose @55mj level 8, 8 passes + extra two passes over middle cheeks. Total 7.4 mj


Treatment 3 – 28 August 2007

Forehead 50mj level 9
Cheeks etc 60mj level 9
Total 8.65kj


Treatment 4 – 25 September 2007

Forehead 55mj level 9
Cheeks 70mj level 10
Chin/lip 60mj level 9
Total 8.82kj

I would welcome comments.

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[lamarr1986]

Congrats, i would say looking at the pics you have had about a 60% improvement atleast.... you must be very pleased!!

[zonk]

I have provided numbers below. They don�€™t mean a lot to me except to say that the higher the mj level the more it hurts and the more effective it is meant to be. I found, however, that at 70mj my skin broke out and if I do more fraxels I would only do that level where I am most scarred.

Wow! That is amazing improvement. Congrats!

I had the same problem with breaking out, even at my low settings.

[elizabethmargot]

oh my goodness!!!!! you have had AMAZING, AMAZING IMPROVEMENTS!!!! your skin looks BEAUTIFUL!

i want to thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, for posting pics & a success stories. i have been so dejected reading all the negative things on this board that i was starting to think there was nothing at all worth doing. i have very shallow scars, and was even thinking that fraxel wouldn't work for me. i am starting to change my mind! thank you again for giving me back some hope!

get out and enjoy your lovely new skin!!!!!

[ChrissyC]

Wow! Great improvement! I too did four fraxel treatments (but fraxel I). I failed to take pictures, however, and so I doubt my improvement daily.

[hatethyself]

Conclusive evidence that Fractionated Laser treatments can work.

[fivetotenyears]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!

50-75 percent improvement. Just goes to show everyone the importance of detailed photologging during Fraxel treatments.

Interesting what you said about Fraxel affecting your facial hair. I have the same concern. At higher settings it is deep enough and strong enough to destroy hair follicles.

P.s. Try posting the original photos on fickr then put the link in your post. That way everyone can see the large files!

Also please post your story (or a link) in the big fraxel thread!!!

[Beckham5]

these are very encouraging results!

[ylem]

I can see how they are less deep. You have good skin for your age.

I've done exactly four (post 1.5 months) and am trying to figure out if it has helped me. Mine were deeper and more severe though and my results were not impressive. I may just keep going, I don't know.

[caesar2]

Hard to tell because of lighting. Are you happy with your improvement. It looks like it could have improved but lighting always tricks me. I can see how they may be less deep.

I've done exactly four (post 1.5 months) and am trying to figure out if it has helped me. Mine were deeper and more severe though and my results were not impressive.

As I said Yelm, they were done in exactly the same lighting and as you can see we tried as much as possible to replicate the original position of the photos. In fact in both the before and afters an attempt was made to make the scars look AS BAD AS POSSIBLE. I do wonder if some of what appears to be difference in lighting is partly the difference in the condition of my skin, which scars aside, is MUCH better that it was before and perhaps reflects the light differently.

I think that in terms of true comparison (not put out by reliant!) my photos are about as good as it gets. I am happy - obviously not 100% because I still have some scars, although once I have my hair and makeup done now they are pretty hard to see. I didn't realise that the improvement was as good as it is, but it has happened over five months and if I hadn't taken as 'good' before photos as I did I never would have realised how dramatic the improvement has been.

I just want everyone to know that I have no interest in making fraxel look good. If the results were bad I would have posted them as well. It's just that when I started info gathering it really frustrated me that no-one had posted really good photos. I understand why, it can be embarrassing and takes time and effort and someone you trust to help you. But if we want true comparisons, both for ourselves and others, there is no substitute for making the effort.

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[ylem]

Hard to tell because of lighting. Are you happy with your improvement. It looks like it could have improved but lighting always tricks me. I can see how they may be less deep.

I've done exactly four (post 1.5 months) and am trying to figure out if it has helped me. Mine were deeper and more severe though and my results were not impressive.

As I said Yelm, they were done in exactly the same lighting and as you can see we tried as much as possible to replicate the original position of the photos. In fact in both the before and afters an attempt was made to make the scars look AS BAD AS POSSIBLE. I do wonder if some of what appears to be difference in lighting is partly the difference in the condition of my skin, which scars aside, is MUCH better that it was before and perhaps reflects the light differently.

I think that in terms of true comparison (not put out by reliant!) my photos are about as good as it gets. I am happy - obviously not 100% because I still have some scars, although once I have my hair and makeup done now they are pretty hard to see. I didn't realise that the improvement was as good as it is, but it has happened over five months and if I hadn't taken as 'good' before photos as I did I never would have realised how dramatic the improvement has been.

I just want everyone to know that I have no interest in making fraxel look good. If the results were bad I would have posted them as well. It's just that when I started info gathering it really frustrated me that no-one had posted really good photos. I understand why, it can be embarrassing and takes time and effort and someone you trust to help you. But if we want true comparisons, both for ourselves and others, there is no substitute for making the effort.

C2

Yeah I tried to edit that post before you saw it. Shucks! Anyway, I know there is improvement. I showed them to my mom too and she dsaid they looked good but of course she had to tell me you never get rid of the holes. Hers is severe and as I understand it, the more severe the scars the more one expects perfection.

[Libertine.]

Wow, nice to see some success around here lol. Congrats!

[nate28]

I was just wondering if it is common to breakout after a fraxel treatment. If so are you all not worried they will cause more scars? I would think that scarring would be more of a concern since the treated skin is thinner making it easier to damage.

[fivetotenyears]

Did your breakouts go totally away after time? I am scared of lasers after a bad experience with IPL. It caused such bad acne for a over a year until I went on accutane!

I'm scared fraxel will cause my oil glands to go back into overdrive . . .

[moonbase]

These results are very promising. You still have another 4+ months of improvement ahead of you as well.

[caesar2]

My breakout did settle down pretty quickly, but then I haven't had breakouts for years and I have to say that I didn't enjoy the experience at all! And yes I was a little concerned about getting additional scars, but as far as I can tell I didn't.

I don't actually think that it was due to stimulating my oil glands, but that the fraxel opened up a small wound which then became slightly infected. If I was to use the highest setting again - which is what really caused my breakout - I would use an anti-bacterial from the first time I cleansed. This is just my thinking of course, no science behind anything. It was something I was going to discuss with the derm the next time I went back, but I only had four as I said.

I also found that at the higher settings around my mouth and chin I became very red (not in a usual post-fraxel sense but more like it was just about to become infected), so much so that I used a spot of over-the-counter cortisone for a couple of days to settle it. And I was going to ask to have lower settings used there as I have no real scarring in that area.

Anyone who hasn't had fraxel before should be prepared that your skin can also go a bit lumpy looking (little lumps) for awhile. I didn't do anything in particular for this and it settled down within about two weeks.

Really the post-fraxel care advice I received was non-existent - just to leave my skin alone, which I did to the greatest extent possible, with the exception of what I have outlined above.

Hope this helps!

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[Gaurav]

Hi, Wow significant results, my question is not towards your fraxel results, Im more interested in knowing if at all your skin remodeled it self, prior to fraxel. Since your 39, im assuming youve been clear for quite some time, did your scars/skin remodel themselves, if so by how much?

Thanks, again significant results, glad to see you got positive results, more importantly is not what anyones else thinks, its what you think about your skin, thats what really matters!

[caesar2]

Hi, Wow significant results, my question is not towards your fraxel results, Im more interested in knowing if at all your skin remodeled it self, prior to fraxel. Since your 39, im assuming youve been clear for quite some time, did your scars/skin remodel themselves, if so by how much?

Thanks, again significant results, glad to see you got positive results, more importantly is not what anyones else thinks, its what you think about your skin, thats what really matters!

Are you asking did my scars get better or worse with age? If that's what you are asking then I find that very difficult to answer. I did have had some scars when I was 19-20 which is the time I got on top of the worse of my pimples, but I did have the odd spot for many years - maybe stopped about 10 years ago or so. Perhaps initially they got better with time, but I have always been conscious of them to some extent. Despite the horrible photos tho, in normal life my scars aren't that noticeable. NOBODY has ever commented on them and I am considered to be an attractive person. I also did use Retin A for many years - only stopping 11 years ago when I wanted to fall pregnant with my first child, so it is possible that helped to mask/fix some of the scars.

My reason for seeking some improvement is not because I have particularly noticed that the scars have become worse but because I've got a significant life event coming up soon (not just turning 40!) which is a book launch for which I will have to do significant publicity so obviously I want to be looking the best possible - particularly for photos. But having said that it is possible that over the last few years my scars have become a little worse. It is difficult for me to be sure about this however, because as I have aged my skin has as well and it's not just the scars which have possibly become worse, but also the general texture, colour etc. of my skin. Fraxel has helped with all these so my skin overall is in much better condition.

I would in fact say that I now have better skin than most women my age possibly even with the scars which remain. But I do think that keeping ones skin in good condition (with or without scars) is a constant 'battle'. I have restarted retin-A and am using Copper Peptides on alternate nights both with a dermaroller, so I will see if these methods also continue the improvement.

In an ideal world I think I would get a series of fraxels (or whatever improvement comes out next) every few years to keep skin looking fresh. I'm sure that (and more) is the type of thing celebrities do!

Based on my experiences I would believe that fraxel should be able to give results at any age but I really can't advise how long to wait in order to see if/how much scars remodel.

Sorry I couldn't be more help!

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[fivetotenyears]

Your skin does look better than most women your age!

Did you notice your skin texture improving? Did scarred pores improve? How about pores in general. Did it reduce the size of your pores?

[caesar2]

Your skin does look better than most women your age!

Did you notice your skin texture improving? Did scarred pores improve? How about pores in general. Did it reduce the size of your pores?

Yes my skin texture did improve, altho it was a bit 'rough' for a few weeks (little bumps) especially at the higher settings. I also said somewhere else - not this thread - that it significantly lightened a small mole I had on my chin. I really didn't notice the size of my pores as they have never really been a concern for me, but I would imagine that part of the texture improvement was pores becoming finer. Another thing that happened was that the few very small blackheads I had on the side of my nose disappeared.

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