8 replies to this topic

[bri]

Hello. I just had Palomar 1540 today done by a the head of the LSU Laser Dept. She's a great dermatologist, so hopefully I have nothing to worry about. Also, she has had the exact same laser treatment done on herself too.

I don't think I would have gone through with it if I'd read the fat loss horror stories beforehand. There was nothing on the consent form about fat loss. Until today, I've only seen and heard great things about this laser treating acne scars. Many derms say it's the ONLY way to go in treating acne scars.

I will die if this treatment negatively affects my face. My scars were not that bad before. I was just tired of being self-conscious in trendy lighting. However, in fresh sunshine, you could barely see them. I didn't like the uneven mottled look of a few rolling scars that sort of rolled together on my cheek. So if I've gone and made things worse all to fix a few rolling scars, I'll never forgive myself.

Please, someone make me feel better. Why am I not finding any positive testimonials on acne.org about this procedure? I've read of many members doing some crazy stuff on here in an effort to improve acne scars, so why haven't more of you tried this nonablative laser with only 4 days down time? Are the fat loss stories really true?

[bri]

can you post pictures so we can asses it?

as of now, it looks normal - normal for after IPL/laser (i think starlux 1540 is a combo or maybe it's just IPL) anyway, i'm sunburned and splotchy looking. it's in the future when people complain about the fat loss. I recall one girl writing about how great she looked a month after then 6 months later she became sunken in, ashy, and crepey. that's what i'm afraid of.

I guess I'm mostly looking for a success story from someone on here. anyone? anyone?

[tracy521]

can you post pictures so we can asses it?

as of now, it looks normal - normal for after IPL/laser (i think starlux 1540 is a combo or maybe it's just IPL) anyway, i'm sunburned and splotchy looking. it's in the future when people complain about the fat loss. I recall one girl writing about how great she looked a month after then 6 months later she became sunken in, ashy, and crepey. that's what i'm afraid of.

I guess I'm mostly looking for a success story from someone on here. anyone? anyone?

if you just had ipl then you will be fine. i have been getting ipl done for over 5 years now and have no fat loss. i cant even imagine how that would happen with something as minimally invasive as the ipl. dont worry one bit!! how many ipl's are you going to do?

Edited by Karen Howz, 10 March 2011 - 08:55 AM.

[shalibee]

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Edited by shalibee, 20 March 2011 - 05:57 PM.

[sanjoseskin]

when did this laser come out? I don't recall the palomar lux 1540. Is it new to the market? what laser/light technology and wavelength is it using?

thanks

[bri]

when did this laser come out? I don't recall the palomar lux 1540. Is it new to the market? what laser/light technology and wavelength is it using?

thanks

i'm not sure when it was approved by the FDA, but any stories about it online date back to 2009. i may have seen an 07. i've been scouring the internet for personal stories about this specific laser, but mostly all i find is fraxel, of course.

what i do know about it is that it's an erbium non-ablative fractional laser. the 1540 in particular is a handheld device attached to the Palomar Starlux machine. they have other attachments for veins and hair removal etc. the 1540 in particular is for acne scars and goes deeper than the competitor laser, one of the 3 Fraxels - not sure which one.

i'm a little bummed right now because i've got 3 pimples and have tiny tiny bumps all over my face. i'm not supposed to see scar improvement for another 5 weeks out. for now, the texture of my skin is now a mess. where i didn't have scars before i had good texture and color, but now i've got bad texture from the laser. it's only been one week, so hopefully this will improve. i've heard that break-outs after lasers are common.

anyone know if i can use a glycolic cream (Glytone) to help with sloughing and turnover now that it's been a week? part of the reason i think i'm having texture issues is that the doc took me off proactive OR because I haven't used my Retin A in 2 weeks. I've been using Retin A for years at least once a week, but you can't use it one week before laser. she didn't tell me when I could use it again. Anyone know when Retin A after laser is safe again?

I'm also suspicious about this whole "the treatments MUST be spaced no more than one month apart for optimal results". I mean, is that a scam or real science?? Because my scars aren't severe, I'd like to see the results in 5 weeks before shucking out another $400. Maybe the improvement will be enough or maybe there won't be any at all. If there's none at all, then I DEFINITELY don't want to do this again. I'm hating this texture and red face look. It's freaking me out. Buuuut, on the other hand, if I see only a little improvement and think that a second treatment would help, then I'd like one, but if the "science" is true, then I have to get it in 3 weeks - before I see a difference???

I did find this out, the 1540 does not go into the fat tissue, so fat loss should not be an issue. However, does anyone know if lasers really do make you age faster? I mean, am I going to "run out" of collagen earlier now?? I'm 31, so I'm fine lines here and there and I don't want to age myself. If they do make you look older 3 years or so after treatment, then I definitely don't want another treatment.

I need answers. I feel so stupid for not getting answers to these questions beforehand. I really didn't think this through. I've been wanting to do something about my scars (about 7 of them) for so long that I just jumped in after getting botox on my forehead for the first time.

I know you're thinking that I should ask the doc, but honestly, I think they tell you what you want to hear or what is better for them. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get an "after treatment guidelines" handout or something. The fact that I did not leads me to believe that they are just like - whatever. Maybe I'm being paranoid. IDK

[shalibee]

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Edited by shalibee, 20 March 2011 - 05:56 PM.

[bri]

my scars are from when I was 21 on accutane, so I doubt they'll improve anymore on their own since it's been 10 years. but at the same time, i don't want to age myself either. if they had a banging my head against the wall smily in fast reply, it would be right here.