A close friend who has olive-colored skin tried the Smoothbeam treatment over six months ago. She still have SCARS like tire tracks on her cheeks and forehead. Has anyone else had this experience?

I had a horrible experience. Not only did my scars not go away but it discolored my skin all over my cheeks. The doctor continues to deny responsiblity. Dr. Dennis Gross of New York, NY better have a good lawyer.

Hello,

I have had very bad cystic acne for over a year. I was fed up and did not know what to do and I tried several products. I am happy to say that I finally got help when I visited a dermatologist and they recommended the smoothbeam treatment. I had three treatments done and may go for another one. The treatments are around $400 each, but boy do they make a huge difference. I am acne-free and I am loving every moment of it.

What a waste of money!!!!!!

I had 4 treatments and there is only slight improvement.

I am going for my fourth treatment in March. I noticed a big difference between my first and 2nd treatment. I just had my 3rd one done in January. I have not seen any improvement since my 3rd one.

I had 4 smoothbeam treatments...my scars remain but i have noticed less oily skin...i continue breaking out but i must say the cysts are not nearly as huge and so i don't regret having this procedure :)

I tried Smoothbeam and Cooltouch and would not recommend either at this time. I experienced no benefit, and there is no way to know what long term risks might develop. Both providers tried to sell me more treatments than the published information indicated. There is no published comparison of the different methods being used, no long term safety study, and very little documented data on results. As was seen with Vioxx, sometimes a product that looks safe in short-term studies can turn out to have serious problems later. If you are considering this treatment, ask if the provider will make the bill contingent on a successful result. If they aren't willing to stake their fee on the outcome, you shouldn't risk your skin on it either.

I am getting a combination of smoothbeam, v-beam and YAG lasers to treat shallow but dark colored scars from cystic acne, as well as spider veins and redness from rosacea. I am paying $600 per session, though was told it would have been less if I was not using combo of all three (my choice, after Dr. consults and my own research). The sessions have been only briefly painful (with numbing cream), and I have had no problems with bruising - only some dryness. I am going for my fourth session tomorrow. I had acne from age 10 to age 30, when I finally used Accutane, which worked wonderfully for me (did this in '93). So I have not had active acne for some time. The rosacea is a newer problem that started in the last year or so. So far, these combo laser treatments have produced moderate improvement in both the scarring and veins - has been most helpful with the rosacea flushing, which has improved dramatically. For the price, I would like to have seen more improvement by now - about 1/4 to 1/3 of the scarring and veins do not seem to have responded at all at this point, though I am hopeful that the collegan rebuilding that is supposed to take place over time will continue.

I have had 3 laser and 3 peels, the result is nothing to boast about. I am getting fewer breakouts but nothing great. There has been no change in the look of my scars as well