Wait, I'm a bit confused. The color differences with spot treatment wouldn't be permanent though, right?
I know people get hyperpigmentation but if it eventually fades, then I see no reason why blending is necessary if one doesn't mind a few months of mismatched colors.
Or are we saying that the skin color will forever be different and so it best that it all matches?
I would think that the hyperpigmentation, if it happens at all would be temporary. I mean if the color change would be permanent than why do many not treat the nose, upper lip, or eye areas.
98% of hyper-pigmantation should go away after 2 weeks -> 6 months.
From the doctors I spoke too personally - most say based on their experience that after 2-3 very aggressive treatments (which is what most acne scar people need) there is some colour/texture changes. However, some online say it's fine to do.
I think this is a very YMMV situation - you can always try with just the scars/cheeks and see what happens - every doctor I spoke too was willing to do that, as long as I understood that I may need to do a full face laser after. Keep in mind you're going to be doing 3 treatments with 50-100% coverage, whereas for the feathering it will probably be dropped down to something like 10-20% or even an erbium laser.
I think in general it's fine to do and most doctors would do it, but you have to just keep in mind that you MAY need to do a full face laser afterwards.
Day 10.
-Swelling seems to be gone.
-Redness dissipating very quickly. Can easily pass it off as a sunburn, unlike my 100% ablative CO2 treatment.
-Notice no improvement in my deep/big scars, yet. I don't really expect to this early.
-Few of my "scarred pores" and/or tiny ice-picks seem to be gone or smaller.
Over all, too early to judge the results. Face is streaky, red and maybe even a bit raw. Keep you all posted!
EDIT: Bleh, a few of the photos are apparently too big to upload. I will resize and post the rest later
On 5/25/2013 at 3:44 AM, collegeboy84 said:Here it is at 50% coverage! This was probably the most painful of the laser treatments I had yet. No pain , no gain.
"Oh fuck"
That's what I said right when I saw this photo, haha!
I hope you will recover soon! [Edited image out]e
* This is not related to laser
But I want to know if you have any opinions about dermabrasion?
Like the real one, not the micro one.
What do you think of it compared to laser like Fraxel Repair?
On 6/9/2013 at 5:44 AM, 12xu said:looking forward to pics from your recent update, your posts are a big help for me in choosing treatments; really, thank you so much for sharing
No prob ; more pics coming soon.
On 6/9/2013 at 9:04 AM, Helton said:On 5/25/2013 at 3:44 AM, collegeboy84 said:Here it is at 50% coverage! This was probably the most painful of the laser treatments I had yet. No pain , no gain.
"Oh fuck"
That's what I said right when I saw this photo, haha!
I hope you will recover soon! [Edited image out]
* This is not related to laser
But I want to know if you have any opinions about dermabrasion?
Like the real one, not the micro one.
What do you think of it compared to laser like Fraxel Repair?
I am not quite informed when it comes to dermabrasion but I hear the recovery and risk is just as bad as fractionated lasers if not worse. Honesty, I don't think I would ever try it. I do believe you get better results from the repair because it works in a variety of ways.
-It tightens the skin from the heat. Seen here ->
-It vaporizes the "bad" skin.
-Stimulates collagen production.
.
Your progress is REALLY making me want to get this procedure done. I am kind of confused though about the whole redness. It seems like you had this done at a pretty high setting and your skin is already looking pretty damm good and presentable on the day 10 update. The dermatologist who I went to a consultation with who performs (DeepFx, which is similar to Fraxel Re:pair as you know) told me that I would be red for 3-6 months after. Is your skin redder in person or?
Your progress is REALLY making me want to get this procedure done. I am kind of confused though about the whole redness. It seems like you had this done at a pretty high setting and your skin is already looking pretty damm good and presentable on the day 10 update. The dermatologist who I went to a consultation with who performs (DeepFx, which is similar to Fraxel Re:pair as you know) told me that I would be red for 3-6 months after. Is your skin redder in person or?
Hey Spartan, I am still red today @ day 20. The redness doesn't look as bad when I just get out of the shower, but during a hot, exhausting day of work in the sun, the redness is more pronounced. But yes, I would say that I am presentable 10 days out. The funny thing is, I have been working out in the sun every day since my day 10 after the laser. I have been swimming and running every day as well. Though, I do tend to where a big sombrero at work or when jogging outdoors.
Honestly, I really don't care if I am a little red as long as I get some improvements as the redness always fades. The hyperpigmentation from fraxel repair looks more like a sunburn or tan compared to the Ultrapulse which looked more like a burn-victim.
20 days out and I do already notice some significant improvements. My biggest scar, the box-car scar on the cheek has shrunk in width/depth. I can actually see the bottom of the scar now without having light shine directly head-on. I still think it will take another 2 treatments to get it to where I want but a definite improvement so far. I have been making a conscious effort to not examine my skin daily so I can notice subtle changes 5-6 days apart, which I do.
Post photos later!
On 6/9/2013 at 9:04 AM, Helton said:On 5/25/2013 at 3:44 AM, collegeboy84 said:Here it is at 50% coverage! This was probably the most painful of the laser treatments I had yet. No pain , no gain.
"Oh fuck"
That's what I said right when I saw this photo, haha!
I hope you will recover soon! [Edited image out]
* This is not related to laser
But I want to know if you have any opinions about dermabrasion?
Like the real one, not the micro one.
What do you think of it compared to laser like Fraxel Repair?
Dermabrasion does not compare to Fraxel Re:pair, and neither does regular CO2. Re:pair is a cumulative process that requires multiple sessions at high settings. I have been treated at even higher settings than CollegeBoy, and Re:pair is the only treatment I recommend. My next step is a facelift because I am older, but I will continue Re:pair for its tightening effect, probably for the rest of my life.
On 6/14/2013 at 12:36 PM, collegeboy84 said:On 6/10/2013 at 3:18 AM, spartan32 said:Your progress is REALLY making me want to get this procedure done. I am kind of confused though about the whole redness. It seems like you had this done at a pretty high setting and your skin is already looking pretty damm good and presentable on the day 10 update. The dermatologist who I went to a consultation with who performs (DeepFx, which is similar to Fraxel Re:pair as you know) told me that I would be red for 3-6 months after. Is your skin redder in person or?
Hey Spartan, I am still red today @ day 20. The redness doesn't look as bad when I just get out of the shower, but during a hot, exhausting day of work in the sun, the redness is more pronounced. But yes, I would say that I am presentable 10 days out. The funny thing is, I have been working out in the sun every day since my day 10 after the laser. I have been swimming and running every day as well. Though, I do tend to where a big sombrero at work or when jogging outdoors.
Honestly, I really don't care if I am a little red as long as I get some improvements as the redness always fades. The hyperpigmentation from fraxel repair looks more like a sunburn or tan compared to the Ultrapulse which looked more like a burn-victim.
20 days out and I do already notice some significant improvements. My biggest scar, the box-car scar on the cheek has shrunk in width/depth. I can actually see the bottom of the scar now without having light shine directly head-on. I still think it will take another 2 treatments to get it to where I want but a definite improvement so far. I have been making a conscious effort to not examine my skin daily so I can notice subtle changes 5-6 days apart, which I do.
Post photos later!
You will see improved results from the higher settings. Sometimes these results will sneak up on you 6 months later when you aren't expecting them.
35 days out and really happy with the results thus far. I was originally planning on waiting 12 months til the next laser treatment as it is a bit difficult to squeeze a Repair in the Fall/Winter (like I did last year) because of School/work. However, with the results being better than I anticipated I may just take a week off from school in the middle of the semester to get it done. I don't mind the redness so much in the summer because it looks like a sunburn but in the winter it is a bit more awkward. Either way, if it means significant improvements I am willing to bite the bullet.
Everybody knows their own scars very well; how they look, where they are, appearance in specific lighting etc. There is no doubt that several of my scars have shrunk considerably.
- I had this weird, small, dent-like scar near my left eye, which I received from getting a fingernail to the face a few years ago. This scar is nearly gone at this point.
- I also had this very, very shallow box-car scar on my right temple that has faded quite a bit.
- My biggest scar, that dreaded, deep, box-car scar on my left cheek also has shrunk. It was initially so big that it still looks deep to the untrained eye but I know it shrunk a bit. I look in the mirror and expect to see the scar the way it looked for the last 6 months and I am happy to see that it looks less noticeable.
- More or less my skin improved in every way. My mini-icepicks or scarred pores have even diminished in size.
Don't get me wrong, my skin still needs more treatments. It is just satisfying to see an improvement in every scar, even if its it only a 15% improvement. It really takes the wind out of your sails if you have your face blasted off and see NO improvements. This would suggest that your permanently stuck with your scars but fortunately this is not the case.
One thing that I think many people under estimate is diet's role after a laser treatment. I have spent many years lifting weights and cardio and realized rather quickly that your body CAN NOT build muscle with out two important things.
1. Calorie surplus. This means to eat more calories than your Basal Metabolic Rate. In other words, more calories than your body needs to maintain its current weight. You can find out your BMR by using calculators, or a more accurate way, wear a heart rate monitor for a few days. Your body can RARELY manufacture more muscle mass when your on a calorie deficit. I believe the same works for ideal skin healing conditions. I am not saying to feast every night after a laser treatment, though I did for the first few weeks, but don't go on a really aggressive diet while you are still healing.
2. Quality of diet. You also can't gain muscle when your body is lacking in proteins, glycogen and healthy fats. Typical weight trainers eat about 1.5 times their lean body mass in grams of protein. I feel that quality of diet is an important factor in ideal conditions for collagen production weeks after a Repair too. I have been digesting a consistent amount of berries, cauliflower each day for the Vitamin C. Extra-virgin Olive oil or a handful of nuts for the healthy fats. Cereals fortified with 100% DV of iron (which is one of the highest nutrition deficiencies in the US) as it increases blood-flow to the skin and hair. And last but not least. tons of protein. I found that using the myfitnesspal app works great for making sure you are hitting all the nutrient benchmarks- not just for your skin healing but for life in general.
Keep in mind that supplements are not as beneficial as eating food itself for many vitamins/mineral/amino-acids. Also, your body can only absorb so much at once. This means eating a few berries in the morning, mid-day and evening will give your body the best chances of staying Vitamin-C rich as opposed to taking 1 1000 mg vitamin-C pill before bed.
Took a few photos which I will upload from my phone this afternoon. Redness is still apparent, well, it is more of a tannish color than an abrupt red. Nothing too abnormal looking for the hot summer Californian weather.
Oh and 1 more thing. "Feathering out" or blending to hide the redness isn't worth it for the repair. She did 5 passes on the scarred areas (high cheeks) and just 1 pass on the jaw area where there is no scarring. The redness dissipated within a week on the area done with 1 pass. In my opinion, it is not worth keeping this area protected with the Aquaphor during the healing process for a blending area that will disappear so quickly. No need to laser good skin as the Aquaphor can cause breakouts that may result in more scarring, though unlikely.
Since you mentioned diet, you may find the work of Dr. Dean Ornish interesting. I know he goes into diets effects on the skin in this lecture. You may want to look towards canola oil instead of olive oil for health fats. Take an hour to listen to this most interesting lecture. I was at one of his lectures about 10 years ago. Remember weight trainers are not known for their brains. LOL
[Edited link out]
Thank you college boy84! I am so happy that you are getting great results from the repair treatments. I tried multiple subcision and filler treatments for my shallow scars for a year, but didn't work for me and I made my skin a bit worse than before...got lumps! Now I am seriously thinking about getting repair...! Probably end of this year or early next year, have to find a good doctor for it. Thank you for your update, and good luck [Edited image out]
On 7/2/2013 at 12:22 AM, FruitBiscuits said:Thank you college boy84! I am so happy that you are getting great results from the repair treatments. I tried multiple subcision and filler treatments for my shallow scars for a year, but didn't work for me and I made my skin a bit worse than before...got lumps! Now I am seriously thinking about getting repair...! Probably end of this year or early next year, have to find a good doctor for it. Thank you for your update, and good luck [Edited image out]
[Edited image out]
Long time no see Fruits. Your skin looked fine to me. If you go for a repair I'd suggest they go with an above average coverage rate. I know higher coverage % means longer, more pronounced redness but low coverage produces rather weak results; then the redness you get will be all for naught! [Edited image out]
Hey collegeboy,
Approximately how long after the procedure did all the swelling go away for you so you could start to "gauge" results? was it 10 days?
Any guesstimate of improvement so far after your last laser (2 months ago?)?
Thanks.
Hey,
99% of my swelling is gone about 10-14 days out. But in reality is probably subsides to a point that is unnoticeable by day 5-10 depending on the aggressiveness. People claim that there is "micro-swelling" that lasts months. Personally, I don't buy it. If there is such a thing as micro-swelling more than 2 weeks out, it is so unnoticeable that it shouldn't make your results appear to be better than they really are. I never notice my skin getting worse pass about day 10-14ish.
If I had to guess what my improvement % is as a whole, meaning averaging out all my scar/pores/texture since the last laser, I'd say about 15%? The biggest scar I have, that boxcar scar on the cheek seemed to have improved closer to 30%.
By the way its been about 47 days since the laser.
I also believe that once scars get so small, you begin to get diminishing returns. By that I mean, you get bigger improvements on big scars than you would with a tiny scar. Most of my scars are on the small side so my results may not be as significant as others.
Hey all,
Been awhile since I last logged on but I figured I'd give a quick update for anyone who cares. I've been pretty busy with work and a maxed out summer school schedule so I have been totally procrastinating on the updates.
I haven't really been "studying" my scars much since the initial improvement post-laser. However, I got a glimpse of my skin today and was pleasantly surprised that my skin seemed to have improved even more. This added improvement would probably go unnoticed to anybody other than myself as it is very minor compared to the initial "shrinking" of scars 14-30 days out. I would say a 1~2% improvement maybe? Sounds dumb right?
Maybe I am going insane. After awhile you begin to forget what you started with. It is like saying the same word over repeatedly and eventually it loses its meaning.
Furnace. Furnace. Furnace. FURNACE. FURNACE! Never mind.
I am going... [Edited image out]... yep, you guessed it, bananas.
I am not sure if I already posted this thought but I may go in to see my doc next week. I plan on asking what the cost would be to do 5 passes on a small 1'' x 1'' section where the deepest boxcar scar remains. If it is affordable, I would rather hit this one spot so I am not awkwardly red during the winter again. Then, again in the summer I will do the whole "half-cheeks" in an aggressive manner. I know this sounds backwards to most but the sun has never been a problem for any prolonged hyper-pigmentation issues in my case. Sport a big hat and some decent sun-block and all is good.
Today marks day 80 and there is almost no sign of hyper-pigmentation. Considering I work outdoors and spend many hours a week swimming, that is pretty impressive.
Later!
Oh, and if I go through with this 1'' x 1'' section in October, I plan on taking zoomed up before/after photos of that one, dreaded scar as a way to study the fraxel:Repair's potential in detail.
CollegeBoy, it is very easy to forget where you started from. The scars that were the overriding conscious thought for so long becomes secondary. They are never quite out of your mind, but they just aren't as important, and you move onto other things. Re:pair is amazing, but you have to understand the process as you and I do, Inspired also knows how this works.
Sorry if I make you repeat yourself but what percentage improvement did you see from the first repair? I have very shallow rolling scars but all over my face and this weird paradox where my skin is actually very healthy aside from suffering from acne for 10 years and the scarring that has resulted so it doesn't look that bad overall but I just want to wipe away those years where I was too young to have control over my skin issues as my parents were very against accutane which I eventually took when I was 16 despite them and it was a great decision but on the late side. I have mild rolling scars. I hate these because otherwise my skin would be one of my better features as the skin on my neck and arms and every where else is so supple and brilliant. I hate the scars that is not my parents. The fears they had about accutane are not ligitimate in my eyes but I guess they are not alone. Did you have any rolling scars that improved with Fraxel repair? What %? I am curious. I don't know if its somewhat of a psychological crutch of mine asking for percentages because I have decided from what I have read that fraxel repair will give results but I think also part of the reason why treating the scarring is so so important to me is the aspect of regaining the control over my appearance that I missed the opportunity to have control over when I was younger.
I'm a 20 something year old woman by the way not a very camp man in the way I describe my skin elsewhere as 'brilliant' lol at myself!
My doctor was very hesitant in giving me a percentage. He said 15-20% first repair is realistic. From what I have seen repair is actually better then this? Perhaps my doctor doesn't want to inflate my expectations? It's working then. After year of disappointment with Fraxel restore and about 0-5% improvement I will be encouraged with 15% but 30% sound amazing!
I did a series of five Fraxel restores by the way and 5% if that is all I got. Needless to say I haven't lost faith in the Fraxel brand entirely but I did change doctors and believe Fraxel restore and repair are different entirely. The new place I'm going also believes restore is waste of time too.
Sorry if I make you repeat yourself but what percentage improvement did you see from the first repair? I have very shallow rolling scars but all over my face and this weird paradox where my skin is actually very healthy aside from suffering from acne for 10 years and the scarring that has resulted so it doesn't look that bad overall but I just want to wipe away those years where I was too young to have control over my skin issues as my parents were very against accutane which I eventually took when I was 16 despite them and it was a great decision but on the late side. I have mild rolling scars. I hate these because otherwise my skin would be one of my better features as the skin on my neck and arms and every where else is so supple and brilliant. I hate the scars that is not my parents. The fears they had about accutane are not ligitimate in my eyes but I guess they are not alone. Did you have any rolling scars that improved with Fraxel repair? What %? I am curious. I don't know if its somewhat of a psychological crutch of mine asking for percentages because I have decided from what I have read that fraxel repair will give results but I think also part of the reason why treating the scarring is so so important to me is the aspect of regaining the control over my appearance that I missed the opportunity to have control over when I was younger.
I'm a 20 something year old woman by the way not a very camp man in the way I describe my skin elsewhere as 'brilliant' lol at myself!
My doctor was very hesitant in giving me a percentage. He said 15-20% first repair is realistic. From what I have seen repair is actually better then this? Perhaps my doctor doesn't want to inflate my expectations? It's working then. After year of disappointment with Fraxel restore and about 0-5% improvement I will be encouraged with 15% but 30% sound amazing!
I did a series of five Fraxel restores by the way and 5% if that is all I got. Needless to say I haven't lost faith in the Fraxel brand entirely but I did change doctors and believe Fraxel restore and repair are different entirely. The new place I'm going also believes restore is waste of time too.
I don't have any rolling scars though I do believe Dudley did. From what I gather, rolling scars seem to have the greatest improvement. I would agree with your doctor that 15~20% sounds like a reasonable number. However, I would say that it varies scar to scar. I had a shallow but wide boxcar scar on my cheek near my nose that improved by 80~90% on the first repair. At the same time, I have had scars that showed only 10~20% improvement (which in my opinion is still good).
As I mentioned in one of my earliest posts, as the face becomes bloody, it becomes difficult for the doctor to find her "starting point". Due to this, some areas tend to get overlapped much more than others. The scar that improved nearly 90% on the first repair was in the area that she started from and probably overlapped several times over. While most areas got treated at 4 passes on this particular treatment, I believe that specific boxcar scar got treated closer to 60%. Does that make sense or am I blabbering on?
Here is a crappy drawing of what I mean...
I believe she started in that location to get as close to the nose as possible. The second and third treatment I had I believe she went with a horizontal and vertical passes as opposed to the odd angles.
PS. Yes I shaved the day of laser. I started shaving again usually by day 7-10 with an electric razor.
EDIT: And one more thing, I had 5 or 6 Affirm Multiplex treatments before these Repairs, which is more or less the same technology as Restore. I would agree that restore's non-ablative technology is not nearly as good as an ablative treatment.
Hey all,
Been a long time since I last posted. Its been about 9 months since my last Fraxel:Repair. Oddly enough I feel like my skin has still improved every so slightly 5 to 9 months out. The first three lasers I had done were separated by about 6 months a piece. However, I felt like the extra few months of healing this last time around may have had a positive effect on my skin.
Random observation : It may be my mind playing tricks on me but I've noticed that slimming down a few pounds may have also helped decrease the appearance of acne scars. I have always been rather fit but I have made a conscious effort to get my body fat into 8% range this last year. In doing so, my face has become even more angular and less "round" which helps hide scars that do remain. Imagine scars on a full, round face vs one that has a thinner jaw line. Maybe this is why acne scars on say... Brad Pitt doesn't look so obvious as he has maintained incredibly lean body mass throughout his acting career.
With all that being said, I still am looking to further improve my skin. I had a consultation last week with my Doctor for another Fraxel:Repair at 50% coverage set for May. Keep you guys posted then!'
Oh one more thing. It's been 16 months since I had the 2nd (and 22 months since I had the first) "old-school" 100% ablative CO2 laser. I have no signs of
hypo-pigmentation (which is the permanent whitening of the skin) which has apparently been an issue about 12 months out with the older, 100% ablative lasers. That's good news.
Could you post pictures of old vs current please? I have had a Fraxel:repair treatment in last August, but the result was very disappointing for the amount of downtime and price I paid for it. Your scars did not seem so bad to begin with in my person opinion.
How is your skin texture right now? Is it bumpy still or smooth? I think getting laser treatments/dermaroller actually worsened skin texture in my case, so I am curious about your experience.
