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hey man , i want to ask you are you satisfied with the result from the laser.I`m in big dilemma to laser or not to laser ,i have one big rolling scar ,and 3-4 other little icepick scars ,but this rolling is really big like a crater on my face ,i want to get rid from it .tell me please is the laser worth the money and downtime and possible side effects
I'm just wondering whether you also suffer from scarred pores, as these often result in a bad texture of the skin. If so, do you think that you're treatments were able to correct these in some way. I'm just asking as I've got quite a few of scarred pored from blackheads. These scarred pores are too small to TCA cross, according to my doctor, so I'm hoping that laser treatments may correct these. But also because, judging from your photos, my scarring and yours are almost identical, just different in the ways they have been scarred (yours through plucking hairs, thus damaging the pore, while mine by blackheads resulting in the pore scarring and not closing back to its natural state).
Yes Alex, I had many scarred pores. Now I would say I just have a handful of scarred pores and much better texture now that I have had the ablative treatments along with 6 non-ablative treatments (Cynosure Affirm Multiplex a year ago or so.) Actually I feel lasers work quite well for scarred pores. Before all these treatments I considered my skin to have an "orange-peel texture."
hey man , i want to ask you are you satisfied with the result from the laser.I`m in big dilemma to laser or not to laser ,i have one big rolling scar ,and 3-4 other little icepick scars ,but this rolling is really big like a crater on my face ,i want to get rid from it .tell me please is the laser worth the money and downtime and possible side effects
Dgan, I don't know a lot about rolling scars as I don't have any. However, if I remember correctly, Dudleyright had some big rolling scars and had fantastic improvement with Fraxel Repair. As for the icepick scarring, fraxel repair or deepFX would definitely help your condition as these laser treatments go 1.7MM deep. If your scars bother you enough and you don't mind coughing up some money I would definitely suggest having the laser treatments done. Depending on your scars, Ablative treatments are not a one and done procedure, you may need 2 or 3 treatments. There is a small risk that you will have some hyperpigmentation (darkening of the skin) but in almost all cases the your skin returns to normal within a few months. I'd say if your doctor has experience the chances of any permanent damage is pretty rare. I personally had some minimal hyperpigmentation but it looks more like a tan to me, nothing out of the ordinary. And for all I know, it could be tan. After all, I work in the sun 8 hours a day then usually spend a few hours of my free time swimming and running outdoors.
I'm just wondering whether you also suffer from scarred pores, as these often result in a bad texture of the skin. If so, do you think that you're treatments were able to correct these in some way. I'm just asking as I've got quite a few of scarred pored from blackheads. These scarred pores are too small to TCA cross, according to my doctor, so I'm hoping that laser treatments may correct these. But also because, judging from your photos, my scarring and yours are almost identical, just different in the ways they have been scarred (yours through plucking hairs, thus damaging the pore, while mine by blackheads resulting in the pore scarring and not closing back to its natural state).
Yes Alex, I had many scarred pores. Now I would say I just have a handful of scarred pores and much better texture now that I have had the ablative treatments along with 6 non-ablative treatments (Cynosure Affirm Multiplex a year ago or so.) Actually I feel lasers work quite well for scarred pores. Before all these treatments I considered my skin to have an "orange-peel texture."
Great. Thanks. It's definitely given me some hope. How did your consultation go? And have you decided to your next treatment? Full ablative/Active FX this time? Or are you going to do the same as before?
Consultation went well. She told me to see her one more time at the end of this month to over in detail what we will do exactly and pricing. She told me to think over which treatment I want and I will probably go with the 100% ablative MaxFX 0.3MM deep on just half cheeks. I'll give more info on October 3rd when I have my last consultation. I plan on having the treatment done about 20-25 days before Thanksgiving so I don't look like a burn victim for the holidays. LOL.... I will probably just tell my coworkers and boss I am going out of town to Mexico on vacation so I have an excuse as to why I look so sunburnt.
Consultation went well. She told me to see her one more time at the end of this month to over in detail what we will do exactly and pricing. She told me to think over which treatment I want and I will probably go with the 100% ablative MaxFX 0.3MM deep on just half cheeks. I'll give more info on October 3rd when I have my last consultation. I plan on having the treatment done about 20-25 days before Thanksgiving so I don't look like a burn victim for the holidays. LOL.... I will probably just tell my coworkers and boss I am going out of town to Mexico on vacation so I have an excuse as to why I look so sunburnt.
Looking forward to reading more of your updates. Your progress is fantastic!
Good luck, Collegeboy! I hope this works out well for you.
BTW, why do you feel Deep FX is riskier than Max FX? I'm just curious to know your reasoning.
I feel that DeepFX/Repair is riskier then MaxFX when it comes to a chance of scarring because of how deep it goes (supposedly 1.7~2.0MM.) The MaxFX is just so superficial in terms of depth that you would think any problems that may arise would be pigment issues as opposed to scarring issues. Then again, I could see how a doctor may use the MaxFX and overlap or attempt to make a second pass which could also cause some significant scarring. I honestly don't know... I feel that the risk is more with the doctor then the laser used. I am not too worried about either laser to be honest as I have had both done with no problems, yet (crosses fingers.)
I dislike talking about risks because I would hate to scare off anybody thinking of improving their scars for the better. I by no means want to portray these lasers as dangerous because in my opinion, they aren't dangerous at all done by any experienced doctor. I'd compare it to driving a car. The chances of getting in any serious accident is slim to none, yet every now and then there will a fatal crash. Does this make cars dangerous to drive? I don't think so! I sure hope not anyways, I commute nearly 100 miles round trip every day.
P.S.- This reminds me; I recently found out that my doc actually did do 2 passes with the MaxFX under my left eye. This would explain why it had healed slightly slower. By healing I just mean pinkness fading, obviously the skin surface "healed" in 5 days or so.
It looks like you've had really good results. Did you ever have Total FX done? I was wondering if you have an opinion it. I searched on here, but didn't come up with much. Do you think Deep FX is a better choice?
I never had Total FX done but I hear great things about it if your skin can tolerate both the ActiveFX and DeepFX at the same time. I had the Ultrapulse MaxFX done under the eyes which is basically the same as the old-school, non-fractionated CO2 lasers that vaporized nearly 100% of the skin. By day 3-4 my skin literally peeled off in huge chunks. This treatment is good for shallow wrinkles, shallow scars and random textural issues (works great on 0.4MM or less).
I also had the Fraxel :Repair done on the forehead, temples and cheeks. Repair is essentially a DeepFX treatment (though I would personally suggest DeepFX because of the hand-held device used). DeepFX is best for deeper acne scars; I would say any scar that is deeper then 0.4MM. I wouldn't bother with ActiveFX unless you are combining it with Deep FX (which is TotalFX) unless your scars are very very shallow.
Long story short, you can't go wrong with TotalFX!
On 9/8/2012 at 12:39 PM, collegeboy84 said:[Edited link out]
This PDF also mentions that MaxFX is a deeper treatment then ActiveFX, confirming my suspicions.
[Edited link out]
before and after of MaxFX.... These are really good photos for showing improvement in boxcar/icepick scars.
and this...
[Edited link out]
Thanks for these links. The results are really impressive. Especially for the guy tagged with the description 'MaxFX Laser Skin Resurfacing (Acne Scars Removal).
Before and 4 months after one treatment.'
But with the lady with little ice pick scars, I'm a bit suspicious. Only because she's wearing makeup in the after picture which can be very misleading. I just hate it when the after picture has make up. And she's also smiling which stretches the skin and make the scars less prominent.
It looks like you've had really good results. Did you ever have Total FX done? I was wondering if you have an opinion it. I searched on here, but didn't come up with much. Do you think Deep FX is a better choice?
I never had Total FX done but I hear great things about it if your skin can tolerate both the ActiveFX and DeepFX at the same time. I had the Ultrapulse MaxFX done under the eyes which is basically the same as the old-school, non-fractionated CO2 lasers that vaporized nearly 100% of the skin. By day 3-4 my skin literally peeled off in huge chunks. This treatment is good for shallow wrinkles, shallow scars and random textural issues (works great on 0.4MM or less).
I also had the Fraxel :Repair done on the forehead, temples and cheeks. Repair is essentially a DeepFX treatment (though I would personally suggest DeepFX because of the hand-held device used). DeepFX is best for deeper acne scars; I would say any scar that is deeper then 0.4MM. I wouldn't bother with ActiveFX unless you are combining it with Deep FX (which is TotalFX) unless your scars are very very shallow.
Long story short, you can't go wrong with TotalFX!
I appreciate the information. The doctor I'm going to for a consultation offers Active FX, Deep FX, and Total FX so this is good to hear.
It has been about 4 months since my last laser treatment. I had mentioned in previous updates how the skin under my eyes where they performed the old school CO2 laser, my skin would turn pink EXACTLY where the laser was (could actually see the line where they stopped) if I rubbed the area, bent down to pick up something. The doc told me that pinkness would dissipate in time and guess what, she was right! No more pinkness! Turns out my skin type can handle the 100% ablative, old school CO2 laser without any permanent hyper-pigmentation.
I also go in for my final consultation in 14 days before I have another the MaxFX done on my cheeks October 29th! Keep ya posted.
Just had my last consultation before the next laser procedure. My doctor is charging 1200 for the temples, under the eyes, and cheeks using the Ultrapulse CO2.
On my deepest 2 scars she will do a second pass with the Erbium laser. She says the Erbium laser they use is 100% ablative just like the Ultrapulse MAXFx, the only difference is the heat will not penetrate deep into the dermis like the Ultrapulse/Repair lasers do. Apparently this heat is what causes the tightening of skin, extra collagen stimulation along with the negative effects such as hyper-pigmentation. Because the Ultrapulse is 100% ablative like the old school CO2 lasers and is very aggressive, doing 2 passes with this laser is dangerous as that penetrating heat can cause problems. For this reason she will mix and match for the best results while trying to avoid any prolonged redness.
I was put back on a regiment of antibiotics and hydroquinone 4%. Going in for the operation last Friday of this month! Just in time for Halloween! Keep ya posted.
On 10/6/2012 at 10:33 AM, collegeboy84 said:Just had my last consultation before the next laser procedure. My doctor is charging 1200 for the temples, under the eyes, and cheeks using the Ultrapulse CO2.
On my deepest 2 scars she will do a second pass with the Erbium laser. She says the Erbium laser they use is 100% ablative just like the Ultrapulse MAXFx, the only difference is the heat will not penetrate deep into the dermis like the Ultrapulse/Repair lasers do. Apparently this heat is what causes the tightening of skin, extra collagen stimulation along with the negative effects such as hyper-pigmentation. Because the Ultrapulse is 100% ablative like the old school CO2 lasers and is very aggressive, doing 2 passes with this laser is dangerous as that penetrating heat can cause problems. For this reason she will mix and match for the best results while trying to avoid any prolonged redness.
I was put back on a regiment of antibiotics and hydroquinone 4%. Going in for the operation last Friday of this month! Just in time for Halloween! Keep ya posted.
Good luck to you. I've enjoyed keeping up with your progress. [Edited image out]
Two hours ago I just had my face burned off with the Ultrapulse laser. The were sure to numb me up real good this which was a good thing because I felt little discomfort during the procedure. I'll post pictures later... but my skin has already begun peeling off all over. My whole left side has peeled considerably. Not much bleeding. I am still a little stoned off the 4 morphine pills they gave me so I think I will take a nap now. LOL. Keep ya posted.
Two hours ago I just had my face burned off with the Ultrapulse laser. The were sure to numb me up real good this which was a good thing because I felt little discomfort during the procedure. I'll post pictures later... but my skin has already begun peeling off all over. My whole left side has peeled considerably. Not much bleeding. I am still a little stoned off the 4 morphine pills they gave me so I think I will take a nap now. LOL. Keep ya posted.
Cool. Did they max the juice up on the machine for your problem areas. I think you mentioned your scars localised in the upper part of your cheek region. Was it Max FX or Total FX or just Deep FX this time around?
At least on the plus side, you can get stoned for an understandable reason. Puts a new meaning on recreational drugs being medicinal. lol
Eagerly awaiting your progress.
Here is one photo 2 hours after the laser procedure... I have a few better ones close up but acne.org is making it difficult! I will resize and post later. /lazy Left side had peeled almost immediately , right side peeled about 60% so far. ...
By the way, doc did three passes this time with the Ultrapulse. Can't really see if I had any results as my skin is RAW.
Two hours ago I just had my face burned off with the Ultrapulse laser. The were sure to numb me up real good this which was a good thing because I felt little discomfort during the procedure. I'll post pictures later... but my skin has already begun peeling off all over. My whole left side has peeled considerably. Not much bleeding. I am still a little stoned off the 4 morphine pills they gave me so I think I will take a nap now. LOL. Keep ya posted.
Cool. Did they max the juice up on the machine for your problem areas. I think you mentioned your scars localised in the upper part of your cheek region. Was it Max FX or Total FX or just Deep FX this time around?
At least on the plus side, you can get stoned for an understandable reason. Puts a new meaning on recreational drugs being medicinal. lol
Eagerly awaiting your progress.
My doc just calls it the Ultrapulse..she doesn't seem to know what I mean when I say "MaxFX". However it must be the MaxFX as the machine said Lumenis Ultrapulse on it and it vaporized all my skin immediately. Definitely was not fractional like ActiveFX or DeepFx.
You noted that you've previously had 6 non-ablative treatments before moving on to ablative laser resurfacing. Have you experienced what some doctors refer to as 'diminishing returns', which means that the more you have treatments the less results you achieve? Or have your results been consistent and cumulative enough to make a marked improvement, especially from the baseline before having any treatments at all?
You noted that you've previously had 6 non-ablative treatments before moving on to ablative laser resurfacing. Have you experienced what some doctors refer to as 'diminishing returns', which means that the more you have treatments the less results you achieve? Or have your results been consistent and cumulative enough to make a marked improvement, especially from the baseline before having any treatments at all?
I can see how somebody would have diminishing results when they are talking about non-ablative treatments specifically. Actually I feel like the non-ablative treatments were a waste of money looking back at it now after having some more aggressive treatments done at the same price.
As for the results of these ablative treatments, so far, it seems like a marked improvement with each new treatment. I mean, if I continued to have ablative treatments to where my skin is near perfect, then ya, you would probably see tapered results. But speaking from my specific situation currently? No diminishing returns as of yet. Actually I think it may be the opposite, accumulative perhaps. The repair was able to get my deeper scars raised up to a level that is more superficial. These remaining scars will hopefully be smoothed out or vaporized with this last treatment I just had done.
Speaking of this last treatment... all my treated skin peeled off in the first 24 hours, most of it peeled off as the doctor was lasering with the CO2. She would actually zap the deep areas with the laser and immediately wipe it off before doing another layer. I had all this dead skin on my shirt and neck after the treatment. Now it appears I have another layer of skin peeling off today. Technically your supposed to do 10 minutes of vinegar washes every 2 hours to help keep the skin clean but the vinegar also acts as an exfoliant, removing layers of dead skin. However, they say the more you do, the faster your skin will heal. With that in mind I have been doing V.soaks for about 30 minutes every 1.5 hours. This peeling is much different then the Fraxel Repair that I had done where literally no skin peeled away.
Zoom in on this photo to see all the peeled skin. Pretty gross!
Did she do three passes at 100% ablation? I thought she was only comfortable doing one pass. Can you see your scars at this point? Are worried, at all?
Good luck with healing!
I honestly don't know. I was pretty high off morphine when I left the place. Tomorrow I will have my first post-op check up to get more details. She said 3 "passes" but she may have been talking about 3 different depths.
I'd like to note that this recovery has been a lot different then my last experience. Honestly with the Repair my skin seemed some what "normal" by day 3. A little sensitive, very discolored and swollen but the skin looked "normal".
This time around, my skin is peeling like CRAZY! My skin peeled at the doctors office. Then by 36 hours my skin peeled again. At this point I could not see any scars; needless to say I was pretty excited. My skin was very pink and smooth under the dead skin. Yesterday afternoon my skin started to develop this transparent layer of skin over the pinkness. Originally I thought this layer was new skin and was kind of sad to see some scars. But today (72 hours since treatment) it appears that transparent layer is not my new skin but ANOTHER dead layer of skin coming up. But this layer is peeling up much slower then the first two. I really don't even want to assist the peeling in any way so I just continue to do vinegar soaks. Its hard to judge the results because the bottom of scar itself (the deepest scar I have) seems to be in the same spot, but all the skin around it continues to peel up.
Am I worried? Yes. Always worried when my skin looks like a burn victim. LOL. Though it helps that I have had this Ultrapulse treatment done once already (under the eyes). The skin looked exactly the same at this time. Skin peeled once or twice, became very very pink, then by day 6ish you could just see the pinkness being replaced by fresh whitish skin. It feels that my skin is peeling more this time on my cheeks but it is hard to say as I am washing over a large area and all the skin is not peeling up at the same time. The areas she did at low depth to blend in the area do not seem to be peeling anymore.
In the end, I would gladly suffer 6 months with a pink face if it means big improvements. I guess I am more worried about results then anything else. Sorry, I am pretty clueless at this point. LOL. My skin seems to have a mind of its own and I am just along for the ride. I'll give more details when I can.
I also figured out a few better ways to do soaks.
1. Dry the face completely before applying Aquaphor. They say to apply Aquaphor while still having some vinegar wash droplets on the face but this prevents the Aquaphor from staying on the face for more then 30 minutes. After awhile the Aquaphor starts to slide and clump up in certain areas while leaving skin unprotected in others. I think this layer of Aquaphor is much more important during a 100% ablative treatment vs the repair. I was able to remove Aquaphor by day 4 and switch to moisturizer but there is no way that will happen this time.
2. I fill the sink with warm water and mix in quite a bit of white vinegar. I then just dunk my entire head in the sink. This really moisturizes the dead skin to the point where it just wants to slough off. I also have a spray bottle that I mix with vinegar and water (higher vinegar content then the sink). More vinegar the better! Really burns at times but you can feel it exfoliate off the dead skin. This is so much better then using a bowl of water and a baby-rag.