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I'm sorry to hear this. The collagen remodeling takes several months and people have reported their scars filling in during the first few months after laser, so you may well feel better about the procedure by March or April. It does suck to have red marks from the laser, but they will fade! Best of luck.
Keep us posted. 
hey i just wanted to say hang in there and in a few months things are going to look so much better. looking at the pics now your face is looking really good and its not nearly as red as it was before. i think you are making good progress. its probably hard to tell since you look at your skin everyday but from the first pictures you posted after the procedure until now everything looks a lot better and your skin seems to have calmed down a lot. keep your chin up and i think later on down the road you will be happy you had this procedure done. if you ever need to talk you can always pm me too. take care of yourself!
Thank you! Have a great weekend... ill let you all know how things are processing next week.
Hey there, I had Smartxide co2 done on my lower face (everything below the temples) on the 16th of january 2013. I know EXACTLY how you're feeling. I'm going through the same range of emotions that you're going through, so don't feel as though your alone. I'm also waiting for this collogen to start remodeling. I'm rooting for you and sending positive vibes from Atlanta, Georgia. Take care.
oh im so glad that you connected with me!
Do you have red marks still? My scars really look bad - just so noticeable and I honestly feel like right now, the progress that the subcision made has dissapeared... can that happen? argh.
I dont have red marks but my scars have also returned. My scars look really bad as well. I cant see much progress and it's causing me tons of stress. I knew from the beginning that lasers are not a "one and done" type of thing. Multiple treatments are needed. But the time that it takes to see any progress is painfully slow. The progress is a long term thing. So it may look like any progress has dissapeared but hopefully the collogen remodeling will occur and the scars will become less noticable. Thats what I'm hoping for, as I plan to have another laser treatment done. What do you think about all of this?
thanks for checking in - the redness is a tiny bit faded but where ever laser mark happened there is a new scar - and they are all indented. My scars before hand look very bad. I connected with my derm and she said just to continue to be patient... .what a surprise 
Today marks the 6 week mark...
Its hard to see the indents in all photos but they are there and are not pretty and have, without a doubt, made me even more self-conscious... im having a very hard time with this decision - and with it being the lacrosse season now, under the horrible lights in a stadium, im really beginning to get depressed.... I dont know what to do now. I just should of left my skin alone. I think back to how i felt over thanksgiving, my skin just was glowing and I was finally starting to feel really good... i dont know why i had to keep pushing, why do I always always do that.
maybe my dream will come true and these new indents all over will fill out over the next month and ill feel okay. I just honestly, dont see that happening... i really dont.
I'm so sorry to hear this! It's very scary and of course upsetting that you've actually got new scarring after the treatment. 
If they are still red, they may look worse than they really are - I've had some new scarring last autumn that really upset me and looked bad when it was new, but after the hyperpigmentation faded away they turned out to be much milder than I'd feared. Hopefully this is the case for you, too. And you are still in the collagen remodeling phase for up to 3 months or more after the treatment, when you should expect to see scars filling in - this would apply to the new scars too, so perhaps they will improve.
And I just wanted to say that at least in the latest pictures, your skin actually looks very good to me. Although of course some things don't show up that well in photographs and I can't really compare to how it was before the treatment.
In any case, please do keep us posted on how things are going for you. If you really are left with permanent scarring because of the treatment, then I may reconsider getting Deep FX done myself. I really hope things will look up for you! All the best.
i think your face looks so much better in the pics and i bet those indents will fill in over time. how deep are they? i had some holes on my chin from a lamprobe treatment and i think it took about 2 months for them to fill in. i was freaking out so bad over the holes and before i knew it they were gone. i was also taking 1000mg of vitamin c a day and using hylunia reconstructive cream as well. keep us updated and try not to stress too much. i know exactly how you feel but it will be ok. i think in 6 months you will be glad you did this procedure.
I think TokyoGirl (or nowadays Inspired) said that at exactly 1 month after her first DeepFX treatment, she was disappointed with her results and didn't see improvement. But at around 3 months or so after the treatment, her scars had got about 50% improvement. So don't lose hope yet. In another 6 weeks things may look much better.
Yeah i have to agree the redness has really improved! I also saw how Tokyogirl said her scars looked worse but then got better. I cant make out worse scarring
What does your husband think? Sometimes we see things as worse than they are. But the derm said this is typical? I know it's depressing righy now but hang in there..things can improve!
As you can see after 1 month 45% of people weren't happy with their treatment, but after 6 months it was only 15%.
I think you're talking about laser trackmarks? They kind of look like "pores" whereever the laser hit. That usually goes away after a few months. I would give it some time, hopefully it will go away - you should consult your doctor as well and see what they think.
"In the very rare instances that I have seen imprinting with Fraxel repair, it has always resolved with time. "
Okay friends
yesterday i was having a good day... i felt pretty so i took a photo of myself to send my man, just me with a smile, then i accidently kept the camera on as i sat down in my office chair and i looked down and caught these... these amazing photos of what i really look like...
im at a point where i can not stand myself and i can not do anything without thinking of the lighting, the outfit, how my hair always has to be down, etc... it controls my every thought and my every move... i need your help to what i do now... because i used to feel very pretty but lately i feel like my scars keep getting worse and worse... i dont even wear my contacts anymore because i cant stand to see myself in the mirror and when i have my glasses on i take them off before i go to the bathroom because i just cant do it... im to a point where i just cant take it any more...
please take a look and help me out!
ive talked to a plastic surgeon about Fraxel... he said he would do it for 950 a piece and ill need at least 2... ive heard so many stories about how it doesnt work so im skeptical...
your scars look like the ones I got on my cheeks... my right side is worse than left side for some reason... whats the treatment you are taking now?? any progress ??
Thank you all for your comments and your positive feedback and remarks!
To answer questions
She only spot treated so I do not have track marks anywhere really - its literally holes all over my face - it looks like huge pores to make it more understandable. Its hard to cover with make up and it looks bad in certain lighting - you can see it from afar.
fishpie - I had two subcisions done, which I believe helped a great deal with the depth of the scars - please remember, your skin will always be damaged, there is nothing that will smooth out your skin the way it was prior to the scarring but with subcision, it breaks the bands which formed to cause the rolling scar and allows new collagen to grow, sometimes resulting in a shallow"er" mark and making you feel a lot better about your appearance! After my second subcision, I can honestly say, I felt much better with my appearance. I recently did a DEEP fx laser and the downtime has been much much much longer than I was lead to believe and im still not happy with my appearance and my condition of my skin. with every scar treatment, PATIENCE in key - everywhere you read online, it says things like minimal downtime, fast recovery, go back to work the next day... if you have sensative skin, if your skin gets red after you pop a pimple or if you have red marks linger after you have acne, you will be red for a good amount of time following any procedure. AND for me its been 6 weeks and im still red in many places. PLEASE be aware of this - that "Sunburn effect" That the advertisements tell you might happen, doesnt happen to everyone. I can deal with sunburn, but red holes all over my face, has been very tough to deal with... just be careful and when you have a laser consult, bring up my story and make sure that doesnt happen to you.
michi - Hi friend Yes, the derm said -"This is still the normal process. Redness gradually reduces and is usually completely resolved 3 months after CO2 procedure. At one month, the scars may look just as deep as they looked prior to the procedure but this will change. Collagen remodeling begins immediately after the procedure but the effects are noticeable only with delay. In another month, the scars will not be as deep anymore and collagen continues to build for 6 months after each procedure." She did not say anything about what I believe are holes on my face directly from the laser... but since they are on top of all my scarring, im assuming its okay because if and when the collagen does rebuild, it will inturn fix these holes?!!? hahaha
Oy, what was I thinking 
"If only I could close my eyes, count to ten, and this nightmare would be over..."
That is exactly how I feel. I know its tough. It's a huge weight to bear, both mentaly and emotionaly. You'll know a year from now if it was all worth the effort and only then. Remain strong, remain patient, and remain positive. It's a long road but I'm right there with you.
So yesterday was the two month mark and sad to say im still VERY dissappointed with my decision to do the laser... my skin right now looks so uneven and to try and make it appear okay ive been using a lot more make up and a lotion with a tint to it (Aveeno product) and ive been getting litle pimples and under the skin pimples everywhere... so now its just a big old mess... i could go on for days about how seriously upset I am that I opted to do this but ill spare you all the same old "poor me" story...
ill let you know how i feel in another month! No need for photos because it really just looks the same with a few of the red marks now looking more purple and all the laser marks are still there, no collagen regrowth has made a noticeable difference in the texture of my skin.
Everyday I just get through it - I went from finally feeling like I could be confident after the last subcision to now feeling so insecure its very hard for me to do the many social things I need to do to do my job well and be successful.... that is by far, the most frustrating part. I know id be so much better at both of my jobs if I just felt HAPPY inside... and not always worrying about what other people see... im so tired of feeling like this.
I know exactly how you feel.. wanting to be happy and just not care about what people think, or better yet be happy with your own appearance. This type of comment isn't always well received by others (since it is an acne related forum), but you should know that you are a naturally very pretty woman even with the acne scars and make up. You also seem like a very down to earth and genuine person. I sincerely wish that you will get better soon, and if it doesn't right away, just know that there's always going to be a cure down the road, and all of these worries will be in the past. I hope you can get on with enjoying your life and dealing with this problem as best as you can (without worrying about it too much).
Edit: I thought I'd point out that your skin is actually looking really good esepcially compared with where you started, it doesn't seem like you have very many deep scars left. I'm actually hoping that I can see improvements like you have.
hello, I just read your posts and I hope you are feeling better today. Your skin looks perfectly fine to me, and you have nice features so all you need is some self-confidence. I think that once you've had a traumatic experience with your skin, you will still see scars even when they are almost gone, but try to live your life and focus on the positives instead. And honestly, your skin looks good so try not to worry too much about it.
you guys are so sweet but I will post photos of my scars from the angle where u can see them (exactly the same as the first photos on this tread) when I get to a point when I can take them (They were taken at my office and work remotely a lot of the time). I so very much wish that photos could paint the proper picture... but you all are right, just stay positive, and focus on other things. I really am trying and with everyday, i try just a little harder,... thank you all for being so awesome and for the support.
Readytosmileagain:
I took a look at your before and after photos and I think that you've made quite a bit of progress with the collagen remodeling process.
Once you skin calms down, have you considered dermarolling and possibly a chemical peel?
I think that you've made considerable progress in the visible reduction of your scarring; your doctor did a good job with the subcision photos you posted.
Personally, I am not a big fan of lasers. I went through three Laser Genesis and one Pearl Fractional laser treatment.
25% TCA Peels, topical Retin-A, and dermarolling coupled with my four subcision treatments have resulted in major improvement for me.
Thanks for sharing your photos, insights, and concerns with all of us.
We can certainly learn from one another and this site is a great place to come and learn about new ideas and, most importantly, to get encouraged by others who have walked down this path before or are currently walking down a similar path.
Looking forward to more updates and photos from you.
Matt
hey everyone, new here. but I could use some info, some lady I know is a skin doctor where I live and she tells me can fix my scars on my face with X amount of visits, but my concern is that I have really really bad scars on my face, like the worst I feel like i've ever seen, I suffered from acne for about 15 years. What would be the best route for me to take to fix it? I even thought about plastic surgery to fix me skin thats how bad I feel it is, thanks
mr matt - as the days go on and i see these, what i feel, re burn marks in my skin, im too am not a fn of lasers... im sad that my derm kept telling me it was a good idea. I hope that over time they fade but my hopes, being its 9 weeks post, are very low... i feel like before my scars were only noticable in certain lighting and angles and not a lot of people saw them - and now, i actually just had a conversation with my boss and she said, i see them but your personality and smile make them disappear... i just started working with her recently... so i feel like they are very much more noticable now because my skin was affected, i feel like it was burned by the laser... i hope more than anything this goes away... im honestly so upset lately.
readytosmileagain, i just wanted to say to keep your chin up and hang in there. i really feel for you and feel so bad that you are going through all of this. just try to stay strong and in a few months i am sure things will start looking better. i am sending hugs your way! if you ever need to talk you can always pm me. just rememeber everybody that knows you loves you for who you are not what you look like.
also did you talk to the derm about what you think are burn marks from the laser? i just wonder what he/she thought about it.
hey i wanted to share with you a moisturizer i use that really helps heal skin. when i had that bad lamprobe treatment my derm recommended this stuff to help heal up holes in my skin and it worked really well for me. i think a month of daily use is all it took to fill those in. i use it to this day on all my scars and as a moisturizer because it has an anti-microbial complex in it so it wont cause breakouts. its also used for burns and inflammation and other things. amazing stuff and it comes in a decent size container so you should have it for a while. if you dont want to spend the cash let me know and i can try to send you a sample of it.
http://www.hylunia.com/products/hyaluronic-reconstructive-cream-for-cancer-centers
