I had my very first fraxel today. SO they first clean your face with a cotton ball drenched in alcohol..i guess the skin needs to be completly free of oils so that the blue dye and the numbing cream will stay in place. Otherwise it will run all down your neck..and trust me it numbs everything... i came home from my procedure about 6 hours ago and the inside of my nose and my neck are still numb... ANYWAYS....
No cleaning my face with alcohol first at my doc's office. No runny numbing cream, either - I don't think it's ever gotten onto my neck. It had never caused numbness inside my nose or down onto my neck.
I left the office out the back door because i was too embarressed once i seen my face in the mirror.. i was SO blue! So anyways... I sat with the numbing cream and blue dye on for about 45 minutes...
The way it is done at my doc's office: first, numbing cream for an hour. Then I wash my face with cetaphil and warm water. THEN the blue dye goes on, RIGHT BEFORE procedure. As soon as the procedure is over, I wash my face with gauze 4x4's as a sort of washcloth, wet with warm water and with dawn dishwashing liquid for soap. Takes the blue dye off almost completely. Then I apply sunscreen and moisturizer and leave - through the front door.
and then the lady came and and said we will begin now... she put some cloth over my eyes and then some metal goggles for protection...
My doc uses those tape down things over my eyes - the WORST part of the whole thing is when those are pulled off after treatment!
she started on my forhead and and she said was going to go all over my face with the laser pressing vertically and then go over my whole entire face again going horizonitally....WELL that had to have been the WORST pain i have EVER had... When the doctor finished the vertical way, she said now the horizontal way is much more painful.. i felt like dying... it really felt like someone was taking a HOT HOT knife and pulling it over my skin... i could feel every little prickle inside my skin... it was hot instantly... they had me to hold onto a piece of gauze just incase the numbing cream got into my mouth... but by the end of the preocedure it was soaking wet from my sweat....
If my doc did not use the zimmer cooling machine, there is no way in hell I would do fraxel. Period. I can't imagine the pain you went through WITHOUT the zimmer! I woud not be able to handle it, NO WAY.
I have one more treatment and i am terrifed for it...I went for my full face treatment today but next time its just my cheeks and chin..OH and where it hurts the most are the upper cheeks and the chin and that skin between the nose and the lips...Oh myy i almost lost it... but anyways... i am home now... there is not much swelling...just around my eyes... kinda looks funny... they are soo white compared to my face...i think its going to look good afterwards.. the laser already smoothed out some scars that i have had for years..so i think i am going to be happy...give it a week so that the swelling goes down i guess... i guess its worth it... lets hope so!!!!!!!!
It takes my face longer than a week for the swelling to go completely down. Also, the end results take TIME to become apparent because it takes the human body a while to do all that collagen buildup. I've been told it takes anywhere from 3 to 6 months to see the full results that treatment is going to yield.
OKay i am going to add one more thing.. i think when i had my fraxel done it was on a HIGH setting.. i was on 18....Has anyone else been on that high of a setting!!! Also they also recommended me being on a I.V. but i made a fuss and they just gave me 2 tylenol 3s and a pill to calm my nerves.......should i be going on the IV next time... does that work out better!!!
My last treatment (treatment #4 in a series of 5 total treatments, spaced 3 weeks apart, using fraxel 2) was full face at 20, then additional passes cheeks and chin at 40. My doc offers darvocette and valium for fraxel patients.
i have the same types of icepicks (frontal cheeks). never did fraxel.
Docs say that it will help, but im a skeptic. doesnt hurt to try.
today i tried to use a filler on one of them but it didnt work. i am going back to the doc in a month to try again.
Okay, so I have some pretty bad scars, some very deep icepicks - see below pics.
Fraxel has been recommended. I am sorry, I have not read this whole entire thread...I have tried and my eyes start to hurt!
Does anyone have the same type of scars and have you seen improvement with very deep icepicks?
Anyone hear of any docs financing this?
And what is the normal down time? I have read that your skin is dry for a very long time. Would it be better to have it done in the summer time due to the fact that you look sunburned after?
Advice on my pics will help too.
Thanks!
Yah for some reason they kept the blue dye on for about a hour before the procedure..and the numbing cream was CAKED on.... fallin all over my neck and my clothes are pretty much ruined.. its greasy stuff.. my hair was fulllll of it...ickk.... but yah i had the fraxel laser on 18...and that was UNbearable.. i couldnt even possibly think of someone getting it at a 40....ouchhhh.... i think they went over my face 8 times... just veritcally and then horizontally... its weird because i hardly have ANY swelling at all...i couldnt bear anything like back and forth or anythiing just a LITTLE bit by my eyes..but thats it.. its a little red but there are already parts turning that tanned brown they say should take at least 2 days to appear...weird... but it does hurt to wash it......
Yeah, my doctor (same office as Shyone but diff doc) has the nurse take pics of me first and then she applies the numbing cream (it's a triple numbing cream) which is very thick but not runny and yes, she applies a lot. I licked my lip the first time and my tounge was numb for a bit (weird). Then I wait for an hour and then they wash the numbing cream off with an alcohol wipe all over my face and then she applies the blue dye. You might ask them to wait until right before the procedure to apply the blue dye that was it won't soak into your skin so much. After the treatment I wash off the blue dye with the same stuff as Shyone and I only have a little bit of blue on my face. I too walk out the front door as much as I hate doing that......there was a really cute guy sitting on the couch when I left last time and I was soooooooo embaressed.
Yes, I couldn't imagine having the Fraxel done without the cold air hose.....no way!! My doctor doesn't give any kind of pain meds but the nurse told me to take ibuprofen and an antihistamine 30 mins after the treatment to reduce swelling. My face gets VERY swollen for around 3 days. My worst area's are the same as yours. The tops of my cheeks, chin and the area between my nose and mouth.......OUCH!!!
I am doing the Fraxel 2 on level 40 as well but next time the doctor is going to go more agressive. I want my last 3 lasers at the most agressive!
It's been 2 weeks since my second treatment and I am still a little red. Sometimes it seems my deeper scars are filling in a bit but so far I can't tell any real improvement other then my complexion is a bit better.
I can't wait until my next one!!!!
Laura, are you doing Fraxel 1 or Fraxle 2?
Yeah, my doctor (same office as Shyone but diff doc) has the nurse take pics of me first and then she applies the numbing cream (it's a triple numbing cream) which is very thick but not runny and yes, she applies a lot. I licked my lip the first time and my tounge was numb for a bit (weird). Then I wait for an hour and then they wash the numbing cream off with an alcohol wipe all over my face and then she applies the blue dye. You might ask them to wait until right before the procedure to apply the blue dye that was it won't soak into your skin so much. After the treatment I wash off the blue dye with the same stuff as Shyone and I only have a little bit of blue on my face. I too walk out the front door as much as I hate doing that......there was a really cute guy sitting on the couch when I left last time and I was soooooooo embaressed.
Yes, I couldn't imagine having the Fraxel done without the cold air hose.....no way!! My doctor doesn't give any kind of pain meds but the nurse told me to take ibuprofen and an antihistamine 30 mins after the treatment to reduce swelling. My face gets VERY swollen for around 3 days. My worst area's are the same as yours. The tops of my cheeks, chin and the area between my nose and mouth.......OUCH!!!
I am doing the Fraxel 2 on level 40 as well but next time the doctor is going to go more agressive. I want my last 3 lasers at the most agressive!
It's been 2 weeks since my second treatment and I am still a little red. Sometimes it seems my deeper scars are filling in a bit but so far I can't tell any real improvement other then my complexion is a bit better.
I can't wait until my next one!!!!
Laura, are you doing Fraxel 1 or Fraxle 2?
That is very similar @ my doctors. Except now they wash my face with a prescription cleanser before applying numbing cream. The cream said Liocain (sp) 6%. They did use Alchohol on my 1st treatment though. At the end they use a foam cleanser from Reliant to remove the blue dye. I also made sure they had the zimmer turned all the way up. What I don't understand is that they take picture of me before cleaning my skin. I usually have sunscreen on.
Day5 Fraxel2 Treatment#2
Skin is flaky. Some of them came off during my sleep last night. Dead skin is so thick and is stuck on my face unwilling to come off. I'm leaving it alone. I look like a deformed/burnt person right now.
i read that some ppl's doctors said that they find a better improvement when they do lower settings but more passes. If you were to get fraxel treatments this way would you not get red and swollen?
from my experience, yes
i'm having an area treated at lower settings purely for pigmentation and this area gets far les red, swollen and flaky than elsewhere.
if i could ask, what exactly are your settings and number of passes.
Im trying to find out the optimum number of passes for a lower setting to be effective. thanks.
Okay i know people on here hate stupid fraxel questions. so for the record, i've read most of this thread. but i still have this question, or rather it's just the need of someone's opinion...
would you rather:
spend $600 per treatment using the old Fraxel
or...
spend $1200 per treatment using Fraxel 2
this is my real scenerio. which would you choose? is fraxel 2 worth twice the price?
i will say that for me downtime is a big factor. I just can't be out that long.
is there really that much differnece in downtime between the two versions, and is the effictiveness of fraxel 2 really that much more significant than the old version?
thanks for any help.
Okay i know people on here hate stupid fraxel questions. so for the record, i've read most of this thread. but i still have this question, or rather it's just the need of someone's opinion...
would you rather:
spend $600 per treatment using the old Fraxel
or...
spend $1200 per treatment using Fraxel 2
this is my real scenerio. which would you choose? is fraxel 2 worth twice the price?
i will say that for me downtime is a big factor. I just can't be out that long.
is there really that much differnece in downtime between the two versions, and is the effictiveness of fraxel 2 really that much more significant than the old version?
thanks for any help.
I would spend the money to get Fraxel 2. The improved tech is worth it.
I saw an old newscast on fraxel 1. It showed them applying the lidocaine .30 percent! I think they may recommend lower dose for deeper resurfacing, since if it gets into your blood at that level it can cause heart fibrillations and even death. I know one woman that did die of lidocaine during an IPL treatment, so my clinic stopped using it altogether (purely a cover-their-ass decision).
Okay i know people on here hate stupid fraxel questions. so for the record, i've read most of this thread. but i still have this question, or rather it's just the need of someone's opinion...
would you rather:
spend $600 per treatment using the old Fraxel
or...
spend $1200 per treatment using Fraxel 2
this is my real scenerio. which would you choose? is fraxel 2 worth twice the price?
i will say that for me downtime is a big factor. I just can't be out that long.
is there really that much differnece in downtime between the two versions, and is the effictiveness of fraxel 2 really that much more significant than the old version?
thanks for any help.
I would spend the money to get Fraxel 2. The improved tech is worth it.
I created a thread on cooltouch vs fraxel but I wanted some of you Fraxel experts opinions. Is it worth it to get both treatments? Here is the link to the other thread.
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/index.php?showtopic=126280
I had my very first fraxel today. SO they first clean your face with a cotton ball drenched in alcohol..i guess the skin needs to be completly free of oils so that the blue dye and the numbing cream will stay in place. Otherwise it will run all down your neck..and trust me it numbs everything... i came home from my procedure about 6 hours ago and the inside of my nose and my neck are still numb... ANYWAYS.... I left the office out the back door because i was too embarressed once i seen my face in the mirror.. i was SO blue! So anyways... I sat with the numbing cream and blue dye on for about 45 minutes...and then the lady came and and said we will begin now... she put some cloth over my eyes and then some metal goggles for protection... she started on my forhead and and she said was going to go all over my face with the laser pressing vertically and then go over my whole entire face again going horizonitally....WELL that had to have been the WORST pain i have EVER had... When the doctor finished the vertical way, she said now the horizontal way is much more painful.. i felt like dying... it really felt like someone was taking a HOT HOT knife and pulling it over my skin... i could feel every little prickle inside my skin... it was hot instantly... they had me to hold onto a piece of gauze just incase the numbing cream got into my mouth... but by the end of the preocedure it was soaking wet from my sweat.... I have one more treatment and i am terrifed for it...I went for my full face treatment today but next time its just my cheeks and chin..OH and where it hurts the most are the upper cheeks and the chin and that skin between the nose and the lips...Oh myy i almost lost it... but anyways... i am home now... there is not much swelling...just around my eyes... kinda looks funny... they are soo white compared to my face...i think its going to look good afterwards.. the laser already smoothed out some scars that i have had for years..so i think i am going to be happy...give it a week so that the swelling goes down i guess... i guess its worth it... lets hope so!!!!!!!!
OKay i am going to add one more thing.. i think when i had my fraxel done it was on a HIGH setting.. i was on 18....Has anyone else been on that high of a setting!!! Also they also recommended me being on a I.V. but i made a fuss and they just gave me 2 tylenol 3s and a pill to calm my nerves.......should i be going on the IV next time... does that work out better!!!
Well if you have to ask, then it should be IV. I once had an IV and it knocks you out. You wake up and feel just fine. Ya don't even know you had anything done until the IV starts to wear off. Then I think that's what the lidocaine cream is good for and the tylenol's and advils 🙂
I created a thread on cooltouch vs fraxel but I wanted some of you Fraxel experts opinions. Is it worth it to get both treatments? Here is the link to the other thread.
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/index.php?showtopic=126280
From reading here for over a year, I believe cooltouch would be a complete waste of money for me.
Olbarn
You pose a good question as to cost/benefit between Fraxel 1 and 2. My doc says his colleagues see no clinical difference, despite tech advances. Shyone feels otherwise. No one knows at this point. You won't see results for some time in any event. If $s are an issue, i would personally go for #1 @ $600, which is a great price.
For the person that posted recent pictures. You have some round scars that might benefit from punch elevation, if they have a flat bottom and are reasonably wide. Fraxel will help soften but not eliminate scars. I had back luck with incisions, others had nice results. I would do some prep work before fraxel.
Troubled
Great advice. I had restylane in scars once. It worked great, but was temporary and expensive. I tried punch floats on the bad scar, which failed. I am convinced filler is right way to go. I am probably going to have another spinal surgery this winter, so I think I will put off next round of fraxels until I survive that. But if all goes well, I will recover from surgery, then fraxels and filler.
Hopefully the timing will be right for these new semi permanent fillers.
Whom do you recommend in SF Bay Area for fillers?
Thanks
Billy,
Dr. Anthony practices in San Fransisco http://www.drjamesanthony.com/drAnthony.cfm and is a very well respected P/S. You may opt for a few Restylane injections from him and then give maintenance injections to yourself to maintain the desired effect. Restylane is sold without a prescription in Canada and can be ordered via the web. It is easier then you might think to do yourself. I believe there's even instructions posted on the Restylane website.
Okay i know people on here hate stupid fraxel questions. so for the record, i've read most of this thread. but i still have this question, or rather it's just the need of someone's opinion...
would you rather:
spend $600 per treatment using the old Fraxel
or...
spend $1200 per treatment using Fraxel 2
this is my real scenerio. which would you choose? is fraxel 2 worth twice the price?
i will say that for me downtime is a big factor. I just can't be out that long.
is there really that much differnece in downtime between the two versions, and is the effictiveness of fraxel 2 really that much more significant than the old version?
thanks for any help.
Olbarn,
If that is your only option, save your money and go with Fraxel 1. Very nice results can still be acheived with the original Fraxel system (750).
Better yet, go to the Fraxel website, locate other providers in your area (if any) and call around. Some P/S offices are not charging any more for treatments with Fraxel 2 (1500).
Well they used the zimmer cooling machine on me... i am not too sure it was on the highest of settings though.. i didnt really ask... I should have took the IV... i dont think it knocks you out its just a much higher dose than the tylenol 3s i had and that little pill that goes under your tounge... i felt relaxed when she wasnt working on my face... ha.... but it was the worst pain i have ever had when she was working on it... also what is this i hear there are 2 types of fraxels.... tell me more!!!! Today is my 2nd day since i had my surgery and my face around my eyes are MUCH swallon then yesterday..and my face feels SOOO dry... its like a weird dry feeling..i DRENCHED my face with the creams they gave me to apply and it seems to absorb them Instantly and then just feels dry right afterwards....does anyone recommend any REALLY good HYDRATING creams..... and how bad is my face going to peel...and how many days should i be seeing my skin peel.....it hurts to smile it feels like its going to crack....
Troubled,
Thanks for all your help. You are awesome. I am holding off on filler for now.
Has fraxel been successful in encouraging melanocytes to migrate to excision line scars? I feel that fraxel did a great job on evening pigment, but it did not seem to produce melanin in my excision scars. Part of me says that this might be possilbe. Any thoughts?
Troubled,
Thanks for all your help. You are awesome. I am holding off on filler for now.
Has fraxel been successful in encouraging melanocytes to migrate to excision line scars? I feel that fraxel did a great job on evening pigment, but it did not seem to produce melanin in my excision scars. Part of me says that this might be possilbe. Any thoughts?
Billy,
I have photos of a patient with moderate but widespread hypertrophic acne scarring of the chest and secondary hypopigmentation. The after photos show normal color and texture in several areas that were once white which would seem to indicate melanocyte migration took place to some degree. I suspect this is accomplished through high density/lower m/J settings as there needs to be enough MTZ columns of injury to encourage the melanocytes to migrate.
A few medical universities are experimenting with Fraxel followed by treatments with the 308-nm excimer laser while the patient is still in the healing phase of Fraxel treatments. This helps "excite" the melanocytes to a greater degree then with Fraxel treatments alone but this is still considered experimental. If you would like to see the chest photos I am referring to PM me your e-mail address and I will send you a copy.
Olbarn
You pose a good question as to cost/benefit between Fraxel 1 and 2. My doc says his colleagues see no clinical difference, despite tech advances. Shyone feels otherwise. No one knows at this point. You won't see results for some time in any event. If $s are an issue, i would personally go for #1 @ $600, which is a great price.
For the person that posted recent pictures. You have some round scars that might benefit from punch elevation, if they have a flat bottom and are reasonably wide. Fraxel will help soften but not eliminate scars. I had back luck with incisions, others had nice results. I would do some prep work before fraxel.
I based my decision on the fact that fraxel 2 goes deeper than fraxel 1. To me, it seems logical that with scars that are old (like mine) and severe (like mine), deeper has a better shot at helping them than the less deep treatment I'd get with fraxel 1. I also think it is going to vary from person to person, with age and other factors playing a role in how well treatments work.
Money was not an issue in my situation, as the quotes I got for fraxel 1 were within a few hundred dollars of the quote I got for fraxel 2.
I had my first fraxel 2 treatment yesterday. I've seen some posts about the pain people have experienced, and I wanted to share something with you all.
I was worried about the pain involved I have a VERY low tolerance for pain on my face.
Fast forward to yesterday. The doctor did not use a zimmer machine. They didn't need it. I don't know my exact settings but I have some pretty deep scarring so she was going to be very aggressive in her treatment. I think it was 40 mj.
The point is, the technique was actually pretty cool. The numbing cream stayed on for 20 minutes. She did sections of my face about 3x3 inches, starting with the outer cheek and jaw area. She wanted to do all the passes on that area before moving on. The cool part is that she just used a simple, small gel ice pack to freeze my skin for a few seconds, then do the area. She would immediately use the ice pack again, and do the next pass. They did 4 passes all together. She continued to use the ice on the prior area while working the next area. She left the forehead, and the nose/lip area for last because it is generally the most painful. I "felt" the pricks, but it was only toward the end that it started to get rough. Specifically the forehead.
The "burn" showed up when she finished, but it was never more than a sunburned feeling. Within an hour it subsided. Today my face is red and quite swollen. I have some friends who did this and got really good results (maybe 50% improvement after 4-5 sessions). I am planning on treatment 2 in December. I'm surprised at the cellular damage, actually. This looks like dermabrasion after the first week.
I just wanted to post this so that you can tell your doctors that this technique helped a true wimp of a guy get through the surgery.
Finally, just a word of encouragement for those that haven't seen results yet. I've just started my journey, but I won't be put off by what anyone says. All I can do is walk my own path, and wait patiently for something to happen. IF it doesn't happen, if all this was a waste of time, then at least I know. I couldn't stand not trying and not knowing.
Dreamersrage
Great post, great attitude. I was especially pleased to hear that your friends had such a nice result. Hope you do just as well.
As to freezing the skin, one question I have is whether residual "freezing' might reduce thermal injury and hence collagen induction. I am sure this is time dependent. Perhaps the numbness lasts longer than the actual cooling effect, in which case you get the best of both worlds, reduced pain with same thermal injury.
Good luck.
Dreamersrage
Great post, great attitude. I was especially pleased to hear that your friends had such a nice result. Hope you do just as well.
As to freezing the skin, one question I have is whether residual "freezing' might reduce thermal injury and hence collagen induction. I am sure this is time dependent. Perhaps the numbness lasts longer than the actual cooling effect, in which case you get the best of both worlds, reduced pain with same thermal injury.
Good luck.
Thanks for the reply. That's a good point about the reduction of thermal injury. The gelpack is only on there for a few seconds before and after the area is done. Hopefully it doesn't have a negative effect. I can see how I probably sold it as "freezing" the skin before using the laser. I didn't do a good job of communicating that. I'll bring it up with the doc and see what she says. The cooling effect is definitely shortlived. The best part was that she focused on small areas and did all 4 passes with the gelpack for a few seconds in between the passes. That, and she saved the most painful areas for last.
There are many people on this thread that know more about the technical aspects of this process, but for me, seeing my friends helped more than anything. In all honesty we know that scars can never be 100% healed. With the friends, the scars just aren't as noticeable. It looks to me like it just softens the edges of the deeper scars, and the longer but shallower scars get filled in pretty well. But that is actually a pretty good deal from what I have seen. It sucks to be crippled by something for so many years, that's for sure. Any improvement is worth it to me.
I think someone mentioned that, like weightlifting, the way your skin reacts depends a lot on genetics. It just doesn't work for some people. We'll see, I guess.
Have a good evening.
I had my first fraxel 2 treatment yesterday. I've seen some posts about the pain people have experienced, and I wanted to share something with you all.
I was worried about the pain involved I have a VERY low tolerance for pain on my face.
Fast forward to yesterday. The doctor did not use a zimmer machine. They didn't need it. I don't know my exact settings but I have some pretty deep scarring so she was going to be very aggressive in her treatment. I think it was 40 mj.
The point is, the technique was actually pretty cool. The numbing cream stayed on for 20 minutes. She did sections of my face about 3x3 inches, starting with the outer cheek and jaw area. She wanted to do all the passes on that area before moving on. The cool part is that she just used a simple, small gel ice pack to freeze my skin for a few seconds, then do the area. She would immediately use the ice pack again, and do the next pass. They did 4 passes all together. She continued to use the ice on the prior area while working the next area. She left the forehead, and the nose/lip area for last because it is generally the most painful. I "felt" the pricks, but it was only toward the end that it started to get rough. Specifically the forehead.
The "burn" showed up when she finished, but it was never more than a sunburned feeling. Within an hour it subsided. Today my face is red and quite swollen. I have some friends who did this and got really good results (maybe 50% improvement after 4-5 sessions). I am planning on treatment 2 in December. I'm surprised at the cellular damage, actually. This looks like dermabrasion after the first week.
I just wanted to post this so that you can tell your doctors that this technique helped a true wimp of a guy get through the surgery.
Finally, just a word of encouragement for those that haven't seen results yet. I've just started my journey, but I won't be put off by what anyone says. All I can do is walk my own path, and wait patiently for something to happen. IF it doesn't happen, if all this was a waste of time, then at least I know. I couldn't stand not trying and not knowing.
That last paragraph is exactly how I feel! I feel better just knowing I am trying something instead of sitting around feeling sorry for myself
