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I had a consultation for Fraxel in December. The aesthetician who did the consult said that for my scarring (which I think is mild/moderate), Fraxel should really be effective, esp. considering my age (28). She said that anything else would be a waste of my time. At the time, I was still nursing my son, so I had to wait, but I just scheduled my first treatment (with the dr., not the aesthetician) for April 6. I am going to do a series of 6 and you can do them 2 weeks apart. Does anyone have any thoughts/tips/etc? I hate to get my hopes up, but she really seemed to think this will get my skin into the shape I want (of course, she was trying to sell me something, I realize that). How much improvement can I expect?Also, I am a runner. After a couple of days, can I slather on the sunscreen and a hat and resume running, or will I be in too much pain?
Any info is really appreciated. I don't mind spending the money, I am just worried that it won't help enough!
Tamara:
Careful spending much time in the sun afterward, I developed a couple of new brown spots after my fraxels, even though I used sunscreen and minimized my time in the sun. I suspect my age (42) probably played a part as well. Now I'm not sure how to get rid of the damn brown spots! In any event your skin will be very susceptible to sundamage for a number of weeks weeks after treatment.
JDM
I'll be purchasing 3 sessions for 2,000$ + GST next week, so I'll be starting my first session at the beginning of next month. I can't wait! My scars are not very severe but my skin is very "damaged", basically, I have some indents, large "scarred" looking pores and uneven texture. I'll keep everyone updated. If there is any advice/tips or anything that I should know about, please let me know.
I had a consultation for Fraxel in December. The aesthetician who did the consult said that for my scarring (which I think is mild/moderate), Fraxel should really be effective, esp. considering my age (28). She said that anything else would be a waste of my time. At the time, I was still nursing my son, so I had to wait, but I just scheduled my first treatment (with the dr., not the aesthetician) for April 6. I am going to do a series of 6 and you can do them 2 weeks apart. Does anyone have any thoughts/tips/etc? I hate to get my hopes up, but she really seemed to think this will get my skin into the shape I want (of course, she was trying to sell me something, I realize that). How much improvement can I expect?Also, I am a runner. After a couple of days, can I slather on the sunscreen and a hat and resume running, or will I be in too much pain?
Any info is really appreciated. I don't mind spending the money, I am just worried that it won't help enough!
I'm a runner too, but during my fraxel course, found myself more concerned over the side effect of sweating heavily while my skin was so fragile. Especially during that firt week when your skin is kind of leathery...it's almost like your skin wouldn't be able to breathe well if you're putting on the sunscreen and then perspiring. I don't know, that was just me. You won't be in "pain". I was just over paranoid, maybe.
Also, I am a runner. After a couple of days, can I slather on the sunscreen and a hat and resume running, or will I be in too much pain?
Any info is really appreciated. I don't mind spending the money, I am just worried that it won't help enough!
I'm a runner too, but during my fraxel course, found myself more concerned over the side effect of sweating heavily while my skin was so fragile. Especially during that firt week when your skin is kind of leathery...it's almost like your skin wouldn't be able to breathe well if you're putting on the sunscreen and then perspiring. I don't know, that was just me. You won't be in "pain". I was just over paranoid, maybe.
I'm a cyclist and am mainly concerned with sun exposure. I think sweating is very healthy for your skin and the cardio exercise will keep your body in better condition to recover and repair from such an ordeal. I would just worry about sun exposure and wait until evening or very cloudy days to go running.
Unfortunately i cant cycle in the dark so i have to wait for a nice cloudy day.
Hi and thanks for all suport i got on my first post 
I have done my second fraxel earlier today..saw no improvement
after the first one...rather i saw some new scars :/
Can you eat b-5 while doing fraxel? Im wondering becouse of the effect
on the liver might do that the skin heals bad.
best regards / anonymos
Thanks for all the input on the sun exposure. I am *thinking* that this may finally give me the motivation to get up and run EARLY on most days. And evenings work, too. I might use it as an excuse to slack off for a bit, but I signed up for a marathon for the Fall...
I am getting pretty anxious about how painful it will be, how my skin will handle it, and hoping that my skin heals enough to make this worth it.
Thanks for all the input on the sun exposure. I am *thinking* that this may finally give me the motivation to get up and run EARLY on most days. And evenings work, too. I might use it as an excuse to slack off for a bit, but I signed up for a marathon for the Fall...I am getting pretty anxious about how painful it will be, how my skin will handle it, and hoping that my skin heals enough to make this worth it.
I don't think doing fraxel should stop you from running the marathon, but just as an FYI, you're supposed to limit sun exposure 3-6 months after your last fraxel.
So I called my doctor's office today and the receptionist said that currently they can only go to 40 mj with the machine they have, and in June, when they get the new 70 mj tip, they will be able to go higher with the new machine.
Now I thought that the FDA approved going to higher levels than 40 mj, but the same machine can be used. And Reliant came out with a new tip, which just eliminates the blue dye.
Does this make sense to anyone? Just trying to figure out if what the office said today makes sense.
getting so impatient and tierd of waiting.......four weeks between treatments is tough....i really just want to see for myself what the end result is.....it's such a long process....two and a half weeks till my 3rd fraxel.......
i'm thinking the end result will probably be pleasing (i mean any improvement is pleasing) but at this stage i don't think fraxel does/will completely get rid of and vanish acne scars.....unless maybe you get 10 done or something......but it is nice to see them softening........
i guess maybe i'm feeling impatient today......i'm tired of having bad skin and everyone around me not even having to worry about theirs.......i don't want to spend the rest of my life worrying about my skin it's so tiering....but i do want to look good or at least normal.....i can imagine fixing this problem just in time for wrinkles, i feel it takes that long to find solutions......
i dunno, acne scarring just makes you feel so not desireable.
getting so impatient and tierd of waiting.......four weeks between treatments is tough....i really just want to see for myself what the end result is.....it's such a long process....two and a half weeks till my 3rd fraxel.......i'm thinking the end result will probably be pleasing (i mean any improvement is pleasing) but at this stage i don't think fraxel does/will completely get rid of and vanish acne scars.....unless maybe you get 10 done or something......but it is nice to see them softening........
i guess maybe i'm feeling impatient today......i'm tired of having bad skin and everyone around me not even having to worry about theirs.......i don't want to spend the rest of my life worrying about my skin it's so tiering....but i do want to look good or at least normal.....i can imagine fixing this problem just in time for wrinkles, i feel it takes that long to find solutions......
i dunno, acne scarring just makes you feel so not desireable.
Hey, why don't you move your treatments up? Most seem to get their treatments 2-3 weeks in between. The protocol seems to be shorter time in between is better anyway. You can get through them faster and may get better results, and maybe help your mood. Hang in there.....
So you guys have seen the best weeks with only 2 weeks in between treatments?
I was watching a physician webinar held by reliant and the time in between questions was asked. I can't remember exactly off the top of my head if this was for both models or just fraxel 2, but the conclusion was you can do 2 weeks between treatments the first time, but after that you should wait 3-4 weeks, because it takes the MENDs longer to exfoliate. As far as efficacy, they said waiting 2-4 weeks is the standard and anything longer, you may see slightly dimished results (but you should still see results).
My doctor did the R 1 level on me for my last treatment. It was pretty painful. I am going to call on Monday and ask my doctor if he has the new head yet. He gets things pretty fast.I'm still having problems with the milia and small red bumps. It's now two months after my 5th Fraxel and my skin seems pretty much the same. I only see improvment in two rolling scars on my cheeks. The red marks and all the other scars look pretty much exactly the same before I started.
I would only recommend this for shallow rolling or shallow boxcar type scars.
Yeah, that R-1 was no joke.. i'm redder and peeling much more than before. I'm really surprised you haven't gotten any improvement.. i'm guessing your skin is smooth everywhere else and just have a handful of scars you are targeting? maybe you should try saline injections or even silicone. None of my raises scars (i only have 2 small ones) have seen any improvement from fraxel either.. just a general softening of the scars overall.
I have various different types of scars and red marks/ discolorations all over my face as well as milia and pastules (bumps) so no my skin isn't all the smooth. I have quite a few rolling scars under my check area where those marrionette lines form next to your mouth that my Fraxel treatment didn't improve at all and these are the ones that bother me the most. When I smile you can see quite a few scars that all run together to form these uneven lines...i have 3 of these lines on one side of my mouth and two on the other and that's frustrating. I thought the treatment helped the pores on my nose but they seem pretty much the same now. I'm still wearing tons of makeup to cover everything and this was one thing I thought it would help with, I hate wearing so much makeup.
The rolling scars on my temple might be slightly better but nothing that noticable. I hate saying this, I really do because I really wanted this to work for me. I don't think I had unreal expectations either but for the time spent and especially the money I expected some kind of noticible improvment. I have to look really hard at my face to notice any kind of improvment and it's very slight. In fact that is what makes me so upset it NO ONE has noticed any improvment. I haven't gotten any kind of compliments on my skin. My hair dresser just said nothing when I told her what I had done....her silence spoke volumes to me. I wanted to cry but oh well. Back to the drawing board. Again it saddens me to have to say this. Also keep in mind that I am a bit older then most people around here and have had these scars for a while.
Like I said, I think it will work for those who have very mild rolling type scars like keisha and anndes but everyone's skin reacts differently.
jjp007:
Sorry to hear about your results. We have a few things in common. I am now about 6 weeks post 5th treatment. My first 3 were with the 750 and my last 2 with the 1500 at settings just below yours. I too have an uneven marionette line which zig zags around 3 or 4 slighlty raised scars. Fraxel has had had minimal impact, if any, on these or my other two seriously raised scars. Most of these are old scars (20 + years). I have however had some improvement on a couple of newer boxcars on my cheek (1 seems to have filled completely), and some softening of older boxcars on my temples.
I wonder if your post care could have affected your results?
Hi - I thought I'd add my latest results/opinion. I am 47 yrs old and my some of my scars are over 25 yrs old. I had my 6th Fraxel (all have been very aggressive and are the Fraxel I) about a month ago. I am really starting to see results now. I had my first one in June 2006. I don't know if the 6th one kicked things up a notch, or if I'm seeing collagan remodeling now. There is a real softening of my scars (all are rolling) and better skin texture overall. I was really down on Fraxel for a while, but I think maybe it takes longer when you're older? Sorry, I don't have pictures. My doc does, but they make me cringe, so I haven't asked for copies. I have been using a mild retinol along with TNS recovery and I think it helps. Finally, people are starting to say things about my skin. I never told anyone, so I was disappointed when no one said anything before. Just in the last couple of weeks people have made comments. My doc is getting the Fraxel II and I may have a few of those since I feel encouraged now. I guess I just want to say, hang in there, you never know!
hey team,
my back ground: ive spent about 12K on my skin thus far.. im 24.. not happy with my skin at all.. but fraxel 2 seems good and i am booked in for it onthe 18th of april.
work is pretty cool as im allowed to work from home for a few days in a row over the next few months .. so im going to have 5 treatments ... first 1 on the 18th... then 2-3 week later another 1, then ill space the rest about 25 days appart
- sound good?
I have mostly rolling scars .. well on my left side they are rolling and on the right side of my cheek they are ice pick. Not realy sure as to which ones give me the irrits more - Either way they both do my head in.
ive currently got some cosmoderm 2 in me.. though i suspect that when the fraxel hits it will zap that away... so as you can imagin its going to do my head in a bit.. as it will seem like I am back peddeling until the rejuvination kicks in.
With that said it is going to be hard to gauge improvments.. has any one had a filler then been hit with fraxel? .- very interested in hearing your thoughts.
By the way i think this whole 'fix our scars' up quest can best be described "one step back, two steps forward" .. i hope that with fraxel i wont have to take any more step backs.
btw - i live in australia.
cheers big ears (for those of you have big ears that was not directed at you so chill my good friend)
My doctor did the R 1 level on me for my last treatment. It was pretty painful. I am going to call on Monday and ask my doctor if he has the new head yet. He gets things pretty fast.I'm still having problems with the milia and small red bumps. It's now two months after my 5th Fraxel and my skin seems pretty much the same. I only see improvment in two rolling scars on my cheeks. The red marks and all the other scars look pretty much exactly the same before I started.
I would only recommend this for shallow rolling or shallow boxcar type scars.
Yeah, that R-1 was no joke.. i'm redder and peeling much more than before. I'm really surprised you haven't gotten any improvement.. i'm guessing your skin is smooth everywhere else and just have a handful of scars you are targeting? maybe you should try saline injections or even silicone. None of my raises scars (i only have 2 small ones) have seen any improvement from fraxel either.. just a general softening of the scars overall.
I have various different types of scars and red marks/ discolorations all over my face as well as milia and pastules (bumps) so no my skin isn't all the smooth. I have quite a few rolling scars under my check area where those marrionette lines form next to your mouth that my Fraxel treatment didn't improve at all and these are the ones that bother me the most. When I smile you can see quite a few scars that all run together to form these uneven lines...i have 3 of these lines on one side of my mouth and two on the other and that's frustrating. I thought the treatment helped the pores on my nose but they seem pretty much the same now. I'm still wearing tons of makeup to cover everything and this was one thing I thought it would help with, I hate wearing so much makeup.
The rolling scars on my temple might be slightly better but nothing that noticable. I hate saying this, I really do because I really wanted this to work for me. I don't think I had unreal expectations either but for the time spent and especially the money I expected some kind of noticible improvment. I have to look really hard at my face to notice any kind of improvment and it's very slight. In fact that is what makes me so upset it NO ONE has noticed any improvment. I haven't gotten any kind of compliments on my skin. My hair dresser just said nothing when I told her what I had done....her silence spoke volumes to me. I wanted to cry but oh well. Back to the drawing board. Again it saddens me to have to say this. Also keep in mind that I am a bit older then most people around here and have had these scars for a while.
Like I said, I think it will work for those who have very mild rolling type scars like keisha and anndes but everyone's skin reacts differently.
jjp007:
Sorry to hear about your results. We have a few things in common. I am now about 6 weeks post 5th treatment. My first 3 were with the 750 and my last 2 with the 1500 at settings just below yours. I too have an uneven marionette line which zig zags around 3 or 4 slighlty raised scars. Fraxel has had had minimal impact, if any, on these or my other two seriously raised scars. Most of these are old scars (20 + years). I have however had some improvement on a couple of newer boxcars on my cheek (1 seems to have filled completely), and some softening of older boxcars on my temples.
I wonder if your post care could have affected your results?
Hi - I thought I'd add my latest results/opinion. I am 47 yrs old and my some of my scars are over 25 yrs old. I had my 6th Fraxel (all have been very aggressive and are the Fraxel I) about a month ago. I am really starting to see results now. I had my first one in June 2006. I don't know if the 6th one kicked things up a notch, or if I'm seeing collagan remodeling now. There is a real softening of my scars (all are rolling) and better skin texture overall. I was really down on Fraxel for a while, but I think maybe it takes longer when you're older? Sorry, I don't have pictures. My doc does, but they make me cringe, so I haven't asked for copies. I have been using a mild retinol along with TNS recovery and I think it helps. Finally, people are starting to say things about my skin. I never told anyone, so I was disappointed when no one said anything before. Just in the last couple of weeks people have made comments. My doc is getting the Fraxel II and I may have a few of those since I feel encouraged now. I guess I just want to say, hang in there, you never know!
Thanks for you posts and your words of encouragement. If I could afford it I would do more treatments but I can't justify spending more money. Maybe if I go back to my doctor he might work with me on price but I doubt it and I don't really like going into that office anymore. I'm so tired of the whole thing but maybe in the near future I will get up the nerve to go back for a post treatment checkup.
I didn't tell a lot of people either but I still haven't gotten any compliments but I don't think I will unless my scars are almost gone I guess.
My aftercare was what the doctor told me to do so I don't think that had any negative effect on my treatments. I'm not saying I didn't get any improvment just a very slight amount but nothing noticable to anyone. The best improvement was on the rolling scars on my cheeks which do seem to be getting softer and softer each month.
I wonder if since my treatments were so agressive and so deep that is why I don't see much improvment on the surface texture and more improvement on the discoloration so i won't have to pile on the foundation. I tried using Mineral powder foundation and it just made my skin look horrible. It settled in every scar and made all my scars stand out which I was hoping I could wear less makeup but I sitll have to wear a bit of liquid foundation to feel good about walking out of the house.
ok i feel like a broken record now so I will stop my complaining 😉
Good luck to everyone. Just because I'm not satisfied with my treatment doesn't mean it won't work for you.
I wish I could see the types of scarring in all of you Fraxelers out there...so I can determine if it's worth "Fraxeling" my face. I know it's been asked here already, but if at ALL possible, please pretty please put up pics! =)
Oh man, I tried mineral poweder because I'm SICK of having to put so much makeup on (to "fill in" my scars)...Mineral powder is NOT meant for scarred skin!!
i totally freaked out the other day cos i put some old mineral powder make up for the first time on my new scars......i have been traumatised since. As if they weren't bad enough before, now it's a freak show on my head!! Liquid m/up sinks in at least. I'm never wearing mineral powder again. Straight in the bin.
Sorry not very fraxel related but enjoying reading as i'm considering this soon.
My doctor did the R 1 level on me for my last treatment. It was pretty painful. I am going to call on Monday and ask my doctor if he has the new head yet. He gets things pretty fast.I'm still having problems with the milia and small red bumps. It's now two months after my 5th Fraxel and my skin seems pretty much the same. I only see improvment in two rolling scars on my cheeks. The red marks and all the other scars look pretty much exactly the same before I started.
I would only recommend this for shallow rolling or shallow boxcar type scars.
Yeah, that R-1 was no joke.. i'm redder and peeling much more than before. I'm really surprised you haven't gotten any improvement.. i'm guessing your skin is smooth everywhere else and just have a handful of scars you are targeting? maybe you should try saline injections or even silicone. None of my raises scars (i only have 2 small ones) have seen any improvement from fraxel either.. just a general softening of the scars overall.
I have various different types of scars and red marks/ discolorations all over my face as well as milia and pastules (bumps) so no my skin isn't all the smooth. I have quite a few rolling scars under my check area where those marrionette lines form next to your mouth that my Fraxel treatment didn't improve at all and these are the ones that bother me the most. When I smile you can see quite a few scars that all run together to form these uneven lines...i have 3 of these lines on one side of my mouth and two on the other and that's frustrating. I thought the treatment helped the pores on my nose but they seem pretty much the same now. I'm still wearing tons of makeup to cover everything and this was one thing I thought it would help with, I hate wearing so much makeup.
The rolling scars on my temple might be slightly better but nothing that noticable. I hate saying this, I really do because I really wanted this to work for me. I don't think I had unreal expectations either but for the time spent and especially the money I expected some kind of noticible improvment. I have to look really hard at my face to notice any kind of improvment and it's very slight. In fact that is what makes me so upset it NO ONE has noticed any improvment. I haven't gotten any kind of compliments on my skin. My hair dresser just said nothing when I told her what I had done....her silence spoke volumes to me. I wanted to cry but oh well. Back to the drawing board. Again it saddens me to have to say this. Also keep in mind that I am a bit older then most people around here and have had these scars for a while.
Like I said, I think it will work for those who have very mild rolling type scars like keisha and anndes but everyone's skin reacts differently.
jjp007:
Sorry to hear about your results. We have a few things in common. I am now about 6 weeks post 5th treatment. My first 3 were with the 750 and my last 2 with the 1500 at settings just below yours. I too have an uneven marionette line which zig zags around 3 or 4 slighlty raised scars. Fraxel has had had minimal impact, if any, on these or my other two seriously raised scars. Most of these are old scars (20 + years). I have however had some improvement on a couple of newer boxcars on my cheek (1 seems to have filled completely), and some softening of older boxcars on my temples.
I wonder if your post care could have affected your results?
Hi - I thought I'd add my latest results/opinion. I am 47 yrs old and my some of my scars are over 25 yrs old. I had my 6th Fraxel (all have been very aggressive and are the Fraxel I) about a month ago. I am really starting to see results now. I had my first one in June 2006. I don't know if the 6th one kicked things up a notch, or if I'm seeing collagan remodeling now. There is a real softening of my scars (all are rolling) and better skin texture overall. I was really down on Fraxel for a while, but I think maybe it takes longer when you're older? Sorry, I don't have pictures. My doc does, but they make me cringe, so I haven't asked for copies. I have been using a mild retinol along with TNS recovery and I think it helps. Finally, people are starting to say things about my skin. I never told anyone, so I was disappointed when no one said anything before. Just in the last couple of weeks people have made comments. My doc is getting the Fraxel II and I may have a few of those since I feel encouraged now. I guess I just want to say, hang in there, you never know!
Thanks for you posts and your words of encouragement. If I could afford it I would do more treatments but I can't justify spending more money. Maybe if I go back to my doctor he might work with me on price but I doubt it and I don't really like going into that office anymore. I'm so tired of the whole thing but maybe in the near future I will get up the nerve to go back for a post treatment checkup.
I didn't tell a lot of people either but I still haven't gotten any compliments but I don't think I will unless my scars are almost gone I guess.
My aftercare was what the doctor told me to do so I don't think that had any negative effect on my treatments. I'm not saying I didn't get any improvment just a very slight amount but nothing noticable to anyone. The best improvement was on the rolling scars on my cheeks which do seem to be getting softer and softer each month.
I wonder if since my treatments were so agressive and so deep that is why I don't see much improvment on the surface texture and more improvement on the discoloration so i won't have to pile on the foundation. I tried using Mineral powder foundation and it just made my skin look horrible. It settled in every scar and made all my scars stand out which I was hoping I could wear less makeup but I sitll have to wear a bit of liquid foundation to feel good about walking out of the house.
ok i feel like a broken record now so I will stop my complaining 😉
Good luck to everyone. Just because I'm not satisfied with my treatment doesn't mean it won't work for you.
Sorry to hear you didn't get the results you want. It seems some have improvemnt 5-6 months later so hopefully you will be in that category. Sometimes I think our hope and expectations are so high after being disappointed with treatment so much. When looking at before and after pics, could you see improvement? Alot of folks don't feel they have much improvement until they see the pics. Also did your doc to that special photo (forgot the name) that registers wrinkles, scars, etc and see if that had improved? I would think that would be pretty objective. We will keep our fingers crossed for you that it will continue to improve......
My doctor did the R 1 level on me for my last treatment. It was pretty painful. I am going to call on Monday and ask my doctor if he has the new head yet. He gets things pretty fast.I'm still having problems with the milia and small red bumps. It's now two months after my 5th Fraxel and my skin seems pretty much the same. I only see improvment in two rolling scars on my cheeks. The red marks and all the other scars look pretty much exactly the same before I started.
I would only recommend this for shallow rolling or shallow boxcar type scars.
Yeah, that R-1 was no joke.. i'm redder and peeling much more than before. I'm really surprised you haven't gotten any improvement.. i'm guessing your skin is smooth everywhere else and just have a handful of scars you are targeting? maybe you should try saline injections or even silicone. None of my raises scars (i only have 2 small ones) have seen any improvement from fraxel either.. just a general softening of the scars overall.
I have various different types of scars and red marks/ discolorations all over my face as well as milia and pastules (bumps) so no my skin isn't all the smooth. I have quite a few rolling scars under my check area where those marrionette lines form next to your mouth that my Fraxel treatment didn't improve at all and these are the ones that bother me the most. When I smile you can see quite a few scars that all run together to form these uneven lines...i have 3 of these lines on one side of my mouth and two on the other and that's frustrating. I thought the treatment helped the pores on my nose but they seem pretty much the same now. I'm still wearing tons of makeup to cover everything and this was one thing I thought it would help with, I hate wearing so much makeup.
The rolling scars on my temple might be slightly better but nothing that noticable. I hate saying this, I really do because I really wanted this to work for me. I don't think I had unreal expectations either but for the time spent and especially the money I expected some kind of noticible improvment. I have to look really hard at my face to notice any kind of improvment and it's very slight. In fact that is what makes me so upset it NO ONE has noticed any improvment. I haven't gotten any kind of compliments on my skin. My hair dresser just said nothing when I told her what I had done....her silence spoke volumes to me. I wanted to cry but oh well. Back to the drawing board. Again it saddens me to have to say this. Also keep in mind that I am a bit older then most people around here and have had these scars for a while.
Like I said, I think it will work for those who have very mild rolling type scars like keisha and anndes but everyone's skin reacts differently.
jjp007:
Sorry to hear about your results. We have a few things in common. I am now about 6 weeks post 5th treatment. My first 3 were with the 750 and my last 2 with the 1500 at settings just below yours. I too have an uneven marionette line which zig zags around 3 or 4 slighlty raised scars. Fraxel has had had minimal impact, if any, on these or my other two seriously raised scars. Most of these are old scars (20 + years). I have however had some improvement on a couple of newer boxcars on my cheek (1 seems to have filled completely), and some softening of older boxcars on my temples.
I wonder if your post care could have affected your results?
Hi - I thought I'd add my latest results/opinion. I am 47 yrs old and my some of my scars are over 25 yrs old. I had my 6th Fraxel (all have been very aggressive and are the Fraxel I) about a month ago. I am really starting to see results now. I had my first one in June 2006. I don't know if the 6th one kicked things up a notch, or if I'm seeing collagan remodeling now. There is a real softening of my scars (all are rolling) and better skin texture overall. I was really down on Fraxel for a while, but I think maybe it takes longer when you're older? Sorry, I don't have pictures. My doc does, but they make me cringe, so I haven't asked for copies. I have been using a mild retinol along with TNS recovery and I think it helps. Finally, people are starting to say things about my skin. I never told anyone, so I was disappointed when no one said anything before. Just in the last couple of weeks people have made comments. My doc is getting the Fraxel II and I may have a few of those since I feel encouraged now. I guess I just want to say, hang in there, you never know!
Thanks for you posts and your words of encouragement. If I could afford it I would do more treatments but I can't justify spending more money. Maybe if I go back to my doctor he might work with me on price but I doubt it and I don't really like going into that office anymore. I'm so tired of the whole thing but maybe in the near future I will get up the nerve to go back for a post treatment checkup.
I didn't tell a lot of people either but I still haven't gotten any compliments but I don't think I will unless my scars are almost gone I guess.
My aftercare was what the doctor told me to do so I don't think that had any negative effect on my treatments. I'm not saying I didn't get any improvment just a very slight amount but nothing noticable to anyone. The best improvement was on the rolling scars on my cheeks which do seem to be getting softer and softer each month.
I wonder if since my treatments were so agressive and so deep that is why I don't see much improvment on the surface texture and more improvement on the discoloration so i won't have to pile on the foundation. I tried using Mineral powder foundation and it just made my skin look horrible. It settled in every scar and made all my scars stand out which I was hoping I could wear less makeup but I sitll have to wear a bit of liquid foundation to feel good about walking out of the house.
ok i feel like a broken record now so I will stop my complaining 😉
Good luck to everyone. Just because I'm not satisfied with my treatment doesn't mean it won't work for you.
Sorry to hear you didn't get the results you want. It seems some have improvemnt 5-6 months later so hopefully you will be in that category. Sometimes I think our hope and expectations are so high after being disappointed with treatment so much. When looking at before and after pics, could you see improvement? Alot of folks don't feel they have much improvement until they see the pics. Also did your doc to that special photo (forgot the name) that registers wrinkles, scars, etc and see if that had improved? I would think that would be pretty objective. We will keep our fingers crossed for you that it will continue to improve......ame) that registers wrinkles, scars, etc and see if that had improved? I would think that would be pretty objective. We will keep our fingers crossed for you that it will continue to improve......ame) that registers wrinkles, scars, etc and see if that had improved? I would think that would be pretty objective. We will keep our fingers crossed for you that it will continue to improve......ame) that registers wrinkles, scars, etc and see if that had improved? I would think that would be pretty objective. We will keep our fingers crossed for you that it will continue to improve......
I think you're talking about the Visia complexion analysis.
jjp, don't get down. It's difficult for a lot of people to compliment other on improvements, because it implies something to improve. For me, I notice everything on everyone, but rarely say anything. For example, I will notice someone lost weight, but if I tell them that I'm kind of implying that I noticed they were a little chubby. I know a lot of my friends do the same thing...As long as you see improvement, that's all that matters. And like fraxelface said, hopefully you'll continue seeing improvement as the months progress.
I just viewed the recent webinar with Rahman and Geronemus on Reliant site, which devoted a fair amount of time to scarring treatment and results. Like Zonk said, this would lead you to use the SR 1500, as they repeatedly emphasized the importance of dermal depth for remodeling scars.
The pre/post pictures of the hispanic woman showed a fantastic improvement with pretty severe scarring. I'd say 75%. Now, I know they selected their best improvement and maybe there is something else they did with pictures, but it should be encouraging to all.
Lastly, like Toner, I too have become a convert. Intially, I tought fraxel was a bit of an acne scar sham because I was not seeing much, despite being aggressive. Now, however, I am quite happy, despite the slow results. Perhaps the last SR 1500 treatment helped get me over the hump. Shallow rolling scars have responded well, but not scarred pores, so it is not a panacea. And, it takes time and money, but I am glad that I stuck with it.
I just viewed the recent webinar with Rahman and Geronemus on Reliant site, which devoted a fair amount of time to scarring treatment and results. Like Zonk said, this would lead you to use the SR 1500, as they repeatedly emphasized the importance of dermal depth for remodeling scars.The pre/post pictures of the hispanic woman showed a fantastic improvement with pretty severe scarring. I'd say 75%. Now, I know they selected their best improvement and maybe there is something else they did with pictures, but it should be encouraging to all.
Lastly, like Toner, I too have become a convert. Intially, I tought fraxel was a bit of an acne scar sham because I was not seeing much, despite being aggressive. Now, however, I am quite happy, despite the slow results. Perhaps the last SR 1500 treatment helped get me over the hump. Shallow rolling scars have responded well, but not scarred pores, so it is not a panacea. And, it takes time and money, but I am glad that I stuck with it.
Billyboy, that's great to hear. How many more do you think you'll do?