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if you can you might want to read some back pages. your reaction is quite common. everyone gets ecstatic over their "results" then realize its only swelling. this causes a roller coaster effect.
over time your scars are improving. but you forget how bad they were. the problem is that they are still there, just softer. so you look in the mirror at different angles, and you still see all of them! yikes. the same shape and everything.
but if you took really good pictures, you'd see subtle improvement from month zero (pre fraxel) to month 6 post fraxel.
Hi - you said it was your 3rd and FINAL tx, does it mean you are seeing satisfying results already? I'm really curious to know since I've had 2 Fraxel2 tx spaced 2 weeks apart and I see no improvement in my shallow scarring. At this point I start feeling discouraged, maybe I'm one of those people who do not respond to fraxel at all. I'm going to have 5 or 6 tx total, but was hoping for some results already. Unfortunately, after the swelling goes down my skin looks just like pre-fraxel. Can you provide some feedback? Can ANYONE comment on that, PLEASE? Should I be seeing any results at this point? It's been 3 weeks since my 1st tx and a week since my 2nd tx.
Yes, I am seeing ok results. My Derm said she sees a huge difference in my scars on my cheeks. It's the deeper ones around my mouth and chin that don't seem that different. I had gone in only wanting 3 treatments. Then waiting a while and seeing the improvement. I may get spot treatments in the future if I see that the 3 helped. My skin is definitely smoother and more lively looking. But I didn't expect to see any real changes in the scars for a good 6 months. I'll give it some time.
I got sebaceous hyperplasia from Intense Pulsed Light (IPL). IPL is not a laser per say, since it is broad spectrum light. But it was so bad I had to go on Accutane to get rid of it.Nanty's experience has me really worried. How many people are getting hyperplasia/clogged pores from fraxel?? Seems like everyone . . .
I've had 8 Fraxels and 2 Palomar treatments, and have never had that problem.
I got sebaceous hyperplasia from Intense Pulsed Light (IPL). IPL is not a laser per say, since it is broad spectrum light. But it was so bad I had to go on Accutane to get rid of it.Nanty's experience has me really worried. How many people are getting hyperplasia/clogged pores from fraxel?? Seems like everyone . . .
I've had 8 Fraxels and 2 Palomar treatments, and have never had that problem.
I am trying to decide whether or not to have fraxel. I wish I could show you my scars. They are mostly raised bumps so they look like big blackheads under the skin. I have a few indents but they don't bother me that much. It's just the raised stuff makes my skin looked plugged. Do you think I could get away with just chemical peels? I know, it's a tough question since none of you can see me.
Hi All,Thank you for all of your replies and suggestions. Saw the PA today and found out I have a bad case of sebaceaous hyperplasia (sp?). At least a hundred or more of these things. She said they were not caused from fraxel but possibly during the healing process something contributed to clogging the pores while they were healing or ??. She did not really know what happened, but she froze some of them off to show/assure me that they are not permanent. She thinks I should get my last fraxel and then she will freeze all of them off. I am afraid I will get a billion of them with my last fraxel. I am just glad that she can get rid of them. I was afraid they were permanent!! Thank you all again. Also, let me know if I can answer any questions.
Ann
Glad to hear you found out what the problem is! I don't see how she can say it was not caused by the Fraxel though. Especially showing you she could remove them but not wanting to do it until after you last Fraxel. That right there shows you that she's afraid if she removes them now you will just get more after each FRaxel treatment therefore the Fraxel IS causing them. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Anyone tried the newest Fraxel, the SR1500 which can penetrate up to 1.4 mm (70 mj)? The Fraxel 2 that everyone is talking about still requires the blue dye and can penetrate up to 40 mj only. I'm wondering if anyone has tried the newest Fraxel and if anyone has gone above 40 mj? Going deeper seems to be the way to go for deep acne scars.
The place I'm interested in getting Fraxel will get the newest version (that goes up to 70 mj) in June or July. Planning on waiting a few months after that to start.
Are you talking the Fraxel re;pair ? I just read something on that. I thought they were still in the first phase of approval?
Anyone tried the newest Fraxel, the SR1500 which can penetrate up to 1.4 mm (70 mj)? The Fraxel 2 that everyone is talking about still requires the blue dye and can penetrate up to 40 mj only. I'm wondering if anyone has tried the newest Fraxel and if anyone has gone above 40 mj? Going deeper seems to be the way to go for deep acne scars.
They're the same thing. The machine could always go up to 70mj, but just recently received FDA clearance for settings past 70mj. The lack of blue dye is just a tip upgrade, not a new machine/software.
I am going in for a fraxel on Friday, we'll see if they have the new tip yet.
when you do fraxel are you allowed to put BP on post treatment? since your skin is making small wounds and healing i assume bp would irratate it pretty badly.
How long would you have to not use BP or harsh products...because I dont want to break out really bad by not using my normal acne products
when you do fraxel are you allowed to put BP on post treatment? since your skin is making small wounds and healing i assume bp would irratate it pretty badly.How long would you have to not use BP or harsh products...because I dont want to break out really bad by not using my normal acne products
you can put BP on if you want, but you're right it will irritate your skin. I waited about 10 days before putting anything but sunscreen and/or biafine on my face.
I realize they are the same series, SR1500; however I remember when my doc was showing me the setting she could not set the depth past 40 mj. So, in order to go up to 70 mj would this need another software upgrade? I have a few very deep scars and want to spot treat them with a greater depth. I'm wondering if going to 70 mj would be dangerous or not since at 40 mj the deeper scars have not responded well at all.
Anyone tried the newest Fraxel, the SR1500 which can penetrate up to 1.4 mm (70 mj)? The Fraxel 2 that everyone is talking about still requires the blue dye and can penetrate up to 40 mj only. I'm wondering if anyone has tried the newest Fraxel and if anyone has gone above 40 mj? Going deeper seems to be the way to go for deep acne scars.
They're the same thing. The machine could always go up to 70mj, but just recently received FDA clearance for settings past 70mj. The lack of blue dye is just a tip upgrade, not a new machine/software.
I am going in for a fraxel on Friday, we'll see if they have the new tip yet.
I realize they are the same series, SR1500; however I remember when my doc was showing me the setting she could not set the depth past 40 mj. So, in order to go up to 70 mj would this need another software upgrade? I have a few very deep scars and want to spot treat them with a greater depth. I'm wondering if going to 70 mj would be dangerous or not since at 40 mj the deeper scars have not responded well at all.
Anyone tried the newest Fraxel, the SR1500 which can penetrate up to 1.4 mm (70 mj)? The Fraxel 2 that everyone is talking about still requires the blue dye and can penetrate up to 40 mj only. I'm wondering if anyone has tried the newest Fraxel and if anyone has gone above 40 mj? Going deeper seems to be the way to go for deep acne scars.They're the same thing. The machine could always go up to 70mj, but just recently received FDA clearance for settings past 70mj. The lack of blue dye is just a tip upgrade, not a new machine/software.
I am going in for a fraxel on Friday, we'll see if they have the new tip yet.
new software. The FDA cleared it for 70 mj, so it should be safe...
I realize they are the same series, SR1500; however I remember when my doc was showing me the setting she could not set the depth past 40 mj. So, in order to go up to 70 mj would this need another software upgrade? I have a few very deep scars and want to spot treat them with a greater depth. I'm wondering if going to 70 mj would be dangerous or not since at 40 mj the deeper scars have not responded well at all.
Anyone tried the newest Fraxel, the SR1500 which can penetrate up to 1.4 mm (70 mj)? The Fraxel 2 that everyone is talking about still requires the blue dye and can penetrate up to 40 mj only. I'm wondering if anyone has tried the newest Fraxel and if anyone has gone above 40 mj? Going deeper seems to be the way to go for deep acne scars.They're the same thing. The machine could always go up to 70mj, but just recently received FDA clearance for settings past 70mj. The lack of blue dye is just a tip upgrade, not a new machine/software.
I am going in for a fraxel on Friday, we'll see if they have the new tip yet.
Isn't anyone afraid that going deeper could cause fat loss? I've had 2 Fraxel2 tx so far and after reading someone's post on acne.org that they had fat loss after Fraxel I'm really worried. I know that some people who had Thermage at high settings experienced fat loss, but Fraxel is not supposed to reach the subcotunious fat tissue. Still, someone claims they experienced that w/fraxel. I also read on the board about fat loss after IPL. Has anyone had IPL with this kind of sideeffects? What does the skin look like with fat loss?
Anyone tried the newest Fraxel, the SR1500 which can penetrate up to 1.4 mm (70 mj)? The Fraxel 2 that everyone is talking about still requires the blue dye and can penetrate up to 40 mj only. I'm wondering if anyone has tried the newest Fraxel and if anyone has gone above 40 mj? Going deeper seems to be the way to go for deep acne scars.They're the same thing. The machine could always go up to 70mj, but just recently received FDA clearance for settings past 70mj. The lack of blue dye is just a tip upgrade, not a new machine/software.
I am going in for a fraxel on Friday, we'll see if they have the new tip yet.
The new tip also has a couple other features, like faster feedback and greater control for varying the spot pitch, density, etc., automatically.
The place I'm interested in getting Fraxel will get the newest version (that goes up to 70 mj) in June or July. Planning on waiting a few months after that to start.Are you talking the Fraxel re;pair ? I just read something on that. I thought they were still in the first phase of approval?
the re:pair is fraxel 3 (third generation). its different than than 1 and 2. its much more ablative and has serious downtime.
Hello! I've lived with acne scars for a long time. I'm not James Edward Olmos (sorry James!) but I definitely have scars. (Hate standing under overhead lighting, hate public bathroom mirrors, etc.) In the past I have used Collagen on and off, and then Restylane when I became allergic to Collagen. I love the results of the fillers, but hate that they disappear so quickly and I haven't always been able to afford them as much as I'd like. But since I'm a cautious person and not eager to make things worse, I decided that fillers were what I was comfortable with. I'm very encouraged, though, by what I'm reading about the new laser treatments, and I've gotten some great info from reading through these posts.
My dermatologist, who I like very much and trust, just started using the new Affirm laser, which I am seriously thinking of trying. He's been using other lasers for years, so he has lots of experience. To my understanding, the Affirm is similar to Fraxel? I just met with him but to be honest there was so much information he was giving me I forgot to ask some of the questions I had meant to. He is a pretty cautious doctor and he seems pleased with this laser, although he did tell me that since it's so new to his practice he couldn't give me any long-term assurances. But he said for my particular scarring he is optimistic that I could have a good result. I have realistic expectations (I don't expect perfect skin) and I know it will take many months to really see any improvement. However - I'm getting cold feet! I've read some horror stories on other boards, but mostly from people who had CO2 procedures, and who I think had slightly unrealistic expectations.
Can anyone give me any words of encouragement about this Affirm laser? What's the worst that could happen to me? I mean, if I don't get improvement, I won't be worse than I am now, right? I can always do Restylane again, right? But if the laser treatment could actually work, I feel it's worth a shot. Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Hi billyboy - I would prefer to use my derm, as I know that he knows what he's doing and he's fairly conservative. I trust my face in his hands! From everything I've read, the person doing the procedure is very important, so when I saw that he had this new laser I decided to check it out. It's a lot of work researching all this stuff! But it's good to hear that most people are happy with their fraxel results, and I'll certainly start looking into that one too. Thanks!
couldnt find their website but some docs that have it: http://dermanj.com/content/view/53/132/
all the fraxel competitors try to distinguish their laser as the best for varying reasons. cynosure actually says the affirm is better than the fraxel because it penetrates less deep LOL LOL LOL.
if you scars are bad enough for filler than you need fraxel. the affirm site above has histology slides that show it barely enters the dermis.
the fraxel goes very deep, about 1.4 mm. if i were you i'd step out of my comfort zone and find a doctor that has the fraxel SR 1500 laser with the new roller tip.
you might even want to save your money and wait another 6 months until the fraxel re:pair is out and about. it's serious medicine for acne scars.
Hey all,
I had my second treatment today. It was a lot more painful this time. We went down to 35 mj but up in density to 8, so greater total energy. The zimmer also stopped working in the middle of my treatment, so that didn't help.
Anyways, I chatted with my derm about a couple things. The upgrade to the SR1500 changes the settings. It requires less passes for the same coverage (I had 6 instead of 8 this time) and the treatment levels are different (e.g., today's TL 8 was pre-upgrade TL 7).
Also talked to her about the re:pair system. She said that she believes it will be less effective for scarring compared to the SR1500, since it does not goes as deep. This is because the re:pair is fully ablative, so it will do too much damage if it goes too deep.
Ok guys, i did it! I had my first fraxel treatment. she used the new Fraxel2 but was a lil safe since it was my first treatment. She used 40 MJ on my cheeks and temple areas and 20Mj on my forehead, strength was only 4 but we're gonna go up next time. I'm hispanic so I was a lil worried with hyper. Anyhow i'm swollen today and my face looks like I got a really bad tan but this is not too bad. I'm excited to have the next treatment, I'm hoping I'll see some kind of results after teh 2nd or 3rd treatment.