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can someone answer this question for me?will a younger person(i'm almost 20) have better results vs someone who's older?
thanks
in general, younger people heal much better than older people. which ironically leads to greater scarring in young people, i.e., in wound healing the body lays down scar tissue more exuberantly, contracture happens sooner.
this isn't a problem with fraxel since healing takes place by regeneration, not "primary intention" or "secondary intention". so the healthier and younger you are the better your regenerative abilities, the better your results with fraxel should be, in theory.
but i think physiological age is important as well as chronological age. for example:
do you work out? good diet? (protein? vitamin C? both essential for collagen formation) smoke? drugs? binging on alcohol at college (i see youre 20)? spend time sunbathing or in tanning bed? other health conditions? poor healer? get enough sleep? low stress? poor responder specifically to fraxel? sedentary lifestyle? big american fat ass, joke? etc . . .
some more thoughts on regeneration. not specifically regarding age, but more to do with how fraxel actually works, the types of problems it was invented to target (dischromia and wrinkles), etc.
the regeneration aspect is especially important for acne scars. with older people getting treated for wrinkles or dischromia there isn't as a great a need for regeneration to happen to get a nice effect. for instance with wrinkles--old cells can be destroyed and a tightening effect can take place, with less actual regeneration of the skin, but you would still have a smoothening effect on the skin. as with dischromia, you can destroy the pigmented cells, they exfoliate and you get a nice effect on the skin tone.
but with acne scars, you really do need A LOT of regeneration of epithelium in the dermis for a nice effect. just getting smoothening, tightening, and tone improvements isnt enough. your body actually needs to produce copious amounts of new tissue.
fraxel treats your skin microscopically, which is great for small problems. but think about it. your problems are macroscopic. when added together, all the microscopic thermal zones you get over your five fraxel treatments have to add up to a macroscopic regeneration. otherwise there really is no way for the scars to completely fill in.
this is why acne scar patients probably need several treatment series with fractional resurfacing. even then you are up against a wall.
for example, if you have a millimeter acne scar, your body has to produce that much in new tissue for it to fill in completely. at the cellular level, that's a lot of new tissue for your body to regenerate! millions of times what it would naturally do.
the regeneration is also complicated by the fact that your asking your body to regenerate new, normal tissue in the middle of a scar. the MTZs from fraxel regenerate because they are able to recruit healthy cells nearby. this is no problem if you are targeting a wrinkle or sun damage. but in the middle of a scar there is mostly scar tissue instead of mostly healthy cells.
theoretically that would mean the results would become exponential as the treatment progressed. for example, the more treatments = more healthy cells created in the dermis = more cells to be recruited during next treatment.
this would be especially true once you gain 100 percent coverage, say after the first five treatments. if your were to do another five treatments, followed by another series, and so on, then you'd really be building upon your results--to the point of creating a new skin.
i guess time and money precludes most people from this. there are few on this board who've had 8-10 treatments with good results. i'm curious to see as the years go bye if more do it and what kind of results they get on their acne scars.
what are you basing all these thoughts on? are you a dermatologist?
some more thoughts on regeneration. not specifically regarding age, but more to do with how fraxel actually works, the types of problems it was invented to target (dischromia and wrinkles), etc.
the regeneration aspect is especially important for acne scars. with older people getting treated for wrinkles or dischromia there isn't as a great a need for regeneration to happen to get a nice effect. for instance with wrinkles--old cells can be destroyed and a tightening effect can take place, with less actual regeneration of the skin, but you would still have a smoothening effect on the skin. as with dischromia, you can destroy the pigmented cells, they exfoliate and you get a nice effect on the skin tone.
but with acne scars, you really do need A LOT of regeneration of epithelium in the dermis for a nice effect. just getting smoothening, tightening, and tone improvements isnt enough. your body actually needs to produce copious amounts of new tissue.
fraxel treats your skin microscopically, which is great for small problems. but think about it. your problems are macroscopic. when added together, all the microscopic thermal zones you get over your five fraxel treatments have to add up to a macroscopic regeneration. otherwise there really is no way for the scars to completely fill in.
this is why acne scar patients probably need several treatment series with fractional resurfacing. even then you are up against a wall.
for example, if you have a millimeter acne scar, your body has to produce that much in new tissue for it to fill in completely. at the cellular level, that's a lot of new tissue for your body to regenerate! millions of times what it would naturally do.
the regeneration is also complicated by the fact that your asking your body to regenerate new, normal tissue in the middle of a scar. the MTZs from fraxel regenerate because they are able to recruit healthy cells nearby. this is no problem if you are targeting a wrinkle or sun damage. but in the middle of a scar there is mostly scar tissue instead of mostly healthy cells.
theoretically that would mean the results would become exponential as the treatment progressed. for example, the more treatments = more healthy cells created in the dermis = more cells to be recruited during next treatment.
this would be especially true once you gain 100 percent coverage, say after the first five treatments. if your were to do another five treatments, followed by another series, and so on, then you'd really be building upon your results--to the point of creating a new skin.
i guess time and money precludes most people from this. there are few on this board who've had 8-10 treatments with good results. i'm curious to see as the years go bye if more do it and what kind of results they get on their acne scars.
and the first part of the question.... what are you basing your thoughts on?
just that reading your posts it seems that you keep pushing people to get fraxel, telling everyone it works, and presenting your comments as medical facts. yet you are not a dermatologist and as far as i can tell you have not had fraxel yourself.
if you are basing what you say on research, then it would help if you quoted those publications.
not yet
calm down. just ideas. take them or leave them. im not pushing fraxel. but this is the fraxel thread. thats why im talking about it here.
if you want to read sources subscribe to a periodicals index or you could pay me to write you a thesis.
as for personally having fraxel. im waiting another six months due to accutane. which will be good anyway since the roller tip should be commonplace by then. maybe the re:pair might be around too.
i doubt ur derm has had fraxel either.
My doctor offers partial-face fraxel for about half the cost of full face. I don't really need full-face. Just areas on my cheeks. Have any of you had partial-face fraxel?
a few people awhile back got partial on their cheeks. one person posted pics complaining of a demarcation line, but honestly when i looked i didnt see anything, maybe just some redness at their jawline.
calm down. just ideas. take them or leave them. im not pushing fraxel. but this is the fraxel thread. thats why im talking about it here.if you want to read sources subscribe to a periodicals index or pay me to write you a thesis.
as for personally having fraxel. im waiting another six months due to accutane. which will be good anyway since the roller tip should be commonplace by then. maybe the re:pair might be around too.
i doubt ur derm has had fraxel either.
i'm 100% sure most doctors have tried it on their hand or whatnot. and them having it doesn't matter either way because they do it on people all the time, so, again, why were you pointing out about derms having it or not having it. it doesn't matter. YOU haven't had the procedure AND YOU don't know anyone personally who did.
how old are you btw?
if anything i was pointing out in my mind wandering post that fractional resurfacing doesn't work well for acne scars. but maybe over many many treatments could.
if you want to keep bickering than pm me so the other good people of the thread dont have to listen to nonsense and personal attacks.
mind experiment:
do you think a doctor trying it on their hand at a low setting is the same as having multiple treatments on your face at the highest setting? of course not. does that mean your derm can't talk about it knowledgeably to you, of course not! point is, everyone has a perspective to offer. and if they don't then just ignore it and scroll to the next post.
i know its absolutely mind boggling to admit that a person can talk knowledgeably about a subject without actually having had it. but ive been on this thread since page 25. also read all the clinical studies. had several consults with docs. did email interviews. talked with people on here. etc. not claiming im any kind of authority at all. just offering an intelligent and informed perspective. yes one of many perspectives on here.
if anything i was pointing out in my mind wandering post that fractional resurfacing doesn't work well for acne scars. but maybe over many many treatments could.if you want to keep bickering than pm me so the other good people of the thread dont have to listen to nonsense and personal attacks.
mind experiment:
do you think a doctor trying it on their hand at a low setting is the same as having multiple treatments on your face at the highest setting? of course not. does that mean your derm can't talk about it knowledgeably to you, of course not! point is, everyone has a perspective to offer. and if they don't then just ignore it and scroll to the next post.
i know its absolutely mind boggling to admit that a person can talk knowledgeably about a subject without actually having had it. but ive been on this thread since page 25. also read all the clinical studies. had several consults with docs. did email interviews. talked with people on here. etc. not claiming im any kind of authority at all. just offering an intelligent and informed perspective. yes one of many perspectives on here.
you still haven't answered my question... how old are you?
in the other thread you said that you don't have a job ... so, how are you gonna afford fraxel in 6 months eh?
My doctor offers partial-face fraxel for about half the cost of full face. I don't really need full-face. Just areas on my cheeks. Have any of you had partial-face fraxel?
I'm having cheeks only. For me, there is a clear line of demarcation during the first few days, but it goes away in about a week.
if anything i was pointing out in my mind wandering post that fractional resurfacing doesn't work well for acne scars. but maybe over many many treatments could.if you want to keep bickering than pm me so the other good people of the thread dont have to listen to nonsense and personal attacks.
mind experiment:
do you think a doctor trying it on their hand at a low setting is the same as having multiple treatments on your face at the highest setting? of course not. does that mean your derm can't talk about it knowledgeably to you, of course not! point is, everyone has a perspective to offer. and if they don't then just ignore it and scroll to the next post.
i know its absolutely mind boggling to admit that a person can talk knowledgeably about a subject without actually having had it. but ive been on this thread since page 25. also read all the clinical studies. had several consults with docs. did email interviews. talked with people on here. etc. not claiming im any kind of authority at all. just offering an intelligent and informed perspective. yes one of many perspectives on here.
you still haven't answered my question... how old are you?
in the other thread you said that you don't have a job ... so, how are you gonna afford fraxel in 6 months eh?
why does their age/job status even matter?
be nice everyone.
im not pushing fraxel. but this is the fraxel thread. thats why im talking about it here.
Cough!
Posted on: May 3 2007, 09:04 PM
"wait another 6 months until the fraxel re:pair is out and about. it's serious medicine for acne scars".
Posted on: May 1 2007, 08:32 AM
"they built on this and the new fraxel 2 (fraxel SR) is much more powerful....it can significantly improve acne scars."
Posted on: Apr 6 2007, 12:28 AM
"people who say there is nothing you can do are wrong. they used to be right. but now fractional laser resurfacing is here"
Posted on: Apr 6 2007, 12:12 AM
"reilly, you should get the fraxel SR laser."
Posted on: Feb 21 2007, 05:35 PM
"do fraxel. it will help the stretch marks too."
Posted on: Feb 21 2007, 05:32 PM
"get fraxel."
etc etc etc
if you want to keep bickering than pm me so the other good people of the thread dont have to listen to nonsense and personal attacks.
nothing personal. just wanting to understand why you keep pushing fraxel onto others and aspousing unsupported medical theories without expertise or even personal experience. :think:
each one taken out of context.
telling someone to wait and not get fraxel.
explaining to someone fraxel was not invented for acne scars but wrinkles.
encouraging a suicidal person to tell them there are new treatments that work.
reilly got rid of scars with peels. suggested fraxel for the discoloration and imperfections.
again encouraging someone with multiple problems who was deciding between a bunch of lasers.
don't remember this one. but sometimes i see a thread by a newbie asking about scar options. so instead of writing them a big long thing when they've never heard of fraxel. i just pop on and say "get fraxel." its a suggestion meant for them to do a search on here and find the fraxel thread.
you have to take people's comments on here with a grain of salt. not like im saying "GET FRAXEL!" more like "get fraxel?" or "get fraxel . . ."
please stop with the personal attacks on me. you know nothing about me. whatever age i am you'll have something snotty to say.play robin red breast and puff up your chest in another thread
why are you playing a victim all of a sudden?
i wasn't attacking you. i was just asking you a *simple* question which SHOWS that you're not mature enough to even answer. :rolleyes:
Enough with the attacks! Isn't it bad enough that most of us here have had our lives destroyed by this disease? Isn't this forum supposed to be one of the places we can turn-to to get away from the stares and judgements of a self absorbed, vanity driven society?
...and to those who have contributed through out this forum I want to thank you for sharing your experiences both positive and negative. It gives me something to hold onto and allows me to avoid serious problems I may have encountered.
you have to take people's comments on here with a grain of salt. not like im saying "GET FRAXEL...."
Maybe you intended it to read differently, but that is precisely what you did say.
Don't get me wrong. I think Fraxel might be effective. And I enjoy your posts TCBC - thoughtful and often funny. But I think everyone here needs to be careful: Making posts that imply medical fact or expertise and recommending treatment is a dangerous combination. Where possible please identify the original sources of medical information and allow people to make up their own mind.
2 days post-fraxel now, and I'm breaking out a little bit. Small pink pimples about 2-3 mm in diameter with a tiny pustule in the middle. Again, nothing major. I'm also beginning to peel.
I should mention that I was not on hydroquinone this time, because it makes me breakout. We'll see if I have any PIH. I doubt it.
2 days post-fraxel now, and I'm breaking out a little bit. Small pink pimples about 2-3 mm in diameter with a tiny pustule in the middle. Again, nothing major. I'm also beginning to peel.I should mention that I was not on hydroquinone this time, because it makes me breakout. We'll see if I have any PIH. I doubt it.
zonk is the doc prescribing an antibiotic??