Hi all, i want to do the fraxel laster treatment to remove my acne scars, i asked the doctors around NYC area and their price around $900~1500 for each treatment. Is there any different between the doctors? or some doctor will do better? and anything i need to know before i go to the doctor?

Also is there any fraxel laser treatment in New York Albany area? i can't find one and i have to back to NYC for it. Please let me know if there have one.

One thing you should know is that it's not going to remove your scars. It will very likely make them less noticeable, but it's not going to remove anything but scars you probably didn't notice in the first place.

 

What you mean make it less noticeable? like my scars look like macules and Icepick, are they make it look better and make it close to the normal skin?

i wouldn't read too much into that. we're just trying to make you aware that your scars are going to be improved, but you're not going to have perfect skin.

i had a consult with a doc today who has the fraxel 2 (SR 1500)...he was super informative and i really liked him. i am also going to a seminar by a doc on june 2nd or 3rd (baltimore area) who is doing a super great promo -- 3 fraxels for $1500 and 5 for $2500. for those of you who have had fraxel 2 (or even the older version), did you see any improvement after 3 sessions? would you definitely pay for 5 sessions over 3? at this price i think i am definitely going to do it!!! 🙂

just trying to purge some blackheads and minor acne breakouts first...so i'll probably wait about 2 months before i think about doing the first treatment...

FYI, Fraxel helped me with getting rid of blackheads. Many people report that it also helped them with clearing breakouts.

i had a consult with a doc today who has the fraxel 2 (SR 1500)...he was super informative and i really liked him. i am also going to a seminar by a doc on june 2nd or 3rd (baltimore area) who is doing a super great promo -- 3 fraxels for $1500 and 5 for $2500. for those of you who have had fraxel 2 (or even the older version), did you see any improvement after 3 sessions? would you definitely pay for 5 sessions over 3? at this price i think i am definitely going to do it!!! 🙂

just trying to purge some blackheads and minor acne breakouts first...so i'll probably wait about 2 months before i think about doing the first treatment...

FYI, Fraxel helped me with getting rid of blackheads. Many people report that it also helped them with clearing breakouts.

 

I concur. Fraxel has really helped my acne. I talked to my derm about it last week, and they said that they hear that from a lot of people, even though fraxel isn't marketed for acne.

ZONK

Has fraxel gotten rid of your brown marks if you had some?

Is that mean Frxel will not make you better, they just make you not more worst?

i saw a newscast that showed a doctor who does fraxel specifically for acne. it showed some soccer player girl who had it and it improved her acne somewhat. she still had acne though. and the doctor was saying the treatment can cause breakouts and make it worse at first.

I had a pm about my tca burn scarring and how fraxel has helped after 2 treatments, and I thought I would post the info here also so I don't have to type it over 😉 :

answer to 1st ?: the scars are more hard than soft (I've had them about 11 years) and white. I am very fair (fit. 1), so my scars eventually get white even if start out red. There are a couple lines that are continuous but mostly "splattered" if that makes sense. Imagine splattering paint. The worst area is on my left check area, about 2" long by 1" wide of squiggly areas and some more solid patches. I also have a raised scar from cancer removal, that is 6 years old, which sounds more similar to your scar, but is probably harder because it is older. Both areas have evened out some after 2 treatments. The cancer scar, on the left side of my face lower, you could see from the front, now I'm not as aware of it unless I turn my head. I'm not totally certain yet, but I think they are slightly less white, but I want to wait longer to see it that continues. I have my 3rd fraxel tomorrow and feel will have a better judge after that. If you do it, commit to at least 3 and don't get discouraged. I am also a believer in doing the whole face, not just spot treatments if you can afford it, in case if there is any tightening the whole face will help more overall. Hope that helps...

2nd ? on how it seems to be helping: I notice the edges are less severe, and a smoother transition from normal skin to scar (which sorta follows what one poster said about fraxel helping scars, and it working better when the scar is next to normal skin that can heal and migrate/regenerate v the middle of a scar which has scar tissue around - sorry in advance if I didn't get it exactly), but I also feel the whole scar area getting flatter.

ZONK

Has fraxel gotten rid of your brown marks if you had some?

Has not helped or hurt.

i had a consult with a doc today who has the fraxel 2 (SR 1500)...he was super informative and i really liked him. i am also going to a seminar by a doc on june 2nd or 3rd (baltimore area) who is doing a super great promo -- 3 fraxels for $1500 and 5 for $2500. for those of you who have had fraxel 2 (or even the older version), did you see any improvement after 3 sessions? would you definitely pay for 5 sessions over 3? at this price i think i am definitely going to do it!!! 🙂

just trying to purge some blackheads and minor acne breakouts first...so i'll probably wait about 2 months before i think about doing the first treatment...

FYI, Fraxel helped me with getting rid of blackheads. Many people report that it also helped them with clearing breakouts.

 

I concur. Fraxel has really helped my acne. I talked to my derm about it last week, and they said that they hear that from a lot of people, even though fraxel isn't marketed for acne.

 

I should say that Fraxel has changed my acne. I'm actually breaking out a little more, but it is much less severe and goes away in about a week.

Fraxel has definetly stopped my acne, if there are any red marks or bumps its from my Bare Escentuals powder I was using and I stopped that last week after I found out it has something that makes people itch. It also got rid of some blackheads on my nose.

Have any of you used Johnson's baby lotion after fraxel for the dryness and peeling, I bought this moisturizer from the derm and its too expensive the way i've been using it.

1st Fraxel SR1500 - 3/20/2007

40 MJ, Level 6 whole face

2nd Fraxel SR1500 - 4/23/2007

40 MJ, Level 7 whole face

20 MJ, Level 5 upper lip

3rd Fraxel SR1500 - 5/21/2007

55 MJ, Level 6 cheeks only

20 MJ, Level 5 upper lip, chin

Fraxel has definetly stopped my acne, if there are any red marks or bumps its from my Bare Escentuals powder I was using and I stopped that last week after I found out it has something that makes people itch. It also got rid of some blackheads on my nose.

Have any of you used Johnson's baby lotion after fraxel for the dryness and peeling, I bought this moisturizer from the derm and its too expensive the way i've been using it.

1st Fraxel SR1500 - 3/20/2007

40 MJ, Level 6 whole face

2nd Fraxel SR1500 - 4/23/2007

40 MJ, Level 7 whole face

20 MJ, Level 5 upper lip

3rd Fraxel SR1500 - 5/21/2007

55 MJ, Level 6 cheeks only

20 MJ, Level 5 upper lip, chin

I use eucerin cream. It's not as greasy as aquafor (which my nurse rec. and I did try), and doesn't cause little breakouts/milia like the aquafor did. It is heavier than lotions so stays on awhile.

Fraxel has definetly stopped my acne, if there are any red marks or bumps its from my Bare Escentuals powder I was using and I stopped that last week after I found out it has something that makes people itch. It also got rid of some blackheads on my nose.

Have any of you used Johnson's baby lotion after fraxel for the dryness and peeling, I bought this moisturizer from the derm and its too expensive the way i've been using it.

1st Fraxel SR1500 - 3/20/2007

40 MJ, Level 6 whole face

2nd Fraxel SR1500 - 4/23/2007

40 MJ, Level 7 whole face

20 MJ, Level 5 upper lip

3rd Fraxel SR1500 - 5/21/2007

55 MJ, Level 6 cheeks only

20 MJ, Level 5 upper lip, chin

I use eucerin cream. It's not as greasy as aquafor (which my nurse rec. and I did try), and doesn't cause little breakouts/milia like the aquafor did. It is heavier than lotions so stays on awhile.

 

Thanks I will give that a try.

cetaphil cream (not lotion) is good too. it comes in a jar at walmart for like ten bucks

sas2007 -- how is your skin handling the treatments? are you noticing improvements?

FYI, Fraxel helped me with getting rid of blackheads. Many people report that it also helped them with clearing breakouts.

wow! i had no idea...thanks for the info.

did you purge the blackheads through a breakout after the treatment? (and how long did it last, if so?) or did it just get rid of the blackheads without a purging effect?

I concur. Fraxel has really helped my acne. I talked to my derm about it last week, and they said that they hear that from a lot of people, even though fraxel isn't marketed for acne.

thanks for the info -- that's really encouraging... 🙂 since i just started a retinoid, the doc i met with said i would have to be off of that at least a week before doing fraxel -- my skin is already looking better and purging a lot from this retinoid/BHA/mandelic acid...but i'm excited that i don't have to worry so much about being totally clear before doing fraxel 🙂

Thanks to those who replied to my questions. Another query to ease my mind: is it ok to get subsequent Fraxel treatment (whether it's the second, third, fourth, whatever) more than the recommended 2 weeks to 1 month, and if not, why? Cheers.

sas2007 -- how is your skin handling the treatments? are you noticing improvements?

after the 1st treatment, my skin felt amazing, my blemishes were fading slowly my acne scars were filling in slowly. i had it on a tuesday and by sat I was out at a reception and only i person asked me why my skin was a little dark. my nose had some pin point bleeding so it looked very sunburned. i have my treatments every 4 weeks, by the 3rd week my skin looked great. makeup was very easy to apply and looked smooth

my 2nd treatment took alot longer to recover from, i made the mistake of rubbing the dead skin off with soap and washcloth the next day instead of patiently waiting like the first one. my face was soooo red for days, i looked almost normal a few days before my 3rd fraxel.

3rd fraxel i had two days ago, this time my derm had the new settings so she went higher on my cheeks 55mj level 6, i am patiently waiting for the dead skin to peel off and i can see a big difference in the redness. i think my recovery this time will be a lot faster.

overall i have had only a few pin point bleedings, i get a few white pimples the next day and no red bumps, i got a few red bumps but that was b/c of the makeup. so far i see a night and day difference, my derm takes pictures before each fraxel, you could see a big difference from the 1st and 2nd. i have one more to go, maybe a 5th if i'm not 100% satisfied, but i think i will be. alsp my pores near my nose are filling in and they were pretty noticeable before. i also haven't had any new acne since starting fraxel. my nose was filled with blackheads and even after the 1st i could tell a difference.

FYI, Fraxel helped me with getting rid of blackheads. Many people report that it also helped them with clearing breakouts.

wow! i had no idea...thanks for the info.

did you purge the blackheads through a breakout after the treatment? (and how long did it last, if so?) or did it just get rid of the blackheads without a purging effect?

 

Eliminating blackheads is a nice "sideeffect" from Fraxel I can definitely live with 😉 especially that my doc told me not to really count on that, and I've been fighting them for years with no results, NOTHING seems to work (at least nothing I had tried) until Fraxel! After my 1st and 2nd Fraxel I purged them, after my 3rd tx there were few left, about 90% of my blackheads are gone! I don't want to get too excited though, maybe when I stop treatments they will reappear. I'm curious to know "senior" Fraxelers thoughts on that.

Thanks to those who replied to my questions. Another query to ease my mind: is it ok to get subsequent Fraxel treatment (whether it's the second, third, fourth, whatever) more than the recommended 2 weeks to 1 month, and if not, why? Cheers.

from my understanding, you need time the swelling to go down and the damaged skin to come to the surface. also i assume that way you are seeing what the improvement is and can gauge what level the next treatment should be at...

i have always heard at least 1 month in between, or 4-6 weeks, but i've never heard that 2 weeks is okay...

thank you sas2007 and mag so much for your responses about what to expect...what is your swelling like? also, can you post pictures? definitely keep us up-to-date on your progress! you both sound like you're doing great with it i'm very excited to learn more about it and start it!! i have about 10 days before i go to a seminar on it and can sign up for treatments

Thanks to those who replied to my questions. Another query to ease my mind: is it ok to get subsequent Fraxel treatment (whether it's the second, third, fourth, whatever) more than the recommended 2 weeks to 1 month, and if not, why? Cheers.

from my understanding, you need time the swelling to go down and the damaged skin to come to the surface. also i assume that way you are seeing what the improvement is and can gauge what level the next treatment should be at...

i have always heard at least 1 month in between, or 4-6 weeks, but i've never heard that 2 weeks is okay...

 

My doctor recommends treatments 2 - 6 weeks apart. I've had my 3 treatments so far 2 and 2.5 weeks apart.

Thanks to those who replied to my questions. Another query to ease my mind: is it ok to get subsequent Fraxel treatment (whether it's the second, third, fourth, whatever) more than the recommended 2 weeks to 1 month, and if not, why? Cheers.

from my understanding, you need time the swelling to go down and the damaged skin to come to the surface. also i assume that way you are seeing what the improvement is and can gauge what level the next treatment should be at...

i have always heard at least 1 month in between, or 4-6 weeks, but i've never heard that 2 weeks is okay...

 

My doctor recommends treatments 2 - 6 weeks apart. I've had my 3 treatments so far 2 and 2.5 weeks apart.

 

every derm is diff i guess, my said at least 4-6 as well, so i go 4, and i can't imagine going every 2-2.5. it takes me at least 3.5 weeks to get a little normal looking.

I need some opinion on Fraxel treatment. I have had acne since I was teenager. As an adult now, I still get break out occasionally. I have noticeable acne scars on both my cheeks, mostly on right cheek. This causes me to have low self-esteem. I would like to get Fraxel treatment done on my scars so that my scar will be minimal noticeable. I got quotes from two places at my area (Minnesota).

1. One clinic pricing is $3,500 for four Fraxel treatments; the pricing is just getting Fraxel done on my face and nothing else.

2. The second place pricing is $4,900 for four treatments as well; however, the pricing include cream for me to put on before first treatment so that I donat get skin pigmentation. It also includes first supply of sun screen protection. The clinician told me that if I cannot tolerance the pain, they will eject something like Novocain into my face so I wonat get much pain.

Besides, since I am low in cash right now I am considering withdrawal money from my retirement account to get the treatments.

Is Fraxel treatment worth the money? Is it worth for me to withdrawal money from retirement account to get it done?

Is Fraxel treatment very painful? I am not very good at tolerance pain.

Thank you for your reply.

I need some opinion on Fraxel treatment. I have had acne since I was teenager. As an adult now, I still get break out occasionally. I have noticeable acne scars on both my cheeks, mostly on right cheek. This causes me to have low self-esteem. I would like to get Fraxel treatment done on my scars so that my scar will be minimal noticeable. I got quotes from two places at my area (Minnesota).

1. One clinic pricing is $3,500 for four Fraxel treatments; the pricing is just getting Fraxel done on my face and nothing else.

2. The second place pricing is $4,900 for four treatments as well; however, the pricing include cream for me to put on before first treatment so that I dont get skin pigmentation. It also includes first supply of sun screen protection. The clinician told me that if I cannot tolerance the pain, they will eject something like Novocain into my face so I wont get much pain.

Besides, since I am low in cash right now I am considering withdrawal money from my retirement account to get the treatments.

Is Fraxel treatment worth the money? Is it worth for me to withdrawal money from retirement account to get it done?

Is Fraxel treatment very painful? I am not very good at tolerance pain.

Thank you for your reply.

lovehj, i will tell you what i paid and what it included. there is some pain associated with fraxel, but without pain there is no gain right?

four treatments cost $3800 , fraxel1500, the skin pigmentation cream cost $89 (obagi-clear), and my derm gave me the obagi foaming face wash b/c i'm not getting my eye are done. i also bought the mousterizer and sun screen that they sell in the office. i haven't had to restock on the stuff yet.

the nurse applies a numbing gel for 1 and 15 minutes so that helps alot, i only feel slight pain on my upper lip and forehead. the rest of the face feels like prickles.

hope that helps, sorry i can't give you answers.