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i am set to get fraxel in a few weeks for my acne scarring. i just want updated feedback from anyone that has had negative results from the fraxel 1500 (the new version). also, any recommendations on supplements i should take before hand? any other recommendations? thanks so much!
how many of you have noticed drier skin after fraxel (not just while healing but long term). im curious whether moderate to high levels can affect oil and sweat glands, either inhibiting or denaturing them.
Hi. After my 1st fraxel session, i noticed that my skin's oil prod'n has been greatly reduced. It has minimized the appearance of pores so this may have contributed to that effect. I'm hoping that this is something long-term, & not just a temporary side-effect of the treatment.
Sheryllynn - I noticed on another post that you had seen Dr. Sire for subcision... how were the results? I've seen Dr. Sire previously as well for a consultation, but he refused to do subscision on me without a filler such as restylne underneath it.. much to my disappointment. Did you have any temp filler injected under your scarring?
Hi Poloho - Yes I did have restylne injected after the subcision. I had great results on some scars. I want to have it done again on other scars but I have to wait until after fraxel because of filler.
well just completed my 5th fraxel with new tip but suprisengly they couldent go more then 40mj still so i did 40mj level r1, 10-12 passesi might go for 1 more next month and thats it for awhile let my skin rest and i have noticed gradual improvements so far.
Hi Wildbb99 - what was the doctors reasoning for not going higher than 40mjs??
how many of you have noticed drier skin after fraxel (not just while healing but long term). im curious whether moderate to high levels can affect oil and sweat glands, either inhibiting or denaturing them.Hi. After my 1st Fraxel session, i noticed that my skin's oil prod'n has been greatly reduced. It has minimized the appearance of pores so this may have contributed to that effect. I'm hoping that this is something long-term, & not just a temporary side-effect of the treatment.
of course it's short term. Your sebaceous glands have been cooked a bit, so they won't be pumping out oil like they did until they've healed.
Retinoids and lasers that actually destroy or shrink the sebaceous gland are the only thing that reduces oil production permanently more or less. Fraxel doesn't even really specifically target your lower epidermal layer, it just burns little holes everywhere it's used, and of course bakes your skin a bit with heat energy.
well just completed my 5th fraxel with new tip but suprisengly they couldent go more then 40mj still so i did 40mj level r1, 10-12 passesi might go for 1 more next month and thats it for awhile let my skin rest and i have noticed gradual improvements so far.
Hi Wildbb99 - what was the doctors reasoning for not going higher than 40mjs??
there were none the machine couldent go more then 40mj even with the new tip
Hi guys and gals. Just some quick info. Reliant just received FDA approval for its new Re:pair laser that uses co2 instead of erbium. They are currently conducting studies on acne and Re:pair. Here's a link to the news release:
http://www.reliant-tech.com/newsdetails.cfm?NEWSID=66
In a past study, new collagen replaced the entire ablated zone within 3 months of being treated with fractional co2. What's even more impressive is that the epidermis actually collapses/moves into the zone, thus, tightening in the skin and making the width of the scars smaller. Take a look at some of the biopsy slides:
https://www.imagestore.md/aslms/posters/241/#
It's weird: technology is advancing so rapidly right now. So for those of you haven't gotten the dream results that you want, don't despair. There are rapid advances right around the corner. Hopefully, the Re:pair will be available soon.
Best,
Robby
Hi guys and gals. Just some quick info. Reliant just received FDA approval for its new Re:pair laser that uses co2 instead of erbium. They are currently conducting studies on acne and Re:pair. Here's a link to the news release:http://www.reliant-tech.com/newsdetails.cfm?NEWSID=66
In a past study, new collagen replaced the entire ablated zone within 3 months of being treated with fractional co2. What's even more impressive is that the epidermis actually collapses/moves into the zone, thus, tightening in the skin and making the width of the scars smaller. Take a look at some of the biopsy slides:
https://www.imagestore.md/aslms/posters/241/#
It's weird: technology is advancing so rapidly right now. So for those of you haven't gotten the dream results that you want, don't despair. There are rapid advances right around the corner. Hopefully, the Re:pair will be available soon.
Best,
Robby
I posted my thoughts about this in Sanjoseskin's thread about the re:pair.
I will mention again: why are they not addressing the potential for acne scar improvement in the articles about this. They mention photodamage and occasionally mention surgical scars, but NO acne scars. None at all- it's the same song and dance as the last fraxel. And it reinforces the fact that they're not serious about acne scars, otherwise they'd be doing clinical trials on them with this new laser.
Yelm,
The news release states that they are conducting trials on acne scarring in phase 2 and 3 of the study, only phase one has been completed, although I'm not sure who is conducting them. I know for sure that they are conducting studies on atrophic surgical scars and stretch marks. Suzanne Kilmer is currently conducting this study:
http://www.skinlasers.com/laser/clinical/closed.php
Although it doesn't pertain to acne scars directly, it does address atrophic scarring in general and, thus, acne (i.e. lost of collagen).
I posted my thoughts about this in Sanjoseskin's thread about the re:pair.
I will mention again: why are they not addressing the potential for acne scar improvement in the articles about this. They mention photodamage and occasionally mention surgical scars, but NO acne scars. None at all- it's the same song and dance as the last fraxel. And it reinforces the fact that they're not serious about acne scars, otherwise they'd be doing clinical trials on them with this new laser.
I have been to two dermatologists to see what I can do with the rolling scars I have. Both did recommend lasers, but one mentioned to use fraxel and then use fillers. I have been doing alot of reading up on this to see if this really would work or are they just trying to sell me on something that will not. I really got excited when I first heard about this as it is relatively new technology and the possibility that it could work. As the more I looked into this the more I think that there is no way that this could possibly work on rolling scars, how will any laser push up my indentations that I have. Sorry for being negative about this but I just don't see this working as a stand alone product for acne scars. I think it could work if it was added with say subcision, where you push up the indentation, set it in place, then use Fraxel to help build the new collagen. This is probably the route I will go, I just need to do more reading up on it and hopefully hear some positive results from people who have done it this way.
I have been to two dermatologists to see what I can do with the rolling scars I have. Both did recommend lasers, but one mentioned to use fraxel and then use fillers. I have been doing alot of reading up on this to see if this really would work or are they just trying to sell me on something that will not. I really got excited when I first heard about this as it is relatively new technology and the possibility that it could work. As the more I looked into this the more I think that there is no way that this could possibly work on rolling scars, how will any laser push up my indentations that I have. Sorry for being negative about this but I just don't see this working as a stand alone product for acne scars. I think it could work if it was added with say subcision, where you push up the indentation, set it in place, then use Fraxel to help build the new collagen. This is probably the route I will go, I just need to do more reading up on it and hopefully hear some positive results from people who have done it this way.
Well, if you read this whole thread, fraxel has worked the best on rolling scars.
Am visiting acne.org and fraxel thread after a long time. I am not doing / seeking to do any treatment and quite happy with my skin today. I was reading some latest posts in this thread.
Poloho, I did dermal grafts with Dr. Dhawan around 3.5 years back in four rounds ( first was test round ). They are still there and so permanent. As you guessed, some scars might be needed to be filled again and again until desired level is achieved. I guess, reason is it is difficult to estimate how much will get absorbed during healing and remodelling. Am wondering, when you had an overfill, did you go back to Dr Dhawan ? I had the same problem on 4 scars ( they were raised after 3 months ). He drained them with a syring to level it. In fact, I got one scar drained twice. He also injects cortizone if he doubts scar is raised due to inflammation. He had told me then that he can even replace the graft if required. What I liked about it is, it's low cost, local to the scar, minimal downtime and repeatable treatment.
I did 8 fraxel treatments, six months after the grafts. I think, that certainly helped grafts getting more togather with the rest of the skin. Before that, I did 2 erbium sessions with Dr. Dhawan but didn't think that was very effective as they were just like peels I had done before. Main purpose of fraxel also was to fill small and very shallow scars which couldn't be filled or cut or stitched and were disqualified by Dr. Dhawan for any scar revision treatment.
To all who keep emailing me about hyperpigmentation after Fraxel :
yes, I got significant hyperpigmentation from Fraxel though levels were not that high. Good news is, it is very treatable. I am female of asian Indian origin and have type 3 ( fair olive with yellow undertones ) skin. I also attribute it to the fact that after years of scar treatments ( especially blue peels ), my skin has become quite sensitive. But there are many non-white people on this forum having Fraxel and don't experience it. Texture wise, I got more than satisfactory results ( I was expecting Fraxel only as a finishing / minor resurfacing treatment ) s o I think, it was worth it.
I did these two things which were very effective in removing hyperpigmentation :
1. I started 3 months after last Fraxel treatment. This is important. I initially used Triluma but switched to combination of Obagi clear, Obagi blender and Tazorac ( 0.1 %) every other night. This is quite strong and peeled my skin every day. I did this for 3 months.
2. I did 3 IPL sessions after that. IPL works great for spot hyperpigmentation and is quite gentle.
Coobreeze
Congrats on your success. After my disaster with floats by Dr. Y., I went to Dr. Dhawan based on your positive reference. So far, so good, but not fantastic on dermal grafts. Stitches come up tomorrow on 5 excisions, so I will know more tomorrow.
That said, when I think of the the money I spent with Dr. Y (many failed floats) and Dr. Chris Zachary (3 failed excisions) to end up with worse scars, I am really happy to have found Dr. Dhawan. Ironically, most of what he is fixing is the mistakes left by these 2 docs. I am confident he will get me back to a much better position than when I started with Zachary.
CoobreezeCongrats on your success. After my disaster with floats by Dr. Y., I went to Dr. Dhawan based on your positive reference. So far, so good, but not fantastic on dermal grafts. Stitches come up tomorrow on 5 excisions, so I will know more tomorrow.
That said, when I think of the the money I spent with Dr. Y (many failed floats) and Dr. Chris Zachary (3 failed excisions) to end up with worse scars, I am really happy to have found Dr. Dhawan. Ironically, most of what he is fixing is the mistakes left by these 2 docs. I am confident he will get me back to a much better position than when I started with Zachary.
Billy boy - I was curious as to why you haven't had a fraxel 2 since Feb. Isn't that waiting too long?
2 reasons:
1. I am hoping my fraxel doc will upgrade to SR 1500.
2. I had several scarred pores that were not responding to fraxel. I had Southwest credit that was going to expire so I went to NO in hope that Dr. Y could float these small scars. I was thinking I should get this done before my last fraxel.
Big mistake, which I am fixing now, with some success with Dr. Dhawan.
I am not sure if I will do any more grafts or subcision, but I have a follow up in mid Sept.
My new plan is to have my last fraxel this winter and become an alumnus like Coolbreeze. I think fraxel should be a finishing touch up. I am hoping that delays don't make much difference in efficacy.
I have made many mistakes in my scar correction quest, but I think I am on the right track now.
I certainly do appreciate you posting your results. Finally, my suspicion are confirmed. You are the ONLY one on here who ventured into the 70 mjs settings multiple times and didn't see good results who posted about it. That is so so heartbreaking for me, but in a sense helps to know. I think I will probably discontinue my treatments after this. I am so so depressed 🙁
poloho had MINIMAL passes, much less than anyone else, even though some were at 70mJ. starting out at 70 for one pass and dropping to 45 for the second pass is not something i have heard of anyone else having done. i would not use this experience as comparison or as evidence of any "suspicion" you had prior.
From what I understand about Fraxel it takes TIME. To state that because someone has ventured into the 70 mjs setting a few times RECENTLY proves or disproves nothing. It is not like traditional laser resurfacing where results are more or less immediate because the top layer of skin has been burnt off. I had my first fraxel yesterday. I will have one a month for the next 5-6 months. My derm appears to be reasonably aggressive beginning with 40 mj and 8 passes plus a couple of extra on my cheeks where scarring mostly is. HOWEVER, I am not even going to begin to look for true long-lasting improvements until 5 or 6 months into this. I am not saying fraxel does work, what I am saying is that trying to assess its efficacy on the basis of a couple of recent treatments is not the way to do it.I also just wanted to say that I am nearly forty. I have lived with acne scars for many years. My heart goes out to all those that are younger and feel that scarring is ruling their life. I just want you all to realise that scarring is not a death sentence, it needn't stop you from doing absolutely ANYTHING you want to in life (except maybe being a poster model for acne preparations!). Despite my acne scars I am extremely happily married with two beautiful children and am living my dreams of being a writer with my first book coming out next year.
I don't say any of these things to boast about them, I simply say them to give you hope. You are not defined by your acne scarring. Getting rid of them is good, but they will not stop you achieving what you want to - believe me! Is is very, very important that you do not let them depress you to the extent that they rule your life.
Caesar2
very well said!
congratulations on your book 🙂
Hi all,I had quite a bit of residual redness with the 70 MJ settings that lasted about about two to three weeks on average. However, my skin was never really raw to speak of after it all peeled off around day 7 or so post fraxel. As it is right now, I still feel Fraxel can be effective, though I did not receive satisfactory results at the moment. Keep in mind like many other people say, you must wait a few months to see the full benefit of it. Also, I am not the typical 70 MJ treatment example you would want to look at, since I was likely undertreated. It appears the average fraxel patient on here receives roughly 6 passes more than me, and a whole lot more energy as well.
Also, like Caesar2 stated, just because we have acne scars does not mean that it stops us from having a good life. While acne scars are very depressing and are quite the pain to live with, it is not the end of the world. A lot of us here are still young, and I am confident that acne scarring procedures will only get more and more advanced in the future.
In my case, I have to say that I was/am deeply affected by my scarring. I'm 21 now, and I've had scarring for roughly 2 years. In these two years, I've transformed from pretty social guy into a little more than a recluse. You know, after I found out I had possibly been undertreated for Fraxel, I expected myself to feel really bad, since it felt like I had so much riding on the success of this Fraxel. However, this was not the case, and for some reason, whether it be good or bad, I feel like through this fraxel failure/unsatisfactory result I have learned to come to terms more with my scarring. My scarring is shallow to moderate, and I have quite a large amount of it. Maybe even with future treatments it'll never all go away, and I'll never have perfect skin again, maybe it will.
We only live once, so wouldn't it be a total shame to waste your whole life sitting indoors thinking of your scars, and how much better your life could be if you were scarless? I went out to a social event for the first time in a while yesterday, and I have to say that my scarring apparently did not detract anything from my social experience. I still had a really good time, and it was good talking to all those friends that I had neglected or stopped hanging out with due to my scarring. Basically what it comes down to is we can either live with scarring, and have a fulfilling life filled with friends, family, significant other, a good career and such, or we could live with scarring, and have none of those above. Which one would you rather pick? I believe I made my choice yesterday, as it still is very fun hanging out with my friends, even though I have acne scarring.
For now, I will probably just wait out a few months so I can get a good estimate of my fraxel results. I'm leaving the country soon to start a new job in Japan. As I am a recent college graduate, I'm going to try to focus on my career mostly for the next few years, and try not to let the scarring get to me too much. I still have treatments/procedures done when I can, but like I said, I'm going try not to think/concern myself with the treatments too much, and instead redirect my energy elsewhere. Whats the point in worrying about something you can't control? It's just unneeded extra stress. Good luck to everyone on the board with their treatments, and thanks Caesar2 for pointing out the painfully obvious but not always apparent fact that life does not end with acne scarring.
Oh, and Billyboy, I'm a guy.
kudos to you for going out and enjoying yourself, poloho. and congratulations on your new job! 🙂
i think you have an amazing attitude about your scarring and treatment and about the necessity of not worrying -- thank you for being a good role model 🙂
i have my second treatment with fraxel 2 scheduled for wednesday and am actually looking forward to the downtime and being able to compare how i respond with this treatment versus the first one, and also try to figure out how i will do my post-treatment care differently from how i did it before. (i.e., if i sleep sitting up the first night will i not swell as much, and if i use moisturizer right away will the peeling happen faster, etc.)
Hi all,
Bluemorpho - Thanks for the positive compliments. Honestly its really hard to keep a positive attitude about life when you have acne scarring, but hey, have to try to not let it get to you.
Coolbreeze22- Hey Coolbreeze, no I did not go back to Dr. Dhawan following the overfill. I had it excised, and it made the scar even worse than how it was before the dermal graft. When you said you went back to Dr. Dhawan to get the overfilled scars leveled, did his injection/draining procedure leave any scarring? Or did the overfilled scars completely level with the surrounding skin? It would seem like if he drained the scar, there would be some downside to it, but I've never really experienced it before. Also, I know that most people get the graft material from the back of their ear. However, I was concerned that the back of my ear might not be sufficient enough for my dermal graft, since I have roughly 30-40 scars on my face, mostly shallow to moderate in depth. Each time I get my full face grafted, it must take a lot of dermal material. In addition, I will probably need to get the scars grafted 2-3 times in order for them to completely level. I was wondering if he mentioned anything about any other areas where he could harvest skin from other than the back of the ear.
poloho - sorry I thought you were female. I made presumption becasue your KJs were so low that I inferred small face, which implied female to me.
In my trial dermal graft, he took softer material from behind ear. This last time, I had 5 punch excisions and he used the dermis part of the "punch extract" for dermal grafts. He said he prefers this over ear because the tissue is firmer and produces better result, plus no need to operate behind ear.
I noticed this time that he must have used a slightly larger needle to insert the graft because there is a very tiny scar. I recall him mentioning that he needed a larger tool. This process is trial and error but seems to be going much better than anything else I have tried.
Hi all,
Billyboy - Thats interesting, using the punch extract part of your excisions for scars. Not sure if that is an option for me though as I have too many scars.
Is the tiny scar from the dermal graft very noticable? As I have many scars in my face that I wish to get grafted, I would hate to get many additional scars from the procedure. By the way, how did your 5 excisions turn out? Are your dermal grafts looking any better?
2 reasons:1. I am hoping my fraxel doc will upgrade to SR 1500.
2. I had several scarred pores that were not responding to fraxel. I had Southwest credit that was going to expire so I went to NO in hope that Dr. Y could float these small scars. I was thinking I should get this done before my last fraxel.
Big mistake, which I am fixing now, with some success with Dr. Dhawan.
I am not sure if I will do any more grafts or subcision, but I have a follow up in mid Sept.
My new plan is to have my last fraxel this winter and become an alumnus like Coolbreeze. I think fraxel should be a finishing touch up. I am hoping that delays don't make much difference in efficacy.
I have made many mistakes in my scar correction quest, but I think I am on the right track now.
But you say you had Fraxel 2 in Feb at the bottom of all your posts in blue. Fraxel 2 = sr1500, or at least that's what everyone here has been calling it. I'm a little lost?