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Hey annie this is Tim in West Palm. I believe you are using Laser skin Solutions here and wish you the best of luck. I had 5 fraxels over all and am happy with the results though I can still use quite a bit more improvement atleast I can say I had a substantial positive result and did not waste my time and money.
I was there just this past Friday to try sculptra which is kind of an Industrial Stregnth collegen stimultor to help plump up larger areas like cheeks and chins. I will keep you all posted. Expect to be very red for a few days and quite pink for almost a week. The Fraxel Procedure now is much better then it was over a year ago when I had my first round
Hi Tim,
Thank for referring me!! It was your pictures on their website that convinced me to do this. I think your skin looks much better and very healthy. I hope to have the same results. I must admit, I'm a little nervous tonight. Tomorrow (Friday) is the big day for me. :shifty:
I had my pictures taken earlier this week and had the Vibraderm thing done. What I thought was very interesting was that Face Scanning thing they do. I forget what its called. Shows how many pores, wrinkles, sun damage, scars, etc are on your skin and I have all of the above.
They asked that I take a percocet an hour before. I hope that does it for the pain. Is that what you took? I'm not really sure what my pain tolerance level is but I guess I'll find out tomorrow. I asked for one step just below aggressive for starters. I wonder how red and pink I'll get. Hope I'm better by Tuesday. :pray:
I'm starting my Fraxels on the 27th!!!
Good luck annie, we'll be 2 weeks apart. Please keep us posted on the settings and the over all energy and how your are healing. BTW what is your Fitzpatrick skin type?
Thanks Violet! Can't wait to finally experience it and get the ball rolling. I'mnot sure what the Fitzpatrick skin type thing is that you refer to. But I'm doing this for every thing under the sun. 😀
About 8 years ago I had the C02 laser done due to baking myself in the Miami sun for years. Oh how my skin was leathery and I was only 27. While the C02 very much improved my skin overall, it was never quite the same again. I have some hyperpigmentation at the hairline where the sunscreen must have worn off. According to this face scan I had done, I have tinier pigmentation problems all over. That is the least of it for me. I also used to use the peel off face masks and the biore pore strips on my face. After a few years of using them, one day I saw it left a raised red mark on my cheek and that was the last time for me. The strips and the peels seemed to have hurt the texture and elasticity of my skin. Plus I noticed this orange rind skin effect I've been reading about here. It seems alot of people who had the C02 laser done - have been experiencing the orange rind skin thing. It's as though every pore on my face is accounted for and wide open now. It's so weird because it just happened over the past few years. But everytime I have a facial they close for about 24 hours and then damnit if they don't open again. 🙁 I do have some scars all over but right now their importance is secondary to the overall texture and elasticity. The texture of my skin sucks.
So basically I'm hoping to see some kind of improvement in every benefit Fraxel has to offer. lol 😀
I just hope it doesn't hurt too much and that I don't look like a swollen lobster for too long.
I hope to post tomorrow about my experience....
Kooky
You had derm by Dr Y and now Fraxel? Which do you recommend and why? Am going to see Dr Y but am having second thoughts given pigment problems from some derms and the apparent success with Fraxel.
Thanks
Hi grandpa billyboy!
I did have a derm with Dr. Yarborough and had my 3rd fraxel over a week ago. I can't really compare the efficacy of each on my scars because the scars I had at the time when I had my dermabrasion are significantly different than the scars I had before my Fraxel treatments. One thing is for sure, it was retarded for me to have a dermabrasion without any sort of scar revision, namely subcision and to a much lesser degree punches. Probably the same for fraxel had I not had some scar revision. But if your scars are relatively mild, you probably won't need it. I think downtime and risk-wise, fraxel is far more favorable. My downtime is about 4 days for each Fraxel at the higher settings currently vs. 3+ months for the dermabrasion. I think if you have mild to moderate scarring fraxel may well be worth a shot. It's too early to comment on improvement, and specifically if the improvement stays (long-term) but so far I'm still pleased although it isn't a miracle scar treatment mind you. A few of my deeper pitted scars do not seem to have been affected much by Fraxel. Also, I still have sort of a cobblestone texture on my temples (some of it due to biolalcamid) and I'm going to have the plasma skin resurfacing treatment after my fraxels to try to even that out. Fraxel only covers about 15-20% of your face but the PSR3 covers the entire surface of your face like CO2 laser without the huge downtime. You might want to look into that too. So yeah I would recommend the fraxel or psr3 over dermabrasion FWIW. Good luck whatever you decide to do!
Sincerely,
kook
God this sucks so much. I'm just sitting here, reading up about the rhytec portrait laser and I am also reading about Fraxel still as well. So, the results aren't permanent for Fraxel? So that means my scars will come back slowly? I can't have that. God 
I need to marry a rich man.
God this sucks so much. I'm just sitting here, reading up about the rhytec portrait laser and I am also reading about Fraxel still as well. So, the results aren't permanent for Fraxel? So that means my scars will come back slowly? I can't have that. God :wall: I need to marry a rich man.
No I believe she is saying that. fraxel first is still new and no long term study had indicate anything. Therefore there may be possibility that it may come back.
Secondly your collogen sooner or later will deteriate. Therefore 10 years later you'll probably worry more about your winkles than scars.
One thing I'm quite curious does anyone knows. How does remodling of the collogen helps to diminish the scars... Stimulating the collogen growth may work well with sun damage skin but in the case of scar where the dermis is still confined in the dented structure of the epidermis does stimulating collogen growth helps in the scar?
I know that my dermatologist is trying to press the blue dye into my pores so that the laser would hit into the scar as to stimulate growth and hence pushing the base of the scar upwards but... is this the only reasons fraxel is for?
I know I'm a noob here but I'm very much wanted to find out. Could anyone who is well knowledged drop a opinion or two?
I was under the impression that the fraxel made skin peel really fast smoothing it out over the course of a few months doing it every 2 weeks or so. I would think that this would be permanant wouldnt it?
Check this out... http://www.reliant-tech.com/downloads/abgroundtable.pdf
Okay, I need to know what to expect. How red will I be for how long? And how swollen will I be for how long? I know this differs from person to person and there are many variables but I'd like to know what your experiences have been.
How soon will I be able to cover the redness with makeup and go out without looking treated. I didn't want to start a new thread for this one but maybe I will.
Okay, I need to know what to expect. How red will I be for how long? And how swollen will I be for how long? I know this differs from person to person and there are many variables but I'd like to know what your experiences have been.
How soon will I be able to cover the redness with makeup and go out without looking treated. I didn't want to start a new thread for this one but maybe I will.
swelling will last for 2 -3 days, but micro-swelling can last for about 3 -4 weeks which isn't bad since it can plump up those scars. redness will last for about a week, of which peeling will occur for 2 - 3 days starting on the 3rd day i believe. mind you that a bronze color will linger on your face for about a couple of weeks, nothing that a little touch - up won't cover though. all in all, very similar to the after effects of sunburn on your face.
would fraxel be usefull if i still have active acne - occasionally cystic. or do i need to be completely free from acne and only have scarring???
In any scar treatment you have to rid off of your acne first before proceeding.
About the redness I think it depends on the level your derm is doing it on. Let say if you're doing it like 15mj then perhaps you'll be quite red like sun burn for firs 5 days, third day will peel but not obvious at all... The swollen thingy is nothing to worry about as it subsided most of it by the 2nd day. Subsequently nothing to worry about.
And Fraxel is not a magic wand. I begin to see improvement like for after 2 weeks. It seems significant on the shallow scars.. Some of which I had CO2 before... But the deeper and bigger ones I'm still putting my faith in fraxel to remove after a couple more session, since I only had the first. From what I read it seems the improvement came most significantly after the 4-5 treatment... I guess I'm just too impatient to wait till then... But still remain optimistic about it.
Hello everyone,
I did the 1st of 5 Fraxel treatments yesterday, 1-13-06. We started at Level 11 and slowly increased. If anyone here has ever used a Dermaroller, I would compare the Fraxel laser feeling to that. It felt very prickly to me. Depending on the level and your tolerance for pain, it just felt like something rolled over my skin and slightly pricking me. The higher the level the stronger the prickly feeling. There is heat but the Zimmer cooling machine diffuses it instantly. There were some areas in my face that were insensitive so I felt absolutely nothing and then more sensitive, where I felt something real bad but only for 30 seconds.
When the Doctor asked me "Do you want aggressive or gentle?", she was on the mark. I asked for something just slight of totally aggressive. She kept asking me if I had a high thresh hold for pain and seemed really surprised when I said I wasn't uncomfortable. I know it all depends on the person. As she did the procedure she wouldn't tell me how strong it was because I probably would freak. I think mind over matter really does work. She started off with an 11 and made it to 20 in some parts!!! At an 11, I was just fine. It felt prickly to me. She would say 'OK now the upper lip is very sensitive so this might hurt more." I was like "It's fine, I don't feel anything." So either some people are extremely sensitive, or I am not sensitive, or the numbing cream and one percocet really works well...I just don't know 
She asked me for my pain level throughout. At first at an 11, I was saying "hmm, maybe a 2"? By the end she was going up to a 20 in some areas!! I finished with an overall pain level between 4 and 6. There was an area on my forehead that was off the charts in pain. So either the numbing cream didn't work there or that was the high level. Unfortunately I jumped and moved my head in the opposite direction as a reaction. As a heads up, doing that is a big NO NO. She asked me not to again as it could leave a scratch.
For the most part, I handled the sensations. She kept switching the level and I think that helped. The cool air machine cooled me off and I was freezing. If anything I have an intolerance to cold, so that killed me most. BUT it distracted me from what was going on because I was so focused on that cool air. Without the cooling machine I would not do this procedure. I kept focusing on how friggin cold it was and I didn't feel the heat. I think I read somewhere that your brain can actually get confused as to the difference between heat and cold. I think that's what happened with me. I kept focused on how damn cold that thing was and distracted myself completely from what was going on.
After is a different story. They washed off the blue dye as best they could but my face did look like a FAT smurf. If anyone ever saw the SNL cartoon with Anna Nicole as Smurfette, you get the idea. I'm not leaving my house this weekend anyway. I was all revved up after and a little jumpy when the assistant was cleaning me up. I also had to lay there for a good 20 minutes with cold compresses. I was sore and HOLY Shit when I looked in the mirror I didn't recognize myself. I was swollen to the 10th degree. Like all the skin under my eyes was sticking out about a good inch and a 1/2. I looked swollen like the elephant man, even my nose!! The soreness started to diminish after an hour. I was still very much swollen later that night and my soreness is around a 5. It was an 8 to a 9 earlier. As for being red, I am but I don't think it's that bad. You know when you get the kind of sunburn you feel like almost going to the ER for? I'm not that red but after super high levels, my face was that sore for a few hours after. 
Looking at my before pics, I know I had to do this and the pain will be worth it. Let me tell you, 'Aggressive settings" aren't for the weak hearted or rookies. You'll be sore and look like crap. I just don't know for how long either. I'm glad I did it on a Friday and at the last minute took Monday off. I think I might need it... 
hi i have been reading these forums for the past few days and i have been researching procedures for acne scarring for the past 3 years because i have acne scarring from my teenage years and some from the past ferw years. i have taken accutane twice and ended my last treatment over a year ago. now what is left are these depressing scars that hold me back from alot of things. i was looking to find out if fraxel really works or if you guys think another method is best. my skin is sensitive and scars easily, i think because of accutane but im not sure. i have scars on my cheeks, chin, and a few on my forehead. i think they are rolling and maybe a few boxcar. if anyone has any suggestions or advice i would greatly appreciate it.
also , does anyone know the price for these treatments and how many you need?
hi i have been reading these forums for the past few days and i have been researching procedures for acne scarring for the past 3 years because i have acne scarring from my teenage years and some from the past ferw years. i have taken accutane twice and ended my last treatment over a year ago. now what is left are these depressing scars that hold me back from alot of things. i was looking to find out if fraxel really works or if you guys think another method is best. my skin is sensitive and scars easily, i think because of accutane but im not sure. i have scars on my cheeks, chin, and a few on my forehead. i think they are rolling and maybe a few boxcar. if anyone has any suggestions or advice i would greatly appreciate it.
also , does anyone know the price for these treatments and how many you need?
I'm not sure about rolling scars but from what I read of the clinical references and from my treatment.. Fraxel seems good for box scars and work abit on the ice pick. Then again it'll depend of the depth of your scar. Usually you'll only see your improvement slowly as your skin heals... Wait at least like 2-4 weeks.
Anyway I'm thinking of going for a subcision and CO2 again after the fraxel to smooth out the remaining bits of the shallow scars and reduce the big scars even further.
Killer post Annie very descriptive. I plan to go pretty high in the summer whebn I do fraxels just so I dont waste and dough. I hope your face feels better and I loved the Anna Nicole reference lol. Good luck to u.
Thanks Keith - I like your attitude. !! Oh and yeah I loved this SNL cartoon and just couldn't help but relate to it. I definitely got "Smurfed up"
As for high levels - go for what feels right. But as a heads up - from what I've read, I don't think the higher levels guarantee better results. I believe it all depends on what you are looking for. Surface changes or something deeper. Your doctor will advise you as to what they think is best for you. I said I wanted to see some changes and was willing to be aggressive to get them. I've got problems with everything from texture, elasticity, scarring, pigmentation and you name it. I don't have great expectations or unrealistic ideas about Fraxel. Everyone has different results and I read multiple treatments get it for you. If I get a 30% improvement - I 'll take that and if I get real lucky and get more - well heck I'll take that tooo! 😉
I debated whether or not I should post my before, after and current photos. I've seen other peoples photos and they helped me decide to do it and also understand what it's about. So here they are.
Just make sure you're sitting and try not to gag. Today is Day 3 and I'm very swollen. 🙁 My Fraxel Photos
Annie, your posts are appreciatedl. I had been set on a course to have a couple punch floats and then a dermabrasion. But, Kooky has helped me reach the conclusion that a series of Fraxels has a lower risk/downtime with potentially as much efficacy. So, I'm looking into Fraxel instead. I was surprised at your swelling and redness - ouch. It seems to approach dermabrasion levels, but I guess you went aggressive and I understand the partial resurfacing lends to a much faster healing process compared to a derm.
Were you able to drive home? How long must you wear sunblock? I know the pigment risks are less than with derm, but they are not 0? Keep us posted on your progress. Best wishes
I had my first fraxel treatment just over a week ago.. I had full face done at level 16, the pain wasn't really that bad. In some spots it stung quite a bit, in some I could barely feel it. I must say that the upper lip was the most painful part and I almost flew off the table.. (the doc and I decided that we won't treat that area next time as I don't need it there anyways)
As far as redness and swelling go, it wasn't as bad as I had been expecting. I was able to get all of the blue off with some gentle cleansing using Dove soap. I swole a little bit, but not enough that anyone else would have noticed, it actually looked good because my scars disappeared with the minor swelling. Most of that swelling was gone within 18 hours. The redness wasn't bad either, I felt comfortable going out the day after and seeing my friends. I honestly looked like I had just gotten too much sun like when you spend too much time on the beach or lake in the summer. All of the redness was gone within 5 days.
I got a little flaky about 48 hours after the treatment, and that lasted about 3 days. It was easily controllable with lots of moisturizer, so it wasn't that noticeable.
I'm planning on having a series of 5 to 7 treatments, my next one is scheduled this Friday morning. I'll probably be doing level 17 or 18 full face (except uppper lip, 😀 ) on my next treatment because I tolerated level 16 so well.
Sean..
Thanks dudes They had me take a prescription pain pill one hour before the procedure, and then they put on the numbing gel about 40 minutes before the procedure.. He also offered me a nerve block which would pretty much prevent me from feeling anything, but I declined that. If you're getting your upper lip done, you might consider having the nerver bock, man that hurt..
Sean..