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Effu: is fraxel SR 1500 okay? how about MiXto fractional co2 laser?
Madadam: I used the Fraxel 1500 (a/k/a fraxel 2).....but the key is high settings (always remember: QUALITY OVER QUANTITY).....u HAVE TO BE BRAVE.....it hurts like hell, and then the next day u are swelled up, and then u peel and look like a mess for a week but who gives a fuck?! it will be worth it in a couple of months and u start to see results.....get in there and be aggressive about it.....good luck
p.s. my 9th fraxel is this friday......its $800 per treatment so i am broke and living on tuna, but by summer, i will be done....
pps. i dont know what the mixto fractional is
effu: I wanted to go high but my derm told me I swelled so much he couldnt go higher. 🙁
i swell *insanely* but it's the same amount of swelling each time, regardless of the treatment level. 35 and 55 had the same exact results for me in terms of swelling/downtime/when i peeled and in what time period. what i'm saying is that swelling seems to be an individual response and has nothing to do with what the settings are. and the swelling does go down! even though it is scary as heck to see your face balloon up 🙂
Does anyone happen to know if Fraxel will move stitches scars? I have a slight one on my forehead that's been bothering me for years.... I'm planning on getting three done on the fraxel 2 at the HIGHEST VELOCITY possible... Just wondering if anyone was in the same predicament.
imjayhawk said:I don't know if you guys have checked Ravpup's recent pics ... his first fraxel that was done first week of December. He has pics posted for 12/27 and I definitely see some improvement. I'm really encouraged right now.[Removed]
I only see 12/29 after pics. Either way, there's no way that "improvement" is permanent if that's his first or second fraxel. Probably swelling/microswelling.
Improvements don't kick in until after the 3rd or 4th session.
effu: I wanted to go high but my derm told me I swelled so much he couldnt go higher. 🙁
CHANGE DOCTORS NOW........it sounds to me like u are giving too much power to your doctor.......do not be intimidated...........do not forget that doctors are human and fallible..........NEVER take what ANY doctor says to u as gospel.....ALWAYS get a second opinion....and a third and a fourth if necessary.
you are paying a ton of money for that damn treatment, if he is undertreating u, then he is wasting ur money and time......AND possibly causing u to get discouraged, and think that this is not going to help u........U OWE IT TO URSELF to get it done right! if u are having fraxel 2, and u are on ur 3rd treatment u should be up to 70 mj by now......
please tell me how many fraxels u have had, if it was fraxel 2 or the original, AND how many milijoules, what treatment level, and how many passes u had for each fraxel uunderwent.
effu: I wanted to go high but my derm told me I swelled so much he couldnt go higher. 🙁CHANGE DOCTORS NOW........it sounds to me like u are giving too much power to your doctor.......do not be intimidated...........do not forget that doctors are human and fallible..........NEVER take what ANY doctor says to u as gospel.....ALWAYS get a second opinion....and a third and a fourth if necessary.
you are paying a ton of money for that damn treatment, if he is undertreating u, then he is wasting ur money and time......AND possibly causing u to get discouraged, and think that this is not going to help u........U OWE IT TO URSELF to get it done right! if u are having fraxel 2, and u are on ur 3rd treatment u should be up to 70 mj by now......
please tell me how many fraxels u have had, if it was fraxel 2 or the original, AND how many milijoules, what treatment level, and how many passes u had for each fraxel uunderwent.
In the same vein, you should never take anyone's advice on here as gospel either. At least you know your doctor went to medical school. You have no idea who we are on this msg board, no matter what we say.
No offense, effu.
That said, you should always seek as many opinions as possible in order to formulate your own educated opinion
I had my second SR 1500 at 50 kjs. I knew pain would not be a problem even at 70. However, my Doc's office has not gone above 50 and I would rather graduate up, before taking a risk that something would go wrong at 70. I know it is safe, but I have had other procedures that made my scars worse, so I am being cautious.
Frankly, most of my problem now is fixing 3 excsisiosn and failed punch floats, which may not respond well to fraxel. This is probably my last procedure.
I had my second SR 1500 at 50 kjs. I knew pain would not be a problem even at 70. However, my Doc's office has not gone above 50 and I would rather graduate up, before taking a risk that something would go wrong at 70. I know it is safe, but I have had other procedures that made my scars worse, so I am being cautious.Frankly, most of my problem now is fixing 3 excsisiosn and failed punch floats, which may not respond well to fraxel. This is probably my last procedure.
Billyboy, How did the excisions and punch floats turn out? What made them failures? I was under the impression that a filler could be injected under linear scars, ect, if they sink in, and that a laser could blend the lines in with the rest of your skin... If you're still not satisfied, I think that they could be re-excised.
Also, I just wanted to add one more thing: I've started to do research on raw African Shea Butter, and I have learned that not only does it blend in scars and stretch marks, but also clears up acne and can be deeply messaged into your arms and legs to relieve the pain of rhumatoid (spelling?) arthritis among many other things...
Jan31
effu: I wanted to go high but my derm told me I swelled so much he couldnt go higher. 🙁CHANGE DOCTORS NOW........it sounds to me like u are giving too much power to your doctor.......do not be intimidated...........do not forget that doctors are human and fallible..........NEVER take what ANY doctor says to u as gospel.....ALWAYS get a second opinion....and a third and a fourth if necessary.
you are paying a ton of money for that damn treatment, if he is undertreating u, then he is wasting ur money and time......AND possibly causing u to get discouraged, and think that this is not going to help u........U OWE IT TO URSELF to get it done right! if u are having fraxel 2, and u are on ur 3rd treatment u should be up to 70 mj by now......
please tell me how many fraxels u have had, if it was fraxel 2 or the original, AND how many milijoules, what treatment level, and how many passes u had for each fraxel uunderwent.
acne scars need to be treated at high levels. but not higher than a person can tolerate without having an adverse effect.
i 'd never take a big jump in energy without a spot test under my chin. even if i already had a spot test of fraxel at a medium to high setting. i'd ask them to do another spot treatment at the max level.
i mean how hard is it to have another spot test?? next treatment you do, just ask them to leave a 2x2 cm square under ur chin where they can do the level you want at your next treatment!
effu is right about being your own advocate. doctors and their staff see so many patients. they take a "utilitarian approach". they want to do the most good for the most amount of people. which is great but makes it hard to get their attention and willingness in individualized care for you!
shea butter is an ok moisturizer, like white petrolatum, thats about it.
Hi fivetotenyears, I just ordered a block of raw organic shea butter...I believe it has a lot of healing properties. It is a very nourishing butter that has been used by the African peoples for hundreds if not thousands of years, and while I don't expect any miracles I do hope to get some improvements. To me, any improvement is good! 🙂
Jan31
I had my second SR 1500 at 50 kjs. I knew pain would not be a problem even at 70. However, my Doc's office has not gone above 50 and I would rather graduate up, before taking a risk that something would go wrong at 70. I know it is safe, but I have had other procedures that made my scars worse, so I am being cautious.Frankly, most of my problem now is fixing 3 excsisiosn and failed punch floats, which may not respond well to fraxel. This is probably my last procedure.
where is ur city? are u anywhere near new york? u should head over to the center for laser and skin surgery center if u are i think.....
effu: I wanted to go high but my derm told me I swelled so much he couldnt go higher. 🙁CHANGE DOCTORS NOW........it sounds to me like u are giving too much power to your doctor.......do not be intimidated...........do not forget that doctors are human and fallible..........NEVER take what ANY doctor says to u as gospel.....ALWAYS get a second opinion....and a third and a fourth if necessary.
you are paying a ton of money for that damn treatment, if he is undertreating u, then he is wasting ur money and time......AND possibly causing u to get discouraged, and think that this is not going to help u........U OWE IT TO URSELF to get it done right! if u are having fraxel 2, and u are on ur 3rd treatment u should be up to 70 mj by now......
please tell me how many fraxels u have had, if it was fraxel 2 or the original, AND how many milijoules, what treatment level, and how many passes u had for each fraxel uunderwent.
I have had 3 fraxel original sessions already. I was told each time that he would go higher. Don't know the exact settings but 14 to 16 i remember the derm. saying. I was to have 10 passes but he only did 6 and 8 (different times) saying I swell too much. Initially I was to do three and then he said 5 and now he says I should do 10 sessions!!!! So much time and money and frustration. And he makes me buy these post-op sprays and cream which costs around 200 dollars! I just want results dammit!
I have seen a different doc and he told me he would go higher but i might have hyperpigmentation (10 % risk) for 6 months and downtime might be more. Most difficult thing for me is the downtime even more than the money and doctors promising me something and not achieving it. I would spend money and feel wortth it if I get promised results.
I have started dermaroller in the meantuime but maybe I should continue with fraxel...fraxel 2. Give it one more chance with a different doctor.
I agree with what you said about doctors. MANY care about their business more than their patients.
Just had my first Fraxel 2 treatment today. Overall, it wasn't a bad experience. About the only thing that made me uncomfortable was that the office is shared with a high class salon so there were people there getting their hair cut and nails done.
The procedure was weird in the beginning. Felt alot like getting your hairs waxed. The only painful portion was around the jawline area. I could barely feel anything on my chin and forehead. The pain on my cheek were very minimal.
What I am curious about and I would love to hear your guys opinion is what the doctor told me. Before we started treatment, I asked him about going as high as possible because I heard if you don't, the results won't be as great. He agreed but also stated that you have to find a balance between effectiveness and going too high where the treatment becomes almost like CO2 where you start oozing and the downtime is 2-4 weeks.
So here are my settings:
50mj
No regards to passes because he said the total kJ is what matters, not the passes.
8kJ (since my scarring was mostly on my cheeks and temple, the majority of the energy was focused on my cheeks and temple)
Treatment level 8 (like I said, we did my entire face but most of the energy was focused on my cheeks so he said the treatment level for my cheeks were more like a 10-11 while the other parts were a lot lower. I asked about going to R1, R2, or R3 but he said the downtime for that would be relatively longer. He seemed willing to do it (unlike a lot of doctors people have mentioned wouldn't, but I have to work on Monday and this is my first time so I obliged to his settings. I may opt for it when I have some time off of work.)
Right now I am feeling good actually. Maybe I'll feel more pain when the numbness goes away but aside from some redness, I wouldn't be bothered going out in public (knock on wood).
I am twenty something and have several 3-4-year-old icepick or rolling scars on my nose. These scars have never been treated. My doctor suggests me to have 6 Fraxel 2 treatments and 1 CO2 laser treatment after Fraxel.
Here are my questions:
I seldom see before & after photos showing acne scars on nose. Does Fraxel 2 work on nose?
Would the result be less effective if the time interval between 2 Fraxel treatments is very long?
Is the new skin grown after CO2 laser treatment different from the original one? How different?
Would Fraxel be less effective for scars treated with CO2 laser before?
It seems that CO2 laser is much more effective than Fraxel2, why not just have 1 CO2 laser treatment?
If you were me, what treatment would you have? Would you wait for Fraxel 3?
Just had my first Fraxel 2 treatment today. Overall, it wasn't a bad experience. About the only thing that made me uncomfortable was that the office is shared with a high class salon so there were people there getting their hair cut and nails done.The procedure was weird in the beginning. Felt alot like getting your hairs waxed. The only painful portion was around the jawline area. I could barely feel anything on my chin and forehead. The pain on my cheek were very minimal.
What I am curious about and I would love to hear your guys opinion is what the doctor told me. Before we started treatment, I asked him about going as high as possible because I heard if you don't, the results won't be as great. He agreed but also stated that you have to find a balance between effectiveness and going too high where the treatment becomes almost like CO2 where you start oozing and the downtime is 2-4 weeks.
So here are my settings:
50mj
No regards to passes because he said the total kJ is what matters, not the passes.
8kJ (since my scarring was mostly on my cheeks and temple, the majority of the energy was focused on my cheeks and temple)
Treatment level 8 (like I said, we did my entire face but most of the energy was focused on my cheeks so he said the treatment level for my cheeks were more like a 10-11 while the other parts were a lot lower. I asked about going to R1, R2, or R3 but he said the downtime for that would be relatively longer. He seemed willing to do it (unlike a lot of doctors people have mentioned wouldn't, but I have to work on Monday and this is my first time so I obliged to his settings. I may opt for it when I have some time off of work.)
Right now I am feeling good actually. Maybe I'll feel more pain when the numbness goes away but aside from some redness, I wouldn't be bothered going out in public (knock on wood).
ill comment here.....i had my 9th fraxel today so i feel i can...lol...
first off, what the hell is the thing about people getting their hair cut in the same place? is it a doctor's office, or a spa? that must have been very uncomfortable for u.....
secondly, BRAVO to u! i think for a first fraxel u started at a great treatment level, and also, the fact that u knew to ask for the R treatment levels shows that u are going in as an educated patient, and taking responsibility for ur own care......keep that up:)
third, while 50 mj/treatment level is a moderately strong level, going higher will NOT cause greater downtime......but always get fraxel DONE ON A FRIDAY.......for a week u will not look too great though.....but by monday, ull look kinda normal......at work next week, try to avoid any guys u may have a crush on......while fraxel is a PAIN IN THE ASS, in the end its worth it.....the second week, ull be normal looking again......but the first week after fraxel is always really fuckin embarrassing......
today, i had 70 mj treatment level 12 (BTW: i learned today that 12 is equal to R2, but in the newer fraxel 2 machines, they changed the "R1 and R2" levels to 11 and 12).....8 passes.....get no less than 8 passes btw......but GO HIGHER with each fraxel......DOWNTIME IS NOT REALLY MORE AT 70MJ THAN AT 50MJ.....i have had both and healing was pretty much the same for all of the treatment levels......2 days of alien looking swelling, 3rd day skin peels off, 4th day to 7th day the redness fades away.....its been the same story for all 9 of my fraxels regardless of the mj and treatment level.....
The fraxel 2 many of you are using is fraxel re:store right?I believe fraxel re:pair is not available yet.Does anyone know if re:pair is going to be a better superior machine for acne scars?Thanks.
yep...... fraxel re:store is what ive been using
the re:pair is available in new york now......but i dont know if itll be a better machine for acne scarring yet.....my doctor (in new york at the office where they are doing it now) says that it is being used for sever acne scarring though so i assume it is......
