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Amanda11 -
After going thru the posts here in this board, it seems like it may even take 6 months before you'll see any substantial improvements. I understand your frustration, but don't be discouraged soon. In the meantime, maybe you can try Vitamin C or EGF creams to enhance/expedite the collagen production.
I'm dark skinned and I just had my second test site done today. Right now, we are trying to gage how well my skin will take it - that is how bad the pigmentation will be from it. My first test site was really successful. I was given a bleach cream by the doctor and I didn't even use it. He was pretty encouraged by it and we tried a much larger area this time. As for hurting - it didn't hurt at all .. I could feel some warm sensation from the laser but it was negated quickly by the cool air blower that the doc used along with the laser. After the treatment, put on icepack to cool it .. in an hour, the burn sensation is completely gone.
As for the scars, I have bad scars too but I don't let it bring me down anytime. I have a successful job as customer support for a Fortune 100 company and do have to deal with people all the time - everyday. I don't care if they don't look into my face when they talk to me at all ... I know what value I bring to my company's customer and they appreciate my work. Even within my team, I have established enough credibility with my hard work and skills that the last thing my manager or colleagues talk about is my acne scarring. My experience is they don't - maybe you are too self-conscious.
You may ask why I'm going for Fraxel right now - its more for myself than anything else. I take good care of myself - eat healthy, exercise, socialize. Since I have the money - I thought I'd try to do something about it. I mean I do feel self-conscious sometimes - I wish I could look in the mirror and not see a face full of icepicks. While I was in college, it did bother me but I never pursued getting something done about it - one because I couldn't afford it, another my goal was to finish my degree so that I could get a nice-paying job. As for hooking up girls, I had a few flings here and there but nothing to boast about. The moral of my story is that I never let it bother me so in your case - it is your choice. I see from your post that you are too self-conscious, try to look beyond it, focus on some other aspect of your life that you are proud of and ride on it. I can't imagine people committing suicide because of acne scars - life is too precious for that.
Hi all, its been a while since I last posted. I guess I was hoping that if I gave it a while then I would be able to come on here and tell you all about my wonderful experience with Fraxel. Unfortunately it is the oppositeI have had 4 Fraxel Treatments. The last 2 were at the highest settings possible. It has been about a month since my last one and there has been not one slight difference to my skins texture. For the people out there who have had this treatment done will agree that for the first week after each treatment your skin looks great... only because its all swollen and the skin is stretched to a smooth texture but then sure as hell the scars slowly creep back up again. I have spent a total of $4500 on this procedure and strongly advise anyone who is contemplating it to NOT get it done. Not only is it a complete waste of time and money but the pain involved is horrendous. I almost had a panic attack whilst having the first one due to the severe discomfort. My derm promised me that my skin would get great results and continuosly boasted about how happy I would be with the final outcome. I only sigh now at his comments as I know they were all lies. Anyway I dont mean to be negative or burst anyones bubbles but the truth of the matter is Fraxel doesnt work for acne scarring so dont waste your money.
I am going to see my derm again in a few weeks. He wants to see my skin and compare photos to see if there is any difference whatsoever. I will also be speaking with him about another alternative too. Hopefully there is something else out there that actually works. Money isnt a problem, i just want to see results. Its not like I am rich or anything but to me I believe you cant put a price on having normal skin, not perfect, just normal. Acne is not just about scarring and pigmentation... its a disease. An emotional and physical disease and for all you people out there like me who are suffering just as much, my heart goes out to you all because I know EXACTLY how you feel. Ive read many stories of people commiting suicide over acne and I used to think how can a human being take their own life over having scars on their skin. Not that I would EVER consider doing something like that but after suffering myself I can so understand how they would have been feeling.
In my job I am constantly in the public eye and I wish just for one day people would look me in the eye when talking to me, not look everywhere else on my face. I can almost read their minds when i see their eyes flickering around from my cheeks to my forehead, down to my chin then back to my cheeks again. I would love for the day when I could just wake up and go out shopping without having to cake a gallon of makeup on my skin jsut to try and make myself feel normal and most of all accepted.
My journey of acne and the scarring it leaves has left a permanent emotional scar on the inside of me and I believe it is something that will never be erased no matter how perfect my skin becomes.
I know there are a million people out there dying and suffering 1000 times worse than me and I know your probably thinking to just be grateful that I am alive. Well I tried that. I tried to tell myself that for 5 years. It just gets a bit much after a certain amount of time. As long as there are mirrors in this world people like us will always feel this way.
On a more positive note, I am so grateful however to have a very loving, caring and understanding partner who tries to make me feel like a beautiful princess every day of his life „¥ This i will never be able to repay him for.
Well just wanted to get all that off my chest. Thanks for listening everyone. I hope you all find your happy ending one day „¥xo„¥
Hi, everyone.
I have a question... In my area, the cashier in my doctor's office told me that they have the fraxel SR1500 (re:store), but he said i still need to put the blue dye on my face when going through the procedure. I called another day, and the nurse overthere said the same thing..
I know one of benefits of the re:store machine is without using the blue dye..., so i'm wondering why is that? 
Thanks
There's a weird "in between" where some doctors have the "Fraxel 1500 SR" without the rolling tip (no blue dye tip). This was before they did a software update and added the rolling tip and changed the name to Fraxel Re:Store.
Tell the doctor to his face you need to cancel until he gets the rolling tip. Thats the only thing that will motivate them.
If it is not to much to ask how about people describe their scars and severity or paste pictures of scars online that look similar to theirs when they post.
I believe many people are discouraged when people post how they are getting no improvement after the 1st,2nd, or 3rd treatment, then we come to find out they have severe ice pick scars along with every other type of scarring.
The improvement the fraxel will provide has a lot to do with the severity of your scarring. If one person has a couple scars he/she wants to get rid of a couple sessions might be enought on the other hand if a person has severe ice pick scarring they can not expect improvments right away.
I do not understand why people will not post pictures of themselves. We know they have scars if not they would not be here but, if you feel embarrassed then post pictures of scars similar to yours from online sites like google or at the very least describe the type of scarring you have.
Before/after pics from Fraxel brochures show that people with icepick scars got the least amount of improvement. Also people with darker skin got less improvement than people with lighter skin.
When I was going through the process of my initial consultations I asked for dermabrasion to be done, but each time I was told they would use a laser, either CO2 or Fraxel. All of the clinics I went to listed dermabrasion on their website, but I guess it's just there to help google searches? So now I wonder if anybody even does dermabrasion anymore because maybe the profit in using laser is so much better. But would dermabrasion be better for a patient with rolling scars? Just something I wonder about.
I will post pics when I get them from the clinic. If they give me paper photos, is there a place I can take them to have them put on CD?
Thats actually encourgaging!!! thank you.........im just getting frustrated and just wnat to be over these treatments, at least if I was seeing results it would be easier to keep going.
But since im already half there, im gonna continue with the 4th, 5th, 6th.......
I really hope youre right about the improvements....
im sooo frustrated.........5 days after my 3rd Fraxel.........and im not seeing any results....where are my dramatic improvements????
I hate going through this hiding out from everyone all wk..............and i still have 2 more treatments......I need a miracle.......
this has been said OVER and OVER again, you will not see 'dramatic improvements' after your 3rd fraxel. or even any improvements. wait until your 4th, 5th, and 6th to see improvements. i am seeing great improvements now a month after my 5th fraxel. i definitely saw MINIMUM improvements after my 3rd.
you must be prepared to go all the way with this treatment or not bother with it at all.
Yes, you need to. There's no point in leaving at this stage. Its like saying finish your treatment - even though u may feel better by the third day of taking antibiotics, it is necessary to finish the full course ....
Also, one thing that I notice YouandMe is that your treatment levels are pretty low. Unless you're dark-skinned, I'm not sure why your doc won't increase your treatment levels - try 70MJ and treatment level 7 or 8. Make it clear to your doctor that you are not happy with the results so far and would like to increase the energy level.
Thats actually encourgaging!!! thank you.........im just getting frustrated and just wnat to be over these treatments, at least if I was seeing results it would be easier to keep going.
But since im already half there, im gonna continue with the 4th, 5th, 6th.......
I really hope youre right about the improvements....
im sooo frustrated.........5 days after my 3rd Fraxel.........and im not seeing any results....where are my dramatic improvements????
I hate going through this hiding out from everyone all wk..............and i still have 2 more treatments......I need a miracle.......
this has been said OVER and OVER again, you will not see 'dramatic improvements' after your 3rd fraxel. or even any improvements. wait until your 4th, 5th, and 6th to see improvements. i am seeing great improvements now a month after my 5th fraxel. i definitely saw MINIMUM improvements after my 3rd.
you must be prepared to go all the way with this treatment or not bother with it at all.
Hi...I had severe scarring on my right cheek primarily and I have had five fraxels done starting last september. I have seen great improvement in my scars. They are not perfect, they are much smoother and in most lighting they look Sooo much better. I am going back for a sixth one the third week of February and I will ask my doc for the pictures so I can scan them and post them here because it might encourage people to get fraxel done. She is recommending one more after my treatment at the end of February so that will make seven total. It is expensive, and it hurts but it is sooo worth it. I'm so glad I begged my mom to shell out the money for this. I feel so much more confident and I am not always covering my face with my hair or even wearing makeup as much. Hang in there it takes time to see the improvement.
I am so happy that you are all offering encouragement, I think my frustration was from my secret hopes that all the scaring will be gone, and when you initially come out of the treatment you are so swollen that the scars look great....then a few days later you are back to normal... 
imjayhawk: I am darker skinned I would say something around maybe Eva Mendez or Jessica alba....so my derm would not even recommend the CO2 laser after the fraxel.....they gave me a bleaching cream but so far I have not had any problems or had to use it...... im hoping that the fractional CO2 laser will be ok for me though as I will look to that next if these Fraxels dont give me the results I want.....
They are increasing my settings to 55MJ next treatment, so at least I have hit the 1/2 way mark and can only see results from here!!!
Thank you all again!
I am so happy that you are all offering encouragement, I think my frustration was from my secret hopes that all the scaring will be gone, and when you initially come out of the treatment you are so swollen that the scars look great....then a few days later you are back to normal... 🙁imjayhawk: I am darker skinned I would say something around maybe Eva Mendez or Jessica alba....so my derm would not even recommend the CO2 laser after the fraxel.....they gave me a bleaching cream but so far I have not had any problems or had to use it...... im hoping that the fractional CO2 laser will be ok for me though as I will look to that next if these Fraxels dont give me the results I want.....
They are increasing my settings to 55MJ next treatment, so at least I have hit the 1/2 way mark and can only see results from here!!!
Thank you all again!
YouandMe,
Why are you doing so few passes? Most doctors start at 8 passes? Also, are you using fraxel 1 or fraxel 2? Fraxel 2 gives you better results. I have the same skin color as you if your skin color is like Eva Mendez or Jessica Alba. I am seeing good results with no pigmentation problems so far, but I do wear a hat if I am in the sun. 55mj sounds like a good setting, but make sure that they do at least 8 passes.
Will Fraxel help my scarring pictured below?ohmygosh imjayhawk, we have similar scarring!
From the looks of it your scarring looks a lot less severe then imjayhawk. While you both will have improvement with fraxel I think your scars are the type that will have great improvement they look like scarred pores not very deep or large and they are not close to one another. I honestly believe you can have great results.
dermabrasion!
they are performing the real deal dermabrasion procedure at the Manhattan Eye & Ear Hospital, in the plastic surgery center....
i had 2 dermabrasions in my life.....the 1st one i had done there....and it was by FAR the best thing for ice-pick scars.....my left cheek was full of them, and i was treated by a Dr. Sosa (or Sousa)....it was the first time he had ever performed the procedure (i think that manhattan eye and ear is a teaching hospital or something)....anyway i think he went super deep (probably because he was a brand new doctor, and saw me crying with misery over my skin and felt bad for me, and hadnt lost that "help the world" attitude).....and most of my icepicks were gone after i healed, and the ones that were left were almost level.......
after that i had another dermabrasion done by a more experienced doctor(because i couldnt find dr. sousa) at another facility on park avenue, and i had NO difference in my skin....so u need a very brave doctor......but keep in mind that dermabasion in the hands of an inexperienced doctor ( i didnt know at the time that dr. sousa was still learning to be a doctor and i was his first dermabrasion....lol....but knowing the state of mind i was in at the time, i probably would have gone ahead with it anyway....) can be a disaster....i think i was lucky....
but the doctors will tell u that dermabrasion isnt done anymore, and that CO2 is the more advanced version of it....but i say if u really want it, u definitely need to get it done...
bottom line: that 1st dermabrasion was the most dramatic improvement ive seen in my skin out of any procedure.....and i also had 2 Co2 resurfacings which did NOTHING.....
I had my first Fraxel Treatment two weeks ago today.
January 16, 2008
TREATMENT 1 - 8 passes Setting 6 Energy 40 (only used a 4 setting on my forehead)
Used a needle to scrape inside my cheeks to break up scar tissue
2 advil - 1 codeine - 2 ativan - topical lidocane ----Tetracyclin taken for 1 week before and after to prevent breakouts. Also take Diane birthcontrol.
Day 1: After treatment applied Cortison/60 Sunscreen a Night applied Cortison
The needle didnat hurt. It felt like little pricks. No bruising at all! Just swelling after.
During treatment I could feel tingling/stinging. It got a little painful but not unbearable after the fourth pass. Skin was red, a little hot, and swollen after but not painful. Used topical cortison cream that was given to help with the redness.
Day 2: Morning applied Cortison/60 Suscreen a Night applied Cortison.
Not painful at all but still a little swollen and pink. My skin feels a little rough to the touch. Didnat want to go to yoga today because Iam still a little swollen. I think the next time I am going to ask if we can be a little more aggressive.
Day 3: Morning Cortison/60 Sunscreen a Night Cortison
Swelling is gone. Just the little area on my cheeks where she used te needle is still swollen. Now I just look like I have a sunburn but it doesnat feel like it at all. My forehead doesnat look like anything was done to it, probably because a lower setting was used. This is definiately not even close to what I thought it was going to be. I put self-tanner on my neck and shoulders so there wouldnat be such a hue difference in colour. But to be honest I really donat care what anyone thinks. I definitely look really greasy from all the stuff on my face, lol.
Day 4: Morning Hydraphase UV30 a Early evening Emu Oil
Swelling is completely gone. You canat tell I had anything done. Just a little pinkish but barely. Doesnat look like I had anything done. Donat have any bronzing but who knows, that might come later. My skin feels like very fine sandpaper and I can see a few little tiny flakes but nothing noticable unless you are 2 inches from my face.
Day 8
The past few days my skin was feeling a little rough and was a bit pink at times but now it is like I havenat had anything done. Had a few little surface pimples but nothing serious. My skin has almost completely exfoliated and is almost back to feeling smooth. Donat notice any difference in my skin yet but itas just been the first treatment. I stopped taking the TETRACYLIN today but will start again one week before my next treatment.
Every day after: Morning - La Roche Posay Hydraphase UV Moisturiser ----Night - Neostrata Vitamin C Serum & Emu Oil.
It's day 15 and my skin is back to normal. I have seen come improvement but I don't think this is normal. I think the reason I see improvement is because she did subsicion as well. My next treatment is next Tuesday. I will post pics when I have time. My scarring is not severe....I would say it is moderate with a few icepick, fibrotic, and soft rolling scars on my cheeks and forehead. I will keep posting with my results.
ok so i have a few questions about fraxel 2 please bear with me if these questions have already been answered previously..... this thread is almost 300 pages long....
would you guys say that you are generally satisfied with your results?
have any of you experienced more scarring from fraxel 1 or 2?
have any of you experienced orange peel skin from fraxel 1 or 2?
how many of you have had 0% improvement from fraxel 1 or 2?
does fraxel help correct enlarged pores and orange peel skin texture permanently?
Oh yeah, wanted to add one more thing. I notcied someone asking about blackheads in this thread way back at the begining. I noticed that the blackheads that were on my nose are gone, I assume the laser zapped them. The open pores were left behind, and since I've washed, the pores have closed back up. I can't wait to see what it looks like in a couple of days.BTW, I'm male, 42 years old, very fair skin. I haven't had acne since probably 1991 or 92.
keep us posted!!! i have tons of blackheads. hope the fraxel zaps them!! tell us if the blackheads go away completely.
😀 supergirl
SUPERGIRL - Just gotta tell you to try the infamous aspirin mask for blackheads - so much easier, gentler & cheaper than Fraxel! For about 3 weeks, I used this mask approach every other night, leaving it on until a.m. Nothing improved for a while, so I quit the masks, figuring it was another old wives' tale - since then, I've had 3 very stubborn, decades old blackheads disappear!! Honestly, over the YEARS, I've tried so many other things to clear these blackheads away to no avail. Try the aspirin mask!!
Hey guys, I tried to stay connected with this post but I don't visit this site like I use to (which is a good thing for us to do). Here is an update, I definately think that Fraxel is worth to try. My skin is far worse 2-3 years back. I also feel more confident & relaxed with myself now as my scars improved. I no longer struggle to find what works and don't on this forum (You can view my old post for history). Athough my skin isn't perfect (in my eyes) but its good to finally find something that works. As of now I am most concern with 1 excision scar (on my left cheek). For me having that excision done was a big mistake and now it is the most visible scar on my entire face. However, I am spot treating it w/ 15-20% TCA. Also all the people who is new to Fraxel needs to be patient b/c you would probably need more than 5 standard treatments or after 6 month to see best results. I'm brave enough and attached 3 photos of me. Update & Update2 are taken 4 month ago (~Sept. 07). Update3 was taken 2 weeks back. I think my skin has imporved even more (espcially my pores). Most of these potos you can't see my scars unlike before. If ne one asks for my old pix., I don't have them. I've been deleting them as my skin improves XD. I think it is about time I pay respect to this site for all the good and bad experiences. My future plan is going for a VBeam treatment next month and continue w/ Fraxel once a month. Maybe after my 10 treatments I'll give my skin a break. I'm glad i'm able to share my updates with everyone and best of luck and don't give up! Hopefully my next post will be a success story just like all the others I've read and has kept me motivated.
Ps: I will take these photos down in few days. I hope this will help keep everyone's spirits up.
PPs: If anyone questions, these photos has not been photo touched either (not an expert in that). I've only used crop on those and lighten the background on "Update 3" photo only.
Hey guys, I tried to stay connected with this post but I don't visit this site like I use to (which is a good thing for us to do). Here is an update, I definately think that Fraxel is worth to try. My skin is far worse 2-3 years back. I also feel more confident & relaxed with myself now as my scars improved. I no longer struggle to find what works and don't on this forum (You can view my old post for history). Athough my skin isn't perfect (in my eyes) but its good to finally find something that works. As of now I am most concern with 1 excision scar (on my left cheek). For me having that excision done was a big mistake and now it is the most visible scar on my entire face. However, I am spot treating it w/ 15-20% TCA. Also all the people who is new to Fraxel needs to be patient b/c you would probably need more than 5 standard treatments or after 6 month to see best results. I'm brave enough and attached 3 photos of me. Update & Update2 are taken 4 month ago (~Sept. 07). Update3 was taken 2 weeks back. I think my skin has imporved even more (espcially my pores). Most of these potos you can't see my scars unlike before. If ne one asks for my old pix., I don't have them. I've been deleting them as my skin improves XD. I think it is about time I pay respect to this site for all the good and bad experiences. My future plan is going for a VBeam treatment next month and continue w/ Fraxel once a month. Maybe after my 10 treatments I'll give my skin a break. I'm glad i'm able to share my updates with everyone and best of luck and don't give up! Hopefully my next post will be a success story just like all the others I've read and has kept me motivated.Ps: I will take these photos down in few days. I hope this will help keep everyone's spirits up.
PPs: If anyone questions, these photos has not been photo touched either (not an expert in that). I've only used crop on those and lighten the background on "Update 3" photo only.
Your skin looks amazing I would really have liked to see a before pic to see hoe bad the scarring was. What kind of scars did you have? and after what treatment did you start to see real improvments?
your skin is gorgeous! I wish I have skin like yours!
Hey guys, I tried to stay connected with this post but I don't visit this site like I use to (which is a good thing for us to do). Here is an update, I definately think that Fraxel is worth to try. My skin is far worse 2-3 years back. I also feel more confident & relaxed with myself now as my scars improved. I no longer struggle to find what works and don't on this forum (You can view my old post for history). Athough my skin isn't perfect (in my eyes) but its good to finally find something that works. As of now I am most concern with 1 excision scar (on my left cheek). For me having that excision done was a big mistake and now it is the most visible scar on my entire face. However, I am spot treating it w/ 15-20% TCA. Also all the people who is new to Fraxel needs to be patient b/c you would probably need more than 5 standard treatments or after 6 month to see best results. I'm brave enough and attached 3 photos of me. Update & Update2 are taken 4 month ago (~Sept. 07). Update3 was taken 2 weeks back. I think my skin has imporved even more (espcially my pores). Most of these potos you can't see my scars unlike before. If ne one asks for my old pix., I don't have them. I've been deleting them as my skin improves XD. I think it is about time I pay respect to this site for all the good and bad experiences. My future plan is going for a VBeam treatment next month and continue w/ Fraxel once a month. Maybe after my 10 treatments I'll give my skin a break. I'm glad i'm able to share my updates with everyone and best of luck and don't give up! Hopefully my next post will be a success story just like all the others I've read and has kept me motivated.
Ps: I will take these photos down in few days. I hope this will help keep everyone's spirits up.
PPs: If anyone questions, these photos has not been photo touched either (not an expert in that). I've only used crop on those and lighten the background on "Update 3" photo only.
Hey guys, I tried to stay connected with this post but I don't visit this site like I use to (which is a good thing for us to do). Here is an update, I definately think that Fraxel is worth to try. My skin is far worse 2-3 years back. I also feel more confident & relaxed with myself now as my scars improved. I no longer struggle to find what works and don't on this forum (You can view my old post for history). Athough my skin isn't perfect (in my eyes) but its good to finally find something that works. As of now I am most concern with 1 excision scar (on my left cheek). For me having that excision done was a big mistake and now it is the most visible scar on my entire face. However, I am spot treating it w/ 15-20% TCA. Also all the people who is new to Fraxel needs to be patient b/c you would probably need more than 5 standard treatments or after 6 month to see best results. I'm brave enough and attached 3 photos of me. Update & Update2 are taken 4 month ago (~Sept. 07). Update3 was taken 2 weeks back. I think my skin has imporved even more (espcially my pores). Most of these potos you can't see my scars unlike before. If ne one asks for my old pix., I don't have them. I've been deleting them as my skin improves XD. I think it is about time I pay respect to this site for all the good and bad experiences. My future plan is going for a VBeam treatment next month and continue w/ Fraxel once a month. Maybe after my 10 treatments I'll give my skin a break. I'm glad i'm able to share my updates with everyone and best of luck and don't give up! Hopefully my next post will be a success story just like all the others I've read and has kept me motivated.Ps: I will take these photos down in few days. I hope this will help keep everyone's spirits up.
PPs: If anyone questions, these photos has not been photo touched either (not an expert in that). I've only used crop on those and lighten the background on "Update 3" photo only.
congratulations your skin is really lovely! I would be greatly interested in how you found the experience with fraxel repair in general (eg pain, recovery time etc) and whether you felt it lead to a greater improvement than fraxel 2 or not? You seem to be one of the few people who have had considerable experience with both and your feedback on this would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
C2