My old photos were aweful lookin. I use to post them up quite often on this forum and vent about my messed up life! Now i have to admit that my skin looks alot better both tone and texture wise. It use to be extremely red (hyper-pigmented) and scars were very much indented. I believe Fraxel was the catalyst to my improvement.

You won't see a significant improvement until after your 5th treatment and then more on the following months. Now that I checked, it has been little more than 1 year since my first treatment. So pretty big improvements in that amount of time. I thought it will take many many years to heal. I did take a break from Fraxel after 5th treatment and was using OBAGI.

Another contributor would be using Apeel regiously. I tried to let my skin peel at least once a week. Applying yellow cream on my skin over night for 2 nights and wait for it to peel (usualy on 3rd day). This is done during warm seasons. I haven't use much of it for Winter because it actually hurts/irritates my skin after peeling. But I've been through hell looking awful 3 days of the week (after your skin peel, if you have scars it well look more visible until new top layers grow back).

There are still scars on my face. Most of them are lightly indented, can't tell unless you come extremely close or feel it w/ my own index figure. I hate being seen under the lights at shopping malls. Also I still have my bad days and get stress out but not as intense as before.

I wore makeup in the first 2 photos or file name Update & Update2 (Sorry, forgot to mention that earlier). And didn't know the first photo was that large! The third photo I didn't wear any but it isn't a close enough photo. I took it to see how i look in my outfit to wear for upcoming holiday. I do have a big surgical scar on the left side of my cheek. I usually spot treat it w/ TCA and it looks more level as the area dries up. However, I only wear very light makeup. I've been using ALMAY Smart Shade (Light/Medium) and now Maybelline pure makeup.

The type of scars that I've had were ice picks, couple boxcar scars, shallow rolling scars I believe and of course surgical scars. I also made many mistakes with TCA Cross (lost so much sleep through that experience!), regular TCA peel (25% and up), Glycolic (60%). I made my skin alot worse by treating it on my own. Even though I did get some good results at times but most of the time It did more harm then good. Sometimes it takes several tries to get a good result and thats after I created new scars in other areas.

I try to stay away from this site because I am easily influence try things that I read & testimonies on produts that works. I remember I was debating on whether to scrape my face w/ sand paper and trying out Dermabrasion from Dr. Y. I glad there were others around who put some sense into me. I did research online about treatments overseas. And there were many many more things that i've tried (Copper peptide, scar topicals, n more)

At least with Fraxel I never got any new scars. So you can say it is safe. And I learned never to get my scars excised by a dermatologist. Even though she is the same doctor i've been seeing but I wouldn't trust her w/ any cutting procedures. Also my doctors admit that I've come a long way compare to the first time i saw her.

I can't really do a comparison between the 2 Fraxel systems. It is still too early for me to see any improvements with Repair. I've only tried 3 Fraxel repair so far and in ~1 month apart. I probably will be seeing more improvements in few more months. Also I wonder about the diminishing returns of having multiple treatments mentioned on here. I am still wondering about it myself. I'll let you know once I am more sure. But you will see results even with lower settings. Of course the higher the better especially for your deep scars. Also with Re:pair, the setting goes up to over 100!!! My doctor has took photos of my progress, when I get the chance, I will request a copy of them. But I'm not making ne promises as i am not looking forward to seeing it. I hope these info. are helpful to you guys. Also you can PM me, I'll try to share more photos w/ you.

Sandyg1: My doctor does all over my face horizontally then veritically......so thats 2 passes....then on my problem areas (upper cheeks) he runs the wand a few extra times on those.

I cant imagine 8 passes sounds excruciating....

Oh yea...its Fraxel 2 no blue dye....

hmmm...it sounds like maybe that is 4 passes ( if your doctor is doing it right he is doing a back and forth stroke, which is automatically 2 passes, horizontally, then vertically, which makes it 4 passes). regardless, 8-10 passes is STANDARD. there is no way you can get the amount of coverage you need with each treatment with 2 or 4 passes. you are basically getting 1/4 to 1/2 of the coverage that everyone who is getting 8 passes is getting. how much are you paying? that's really negligent of your doctor to not do the protocol on number of passes!!!!! there is no way you will get the results you need with only 2 (or 4) passes.

this is my left side which is my worst side.

this is my left side which is my worst side.

First off thanks for posting pics. How many fraxel treatments are you planning on having? I ask because I have 2 very similar scars to yours and am planning on having fraxel done myself, they look like rolling scars that seem worse when looked at angles or shade. In the second photo you can barely see the scarring once seen at full view.

Has anyone had any success with this type of scarring after undergoing fraxel?

this is my left side which is my worst side.

First off thanks for posting pics. How many fraxel treatments are you planning on having? I ask because I have 2 very similar scars to yours and am planning on having fraxel done myself, they look like rolling scars that seem worse when looked at angles or shade. In the second photo you can barely see the scarring once seen at full view.

Has anyone had any success with this type of scarring after undergoing fraxel?

 

Hi nate28,

I had scarring like sherlock along with ice pick and box scars. I had scarring like her left cheek but a lot worse and more deeper in some areas on my right cheek. The ice pick scars I have were more concentrated right above both of my cheeks. I also have a box scar on my chin along a lot rolling scars. My chin is now smooth, with the exception of my box scar and a deep shallow scar.

I've had 3 fraxel2 treatments and I've had the best improvement on the scars just like sherlock's. Some of the scars are gone and some are still there. They seem to be filling in. Many of the areas of my face are smooth, but you can still see some of the scares.

I plan on posting pictures, but want to wait for my 5th treatment.

I have 3-4x worse scars than sherlock, I am planing to have my 1st Fraxel in this month~ I am confident about Fraxel~ I am expecting at least 15%+ heal for each session...

I have 3-4x worse scars than sherlock, I am planing to have my 1st Fraxel in this month~ I am confident about Fraxel~ I am expecting at least 15%+ heal for each session...

Your expectations are too high in my opinion\experience.

I didnt really see my results until a bit after my 5th(and last)... as the months went by after my 5th the results showed..

about 20-25% improvement I would see without adding any sugar on top.

I had five fraxel laser treatments for acne scars over a year ago. I have included my treatment regimen and fraxel settings in my signature.

It was not worth it. While it smoothed my skin about 5% tops, it created a major problem with post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH).

I have olive skin and have been battling the negative effects of this discoloration.

Now I am back to using fillers for the scars and thankfully they help a lot. I know that in order to be happy with myself; I will have to get these temporary injections probably every two to three months. Also, I am going to start on a prescribed bleaching cream and I realize that I will have to be very patient, as it can take a year to see results. If that what it takes I will do it. My self-esteem is completely worth it and it saves a lot of money on therapy!!!!

I wasted money on fraxel and it created more problems. But the lure of this option to "cure" the scars was too attractive to pass up. All I am saying is buyer beware.

While it may help some people, I think it is being hyped way too much. It is a big moneymaker for cosmetic surgeons and dermatologists and is touted as the best non-invasive treatment for acne scarring; the new gold standard.

I am posting this to warn people to be very careful. Now I still have scars and have an added problem of hyperpigmentation. BTW, I have been extremely careful about sun exposure and wear a sunscreen every day no matter what time of year and if the sun is out or not and still had problems develop.

Just be careful. There is not a perfect solution for acne scarring. It helps to be informed, but difficult sometimes when you can't find much information regarding the risks of this treatment. That is why I wanted to let you know what my experience has been.

Good luck!

Anne

I had five fraxel laser treatments for acne scars over a year ago. I have included my treatment regimen and fraxel settings in my signature.

It was not worth it. While it smoothed my skin about 5% tops, it created a major problem with post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH).

I have olive skin and have been battling the negative effects of this discoloration.

Now I am back to using fillers for the scars and thankfully they help a lot. I know that in order to be happy with myself; I will have to get these temporary injections probably every two to three months. Also, I am going to start on a prescribed bleaching cream and I realize that I will have to be very patient, as it can take a year to see results. If that what it takes I will do it. My self-esteem is completely worth it and it saves a lot of money on therapy!!!!

I wasted money on fraxel and it created more problems. But the lure of this option to "cure" the scars was too attractive to pass up. All I am saying is buyer beware.

While it may help some people, I think it is being hyped way too much. It is a big moneymaker for cosmetic surgeons and dermatologists and is touted as the best non-invasive treatment for acne scarring; the new gold standard.

I am posting this to warn people to be very careful. Now I still have scars and have an added problem of hyperpigmentation. BTW, I have been extremely careful about sun exposure and wear a sunscreen every day no matter what time of year and if the sun is out or not and still had problems develop.

Just be careful. There is not a perfect solution for acne scarring. It helps to be informed, but difficult sometimes when you can't find much information regarding the risks of this treatment. That is why I wanted to let you know what my experience has been.

Good luck!

Anne

Looks like you had fraxel 1?

Wow, i guess it might not work for everyone. I remember starting my treatments before you did. I am curious where Billyboy and everyone else's (started about the same period as me) result is like. Best of luck to you.

I had five fraxel laser treatments for acne scars over a year ago. I have included my treatment regimen and fraxel settings in my signature.

 

It was not worth it. While it smoothed my skin about 5% tops, it created a major problem with post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH).

 

I have olive skin and have been battling the negative effects of this discoloration.

 

Now I am back to using fillers for the scars and thankfully they help a lot. I know that in order to be happy with myself; I will have to get these temporary injections probably every two to three months. Also, I am going to start on a prescribed bleaching cream and I realize that I will have to be very patient, as it can take a year to see results. If that what it takes I will do it. My self-esteem is completely worth it and it saves a lot of money on therapy!!!!

 

I wasted money on fraxel and it created more problems. But the lure of this option to "cure" the scars was too attractive to pass up. All I am saying is buyer beware.

 

While it may help some people, I think it is being hyped way too much. It is a big moneymaker for cosmetic surgeons and dermatologists and is touted as the best non-invasive treatment for acne scarring; the new gold standard.

 

I am posting this to warn people to be very careful. Now I still have scars and have an added problem of hyperpigmentation. BTW, I have been extremely careful about sun exposure and wear a sunscreen every day no matter what time of year and if the sun is out or not and still had problems develop.

 

Just be careful. There is not a perfect solution for acne scarring. It helps to be informed, but difficult sometimes when you can't find much information regarding the risks of this treatment. That is why I wanted to let you know what my experience has been.

 

 

Good luck!

Anne

 

 

 

 

annde1229 -- I think your Fraxel settings were too weak to do any good.

I agree, 20MJ is kindda low for treating scars. I think my doctor has become more experienced and even suggested that I go 70 MJ and up.

this is my left side which is my worst side.

I had scars that look like that too (wavy like). I still have them but they are more smooth and leveled. But the first picture remind me of what I use to look like when I took pictures in the same angle. It will look better once you have new collagen produced in those depressed areas.

I'm around, but busy. I had 6 fraxels with the 750 and 2 with the 1500. I think the 1500 works way better for scarring and we did not go as deep as most of the recent posters. My Doc and fraxel rep did not want to use a higher fluency on me. Yesterday, my office took some head shots of me to put in a client proposal. I may post them - little hesitant. You can't see any scarring in photos anyway.

I am between Anne and MZ. I got maybe 20% improvement in scarring (hopefully I will see some more, as I just had my strongest treatment), but a big improvement in color, rejuvenation and texture. This was way below my expectations, but I am still happy. Here are my subjective grades:

SR 750: C reflects time and cost in relation to weak results on scarring but great results in rejuvenation. No complications.

SR 1500: B reflects better perceived results

I doubt I will do more. If I don't get much improvement from last, i will fold. If I get a big improvement, I will be happy. There is a middle result where I might draw another card.

I dont understand why so many people are giving in to doctors using such low MJs for treatment. But this leads me to ask a couple questions concerning that issue.

a) I'm a 20 yr old male with minimal but annoying scarring and I was wondering how painful this treatment really is? I've had TCA peels and stuff like that and those are very tolerable. I feel like 70 MJ and even 75 MJs, which mz has had done, sounds very painful considering most people are doing 20 MJs to 50 MJs usually.

b) How important is it to add that extra power? I mean can it get to the point where it changes the effectiveness and purpose of the machine. Its supposed to be fractional and with all the additional power how does the downtime change accordingly?

Thanks guys!

Pain is proportional to total KJs, which is a product of density and mjs of fluence intensity. The density auto dials down, as the intensity level is increased with SR 1500. However, you can override this reduced density to some extent by choosing a higher treatment level.

I was not worried about pain, but did not want to go above a level that my Doc had used becasue I was concerned about a complication - not pain. If you have superficial scarring I would start low to see how you tolerate, more from complication than from pain perspective. First, do no harm...

I dont understand why so many people are giving in to doctors using such low MJs for treatment. But this leads me to ask a couple questions concerning that issue.

a) I'm a 20 yr old male with minimal but annoying scarring and I was wondering how painful this treatment really is? I've had TCA peels and stuff like that and those are very tolerable. I feel like 70 MJ and even 75 MJs, which mz has had done, sounds very painful considering most people are doing 20 MJs to 50 MJs usually.

b) How important is it to add that extra power? I mean can it get to the point where it changes the effectiveness and purpose of the machine. Its supposed to be fractional and with all the additional power how does the downtime change accordingly?

Thanks guys!

The downtime is less for Re:pair because I am only doing spot treatment on scarred areas. My doctor only does 2 passes per cheek as I don't want to look unpresentable the following Monday.

The first 5 treatment, you can check the number of passes on my signature. But It took me ~6 days to heal and look presentable enough to public. Then ~2 weeks too look normal and less irriated. I use to always peel on the 5th day (the dead skin flakes right off my face).

There is no difference in the pain, maybe it is due to better numbing cream my doctor switched to. You'll have to find out for yourself as everyone is different. Although, I am known to have sensitive skin and I handled it just fine.

I didn't see any significant improvement until my 4th treatment. Fraxel has helped me alot because all my scars were use to be red. Now I see new collagen growing in those areas which is a way for me to tell whether theres change or not.

I don't regret doing Fraxel so that is all I can say. But don't expect any immediate result and expect many treatments.

It's nice to hear for you Billyboy. I'm happy that you're skin is getting better as well.

Hi everyone thanks for your input. My point is that if I went to higher settings, I would have really been in trouble. I am olive toned and the fraxel laser caused more problems with major skin discoloration that I did not have before. They warned me that because I have a darker skin tone, I could produce more melanin, creating the problem. So if I had gone to higher settings, I would have had a terrible situation!

So all I am saying is that what is helpful to some, can be harmful to others. Just be careful.

Billyboy and MZ it is nice to hear from you again. Also, thanks for your thoughts to all those who responded. I just want everyone to be very careful. It is not as harmless as it is advertised. There are risks that everyone should be aware of.

Anne

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.

Hi to all - can't seem to see the pictures - any suggestions how to view? TIA.

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.

Hi to all - can't seem to see the pictures - any suggestions how to view? TIA.

 

I already took em off. You can pm me. I'll share em w/ u.

I had my 1st Fraxel 2 4 days ago. The redness was gone 2 days after the treatment. Now the scars seem to look much better than before. Is it because of swelling? But I don't feel the non-scarred area treated with fraxel has swelling. Is it supposed that only the scarred part has swelling only right after Fraxel?

Also, I don't know what do treatment level, no. of passes and energy fluency mean. What are their meanings?I only know I started at 35MJ. Is that high enough?

I was wondering if fillers would work on the type of scarring sherlock had or is fraxel a better bet?

Hi everyone, I have had my fraxel done 3 days ago. I was just wondering howcome I havent started peeling yet? My skin looks leathery on the cheeks where they repeatedly used the laser, where the scarring is worse. I also have some blotches of raised brown spots that looked like wound scars. They are not painful though, my face now just feels tight.

The first 2 days I looked like a SMURF with all the swelling and the blue dye they applied on my face.

I had an energy setting of 8/125 (or so i was told. didnt even know what it means).

Also, I was instructed to apply HYDROQUINONE for 2 weeks and was asked to stop it a week before procedure. Is this normal for the rest of you guys or just for brown colored skin?

Hi everyone, I have had my fraxel done 3 days ago. I was just wondering howcome I havent started peeling yet? My skin looks leathery on the cheeks where they repeatedly used the laser, where the scarring is worse. I also have some blotches of raised brown spots that looked like wound scars. They are not painful though, my face now just feels tight.

The first 2 days I looked like a SMURF with all the swelling and the blue dye they applied on my face.

I had an energy setting of 8/125 (or so i was told. didnt even know what it means).

Also, I was instructed to apply HYDROQUINONE for 2 weeks and was asked to stop it a week before procedure. Is this normal for the rest of you guys or just for brown colored skin?

Everyone peels at his/her own pace.

The settings you posted imply that you are getting the first generation fraxel. if you can, get at least the second generation fraxel -- results have generally been better w/ fraxel 2 vs. fraxel 1.

this is my left side which is my worst side.

First off thanks for posting pics. How many fraxel treatments are you planning on having? I ask because I have 2 very similar scars to yours and am planning on having fraxel done myself, they look like rolling scars that seem worse when looked at angles or shade. In the second photo you can barely see the scarring once seen at full view.

Has anyone had any success with this type of scarring after undergoing fraxel?

 

i'm planning on doing 5 treatments but will see how things go. i am have subsicion done immediately prior to the treatment also. i noticed a slight improvement after the first treatment but as i said in a previous post, i think it's because i'm combining subsicion and fraxel2. i just went for my second subsicion and fraxel2 treatment today so i'll keep posting with my progress. 🙂

oh and you are right....in some light you can barely see my scars and in other lighting you can really notice them.