Do the webinars say Fraxel permanently or temporarily damages oil glands?

One webinar said it can permanently damage them. Another said it can target them and inhibit oil production. A foxnews cast on fraxel.com said it can specifically be used to treat acne by damaging oil glands. They show a soccer girl who got it done just for her acne.

Of course everyone knows there is an initial flare up of acne. Probably just from the initial irritation/dryness so your skin trying to moisturize itself. Which is why it goes away pretty quick.

My skin is already super dry from Accutane a few years ago. So I'm worried about Fraxel making it more dry or even giving me eczema. Even with moisturizer 2x day I think it might be a problem . . .

Also wondering if people on Accutane years ago have a worse reaction in the first few weeks after the treatment. Like the British reporter. She was on Accutane twice and had a horrible reaction.

I've seen a lot of questions about how fraxel compares to other fractional lasers. This study compares fraxel with the lux1540. It shows that fraxel goes deeper at lower energy levels than the lux1540 does at higher levels. For instance at 40 MJ the fraxel goes deeper than the lux1540 does at 100 MJ!

http://www.lasermedicalcenter.com/pdfs/HistoAnalysis.pdf

I've be been on 4 different courses of accutane months and years apart and I have had many lasers including 4 fraxels. I've had no probs. I only wish I had gone on accutane sooner so I don't have to deal with these scars. I waited for 6 months AFTER my last dose of accutane for the laser.

yeah, and moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!

I was at the Laser Dermatology Institute in S. California and they quoted me $8,000 for 4 full face Fraxel treatments ($2,000 each). And that was their "special" price.

Can anyone recommend somewhere that's cheaper? I don't mind traveling a 100 or 200 miles to get it done. I'm in the Los Angeles / Orange County area in California.

8,000? Are you kidding me? Here in AZ I'm planning to have a well-respected derm (and Chief of Laser Medicine for the valley) do 5 treatements for 4,000.

 

Wow! That's a whole lot cheaper. I'm glad I found this board before I decided to pay them the 8k.... Hard to believe why they're so much more expensive!

 

Do the webinars say Fraxel permanently or temporarily damages oil glands?

One webinar said it can permanently damage them. Another said it can target them and inhibit oil production. A foxnews cast on fraxel.com said it can specifically be used to treat acne by damaging oil glands. They show a soccer girl who got it done just for her acne.

Of course everyone knows there is an initial flare up of acne. Probably just from the initial irritation/dryness so your skin trying to moisturize itself. Which is why it goes away pretty quick.

My skin is already super dry from Accutane a few years ago. So I'm worried about Fraxel making it more dry or even giving me eczema. Even with moisturizer 2x day I think it might be a problem . . .

Also wondering if people on Accutane years ago have a worse reaction in the first few weeks after the treatment. Like the British reporter. She was on Accutane twice and had a horrible reaction.

 

i was on accutane years and years ago (prob 18 years or something...LOL that they are still promoting it so much!!!) and only had the standard small milia-type breakout after fraxel treatments (small small pustules that dried up really fast and flaked right off).

now that it's been several months since my last treatment, though, i can say that my skin has been remarkably clear. i was definitely breaking out a lot more before i had fraxel done.

also, my skin has definitely improved from the treatments (i really can't give a percentage because the docs office lost the before photos and the ones i took with my moms really bad digital camera do not show enough scar detail). i did, though, get some hyperpigmentation which showed up as brown spots under my eyes and on my nose. i'm having some success treating that with meladerma, which i think is also helping fade the residual redness that was there, but it is a slow process and so hopefully when the hyperpigmentation is gone i can comment more about my treatment outcome. (my family and a couple of friends who knew i was getting it done have said that my skin looks better, but it's hard to see that, we all know, when you look at your skin every day and critique it so much 🙂 ).

oh and accutane contributed GREATLY to me having scars, and it is known for doing this. i wish people would not promote it so much without also addressing the known side effects. the years spent treating scars are far worse than the years treating acne (and i have had both to a degree for a long time now, but the scars are much more emotionally damaging).

Have you noticed your skin has been drier though? Less oily?

Is the Fraxel "Restore", the same as Fraxel 2?? They recently got Fraxel in my area. I was looking for a relative and accidently typed in my zipcode and found they now have 2 places here which offer Fraxel "Restore". Is this one of the good ones.

I called about a package, and it is around 2500.00 for 5 treatments. They do the neck also for 3500.00. I think I may do it. Not only do I have some scarring, but also for age related issues, I thought it may help as well.

I am kind of excited. I do want to keep my costs under 3000. and asked if I could get the neck treated only 2 times with the face.

Should I ask for aggressive treatments since it seems most people with the good results had the highter settings???

I havn't scheduled an appointment yet and am still considering it but think I will.

It is alot of $$$, do most people think it is worth it?????????

Have you noticed your skin has been drier though? Less oily?

i'm not dry but not oily. it's like it's the perfect balance, actually. since it's not the dog days of summer yet though i can't really say if i'm producing less oil. i'll let you know in a couple of months!

Is the Fraxel "Restore", the same as Fraxel 2?? They recently got Fraxel in my area. I was looking for a relative and accidently typed in my zipcode and found they now have 2 places here which offer Fraxel "Restore". Is this one of the good ones.

I called about a package, and it is around 2500.00 for 5 treatments. They do the neck also for 3500.00. I think I may do it. Not only do I have some scarring, but also for age related issues, I thought it may help as well.

I am kind of excited. I do want to keep my costs under 3000. and asked if I could get the neck treated only 2 times with the face.

Should I ask for aggressive treatments since it seems most people with the good results had the highter settings???

I havn't scheduled an appointment yet and am still considering it but think I will.

It is alot of $$$, do most people think it is worth it?????????

yes, fraxel re:store is fraxel 2.

fraxel re:pair is the new C02 one.

that's a great price, by the way. that's the deal i got, as well.

Yes, accutane makes your skin and lips and eyes dry! Skin can become scaly too. I used TONS of moisturizer. It helps. I also use a sunscreen on top of my moisturizer.Once you are off it, your skin returns to normal ..but I think less oily than before for me.

just did my 2nd fraxel treatment today... the derm went extra strong on the cheeks cos its where its the most heavily scarred. i hope i'm gonna start to see some positive changes soon!

UPDATE: 2 months after my 11th fraxel:

........i am STILL on antibiotics 3 times a day to control post fraxel breakouts.........i went from being totally clear pre-fraxel, and completely free of any acne medication for the last 10 years, to being on antibiotics to control break outs post fraxel..............i must say though that i believe that the break outs mean that the skin is still healing from the laser deep inside............im pretty sure that as the dermis heals up the skin will go back to normal non-break out status.........i will keep everyone informed on the answer to the question of whether or not fraxel reactivates acne.......i will need another 3 months though before i can answer the question.....

as for my next step, i am waiting a five month period to see the maximum of the benefits from all of these fraxels.....i will not do any more lasering for another 3 months......

if i am still not happy with my skin after the next 3 months (which will be a total of 5 months after my last fraxel), im going to do the Fraxel Re:pair.....

i feel absolutely exhausted from dealing with this....i am soooo jealous of people who never have had to deal with any of this......whenever i see a person with normal perfect skin bitching about something or complaing and miserable about some stupid trivial thing, my jealousy almost over powers me.....i cant help but wonder what those spoiled assholes would do with themselves if they had to deal with what i have to deal with.......

holy crap... 11 fraxel sessions??????????

wow you must be rich. haha..

i thought most people just did 5 and settled with that. any reason why you happened to do so many?

has your skin improved much over what i'm presuming was over a year of fraxel-ing? what scars did you have?

wow

UPDATE: 2 months after my 11th fraxel:

........i am STILL on antibiotics 3 times a day to control post fraxel breakouts.........i went from being totally clear pre-fraxel, and completely free of any acne medication for the last 10 years, to being on antibiotics to control break outs post fraxel..............i must say though that i believe that the break outs mean that the skin is still healing from the laser deep inside............im pretty sure that as the dermis heals up the skin will go back to normal non-break out status.........i will keep everyone informed on the answer to the question of whether or not fraxel reactivates acne.......i will need another 3 months though before i can answer the question.....

as for my next step, i am waiting a five month period to see the maximum of the benefits from all of these fraxels.....i will not do any more lasering for another 3 months......

if i am still not happy with my skin after the next 3 months (which will be a total of 5 months after my last fraxel), im going to do the Fraxel Re:pair.....

i feel absolutely exhausted from dealing with this....i am soooo jealous of people who never have had to deal with any of this......whenever i see a person with normal perfect skin bitching about something or complaing and miserable about some stupid trivial thing, my jealousy almost over powers me.....i cant help but wonder what those spoiled assholes would do with themselves if they had to deal with what i have to deal with.......

How big are your pimples? I want to go on fraxel more than anything in the world, but I'm afraid my acne may be resurrected. If I get a pimple that last about a week, I will have a hyperpigmented scar there for several months, that's why I can't afford to start breaking out again otherwise my face will be covered in hyperpigmented spots that sometime scar.

effu I feel you. I am definitely envious of perfect skin.

The physical pain from Fraxel is nothing compared with the emotional pain of dealing with these scars.

UPDATE: 2 months after my 11th fraxel:

........i am STILL on antibiotics 3 times a day to control post fraxel breakouts.........i went from being totally clear pre-fraxel, and completely free of any acne medication for the last 10 years, to being on antibiotics to control break outs post fraxel..............i must say though that i believe that the break outs mean that the skin is still healing from the laser deep inside............im pretty sure that as the dermis heals up the skin will go back to normal non-break out status.........i will keep everyone informed on the answer to the question of whether or not fraxel reactivates acne.......i will need another 3 months though before i can answer the question.....

as for my next step, i am waiting a five month period to see the maximum of the benefits from all of these fraxels.....i will not do any more lasering for another 3 months......

if i am still not happy with my skin after the next 3 months (which will be a total of 5 months after my last fraxel), im going to do the Fraxel Re:pair.....

i feel absolutely exhausted from dealing with this....i am soooo jealous of people who never have had to deal with any of this......whenever i see a person with normal perfect skin bitching about something or complaing and miserable about some stupid trivial thing, my jealousy almost over powers me.....i cant help but wonder what those spoiled assholes would do with themselves if they had to deal with what i have to deal with.......

WTF, no wonder your skin is breaking out because your skin has been abused after 11 fraxels. BTW, how bad are your scars? If your scars are moderate-mild and you haven't reached atleast a 50% after your 11th session then your doctor is doing something wrong and you should consider going to someone else.

Yes, accutane makes your skin and lips and eyes dry! Skin can become scaly too. I used TONS of moisturizer. It helps. I also use a sunscreen on top of my moisturizer.Once you are off it, your skin returns to normal ..but I think less oily than before for me.

I've been off Accutane for two years. I keep waiting for my skin to "return to normal" but it never has. I've had eczema and extremely sensitive skin that started in the middle of my Accutane course and never went away.

To give you an idea, I can't even take showers without a terrible eczema flare up. I have to wear special silk/polyester clothes inside-out so the seams don't irritate me. I have to sleep in special sheets and use a special industrial humidifier in my room.

The only saving grace is that my face is still oily. It was always the oiliest part of my body so it's not nearly as dry/sensitive now as my body is. But I'm still worried about Fraxel causing dryness. I also want to do Fraxel off the face for stretch marks so I'm worried about that.

I'd almost welcome fraxel induced acne if it were off my face. That would help my skin recover its oil production and reduce this sensitivity!

UPDATE: 2 months after my 11th fraxel:

........i am STILL on antibiotics 3 times a day to control post fraxel breakouts.........i went from being totally clear pre-fraxel, and completely free of any acne medication for the last 10 years, to being on antibiotics to control break outs post fraxel..............i must say though that i believe that the break outs mean that the skin is still healing from the laser deep inside............im pretty sure that as the dermis heals up the skin will go back to normal non-break out status.........i will keep everyone informed on the answer to the question of whether or not fraxel reactivates acne.......i will need another 3 months though before i can answer the question.....

as for my next step, i am waiting a five month period to see the maximum of the benefits from all of these fraxels.....i will not do any more lasering for another 3 months......

if i am still not happy with my skin after the next 3 months (which will be a total of 5 months after my last fraxel), im going to do the Fraxel Re:pair.....

i feel absolutely exhausted from dealing with this....i am soooo jealous of people who never have had to deal with any of this......whenever i see a person with normal perfect skin bitching about something or complaing and miserable about some stupid trivial thing, my jealousy almost over powers me.....i cant help but wonder what those spoiled assholes would do with themselves if they had to deal with what i have to deal with.......

What did Geronemus say about the acne? He seemed like a good doc. Not the type to blow off complications from procedures he performs.

What are his thoughts on performing so many Fraxels on one person? I always thought Fraxel had the potential to (virtually) eliminate scarring with enough treatments. But I also worried that too many could cause the skin to lose important glands like sweat, oil, and hair follicle functions. (From the repeated trauma of MTZs.)

off of the antibiotics, i will get one or 2 regular size pimples......the pimples are just a sign that the skin is still affected from the laser and is still healing underneath......i think that after a few months when the skin is totally healed the pimples will subside and my skin will stop breaking out......

personally i would never be afraid of fraxel or trying ANYTHING that would possibly help my skin.......if u wait another 3 months, i will be able to tell u if my acne has indeed been resurrected or not.......

WTF, no wonder your skin is breaking out because your skin has been abused after 11 fraxels. BTW, how bad are your scars? If your scars are moderate-mild and you haven't reached atleast a 50% after your 11th session then your doctor is doing something wrong and you should consider going to someone else.

the doctor said that as the skin heals the pimples will subside......i do not have any pimples on my face, but if i stop taking the antibiotics i will get a couple......

as far as performing soo many fraxels on one person, i didnt ask how they felt about it.....fraxel is very NEW technology, and medicine in general is not an exact science......i dont think the doctors themselves know what the result of 11 fraxels will ultimately be, but the only way to find that out is for someone to do it, and im happy to be a guinea pig......

i do not think that fraxel bothers the glands, i dont think u can LOSE sweat, oil or follicle functions......but losing sweat and oil glands can only help to reduce acne u know....

holy crap... 11 fraxel sessions??????????

wow you must be rich. haha..

i thought most people just did 5 and settled with that. any reason why you happened to do so many?

has your skin improved much over what i'm presuming was over a year of fraxel-ing? what scars did you have?

wow

No....i am not rich.....in fact fraxel has made me VERY POOR......i have not been fraxeling for the last couple of months so i have some money now again, but when i was fraxeling once every 2 weeks it was costing me a approx. 800 dollars every 2 weeks......and my salary is a little over 1000 every 2 weeks......so i took in a roommate to reduce my rent and i stopped buying clothes and shoes and i basically lived hand to mouth......

i would NEVER "settle" for only 5 sessions if there is a chance that more would benefit my skin.....i would never pass on anything that could help my skin over cost......i would always find a way to pay for any new technology comes out......

i had red marks and ice picks all over my cheeks......the color is 80% improved and getting better each day......the ice picks have gotten tinier also.....and one thing ive noticed thats really weird is that i look like a 20 year old now (im 31)......

it is not the actual fraxel that helps the skin, its the healing that comes afterwards......the months after ur last fraxel are when u finally start to see the real results......i will not do anymore fraxels though, if i laser again, it will be the fraxel RE:PAIR.......im going to wait for another 3 months though, see what my skin looks like and then make a decicion about it....

Dealing with scars is a thing i do EVERY moment i am awake in this life.....i have never been able to fully live, like everyone else, and i never get to fully enjoy anything.....ever......i am always aware of them, and i feel robbed of this life..........i feel like i am less than other people, not worth as much as they are.....

@effu:i could understand you somewhat.be strong as much as possible.

do you satisfy with the result after 11 fraxel sessions?(you said you look like 20 now,does that mean you satisfy?)i heard that settings are important for fraxel treatment,do you ask your doctor anything about the settings he set for you?

@all:how do you define ''50%'' improvement?that means 50% of your scar is now almost disappearing,right?

I was at the Laser Dermatology Institute in S. California and they quoted me $8,000 for 4 full face Fraxel treatments ($2,000 each). And that was their "special" price.

Can anyone recommend somewhere that's cheaper? I don't mind traveling a 100 or 200 miles to get it done. I'm in the Los Angeles / Orange County area in California.

That is absolutely ridiculous! BUT I just checked thier website and they don't offer Fraxel. The have the Fractionated CO2 Laser which is a different machine. That's probably what you were quoted on. I have no idea about what that costs or it's effectiveness.

Dealing with scars is a thing i do EVERY moment i am awake in this life.....i have never been able to fully live, like everyone else, and i never get to fully enjoy anything.....ever......i am always aware of them, and i feel robbed of this life..........i feel like i am less than other people, not worth as much as they are.....

we are always so hard on ourselves. the ironic thing is that when i see someone else with scars i don't look at them the same way i look at myself. we are always much more forgiving of others flaws and imperfections but sooo hard on ourselves. trust me that people are not looking at you and having the same thoughts that you are having of yourself.

there is the odd asshole out there but who cares about them, they're assholes! lol. :box: