i had fraxel last summer and i have that same skin tone. the left side of my face is all uneven in skin depth now because of fraxel. it was the biggest mistake.

im sure people have benefitted from this but it's mainly light skinned people. it's a sham to say it produces the same results in darker tones because to get results you have to up the energy. dark skin cant handle it.

the girl in the pic still has all of those scars. except now the color is normal. she would benefit more from subcision. she'll never get those scars to truly reap the benefits of laser resurfacing because it's too risky for her skin tone.

anyways, everyone is different and im willing to bet MOST people dont get those results. fraxel is just overhyped. we've had no real breakthroughs with it in years.

just look at this thread and the many others in the forum. it's all of the same thing:

"...how many passes you get? im on my [#] treatment, hopefully after the next I'll see some improvement..."

"..does anyone know a doctor in [location] who can do fraxel?"

etc. etc.

In the end people only see some improvement but nothing worthy of the hype perpetuated by those beauty magazine articles and shameless docs. i just wish I knew more about the "buisness" of cosmetic dermatology a year ago. i had no scars, just wanted to improve the complexion of my skin and now I'm permanently scarred (uneven skin, it looks like i burned off layers of skin/one scar is hypertrophic/one is depressed)

i had my last of 5 fraxels in april and even tho it hasn't been the 6 months they say to see results, im not really happy i wasted 3 gs for those kinda results, i had scarring similar to the indian girl and i'd say i've had about 10-15% improvement, i just had skin needling done and it should help alot more than fraxel and considering i've had fraxel done, i'm expecting pretty good results, honestly unless you have money to burn or very shallow scarring, i would not recommend fraxel

It's been 6 months since my first Fraxel treatment. I've had 5 and I'm due for my 6th in a week or so's time.

The last few treatments have been on the highest settings. I was checking my face closely this weekend and this is what I've noted (sorry no photos, I don't have a good enough camera)

Overall skin is softer.

Ice picks are a little bit narrower.

Boxcars look smoother and a little bit shallower.

Skin color looks much more even.

I'm intending to have 8 done this year and will let you know my results around Christmas time.

Originally I had medium depth icepicks and boxcar scarring and have had 4 erbium laser re-surfacing's over the last 4 years.

@AntzinPantz:

How deep were your deepest scars before your first Fraxel treatment and how deep are they now (in Millimeters)?

Maybe you can give us an indication on the %improvement.

What treatment level did you have?

Thanks!

Hi, I started on 40mj and went up to 70mj. My icepicks are >1mm deep but most of my boxcar scarring is around 1mm or less.

With fraxel re:store I've had about a 5% improvement do far but you have to wait 6 months after your last treatment to make a judgement.

Do you remember the treatment level you had (1-10, R1-R3) in addition to the MJs (energy setting)?

Do you remember the treatment level you had (1-10, R1-R3) in addition to the MJs (energy setting)?

Sorry I don't, but I used the same derm that Zonk used so I assume those settings would be similar.

No. Fraxel is NOT worth it. I got a 10% improvement at best and paid over 5K. If you have moderate to severe scarring like it do than save your money. Fraxel is only good for those people with mild scarring. Get fillers instead they seem to work better.

I think Fraxel Restore might not be so good but I went to see my dermatologist and the LARGE sized photos of the result/work that he's done was pretty good. Repair seems to be where its at.

I've been wondering why Reliant has been so quiet the last 3 months. They usually have one press release a month. I guess this is what they were busy on:

[Removed]

I'm not a big fan of Thermage and neither are most docs. Why the hell is Fraxel merging with them? Do they have a new combo device in the works? Silly, cause radiofrequency doesn't work at all--just blasts your skin with useless and unecessary radiation.

I think Fraxel Restore might not be so good but I went to see my dermatologist and the LARGE sized photos of the result/work that he's done was pretty good. Repair seems to be where its at.

I was one of the first in Florida to have Fraxel (Now called Fraxel Restore) I had a modest improvement but would never sit though 5 treatments and give up 5 long weekends again.

I agree REPAIR seems to be the best of both worlds (One treatment with dramatic improvements and limited downtime/risk Visa Vi traditional Co2) Problem is EVERy doctor in south florida has already invested in the OLD Fraxel restore! they are a victim of there own success! has anyone heard of a doctor in South Florida using the NEW RE pair yet????

http://reliant-tech.com/newsdetails.cfm?NEWSID=135

I guess it's actually Thermage Inc that is buying Reliant Technologies which is a private company. I hope Fraxel doesn't go to shit because of this. Thermage itself is worthless and losing millions every year.

@gatorman:

Did you have the "old" Fraxel with the blue dye? Which treatment level / settings did you get?

I think the older Fraxel does not go as deep as the current Fraxel Restore.

You said you got a 30% improvement in scar depth after 5 treatments: Do you believe you could get an improvement of up to 90% with 2 x 5 additional sessions (assuming cost and time not being an issue)?

4 fraxel restore laser session=1 repair laser session: IN TERMS OF PRICE

But I truly believe that if you can get the doctor to do high levels on all 4 sessions, you will receive better results than doing one session of repair. You have to keep in mind, that I think derms and beauty parlors alike will be apprehensive in turning up the energy levels with the repair, but what's good about the 4 fraxel sessions is that the first session could be experimental, and the the next 3 sessions the doctor doesn't have to be apprehensive because he/she knows how your skins reacts (in terms of not getting pigmented, etc) due to the results of the first session.

@Naitch:

Would you consider treatment levels between 8 and 10 and 45mj as high enough for good results?

@Naitch:

Would you consider treatment levels between 8 and 10 and 45mj as high enough for good results?

I'm not familiar with "treatment levels" and are your referring to the repair or the restore?

I'm not familiar with the repair settings, ect. But if you're going to do restore, it's best to do 5 sessions, and have the doc to have the first session with whatever level HE THINKS is reasonable, because the first session should only be a test to see how your skin reacts. If your skin reacts fairly, I would push him to go for much higher levels. If your skin doesn't react so well, then he'll probably keep you within range of the first treatment level. I've only had one fraxel session myself, and am going to have 4 more. My scars seems smoother and more leveled up, but it's really hard to tell. I'm just doing the 5 sessions to give me piece of mind that I did something within my power to improve my scarring, as far as improvements go, that's in gods hands. But if I had to choose between one session of repair, or 4 sessions of high levels of restore, I would do restore, especially if you're a darker skin type (skin type IV or higher). Good luck.

Hi all,

I just wanted to post an update after my 4th fraxel session. I went through 4 sessions last winter, and i'm about 3 months post my last session. The last session was with the new fraxel, not requiring the dye. Much better.

I dont know the granular settings that they used, but I do know it was aggressive. I have a bunch of ice-pick and rolling scars. The last session was actually quite tough to get through, pain wise. But not a huge deal, I'm a male, 29 years old.

Anyways, all in all, i'm happy with the results. I wasn't expecting miracles so I believe that's what's most important. I have noticed my rolling scars have really diminished, and the ice-pick scars have gotten a little softer and less noticeable. My skin is much softer as well. I also must say I really didn't notice these results until "months" after my last session. Patience is truly a virtue when it comes to fraxel.

I have one more session to go through but i'm going to wait until fall so the sun risk factor goes down a bit. I'll probably look into subcision for the ice-pick scars i have or punch. We'll see.

Just wanted to post an update as I know i got frustrated reading this thread but seeing nobody post back their results after a few sessions.

@gatorman:

Did you have the "old" Fraxel with the blue dye? Which treatment level / settings did you get?

I think the older Fraxel does not go as deep as the current Fraxel Restore.

You said you got a 30% improvement in scar depth after 5 treatments: Do you believe you could get an improvement of up to 90% with 2 x 5 additional sessions (assuming cost and time not being an issue)?

YES I had to go the the SMURF room for the old blue treatment! what a pain in the ass that was having to clean that &^%$% off your red swollen face after the fraxel treatment! I understand the new restores dont require the blue dye. My highest settings were around 15 mj's full density and i understand the settings are MUCH higher these days. i want the Ablative TIGHTENING since my skin is a bit loser and I have aging bags under my eyes and can use a slight brow lift as well. You can NOT get that from the old fraxel restore you need the ablative power of the co2 on the new fraxel. also the new co2 goes SUPER DEEP and can produce some series collagen remodeling. all this with just ONE treatment and a week off from work! LOL

i read on the website that i think fraxel created (real self) that most people don't think the strongest fraxel re:pair was worth the pain during and healing after. that the results weren't very good.

i've been to over 10 dermatologists about my scars and not one mentioned subcision or the other treatments i see on here. can anyone recommend a good dermatologist or two in south florida? thank you so much! Jen

@gatorman:

Did you have the "old" Fraxel with the blue dye? Which treatment level / settings did you get?

I think the older Fraxel does not go as deep as the current Fraxel Restore.

You said you got a 30% improvement in scar depth after 5 treatments: Do you believe you could get an improvement of up to 90% with 2 x 5 additional sessions (assuming cost and time not being an issue)?

YES I had to go the the SMURF room for the old blue treatment! what a pain in the ass that was having to clean that &^%$% off your red swollen face after the fraxel treatment! I understand the new restores dont require the blue dye. My highest settings were around 15 mj's full density and i understand the settings are MUCH higher these days. i want the Ablative TIGHTENING since my skin is a bit loser and I have aging bags under my eyes and can use a slight brow lift as well. You can NOT get that from the old fraxel restore you need the ablative power of the co2 on the new fraxel. also the new co2 goes SUPER DEEP and can produce some series collagen remodeling. all this with just ONE treatment and a week off from work! LOL

 

hmm.. wouldn't the re:pair recovery time be at least a month?

I am 3 weeks after my 4th Fraxel (the 4 treatments varied between 40 and 50 mj, treatment level 7 to 9) and I see an improvement of about 20% in scar depth.

What level of improvement should I get 3 months after my 5th Fraxel according to your experience?

Hi guys I have read most of the posts and from what I gather fraxel is good for skin tine spots and very shallow scarring. It might soften scars like ice picks and boxscars but they will remain. My question is, why dont you all do something ablative like dermabrasion? The downtime is longer but the results for the procedures when done right are the best and with all the recovery time from multiple fraxels it seems just having something done once or twice would be better.

I am not trying to sell dermabrasion but of all the before and after pics I have seen dermabrasion seems to have the best results for "scarring".

Hi guys I have read most of the posts and from what I gather fraxel is good for skin tine spots and very shallow scarring. It might soften scars like ice picks and boxscars but they will remain. My question is, why dont you all do something ablative like dermabrasion? The downtime is longer but the results for the procedures when done right are the best and with all the recovery time from multiple fraxels it seems just having something done once or twice would be better.

I am not trying to sell dermabrasion but of all the before and after pics I have seen dermabrasion seems to have the best results for "scarring".

people with darker skin tone can not do something too abrasive otherwise it'll hyperpigment their face for a long time, if not permanently.

Hi guys I have read most of the posts and from what I gather fraxel is good for skin tine spots and very shallow scarring. It might soften scars like ice picks and boxscars but they will remain. My question is, why dont you all do something ablative like dermabrasion? The downtime is longer but the results for the procedures when done right are the best and with all the recovery time from multiple fraxels it seems just having something done once or twice would be better.

I am not trying to sell dermabrasion but of all the before and after pics I have seen dermabrasion seems to have the best results for "scarring".

people with darker skin tone can not do something too abrasive otherwise it'll hyperpigment their face for a long time, if not permanently.

 

Yes I suppose that can be a big problem for some, but for those with a good skin type for the procedure why dont they try it? I just hate to see all these post of people wasting so much money for a procedure that is not meant for the severity of their scars. I my self only have shallow rolling scars and a couple icepicks, so what I will be doing is TCA cross for the ice picks and then dermabrasion for the shallow scarring and smoothing of the tca spots.

AFAIK Dermabrasio goes only 0.3 mm deep, Fraxel has a maximum depth of up to 1.2 mm (at 70 mj). Dermabrasio can't go deeper because of the large wounding.

With Fraxel downtime is around two days because of the swelling and up to four days of (social) downtime because of redness. With (real) dermabrasio you would have to spend up to one week at the hospital (intense wound care required) plus one week at home.

Therefore, total cost of one dermabrasio (one week of hospital and general anaesthetic) should be almost equal to five fraxel treatments. Also the skin of the dermabrasio treated areas looks different than untreated skin.

I think you can't expect fast results with both treatments. For deeper scarring you should expect to have 3 x 5 Fraxel treatments considering that every set of 5 treatments improves scar depth and appearance by 30%).