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Hi everyone.
I'm posting the pictures of my skin after my 6th Fraxel. All of the pictures were taken on 03/02/2009, approximately 5 weeks and plus after my 6th Fraxel. I do not believe that there was any micro-swelling left from the 6th Fraxel, as it normally lasts about 3 weeks on my skin.
If anybody is interested in before/after comparison pictures, please take a look at my post #5515 on page 276. I have my before pictures posted in there.
Currently, my main concern/focus is the large boxcar scars on the right side of my face, which hadn't improved much after 5 Fraxels. However, after my 6th Fraxel with 70MJ and Treatment Level 11, I feel I've noticed very good improvements.
Taken w/o makeup on 03/02/2009:
Taken w/ makeup on 03/02/2009:
I'm very happy with the left side of my face. With makeup, this side of my face looks very good compared to how it used to look. I'm happy.
Taken w/o makeup on 03/02/2009:
Taken w/ makeup on 03/02/2009:
Today, I had my 7th Fraxel done. Just like my previous Fraxel, I felt almost no pain during the treatment. My doctor, PA and I were even having a conversation about traveling during the procedure. I know I'm repeating myself, but it is amazing to be able to have a conversation during Fraxel instead of feeling nothing but pain, pain and more pain.
If anyone happens to have any questions for me, feel free to send me a message. Good luck to everyone that is going through this.
Hi everyone.I'm posting the pictures of my skin after my 6th Fraxel. All of the pictures were taken on 03/02/2009, approximately 5 weeks and plus after my 6th Fraxel. I do not believe that there was any micro-swelling left from the 6th Fraxel, as it normally lasts about 3 weeks on my skin.
If anybody is interested in before/after comparison pictures, please take a look at my post #5515 on page 276. I have my before pictures posted in there.
Currently, my main concern/focus is the large boxcar scars on the right side of my face, which hadn't improved much after 5 Fraxels. However, after my 6th Fraxel with 70MJ and Treatment Level 11, I feel I've noticed very good improvements.
Taken w/o makeup on 03/02/2009:
Taken w/ makeup on 03/02/2009:
I'm very happy with the left side of my face. With makeup, this side of my face looks very good compared to how it used to look. I'm happy.
Taken w/o makeup on 03/02/2009:
Taken w/ makeup on 03/02/2009:
Today, I had my 7th Fraxel done. Just like my previous Fraxel, I felt almost no pain during the treatment. My doctor, PA and I were even having a conversation about traveling during the procedure. I know I'm repeating myself, but it is amazing to be able to have a conversation during Fraxel instead of feeling nothing but pain, pain and more pain.
If anyone happens to have any questions for me, feel free to send me a message. Good luck to everyone that is going through this.
Thank you for this information. It is really helpful... after how many Fraxel treatments did you start to see results? I go for my third treatment in two weeks and I can allready start to see improvments.
Thanks!
Hi everyone.I'm posting the pictures of my skin after my 6th Fraxel. All of the pictures were taken on 03/02/2009, approximately 5 weeks and plus after my 6th Fraxel. I do not believe that there was any micro-swelling left from the 6th Fraxel, as it normally lasts about 3 weeks on my skin.
If anybody is interested in before/after comparison pictures, please take a look at my post #5515 on page 276. I have my before pictures posted in there.
Currently, my main concern/focus is the large boxcar scars on the right side of my face, which hadn't improved much after 5 Fraxels. However, after my 6th Fraxel with 70MJ and Treatment Level 11, I feel I've noticed very good improvements.
Taken w/o makeup on 03/02/2009:
Taken w/ makeup on 03/02/2009:
I'm very happy with the left side of my face. With makeup, this side of my face looks very good compared to how it used to look. I'm happy.
Taken w/o makeup on 03/02/2009:
Taken w/ makeup on 03/02/2009:
Today, I had my 7th Fraxel done. Just like my previous Fraxel, I felt almost no pain during the treatment. My doctor, PA and I were even having a conversation about traveling during the procedure. I know I'm repeating myself, but it is amazing to be able to have a conversation during Fraxel instead of feeling nothing but pain, pain and more pain.
If anyone happens to have any questions for me, feel free to send me a message. Good luck to everyone that is going through this.
Thank you for this information. It is really helpful... after how many Fraxel treatments did you start to see results? I go for my third treatment in two weeks and I can allready start to see improvments.
Thanks!
Hi beautiful-creature. I started to see improvements after my 3rd Fraxel although it wasn't significant. I will be honest with you and say I was skeptical of Fraxel until about 2~3 months after my 5th Fraxel, which is when I started to notice significant results.
If you already see improvements, then it will only get better. Get a minimum of 5 Fraxels in total and see how much collagen will build on your skin over the following 6 months after your 5th.
I think that you'll do great! Good luck.
@bellydance: I am sorry to ask for this favour. Is it possible that you post a picture from your face before your 1. fraxel? I have been doing 4 fraxels as well but didn't see any improvement yet.Thanks a lot.
d.o.m.
Hi d.o.m. My "before" pictures have been posted in post #5515, page 276. The pictures taken in Feb 08 are my before pictures.
Hello everyone,
New to the site but just had my first fraxel treatment yesterday. I've got rolling scars with a little bit of ice pick action on both my cheeks and temples.
Today, I am a little red and a little swollen...but mostly blue, I cannot get this damn dye off of my face...does anyone have any suggestions?
Also, during the treatment, I was prepped by the nurses, then the Dr. came in to do the actual fraxel, I am afraid all of the gunk that was put on mu face obscured the areas that needed most attention. And like I said, I am a little red but that its, do you think he went too mild? I am not really sure of the settings he used...Any suggestions of what I should tell him during my next treatment? I had trouble getting to sleep last night b/c I felt a bit cheated. I was expecting to be all red and needing some serious recovery time...If not for the blue, I'd be outside doing normal activities! What should I tell to get him to be more aggressive? I paid for 3 treatments and if this one was too weak, I've only got 2 more....
Any reply would be greatly appreciated,
Thanks
Bellydance, are you planning to get more fraxels done even after 8 of them? It doesn't seem like a bad idea if you see an improvement after each one. That's how I feel. I've had 4 done so far and taking a month off but so far I see little by little improvement.
1st one was level 6 @ 45mj.
2nd level 7 @45mj
3rd level 7 @50mj
4th level 7 @55mj. all w/8 passes and even went over the scars afterwards again.
have to stay at level 7 incase of my asian skin being hypopigmentated.
I feel if I have 8 done total myself I could very well be super satisfied! The scars just keep plumping up and shrinking even though they are still there but one of them is completly gone with makeup and a few are almost at that point.. I have like 8 icepick type and they only bother me in certain lighting.
Will fraxel also treat mild acne & whiteheads? i've had 2 courses of accutane (the last was 10 years ago and have been clear since) but 6 months ago i started breaking out. went to derm and she suggested the fraxel with vbeam. will it treat acne plus the mild scarring i have? i am freaked about the redness and swelling.
this is a little off subject but i have moderate acne only on my chin. I use a face in the morning and at night. My derm prescribed me with clindagel and finacea. I started to use finacea at night and clindagel in the morning and saw no results. So my derm told me to stop using finacea and just use clindagel in the morning and the night. So a couple weeks later i noticed that the clindagel got rid of the pimples, but my chin was very red and oily, but not irrateted. But when i used the finacea it didn't clear up the acne, but took away that redness.
Do you think i should use the clindagel and the finacea at night one after eachother?
I'm currently having a series of six fraxel re:store sr1500 treatments performed to treat some acne scars and uneven skin texture. I suffer from mostly rolling scars and very shallow icepicks. I just got back from my third session today. The professional I am dealing with has been using fraxel and several other types of lasers for many years. I'm getting an amazing deal where each treatment costs me under $400 CAD/full face session. I'm getting treated on the highest level (70 mj and 12?) and have been having multiple passes done on problem areas. I will update you all on my progress 3-6 months after my final treatment.
good luck everyone
Bellydance, are you planning to get more fraxels done even after 8 of them? It doesn't seem like a bad idea if you see an improvement after each one. That's how I feel.
Just had my 8th Fraxel done and nope. I'm done with Fraxel for the treatments of my acne. I'm very happy with what it has done to my scars and how much it has made me feel better. I am not trying to get perfect skin and I do not have an unreasonable expectation. I am content with myself now, with scars and all.
To anyone just tuning in, there are a lot of derms who now realize/admit the original Fraxel lasers (i.e., non-CO2) were not what they were hyped up to be.
You need a bare minimum of four treatments, and in many cases six treatments, to see a significant improvement in your skin. You should only be investing the money if you have money to burn, or if you're able to get a great deal on the treatments.
Otherwise, I'd save for CO2-based fractional lasers or the next best thing to hit the market . . .
RELIANT's Fraxel is condensed into mainly Re:Pair (Co2, intense and ablative) and Re:Store (milder laser not really ablative). Another Re:Fine which is not as popular are the mildest and are for people who wants skin rejuvenation rather then treat problem.
Re:Pair will go considerably deep and results are usually more then 50% improvement. But you have to tolerate the lengthy recovery, swelling, pink for long time etc. Ususally weeks to completely heal.
Re:Store is much milder then Re:Pair. Does give results but requires multiple treatments. It heals very fast 4-5 days with virtually no swelling. I could return to normal routine day 4.
Its about choice. It is not about whichever is better.
hi everyone, i live in the new york city area and i'm looking to get acne scar treatment with a fraxel repair laser for a reasonsable price. does anyone know of any doctors/centers that do this in nyc or near nyc, that won't charge an arm and a leg for treatment? also, does anyone here know about getting financing for cosmetic treatments? please contact me if you have any info that might be useful, thanks =)
Hi everyone.I'm posting the pictures of my skin after my 6th Fraxel. All of the pictures were taken on 03/02/2009, approximately 5 weeks and plus after my 6th Fraxel. I do not believe that there was any micro-swelling left from the 6th Fraxel, as it normally lasts about 3 weeks on my skin.
If anybody is interested in before/after comparison pictures, please take a look at my post #5515 on page 276. I have my before pictures posted in there.
Currently, my main concern/focus is the large boxcar scars on the right side of my face, which hadn't improved much after 5 Fraxels. However, after my 6th Fraxel with 70MJ and Treatment Level 11, I feel I've noticed very good improvements.
Taken w/o makeup on 03/02/2009:
Taken w/ makeup on 03/02/2009:
I'm very happy with the left side of my face. With makeup, this side of my face looks very good compared to how it used to look. I'm happy.
Taken w/o makeup on 03/02/2009:
Taken w/ makeup on 03/02/2009:
Today, I had my 7th Fraxel done. Just like my previous Fraxel, I felt almost no pain during the treatment. My doctor, PA and I were even having a conversation about traveling during the procedure. I know I'm repeating myself, but it is amazing to be able to have a conversation during Fraxel instead of feeling nothing but pain, pain and more pain.
If anyone happens to have any questions for me, feel free to send me a message. Good luck to everyone that is going through this.
Thank you for this information. It is really helpful... after how many Fraxel treatments did you start to see results? I go for my third treatment in two weeks and I can allready start to see improvments.
Thanks!
Hi Belledance~
I booked in for an appointment to do Fraxel next week but i'm really scared of the pain and the healing time it takes. I'm Asian as well and i've been told that my skin tone could get darker after the treatment. I have moderate ice pick scars on my cheeks. I'm really concerned about the treatment and i'm not sure if I still want to do it (mainly because of the pain and the side effects). Any suggestions? Can you tell me which numbing cream your dr used? And will I get the same result from doing a lower setting?
PLS HELP ME!!!!!!!! I hate my ice pick scars, I've tried soooo many methods before....Fraxel is my last hope....
Hi Belledance~Can you tell me which numbing cream your dr used? And will I get the same result from doing a lower setting?
PLS HELP ME!!!!!!!! I hate my ice pick scars, I've tried soooo many methods before....Fraxel is my last hope....
My doctor said he makes his own numbing cream so I don't know the name of the cream (if it has any). One thing I've noticed is that the pain can be horrible when not enough cream was applied on my face. So make sure you ask your nurse to put on a lot of cream. For my 8th Fraxel, my nurse was running late so the receptionist puts the cream on my face instead. Well, it turned out that the receptionist didn't put enough cream and as a result, I wanted to die during the procedure due to pain.
No, you won't get the same results from lower settings. The highest the settings, the better results you get from Fraxel.
As for the discoloration issues, you'll probably look tanned/reddish for a few months (but you should get at least 5 treatments one month a part so for the first 5 month, you'll always look tanned/reddish), and it'll most likely go away. For me, it was not a big deal at all since it was only temporary.
Fraxels can be very painful depending on the numbing cream and how it is applied, but it's only 15mins of your life. You can do it!! Think about vacations or something fun and you'll get through it! Good luck.
Hello all,
I used to frequent this board many years ago, back in 2003...at that time, Smoothbeam was one of the non-ablative lasers out there. After being away from this board for six years...I'm back here hoping to get some input from the new experts here! 
I had six smoothbeam treatments...and maybe I had about 10-25% in skin tone, although people who hadn't seen me in years said that my skin looked great and much clearer.
Anyhow, many of the scars are still there...maybe a couple I managed to make look a bit worse with self-applied TCA CROSS. This was back around 2004-2005.
So...I've been searching a lot about Fraxel and originally my old derm wanted to push me towards ablative Eco2 fractional laser. I didn't feel like he was listening to my concerns...and giving me responses like "My clients 'think' they see improvements' I wasn't impressed with that kind of input and he tried to reassure me me with "This is the neatest laser out there" I was quite annoyed and discouraged by that kind of unintelligent and unsupported remark...
Enough of my rant...basically, I am currently set on Fraxel Restore based on inputs I've read here....here are my reasons/wish-list:
1. I've been looking for a laser treatment, stronger than my smoothbeam, enough to make a difference (I'm shooting fo overall improvement of minimum of 25% and will be quite happy with 40%).
2. My priorities are: Acne scars (my types are combination of rolling and box scars) reduction...hoping for 30% although secretly I wish to go up to 40%...at the very least hoping for some smoothing out and blending of the scars, maybe improving the whole facial texture and tone.
3. I don't mind having to do the treatment multiple times rather than being blasted by fractional CO2 and being house bound for a week or more.
Areas of concerns are both temples and upper right cheek areas. I've seen some before/after photos...some are not convincing, some are very encouraging...we're talking 3-4 treatments, which is what I'm planning on doing.
My consultation is this Thursday...driving two hours away from Portland, Oregon. I just couldn't find a derm in my area that I could trust and the ones that could provide partial face treatments.
Any good tips for me?
So far by reading here (and a different message board), I've gotten the following: Treatments wouldn't yield results if not above 45-50mj and also have to be more than 6 passes. I wasn't aware of the 'level' before...would this determine the intensity or how many % of coverage? I definitely want more than just 15% coverage that people have mentioned before.
I'm 36 years old South East Asian Male...Skin 3.5 on Fitzpatrick scale.
Hope to hear some good input...Belly Dance...Jjp007....all the experts...
Yes, btw I am trying to have a moderate expectation....even through phone consultation the RN was pretty confident, with 3-4 treatments, I can expect general improvements of 25-30%...
Thank you all for your help in advance!
Hello all,I used to frequent this board many years ago, back in 2003...at that time, Smoothbeam was one of the non-ablative lasers out there. After being away from this board for six years...I'm back here hoping to get some input from the new experts here! :surprised:
I had six smoothbeam treatments...and maybe I had about 10-25% in skin tone, although people who hadn't seen me in years said that my skin looked great and much clearer.
Anyhow, many of the scars are still there...maybe a couple I managed to make look a bit worse with self-applied TCA CROSS. This was back around 2004-2005.
So...I've been searching a lot about Fraxel and originally my old derm wanted to push me towards ablative Eco2 fractional laser. I didn't feel like he was listening to my concerns...and giving me responses like "My clients 'think' they see improvements' I wasn't impressed with that kind of input and he tried to reassure me me with "This is the neatest laser out there" I was quite annoyed and discouraged by that kind of unintelligent and unsupported remark...
Enough of my rant...basically, I am currently set on Fraxel Restore based on inputs I've read here....here are my reasons/wish-list:
1. I've been looking for a laser treatment, stronger than my smoothbeam, enough to make a difference (I'm shooting fo overall improvement of minimum of 25% and will be quite happy with 40%).
2. My priorities are: Acne scars (my types are combination of rolling and box scars) reduction...hoping for 30% although secretly I wish to go up to 40%...at the very least hoping for some smoothing out and blending of the scars, maybe improving the whole facial texture and tone.
3. I don't mind having to do the treatment multiple times rather than being blasted by fractional CO2 and being house bound for a week or more.
Areas of concerns are both temples and upper right cheek areas. I've seen some before/after photos...some are not convincing, some are very encouraging...we're talking 3-4 treatments, which is what I'm planning on doing.
My consultation is this Thursday...driving two hours away from Portland, Oregon. I just couldn't find a derm in my area that I could trust and the ones that could provide partial face treatments.
Any good tips for me?
So far by reading here (and a different message board), I've gotten the following: Treatments wouldn't yield results if not above 45-50mj and also have to be more than 6 passes. I wasn't aware of the 'level' before...would this determine the intensity or how many % of coverage? I definitely want more than just 15% coverage that people have mentioned before.
I'm 36 years old South East Asian Male...Skin 3.5 on Fitzpatrick scale.
Hope to hear some good input...Belly Dance...Jjp007....all the experts...
Yes, btw I am trying to have a moderate expectation....even through phone consultation the RN was pretty confident, with 3-4 treatments, I can expect general improvements of 25-30%...
Thank you all for your help in advance!
Bump.....
Anybody could help?
Hello everyone,
my name is carlos and i've been watching this site for years now (since 2004) to see what most people out there are doing for acne scars.
I'm 27 and I have rolling and boxcars over most of my cheeks. It used to bother me alot more in my early twenties when i realized how permanent the damage was after suffering from severe acne as a teenager.
Anyways, I'm half mexican so my skin is a moderate brown. I've been hesitant on treatment options because everyone hears the occasional horror stories of discoloration or scarring from particular treament.
I've been to two consultations with surgeons within the past year. One here in DC and one with Dr. Rapaport in New Jersey. I have seen Dr. Rapaport's name on this blog more than any other so i figured I would pay him a visit to see what he recommends.
Compared to some of the prices i have seen quoted here - his costs are little more expensive but i hope its worth the money considering his experience and wide range of clientel.
Anyways, he recommended 3 different procedures for me to be executed in two seperate visits.
The 1st visit would consist of: Subsicion, TCA, and Flaxel
The second visit consists of: Subsicion and Flaxel
His office recommended a two or three week break between the treatments.
The total pricetag of all these treatments is somewhere in the range of $4000 - $5000
I'm still nervous about letting a laser touch my face, so I'm giving myself some time to decide.
If i get this done i'll do my best to post pictures of before and after. (my own pics not his)
If you read this post all the way thru - thanks. If it wasn't for this blog I don't think i would be as educated as i am on scar treatments so thanks for everyone who blogs and makes this site possible.
As we all know we can't trust everything we read or hear. I would like to think that surgeons and doctors will recommend what is best for us but you gotta remember what motivates them - $$$. But who can blame them - we're all out to make some dough no matter what our occupation.
I want to apologize in advance as English is not my first language, but i do want to testify my Fraxel experience.
I have mild scarring (not entirely sure if it was caused by acne) on the right side of my face. What makes things even more frustrating is the fact that the left side of my face is flawless (even under harsh lighting/weird angles) and that the scars on the left side under certain lighting circumstances are invisible while in other conditions are apparent.
Reason i mention this is because when i visited some plastic surgeons/dermatologists to address my concerns for acne scarring i was always getting the puzzled expressions, followed by comments of the type that "you dont have scars". Injectable fillers were also not an option for me as the scars are very superficial and shallow.
Having said that i sound like a perfect candidate for Fraxel, right? I have had 2 treatments spaced apart as long as 6 months. I am currently 7 months post my second treatment and the fact that i cant tell if it was beneficial or not says alot. I would say it produced 10%-15% overall improvement at best. Sorry but this treatment gets thumbs down for me and if i had moderate/severe scarring i would definitely conclude that Fraxel is a total waste of time and money. If, however you have mild scarring and even the slightest improvement is improvement for you, i would say go for it. Just dont get your expectations high or most likely you will be dissapointed. Fraxel is not the magical scar eraser solution we are all praying for.
P.S. : For up to 6 weeks post 2nd Fraxel treatment my scars vanished and even for that window period i felt my life was given back to me. Too bad after that the scars made their notorious reappearance.
I got severe acne in my teens and battled it with 3 accutane courses and 2 tetracyclene cycles. I was left nonetheless with horrible facial and back scars. Ive had subsicion 2 times. Then fraxel appeared on the market and Ive had 2 fraxel. So im an authority on this issue.
My overall opinion on fraxel is not good. Let me make some points:
Firstly those people who give results on Fraxel directly after a session need to hold their tongues in terms of result reporting. It takes months after the fraxel session for your facial skin to completely settle and be as good and done and finished result as it can be.
Many people get uber-excited and report all the scars are gone, but what they are seeing is a ballooned swolen face that has no scar impressions in all light conditions because it is swollen. Hence the need to wait until the swelling is gone, before proclaiming your delight.
Secondly im alarmed at the result. Its a change, but not necessarily a good one. My appearance which was of acne scars is now an older looking face. The fraxel seems to have aged my. People tend to overestimate my age now by about a decade. This hurts my feelings. Ive gone from looking acne scared to looking old. No more ID requests at the entrance to nite clubs for me.
So my face skin has now a kind of rough bumpy quality and it seems to be really wrinkled and especially when I smile the wrinkles form right down the cheek and I believe they are a result of the fraxel.
Thirdly, Im alarmed that no medical authority seems to be present in the ZZeitgeist saying yes fraxel is worth the money and its gonna make you look better not just apply a matrix of tiny scar points to your already scared face.
My suspicion now is that what fraxel does in reality is it burns tiny diameter deep holes in your skin that then fill with scar tissue (NOT Collagen) and these tiny patterns of deep scar punctures after many treatments do provide a certain uniform look to a face skin, but its only by painting the entire surface good and bad areas, with one uniform matt greay scaring if I can call it that. What im saying is that acne scars are like isolated ink blotches on a white A4 paper. The effect of fraxel is to take a fine mist spray of black ink and spray it onto the stained paper making the overall appearance uniform yet more damaged more stained than before.
I believe the tiny injections of scar tissue that constitute the fraxel pattern on the skin form kind of hard points in the skin so that when you smile for example, the skin creases on those hard points and that makes the appearance of the many peculiar wrinkles on my skin surface that I attribute to fraxel.
Fourth thing, is that the recovery takes ages, and for months after the fraxel I had saggy joweles and my jaw line had this one point on each side that particularly sagged down and made my face look older. That was probably fluid or something but luckily its gone now, but it wasnt pleasant and contrary to the manufacturers propaganda that goes "Fraxel is a revolutionary new technology that targets damage in your skin to repair and rejuvinate." Bla bla bla. It would be more accurate to describe fraxel as I have thus.
Having said all that I plan on doing a 3rd ad a fourth fraxel at high power if I can, because We scar sufferers live on hope and I rationalise the expense, the disruption to my social life, the turmoip to my work roster by reminding myself that others have said on this and other boards that it takes 3 or 4 fraxel treatments to see the full result. Well Ive had 2 so far and Im totally unsure if any improvement has occured. All I know is that people say I look old. My blog is anticharisma dot com if you wanna read more of my experiences. Thanks. 
Hey guys,
Im new and actually just got my first Fraxel treatment today. I just want to say it was the most pain ive ever felt in my life. I am not exaggerating, i seriously felt like quiting. My treatments are 1300 per session for a full face. After looking at all of your posts I have noticed that is extremely high. I feel bad because I cant really find another place around here and I already started at this place.
So far my face feels like its burning a little and from what I hear and read tomorrow morning I will be swollen. My face looks smoother after the treatment but I wont be sure for a few days.
Also how many days does it usually take to look normal?
I have 4 days off work so I managed to have enough time to heal.
Thanks guys,