Hey everyone,

I had Fraxel #2 yesterday and I'm a little miserable. I just think I'm a sweller. I look like a friggin marshmallow already. I took an extra day off work just in case. I know my Doctor did less passes and the strength might have been less. It did not hurt as much as the 1st time.

I've noticed a slight, subtle difference in my skin since my first Fraxel on 1-13-06. Nothing spectacular but then again no results are expected this soon either.

After seeing even more real life photos of Fraxel before and afters at my Doctor's office, I know I will be satisfied. I feel a little crummy with the swelling but I'm very happy about how things are going so far!!!

Annie

 

Hello Annie,

Was wondering what happened to you. When I scheduled my 1st Fraxel treatment I went on-line to find a "support" group of some kind and came across your pics......that in turn led me to this board. Anyhow, thanks for posting the pictures. I had my second treatment about 2 weeks ago and am scheduled to have my third this Wednseday. I've been taking a few pics and my Dr's office takes a few before the treatment. I haven't posted any though. Geeez..... you must be a seriuos sweller! The 1st treatment was vertually painless and my swelling went away on about 4 hours. I was out and about the following morning and went to a family gathering just 3 days after. I've had dozens of glycolic peels so I'm use the redness and "burned" look. People stare at me when I go out because of that damb blue dye that stays on for a few days after the treatment. The second was a bit tough. The Dr. used a higher setting and it hurt! My face was tight from the swelling. My eyes got blood shot and I thought I was going to turn purple. The Doc gave me some advil and within an hour the burning feeling went away. The swelling subsided faster this time around (well maybe it felt that way because the swelling was noticible right after the treatment this time) and I was out buying groceries later in the evening. I feel for you......

Well hope its worth it! I really haven't seen much improvements from the scarring. My complexion is alot better. The laser zapped away some of the sun damage spots I had from last summer's vacation and the lingering blemishes I had from some minor zits. I've been told you don't notice much improvements on the scars until after the 3rd. We'll see about that.

Anyway, hope you have a speedy recovery!

 

Tell your Dr to stop putting the blue dye on so early there is no reason anyone should be walking around with blue dye on their faces 4 days after Fraxel. My Doc puts the blue dye on just before using the laser, she said there is no benifit to putting it on an hour before the procedure... plus don't worry about using dish soap it works great and gets off all the dye, after the dye comes off just make sure to put aquafor on your face afterwords, it will keep your skin plenty moist...JMO

I saw Dr. Fitzpatrick again this afternoon. He agreed to do a "test spot" on my neck for $300 (his cost, supposedly). So I'm going to do it next week just to see how I heal.

In regards to my scar... it's flat and has lost i'd say 75% of pigment. Luckily I'm a fair skinned person and it doesn't stick out. But he said that with the fraxel it will smooth out the edged so that the scar blends in with the surrounding skin. Is this true?

Also, I asked him if pigment would come back and he said that he's seen it come back in acne scars before but that the spots were much smaller than my scar. He further said that I should expect pigment to come back around the edges of the scar (whatever that means).

He wants to do Alexandrite laser on my darker freckles if needed after Fraxel.

Oh, and according to him, one of the very best... he's never seen any sort of permanent pigment changes due to Fraxel.

thats pretty expensive for a test spot.

INDUSTRY,

Glad you are getting a test spot. This will prevent you from diving head first (no pun intended) and wasting money or making things worse.

I can't believe that $300 is "at cost." $400 has been quoted to several people for spot treatments on BOTH cheeks. I guess Fitzpatrick is considering his time (and loss of other patient treatment time) as being worth at least $250.

Why not go to a doctor who is willing to do a test patch for free? The technique of the MD will not be a significant factor for a test spot.

If you really wanted to, I bet you could go to one doctor a month and get free tests spots on the scar. Undoubtedly each one will look at the fading scar and try to sell you on a 5 package deal--this is what they've been trained to do at their Fraxel seminar! Actually this would be an interesting experiment for someone on this board to try. Even if you paid $300 for each spot treatment you'd save $3500, wow!

Remember, doctors in private practice are in business for themselves! Buying a Fraxel laser is expensive and a doctor has to develop a business plan for it's use. Furthermore most MD's buy it together with other doctors in their practice. They share in each others profits and a certain percentage of each patient-profit goes into paying off the laser and other bills. They fix their costs so as not to compete within their own practice, but stay competitive with other doctors of their skill/demographic/etc. In fact, when buying a fraxel laser it comes with a handbook that helps doctors set their prices, determine patient load, demortization of the laser, etc.

Industry,

It sounds like you live in San Diego. I'd recommend you stay out of the sun, use SPF 30 everyday, and wear a wide-brimmed hat (or visor or baseball cap if you prefer to look cooler).

The sun will make your freckles and hypopigmented scar much worse over time. In fact, if you restrict your exposure enough your freckles will fade significantly over the next few years.

I am light skinned and freckled as a teenager when I lifeguarded in the summer. After a few years of doing the above (and no active tanning) my freckles are all gone.

I could get a "test spot" done from a different doctor for less and I might look into that. But I'll go back to Dr. Fitzpatrick if I decide to do the full treatment. I'm not going to run from Dr. to Dr. for something as complex as Fraxel. It's my face and I'd prefer the best in the industry perform the procedure, even if it costs me a little more.

I do stay out of the sun as much as possible. I have tried spray on tans actually and they seems to blend the white spot quite well. Hopefully when I smoothen the texture out, it could be close to unnoticeable.

I live in Newport Beach, actually, and I grew up surfing/scuba diving/hiking/etc. I'm an outdoors guy and not one to sit around watching Oprah. But I do wear an SPF 30 Moisturizer every day and have done so for a few years.

I completely understand that they are a business. That's why I feel comfortable with Dr. Fitzpatrick. His reputation and experience speak for himself. He doesn't need me as a patient because he knows there are many others who will gladly take my spot. If I went to an "average" dermatologist I would feel skeptical that he was telling me the truth, or just what I wanted to hear.

Thanks for your pictures. My scars are similar to yours so I am excited to hear from you after a couple more treatments! How many treatments are you going to do?

Thanks for sharing your experience.JP

Hi jjp007,

I'm excited as well. I'm signed up for the standard 5 treatment package and I'm only on#2. I look forward to the coming months and the potential results.Not only do I look forward to my results but also those of the other members here that are on #2 and #3. I enjoy reading about everyone's experience, just wish more people would post before and afters. I think they help get an idea of the recovery and also the real results.

Talk to ya soon,

Annie

Hello Annie,

Was wondering what happened to you. When I scheduled my 1st Fraxel treatment I went on-line to find a "support" group of some kind and came across your pics......that in turn led me to this board. Anyhow, thanks for posting the pictures. I had my second treatment about 2 weeks ago and am scheduled to have my third this Wednseday. I've been taking a few pics and my Dr's office takes a few before the treatment. I haven't posted any though. Geeez..... you must be a seriuos sweller! The 1st treatment was vertually painless and my swelling went away on about 4 hours. I was out and about the following morning and went to a family gathering just 3 days after. I've had dozens of glycolic peels so I'm use the redness and "burned" look. People stare at me when I go out because of that damb blue dye that stays on for a few days after the treatment. The second was a bit tough. The Dr. used a higher setting and it hurt! My face was tight from the swelling. My eyes got blood shot and I thought I was going to turn purple. The Doc gave me some advil and within an hour the burning feeling went away. The swelling subsided faster this time around (well maybe it felt that way because the swelling was noticible right after the treatment this time) and I was out buying groceries later in the evening. I feel for you......

Well hope its worth it! I really haven't seen much improvements from the scarring. My complexion is alot better. The laser zapped away some of the sun damage spots I had from last summer's vacation and the lingering blemishes I had from some minor zits. I've been told you don't notice much improvements on the scars until after the 3rd. We'll see about that.

Anyway, hope you have a speedy recovery!

 

Hi weho,

I'm glad to meet someone else who's going through the treatments. It amazes me how everyone reacts differently to this laser. Do you know what levels your doc was doing? ughh, today is day 5 and I'm finally going to go out. I look like I have a very bad sunburn. I don't know why I'm such a sweller. I think I must be very sensitive. But I have had 100's of peels, microdermabrasions and even C02 laser. You'd think my skin would be used to it - but no.

Visible results should appear weeks after the 3rd or 4th treatment. Please keep posting and if you are comfortable enough, post your pics. I think sharing the experience helps you and others on some level.

Good Luck :wavey:

 

Thanks for your pictures. My scars are similar to yours so I am excited to hear from you after a couple more treatments! How many treatments are you going to do?

Thanks for sharing your experience.JP

Hi jjp007,

I'm excited as well. I'm signed up for the standard 5 treatment package and I'm only on#2. I look forward to the coming months and the potential results.Not only do I look forward to my results but also those of the other members here that are on #2 and #3. I enjoy reading about everyone's experience, just wish more people would post before and afters. I think they help get an idea of the recovery and also the real results.

Talk to ya soon,

Annie

 

Hello Annie,

Was wondering what happened to you. When I scheduled my 1st Fraxel treatment I went on-line to find a "support" group of some kind and came across your pics......that in turn led me to this board. Anyhow, thanks for posting the pictures. I had my second treatment about 2 weeks ago and am scheduled to have my third this Wednseday. I've been taking a few pics and my Dr's office takes a few before the treatment. I haven't posted any though. Geeez..... you must be a seriuos sweller! The 1st treatment was vertually painless and my swelling went away on about 4 hours. I was out and about the following morning and went to a family gathering just 3 days after. I've had dozens of glycolic peels so I'm use the redness and "burned" look. People stare at me when I go out because of that damb blue dye that stays on for a few days after the treatment. The second was a bit tough. The Dr. used a higher setting and it hurt! My face was tight from the swelling. My eyes got blood shot and I thought I was going to turn purple. The Doc gave me some advil and within an hour the burning feeling went away. The swelling subsided faster this time around (well maybe it felt that way because the swelling was noticible right after the treatment this time) and I was out buying groceries later in the evening. I feel for you......

Well hope its worth it! I really haven't seen much improvements from the scarring. My complexion is alot better. The laser zapped away some of the sun damage spots I had from last summer's vacation and the lingering blemishes I had from some minor zits. I've been told you don't notice much improvements on the scars until after the 3rd. We'll see about that.

Anyway, hope you have a speedy recovery!

 

Hi weho,

I'm glad to meet someone else who's going through the treatments. It amazes me how everyone reacts differently to this laser. Do you know what levels your doc was doing? ughh, today is day 5 and I'm finally going to go out. I look like I have a very bad sunburn. I don't know why I'm such a sweller. I think I must be very sensitive. But I have had 100's of peels, microdermabrasions and even C02 laser. You'd think my skin would be used to it - but no.

Visible results should appear weeks after the 3rd or 4th treatment. Please keep posting and if you are comfortable enough, post your pics. I think sharing the experience helps you and others on some level.

Good Luck :wavey:

 

Hi Annie, Thanks for posting your pictures. My face swells just like yours, and lasts for 5 days. I haven't seen anyone else on here that gets swelling for a long time either. I won't even go out of the house, it looks so bad. You can really see the improvement in your skin. I'll be getting my 5th Fraxel next Monday. 2 to go, I can't wait to get done. I'll be talking to ya!

I had my THIRD treatment yesterday. This one went way better than the 2nd. I thought I was going to turn purple from the swelling and redness from treatment 2. Yesterday's was a little uncomfortable but not nearly as bad. My Doc told me to take 500 mg of advil an hour before the treatment and it worked. I was much more comfortable even after she upped the setting. She has me at 14 thru 16 now. My face is a bit swollen but subsiding as the hours go by. I do look a bit more darker though . I think I'm going to look very dark when the redness goes away and the dead skin starts drying up. I hope it's worth it at the end!

INDUSTRY,

Glad you are getting a test spot. This will prevent you from diving head first (no pun intended) and wasting money or making things worse.

I can't believe that $300 is "at cost." $400 has been quoted to several people for spot treatments on BOTH cheeks. I guess Fitzpatrick is considering his time (and loss of other patient treatment time) as being worth at least $250.

Why not go to a doctor who is willing to do a test patch for free? The technique of the MD will not be a significant factor for a test spot.

If you really wanted to, I bet you could go to one doctor a month and get free tests spots on the scar. Undoubtedly each one will look at the fading scar and try to sell you on a 5 package deal--this is what they've been trained to do at their Fraxel seminar! Actually this would be an interesting experiment for someone on this board to try. Even if you paid $300 for each spot treatment you'd save $3500, wow!

Remember, doctors in private practice are in business for themselves! Buying a Fraxel laser is expensive and a doctor has to develop a business plan for it's use. Furthermore most MD's buy it together with other doctors in their practice. They share in each others profits and a certain percentage of each patient-profit goes into paying off the laser and other bills. They fix their costs so as not to compete within their own practice, but stay competitive with other doctors of their skill/demographic/etc. In fact, when buying a fraxel laser it comes with a handbook that helps doctors set their prices, determine patient load, demortization of the laser, etc.

Industry,

It sounds like you live in San Diego. I'd recommend you stay out of the sun, use SPF 30 everyday, and wear a wide-brimmed hat (or visor or baseball cap if you prefer to look cooler).

The sun will make your freckles and hypopigmented scar much worse over time. In fact, if you restrict your exposure enough your freckles will fade significantly over the next few years.

I am light skinned and freckled as a teenager when I lifeguarded in the summer. After a few years of doing the above (and no active tanning) my freckles are all gone.

 

Tmthymllgn, I had a spot on my cheek about 1/4 inch around where the skin was lighter pigmented(I don't know if it was from a scar or one of the procedures I've had done) but I've noticed after my 4th Fraxel that the pigmentation is much better! Maybe it helps this too.

I'm a week out now. I didn't peel AT ALL. I was definitley a little sandpapery, and couldn't use make up because of the dry skin, but no flaking or peeling to speak of. My first treatment was at level 20, so I'm surprised. He said I might get a little crusty. But nothing. Even the swelling wasn't bad. I remember now him saying something to the assistant about doing "4" intead of "5". Don't know if he was talking about passes or maybe energy level? ANybody have any insight? I'm just thinking that maybe since there was virtually no downtime,it won't work as well!!

I'm a week out now. I didn't peel AT ALL. I was definitley a little sandpapery, and couldn't use make up because of the dry skin, but no flaking or peeling to speak of. My first treatment was at level 20, so I'm surprised. He said I might get a little crusty. But nothing. Even the swelling wasn't bad. I remember now him saying something to the assistant about doing "4" intead of "5". Don't know if he was talking about passes or maybe energy level? ANybody have any insight? I'm just thinking that maybe since there was virtually no downtime,it won't work as well!!

 

I'm sure it will work just as well. Good for you! I'm up to 19 and I don't want them to go higher because of the swelling. Do you think he was talking about 4 treatments instead of 5?

Hi Annie, Thanks for posting your pictures. My face swells just like yours, and lasts for 5 days. I haven't seen anyone else on here that gets swelling for a long time either. I won't even go out of the house, it looks so bad. You can really see the improvement in your skin. I'll be getting my 5th Fraxel next Monday. 2 to go, I can't wait to get done. I'll be talking to ya!

 

Thank you for the compliment and I'm glad to to know at least i'm not the only sweller here. Today is Day 7 and I still have a slight puff to my face. I didn't peel as much this time as last but I was just as swollen if not more. It's weird because I know the levels were lower. I was thinking it's not such a bad idea to have one or two treatments at a different level or lower density in order to target maybe the more superficial type scarring that the deeper levels might not address. The second treatment exhausted me a little bit more and my skin is a bit dried out this time, but still looking very nice. If only, IF ONLY I could hold on to this swelling and have smooth skin like this forever. :boohoo: But I know I'll go back to normal next week.

I hope you get the results you want!! After 7 treatments you should at least get a crown!!

I'm a week out now. I didn't peel AT ALL. I was definitley a little sandpapery, and couldn't use make up because of the dry skin, but no flaking or peeling to speak of. My first treatment was at level 20, so I'm surprised. He said I might get a little crusty. But nothing. Even the swelling wasn't bad. I remember now him saying something to the assistant about doing "4" intead of "5". Don't know if he was talking about passes or maybe energy level? ANybody have any insight? I'm just thinking that maybe since there was virtually no downtime,it won't work as well!!

 

I'm surprised that at level 20, nothing happened. Did he do just the one pass? :think: He probably means 5 treatments total which is sort of the average # out there now. Everyone reacts differently so there is no telling what the results could be. I know if I did 20 for the whole face, I'd be inmy cave for a week. If I were you, I'd just ask your Doctor a few more questions about the density level and the # of passes. Communication is key. Good Luck :wavey:

hey annie,

Your skin looks great! keep up the good work!!

dino

 

I'm a week out now. I didn't peel AT ALL. I was definitley a little sandpapery, and couldn't use make up because of the dry skin, but no flaking or peeling to speak of. My first treatment was at level 20, so I'm surprised. He said I might get a little crusty. But nothing. Even the swelling wasn't bad. I remember now him saying something to the assistant about doing "4" intead of "5". Don't know if he was talking about passes or maybe energy level? ANybody have any insight? I'm just thinking that maybe since there was virtually no downtime,it won't work as well!!

 

I'm sure it will work just as well. Good for you! I'm up to 19 and I don't want them to go higher because of the swelling. Do you think he was talking about 4 treatments instead of 5?

 

Hello all. I want to thank AnnniefromMiami for what is the most well documented fraxel experience I have been able to find. Your pics and reactions to your experience are helpful to such a huge group of people that some thank yous are in order. You are helping people like me to make their decision based on non-biased information rather than the biased sales info. that I get at the skin centers and on the internet. I think that I am going into this treatment with very realistic expectations thanks to you. I wish you the best and I hope you get the results you are looking for. jo

This might be a copy of an earlier post ...not sure...I tried to post earlier don't think it worked. Sorry I'm a newbie to the board.

I have my first fraxel in less than a week. Did any of you notice *any* improvement to the skin after the first one - tone, color, etc? I have had a series of smoothbeam treatments so I'm hoping I might respond faster to the fraxels. Probably just empty hope but...

I feel i had a 30-40% improvement to the scars after the first session.

Not so sure now, i can't remember how deep they were to begin with.

I had my first Fraxel about 10 days ago. I had minor swelling, redness, and flaking (no peeling). My sense is that I was undertreated as a precaution in the first try. I really don't notice much change, but I did not expect to. My understanding is the collegen remodeling goes on for sometime after the procedure and that several procedures are required.

I had my first Fraxel about 10 days ago. I had minor swelling, redness, and flaking (no peeling). My sense is that I was undertreated as a precaution in the first try. I really don't notice much change, but I did not expect to. My understanding is the collegen remodeling goes on for sometime after the procedure and that several procedures are required.

 

I didn't notice any difference after the first one either. Don't get discouraged. I get impatient myself, but it does get better gradually. I was also told to expect improvement for 3 months after the last treatment. Best of luck to you!

Thanks for your good wishes and your valuable input. I'm not very patient, but I am sticking to the program because I believe it will yield good results based on your input, as well as others. I am spacing my sessions 1 month apart. 1st was at 15, with 4 passes at 250 density in problem areas and with 6 passes at 125 density everywhere else. How much step up in energy and coverage did you have between treatments? Any advice?

Thanks for your good wishes and your valuable input. I'm not very patient, but I am sticking to the program because I believe it will yield good results based on your input, as well as others. I am spacing my sessions 1 month apart. 1st was at 15, with 4 passes at 250 density in problem areas and with 6 passes at 125 density everywhere else. How much step up in energy and coverage did you have between treatments? Any advice?

 

I can't tell you anything about density, because I've never checked into that. I had 3 sessions at 18 with 2 passes on my whole face. The last one was at 19 with 2 passes. I go in Monday for my 5th treatment, and I'm going to talk to them about possibly doing another pass on my cheeks. I have 2 treatments to go. How many treatments do you have total?I get them done every 2 weeks. I want to get this over with before the weather gets nice.

I bought a package of 4. My scarring is shallow, but I have 3 surgical scars and forehead wrinkles that need some deeper work. I'm going to ask for 18 next time, with desnity at 250 in problem areas and 125 elsewhere. With same # passes, this will be 20% increase in total energy

Does anyone know if a high-intensity setting is good for shallow boxcar scars? How about ice pick scars? These are my main problems. My treatments are being done at 16, and I'm wondering if I should ask the doctor to go higher.

Also, I'm getting 8 passes each time. The assistant who does the treatment runs the laser in parallel lines spaced very close and then does the same thing in the opposite direction. I guess they consider this 8 passes and not 2 because of overlap: 4 passes in each direction. I timed it the last time, and it takes nearly 1 hour. Is anyone else confused about the term "passes"?

Just like everyone to know... I done my 3 session.... Hmmm great improvement on the shallower scars... looks much clearer... but still trying to convince myself the big and deeper scars had improved... maybe it does... on the outlook... perhaps abit.

Ok, I had Fraxel... The doctor applied opti-glide blue first, and then the numbing cream, she made the mistake by putting some on my lip, and just out of instinct I licked my lips (big mistake) my tounge was numb all afternoon , a half an hour later she administered vallum... I sat there for 45minutes and fell asleep. The doctor stated that she was going to be fairly aggresive on my cheeks, and the other places be fairly gentle. She started on level 15 @ 250mtz's with my forehead, and lemme tell ya the forehead is not the place to start, even with the cooling machine it hurt like a beeeaaatch, Im not boasting but I sat through 16hrs of tatooing (see gallery) and the fraxel on the forehead was more intense! she made a total of five passes on each interval, and a total of two intervals. her assistant had the cooling machine, the cooling machine helped out tons! after that she moved onto my cheeks, this session did not feel as bad, she upped the ante to a level 20 @ 125 mtz's she made a total of five passes on each side per interval, and a total of three intervals (a complete total of 15 passes per side) (she broke my face into six different sections) she then moved on to my chin, and lower face, and moved the maching back down to level 15 @ 250 mtz's, and did a total of three passes per interval a total of five intervals. When she was done I sat there with the cooling machine for about 5-6 minutes, and then they applied a cucumber cooling mask (unfortunately I dont have a picture of this) and again sat there for about five minutes. The whole time she kept asking question to keep my mind of things, overall the experience was positive...all excluding the opti-glide blue not coming off, This stuff exagerates your scars and pores..grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, any way here are the before, during and 1hr after first fraxel, Ill keep ya posted after next fraxel

Pics didnt come up, Youll have to go to my gallery to view, today is day three, and I found that my skin is like sand paper, and is flaking horribly, so far I can see a difference more in my icepick scars than anyothers, I will post some more pics tonight when I get a chance, the doc has me scheduled for a visit one month from now, she stated that this is about the time the healing process is winding down...I liked her especially because she said each person takes the treatment differently, and she does not follow the directions from reliant tech to a T, instead customizes it to the patient, she had done well over a 100 fraxels and has had great results!

Brian