Cameron,

I don't doubt you have little to no improvement but is cramming all these treatments together weekly advisable? I know you have been through alot of treatments and I too am quite leary of many things but burning your skin off every week for 3 weeks probably isn't going to produce much results since it hasn't had time to recuperate.

What I am surprised about is that you aren't seeing swelling with the frequency of this treatment which should be camouflaging/hiding your scarring like it seems others are experiencing.

Good luck man.

 

I agree! I have never heard of having them one week apart! I can't believe you can even do them that close together and not be in pain. Something doesn't sound right.

*Edit** I have done smoothbeam.......6 treatments with the Smoothbeam along with the Yag laser and Erbium laser. I did help some of my scars but it's been a few years since then and I have a few new scars and some of the older scars are still around. I am thinking of doing the Fraxel now but it is such a new laser.

Thanks to everyone who has posted their experience.

Oh, I was watching The Learning Chanel tonight and they had a makeover show and they used the Fraxel laser and Restalyn filler on a lady with bad acne scaring and bad redness due to roseaca. She looked amazing after the makeover.

JP

the dr's say one's skin is supposed to undergo collagen remodeling up to 6 months after fraxel laser. so improvements are supposed to get better over time theoretically. has anyone who has completely finished their fraxel treatments notice gradual improvement over time?--per say, did your scars look better 4 months after your last treatment compared to a month after your last treatment? i'm curious as to just how much collagen remodeling occurs, and when optimal results occur. how much more of an improvement can one expect 6 months down the road compared to right now--let's say a month post-op?

i know that floridaguy was saying something about improving more and more over time after his treatments.

a lot of people have been praising this new technology as achieving comparable results to a CO2 laser. i've been told by many dr's that that isn't the case. CO2 laser is by far the gold standard in treating facial flaws. so if you're thinking about plunking down around $4500-$5000 for a series of fraxel, i think co2 might be a better choice. only negative aspect is the long downtime associated with this type of aggressive treatment.

on a side note, if you go to the reliant technology website, they give you a list of the contact #s of the differen't dr's who are offering fraxel. i tried to reach a couple of them, most notably the private offices and not those big companies liike laser skin center of etc. interesting enough, there were some who were not offering it anymore. when asked why, they gave the response that they returned it. seems like they weren't satisfied with the results they were achieving with their patients.

It's almost two weeks after my 5th fraxel. Am still at the setting 13 ( 14 in some areas ).

I am seeing a significant improvement. Most of my shallow scars except two are gone. I still have scarred pores in some patches. The results have been quite encouraging, so I have decided to do two more treatments. The settings that are used so far are 8,10,12,13,13+14 with density of 250.

After discussing and reviewing results with my doctor, she is of the opinion that coverage is equally important as the energy setting.

After 5 treatments, my treated areas do look little darker ( brownish ) but my doctor thinks I should wait for atleast 6-8 weeks after the last treament before doing anything about it.

It's almost two weeks after my 5th fraxel. Am still at the setting 13 ( 14 in some areas ).

I am seeing a significant improvement. Most of my shallow scars except two are gone. I still have scarred pores in some patches. The results have been quite encouraging, so I have decided to do two more treatments. The settings that are used so far are 8,10,12,13,13+14 with density of 250.

After discussing and reviewing results with my doctor, she is of the opinion that coverage is equally important as the energy setting.

After 5 treatments, my treated areas do look little darker ( brownish ) but my doctor thinks I should wait for atleast 6-8 weeks after the last treament before doing anything about it.

 

coolbreeze, b4 you plunk down more of your hard earned cash on more treatments, you should analyze your results only after week 4. 3 weeks at the least. sorry to say but it seems like you're jumping the gun at analyzing your results this early after your treatment--2 weeks?--definitely way too early. trust me, there is still residual swelling/inflammation lingering that covers scars pretty well. you can look at the previous posts offerd by others who have had it done, and they also mention that you must analyze your improvements only after all inflammation has completely gone away. best of luck to you.

 

It's almost two weeks after my 5th fraxel. Am still at the setting 13 ( 14 in some areas ).

I am seeing a significant improvement. Most of my shallow scars except two are gone. I still have scarred pores in some patches. The results have been quite encouraging, so I have decided to do two more treatments. The settings that are used so far are 8,10,12,13,13+14 with density of 250.

After discussing and reviewing results with my doctor, she is of the opinion that coverage is equally important as the energy setting.

After 5 treatments, my treated areas do look little darker ( brownish ) but my doctor thinks I should wait for atleast 6-8 weeks after the last treament before doing anything about it.

 

coolbreeze, b4 you plunk down more of your hard earned cash on more treatments, you should analyze your results only after week 4. 3 weeks at the least. sorry to say but it seems like you're jumping the gun at analyzing your results this early after your treatment--2 weeks?--definitely way too early. trust me, there is still residual swelling/inflammation lingering that covers scars pretty well. you can look at the previous posts offerd by others who have had it done, and they also mention that you must analyze your improvements only after all inflammation has completely gone away. best of luck to you.

 

Hi Trident, thanks for your well-meant advice and caution.

I do treatments every 3 weeks. So, this was just a usual review that we have before every treatment when swelling or redness is reasonable gone.

And no, I don't think Fraxel is a silver bullet that works for all type of scars and for all people.

In my case, my scarring is mild and am doing treating just in some areas ( cheeks and nose )

and in the initial discussion with my Dr., she has said that 'cause am asian, she would increase the setting

very gradually and I might need more than 5 treatments to see results.

I fully agree that doing more treatments, if it is like 1000 $ / treatment is really difficult especially if the results are not encouraging. I can think of doing it as I pay only 400 $ per treatment, results so far are in line with what I expected ( I was not expecting anything dramatic ), so I don't mind taking a "chance".

I've had 1 Fraxel about 3 weeks ago. Very modest improvement. That said, CO2 has no appeal for me. First, I have read and spoken to people that said they got minimal improvement from CO2, while also reading comments about gold standard and good results, etc. While I can't reconcile this, every Dr I have seen has said CO2 is a big risk for pigment problems, especially hypo, which scares me to death, and that it would be overkill for my shallow scars. I prefer the safer route. I am estimating that I will get 20% to 40% improvement from my series of 4. Even if only 20%, I will still be happy becasue I know I took no chance of making things worse and 20% is cost justified to me.

According to Dr. Fitzpatrick, you should space treatments out every 4-5 weeks. This gives the skin time to fully heal and prepare for another treatment.

 

According to Dr. Fitzpatrick, you should space treatments out every 4-5 weeks. This gives the skin time to fully heal and prepare for another treatment.

 

Industry,

How are ur treatments going? Did you get the test patch?

 

Im trying to find a good day to get it done. I'm in sales so I can't get it done when I have clients. I'm trying to arrange a Thursday and then take Fri-Mon afternoon off. Would that be enough time?

Fraxel will improve your scars. At least 30 percent. If you only get the cheeks done you will probably pay about 400-500 per session. If you get the whole face expect crazy prices anywhere from 1000-1500 per treatment. You should definately get the 5 treatments series.

Read up on it here: www.fraxel.com and www.reliant-tech.com

I'm suprised microderm and peels worked so well for you. Most people say it doesnt help scars and maybe just improves texture and tone. Where did you go for microderm and peels? Cost? Healing time? Etc?

 

microderms and peels only helped with the colors... i stopped the microderms and ordered 70% glycolic acid off ebay and i use that every 5-6 days... helps with the skin tone but not the shallowness.... its only a lil red for 1-2 hours after the acid treatment... instead of paying $50 per treatment at doctors office i can get 30 treatments for $12 LOL... it really works too.

but i suppose i should try fraxel then... im kinda broke though... what would the cheek treatments be?> $500 for both cheeks?

Had my second treatment today. He went really aggressive - level 23. He said he does 8-10 passes, but man it felt like more than that! Thank God for the cooling machine! I am a little swollen, and I have some pinpoint bleeding. I may have to be a bit more of a recluse for the next day or two. I asked about doing TCA Cross in conjunction with this. He said wait for 6 months to see the full effect of fraxel. Also said I might not feel like I need to pursue TCA Cross because my scars will be so much better (???!!??) Is that a bold claim or what??

at what density did he do the setting of 23 on you?

Does Dr sire do fraxel?

at what density did he do the setting of 23 on you?

 

125. It didn't really hurt, but I definitely felt theheat in my face on theway home! I woke up this morning to an already browner face, some pinpoint scabs and some itty bitty white blisters. Maybe this time I'll actually flake. Last time the downtime really wasn't much to speak of.

so is anyone keeping score on this thread? is the overall concensus yay or nay?

Just had my fraxel done a couple of days ago. Thought it was fantastic at first, but later, it seemed to have gone back to the original state. Abit disheartened. But is this usally the case for the first fraxel?...not much results kinda thing?.....

I hope to get significant results by the third treatment.

Cheers

your collagen is supposed to grow over time, not right away. Right now your skin is still healing.

does it really matter which doctor i go to , so long as he is certified

does it really matter which doctor i go to , so long as he is certified

 

Do you trust your hair with anyone? It's the same pair of sisscors, same license, so why not just go to Super Cuts? Because each individual has their own level of experience, technique and knowledge.

I'm with Dr. Fitzpatrick because he pretty much invented the laser and has done so many of them that he knows what to expect and how to treat each individual problem. Most Dr.'s just use one setting for the entire face but not him.

Do your research and don't just go with the cheapest. It's your face, not your hair.

 

at what density did he do the setting of 23 on you?

 

125. It didn't really hurt, but I definitely felt theheat in my face on theway home! I woke up this morning to an already browner face, some pinpoint scabs and some itty bitty white blisters. Maybe this time I'll actually flake. Last time the downtime really wasn't much to speak of.

 

Chrissy, You must have a huge pain tolerance! Congrats on finally getting your 2nd one done. Keep us posted!

How much does fitzpatrick charge for fraxel?

Is fraxel painful?

Just had my fraxel done a couple of days ago. Thought it was fantastic at first, but later, it seemed to have gone back to the original state. Abit disheartened. But is this usally the case for the first fraxel?...not much results kinda thing?.....

I hope to get significant results by the third treatment.

Cheers

 

Hi yea its normal... guess you only done it once... Sloane is a great clinic and I recomended it haha... anyway... wait for 3 weeks you'll see that your collogen remodeling took effect. It depends on the rate your skin heals.

If you had done it at sloane I would say you'll difinitely see some results. All you need to do is wait for the second and third treatment before the results become significant. One point to note I feel that fraxel works better on some scars than the other... just as the other treatments...

Had my second treatment today. He went really aggressive - level 23. He said he does 8-10 passes, but man it felt like more than that! Thank God for the cooling machine! I am a little swollen, and I have some pinpoint bleeding. I may have to be a bit more of a recluse for the next day or two. I asked about doing TCA Cross in conjunction with this. He said wait for 6 months to see the full effect of fraxel. Also said I might not feel like I need to pursue TCA Cross because my scars will be so much better (???!!??) Is that a bold claim or what??

If you have ice picks like mine you'll do TCA cross... it works great on me... After the first you'll see much improvement already... Its all depends on your rate of healing for your skins which will determine how well it will become...

Remarks: Try taking some creams or oral for your healing it works great!!! It will boast your collogen growth to heal.

Sloane is in singapore? You guys fly out to singapore to get this done?

 

Just had my fraxel done a couple of days ago. Thought it was fantastic at first, but later, it seemed to have gone back to the original state. Abit disheartened. But is this usally the case for the first fraxel?...not much results kinda thing?.....

I hope to get significant results by the third treatment.

Cheers

 

Hi yea its normal... guess you only done it once... Sloane is a great clinic and I recomended it haha... anyway... wait for 3 weeks you'll see that your collogen remodeling took effect. It depends on the rate your skin heals.

If you had done it at sloane I would say you'll difinitely see some results. All you need to do is wait for the second and third treatment before the results become significant. One point to note I feel that fraxel works better on some scars than the other... just as the other treatments...

It seemed to have healed already....... but will the collogen really make it look more different than how it looks right now? Well I hope so....will be having the next fraxel in another 4 weeks.

:pray: