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I just had a consult with a PS in Milwaukee yesterday and he recommended 1 Thermage treatment for my now very minimal active acne and a series of 7 Fraxel treatments for mild to moderate scarring. He said that he has never had a case that did not see some improvement and said that I could probably expect a 50% improvement overall. The cost for all the treatments is $4000. If I want additional spot treatments of Fraxel at a later date, they only charge $150. Not as bad as I expected.
The Fraxel treatments will be spaced a week apart unless I experience extremely bad swelling/dryness. In that case they'll space them further apart.
I'm fairly optimistic...my scarring is not too deep except for one or two spots, there is just a lot of it on my cheeks and it makes the texture look very uneven. The PS said Fraxel is not good for deep scarring and that people sometimes have unrealistic expectations. Maybe that is why there is so much negativity about Fraxel? Or else maybe it just doesn't work for some. I am a pretty good candidate because my skin is very dry, I'm very fair and I don't have enlarged pores.
I'll post my experiences as they happen, but won't make estimates of % better until at least a month after my last treatment. Hopefully it will be helpful to anyone considering Fraxel.
Widgie, I second the caution about thermage, not from experience, but form reading these boards. Also, 1 week spcing seems very short compared to what it is recommended in the literature for acne scarring. Lastly, your pkg price is excellent.
Blue kit, I too have had 1 Fraxel on March 9; no downside, but very little improvement to report. I was going to space my pkg of 4 out at 1 month intervals but I accidently scraped my forehead and took out some large patches of skin, so I postponed to May 1.
I was convinced that Fraxel is the way to go, but now I am less certain, given some of the negative reports. The interesting thing is the reports range from excellent to poor. I expected more consistency in results.
Best wishes.
I also read the Thermage warnings on this board but when I asked my PS about it he said that he uses it in conjunction with Fraxel treatments all the time and has never personally had adverse effects on a patient. The amount of cases with fat loss in the face is less than 0.2 percent. He is also the founder of a the Foundation for the Advancement of Cranio Facial Education and works with many severely disfigured patients as well as performing general plastic surgery so I do trust his recommendations and his expertise with lasers. I think that many of the problems with any laser may stem from inexperienced technicians. I can't stress enough how people should really check out their PS beforehand and not choose someone based on price and/or location alone.
I think that there is a certain amount of risk involved with any of these procedures but again, I trust my PS. I never had scarring before going on Retin A Micro with the Obagi system and it totally ruined my face. And that was something that I thought was without side effects. I definitely don't trust dermatologists anymore.
I also read the Thermage warnings on this board but when I asked my PS about it he said that he uses it in conjunction with Fraxel treatments all the time and has never personally had adverse effects on a patient. The amount of cases with fat loss in the face is less than 0.2 percent. He is also the founder of a the Foundation for the Advancement of Cranio Facial Education and works with many severely disfigured patients as well as performing general plastic surgery so I do trust his recommendations and his expertise with lasers. I think that many of the problems with any laser may stem from inexperienced technicians. I can't stress enough how people should really check out their PS beforehand and not choose someone based on price and/or location alone.
I think that there is a certain amount of risk involved with any of these procedures but again, I trust my PS. I never had scarring before going on Retin A Micro with the Obagi system and it totally ruined my face. And that was something that I thought was without side effects. I definitely don't trust dermatologists anymore.
hey thats so like what happened to me with the retin-a
I put differin on parts of my face, and the parts i did the acne started to scar and it never did that before. The parts i didn't put differin on still dont scar now.
Do you think retin-a causes acne to start scarring?
jayjay1,
I'd never heard of retin a causing scarring before it happened to me. In fact, I think some derms prescribe it to HELP with minor scarring. But the last derm I saw said that some people can have adverse effects while using it. Unfortunately, we apparently fall into that category. What made me very angry about the whole experience is that I told my dermatologist repeatedly that I was scarring and he said it was temporary. Temporary scarring?? I'm an idiot for believing him and staying on it for as long as I did. I started using all natural products on my face and it cleared up...but now I have to try to fix the scarring, which is much harder to do. I guess the lesson is that everyones skin can react very differently to products/procedures.
I just had a consult with a PS in Milwaukee yesterday and he recommended 1 Thermage treatment for my now very minimal active acne and a series of 7 Fraxel treatments for mild to moderate scarring. He said that he has never had a case that did not see some improvement and said that I could probably expect a 50% improvement overall. The cost for all the treatments is $4000. If I want additional spot treatments of Fraxel at a later date, they only charge $150. Not as bad as I expected.
The Fraxel treatments will be spaced a week apart unless I experience extremely bad swelling/dryness. In that case they'll space them further apart.
I'm fairly optimistic...my scarring is not too deep except for one or two spots, there is just a lot of it on my cheeks and it makes the texture look very uneven. The PS said Fraxel is not good for deep scarring and that people sometimes have unrealistic expectations. Maybe that is why there is so much negativity about Fraxel? Or else maybe it just doesn't work for some. I am a pretty good candidate because my skin is very dry, I'm very fair and I don't have enlarged pores.
I'll post my experiences as they happen, but won't make estimates of % better until at least a month after my last treatment. Hopefully it will be helpful to anyone considering Fraxel.
Beware of Thermage. Do some more research there is some scary stories out there.
Widgie
You are clearly intelligent and your posts show logic. And, I don't want to be a pest, but I do want to reiterate a second warning on thermage.
As you noted, sometimes bad results occur with the best experts for unknown reasons. This happened to me. My worst result occured with a big name doc at UCSF, arguably the top medical school in the world. My strategy now is to only go with low risk procedures that I have researched thoroughly, including talking to former patients of the doc that I might use for the proposed procedure. I know references are selectively biase, but I hope you take this step, especially with something as controversial as thermage.
best wishes
I appreciate everyones concern about my proposed thermage treatment. 
I've done a fair bit of research on it, but I am scheduling an appointment to talk to my PS again armed with some of the information from this board and other places. We'll see what he says. The treatment isn't for another month so I have ample time to reconsider.
Why is all im hearing about the fraxel lately are negative things?
In the beginning of the posts on through the middle are some really positive things, but now all i see is complaints and negative takes on this procedure.
Honestly, for the people going through it now i know this has to be tough to read, also seeing as some people who have not even done fraxel and are saying it doesnt do shit.
I myself am doing fraxel right now, about to have my 3rd treatment and all this negativity doesnt help, it just makes me more nervous.
I understand that some people just want to warn others out there, but i wish i was seeing more positive things being said out there.
Why is all im hearing about the fraxel lately are negative things?
In the beginning of the posts on through the middle are some really positive things, but now all i see is complaints and negative takes on this procedure.
Honestly, for the people going through it now i know this has to be tough to read, also seeing as some people who have not even done fraxel and are saying it doesnt do shit.
I myself am doing fraxel right now, about to have my 3rd treatment and all this negativity doesnt help, it just makes me more nervous.
I understand that some people just want to warn others out there, but i wish i was seeing more positive things being said out there.
I agree--As somebody who is having fraxel treatments, it is very unsettling to read about negative experiences. However, I do think it is important that we continue to post the negative AND positive experiences so that we can inform other potential fraxelers of what we're going through. Have you had any negative experiences with fraxel thus far, natali? Any positive results?
I will certainly post positive results, but I haven't had any yet (after only 1 treatment). Unfortunately, I have had negative things to post because I've had some adverse effects (brown spots, break-outs), which have caused me major anxiety. I'm getting my treatments for free, which is the only reason I am continuing with them (for the time being).
natali21,
Don't get discouraged by what you read in these forums. Since you are already well into your Fraxel treatments, only you will be able to determine what sort of benefits you see. Remember that it is human nature for dissatisfied people to be the most vocal in sharing their experiences. There are people who have definitely had negative experiences who are trying to warn/share with others. However, there are thousands of people who have these procedures with successful results as well who don't frequent these message boards.
There are many kinds of skin types and many types of scarring. No two people are going to have the same results. Also, many people who have had successful results often don't keep posting in these forums. I limit myself to reading only a few threads because I find that too much negativity justs makes me anxious and miserable. Acne scarring is a wretched condition that causes much emotional despair. Unfortunately, that sometimes brings out the worst in people.
Keep your expectations reasonable and try to stay positive about your treatments. You are taking steps to improve things and that is the hardest part to go through. And if you have good results, let everyone know!
Best of luck to you!
Why is all im hearing about the fraxel lately are negative things?
In the beginning of the posts on through the middle are some really positive things, but now all i see is complaints and negative takes on this procedure.
Honestly, for the people going through it now i know this has to be tough to read, also seeing as some people who have not even done fraxel and are saying it doesnt do shit.
I myself am doing fraxel right now, about to have my 3rd treatment and all this negativity doesnt help, it just makes me more nervous.
I understand that some people just want to warn others out there, but i wish i was seeing more positive things being said out there.
I agree--As somebody who is having fraxel treatments, it is very unsettling to read about negative experiences. However, I do think it is important that we continue to post the negative AND positive experiences so that we can inform other potential fraxelers of what we're going through. Have you had any negative experiences with fraxel thus far, natali? Any positive results?
I will certainly post positive results, but I haven't had any yet (after only 1 treatment). Unfortunately, I have had negative things to post because I've had some adverse effects (brown spots, break-outs), which have caused me major anxiety. I'm getting my treatments for free, which is the only reason I am continuing with them (for the time being).
I understand what you are saying with the brown spots, i would be anxious too, but seeing that youre gettin this for free, if i were you i would be so happy. I had to save 5000 dollars for this procedure and that may be part of the reason it makes me so upset to hear these negative things. They told me that insurance does not cover fraxel because it is considered a cosmetic procedure.
How did you get yours for free?
natali21,
Don't get discouraged by what you read in these forums. Since you are already well into your Fraxel treatments, only you will be able to determine what sort of benefits you see. Remember that it is human nature for dissatisfied people to be the most vocal in sharing their experiences. There are people who have definitely had negative experiences who are trying to warn/share with others. However, there are thousands of people who have these procedures with successful results as well who don't frequent these message boards.
There are many kinds of skin types and many types of scarring. No two people are going to have the same results. Also, many people who have had successful results often don't keep posting in these forums. I limit myself to reading only a few threads because I find that too much negativity justs makes me anxious and miserable. Acne scarring is a wretched condition that causes much emotional despair. Unfortunately, that sometimes brings out the worst in people.
Keep your expectations reasonable and try to stay positive about your treatments. You are taking steps to improve things and that is the hardest part to go through. And if you have good results, let everyone know!
Best of luck to you! 🙂
Thanks for the encouragement, i know everyone has different reactions to these things. I should also limit my viewing of threads so i can calm down, lol.
I know that with many procedures such as dermabrasion and co2 people have very different outcomes, and i guess this is one of them. I just found it strange that at first everything was so positive, and the last 3, 4 pages have been almost all negative.
I went ahead and got my 4th treatment at 24 today. It didn't hurt as bad as my 3rd, which was at 20, because I waited 3 weeks instead of 1. Also, I told them to do the spot treatments (which they do after the full face) at 24 too instead of 30 like last time. This is the last treatment for me. The doctor said to come back in six months and if I'm not happy, she'll give me a 5th for free.
Also, I started breaking out about a week after my 3rd treatment. It didn't happen after the first two because I got the next treatment so quickly afterwards. I think benzoyl peroxide works well in controlling the breakouts.
I went ahead and got my 4th treatment at 24 today. It didn't hurt as bad as my 3rd, which was at 20, because I waited 3 weeks instead of 1. Also, I told them to do the spot treatments (which they do after the full face) at 24 too instead of 30 like last time. This is the last treatment for me. The doctor said to come back in six months and if I'm not happy, she'll give me a 5th for free.
Also, I started breaking out about a week after my 3rd treatment. It didn't happen after the first two because I got the next treatment so quickly afterwards. I think benzoyl peroxide works well in controlling the breakouts.
I had my last treatment 2 days ago at 24 too. You're the first person I've seen who's gone this high too. Please let us know how you're doing. I'm very swollen, but other than that no other problems. I'm axious about this one, and I wish it were 2 weeks from now!
I went ahead and got my 4th treatment at 24 today. It didn't hurt as bad as my 3rd, which was at 20, because I waited 3 weeks instead of 1. Also, I told them to do the spot treatments (which they do after the full face) at 24 too instead of 30 like last time. This is the last treatment for me. The doctor said to come back in six months and if I'm not happy, she'll give me a 5th for free.
Also, I started breaking out about a week after my 3rd treatment. It didn't happen after the first two because I got the next treatment so quickly afterwards. I think benzoyl peroxide works well in controlling the breakouts.
I had my last treatment 2 days ago at 24 too. You're the first person I've seen who's gone this high too. Please let us know how you're doing. I'm very swollen, but other than that no other problems. I'm axious about this one, and I wish it were 2 weeks from now!
Yep, I noticed that you were at 24 too. I have pinpont bleeding all over my face this time. What about you?
I went ahead and got my 4th treatment at 24 today. It didn't hurt as bad as my 3rd, which was at 20, because I waited 3 weeks instead of 1. Also, I told them to do the spot treatments (which they do after the full face) at 24 too instead of 30 like last time. This is the last treatment for me. The doctor said to come back in six months and if I'm not happy, she'll give me a 5th for free.
Also, I started breaking out about a week after my 3rd treatment. It didn't happen after the first two because I got the next treatment so quickly afterwards. I think benzoyl peroxide works well in controlling the breakouts.
I had my last treatment 2 days ago at 24 too. You're the first person I've seen who's gone this high too. Please let us know how you're doing. I'm very swollen, but other than that no other problems. I'm axious about this one, and I wish it were 2 weeks from now!
Yep, I noticed that you were at 24 too. I have pinpont bleeding all over my face this time. What about you?
I have one on my chin. I've had others before, and it's never left a scar or anything.
A guy by the name of Meet Pete who used to post here did some treatments. I think 2 at 30 and 1 at 40. The 40 left him with lingering redness that I think still hasn't gone yet. He said he had no results at all but Pete also didn't seem to respond to any treatments that was supposed to induce collagen. The only thing that worked for Pete was excisions and fillers.
A guy by the name of Meet Pete who used to post here did some treatments. I think 2 at 30 and 1 at 40. The 40 left him with lingering redness that I think still hasn't gone yet. He said he had no results at all but Pete also didn't seem to respond to any treatments that was supposed to induce collagen. The only thing that worked for Pete was excisions and fillers.
I can't even imagine going that high. I just hope I have some skin left after this one! :boohoo:
Hi Guys,
just wondering if anyone has had bad results with fraxel? more scarring, fat loss etc?
Also anyone with Type V skin given fraxel a shot? what were ur results?
Thanks heaps
M
I think there is a side effects of fraxel which is from my personal experience and some of the people here. If you have a scarred pores that is yet to be open up... fraxel will probably open it up which seems that enlarging some of your pores.... But I guess that is the reasons for fraxel's success too... It actually opening up and smoothening the edge of your scars which you are so detested and enable light diffusion into your scars which actually blends your scars well to a point... it also lighten or making the darker texture of your skin either beneath your scars or on top to heals to the color of your skin which makes your scars not so obvious. It does improve the depth but not that much... Remodeling the skin texture and Creating an overall improvement.
Wow. I haven't been online in a while. I'm surprised at all the negative fraxel posts all of a sudden. I'm 1 week out from my second fraxel. I'm pleased so far. Gives me hope about this treatment in general.
QUick question - what type of sunscreen are you all using? DO you think a moisturizer with sunscreen is ok or does it actually need to be SUNSCREEN? I know it needs to be at least 30...Does my 15 moisturizer plus my 15 makeup equal 30??
Wow. I haven't been online in a while. I'm surprised at all the negative fraxel posts all of a sudden. I'm 1 week out from my second fraxel. I'm pleased so far. Gives me hope about this treatment in general.
QUick question - what type of sunscreen are you all using? DO you think a moisturizer with sunscreen is ok or does it actually need to be SUNSCREEN? I know it needs to be at least 30...Does my 15 moisturizer plus my 15 makeup equal 30??
A "15" sunscreen and "15" makeup still means only spf15. If you need suggestions on a good moisturizer/sunscreen, makeupalley.com has a ton of great recommendations.