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#1Cubsfan- so are you done?? That's six treatments for you, right? I think in hindsight that the rudiness may have been a reaction to the new sunscreen. I'm paranoid about sun exposure, but can't find a good sunscreen. I had been using a moisturizer with an spf in it, but was recently told that, "well, it's better than nothing, but not as good as a sunscreen or a sunblock". Does this mean I've accrued sun damage when I though I was being so careful?
Billyboy - yes, improvement continues for six months after the last treatment. I think what she meant is that after the second treatment is when the improvement starts to become visible. For what it's worth, I'm only doing a round of three fraxels, a fourth if deemed necessary. Dr. Rapaport does higher energy but does keep the density a 125. I think he might bump up to 25 or so, but not too much higher. My first round was at 20 and I was presentable immediately, although "sunburnt". Second round I felt uncomfortable enough with my appearance that I cancelled some plans until day 4, but I stayed noticeably red past the one week mark.
I take my husband's comments very seriously, esp. since he teased me so mercilessly (but in a sweet and loving way) before I underwent my first fraxel. ("Wow! I already see a difference! Your skin looks great!) He, like your wife, thought I was obsessing and couldn't undertand why I felt like I needed this, but he's been supportive now that I'm doing it.
#1Cubsfan- so are you done?? That's six treatments for you, right? I think in hindsight that the rudiness may have been a reaction to the new sunscreen. I'm paranoid about sun exposure, but can't find a good sunscreen. I had been using a moisturizer with an spf in it, but was recently told that, "well, it's better than nothing, but not as good as a sunscreen or a sunblock". Does this mean I've accrued sun damage when I though I was being so careful?
Yep, I'm done for now. I''m seeing my doc on Thursday, so I'm curious to see what the before pictures look like. I'm kind of kicking myself now. I wish that I would have had him go higher earlier. I think I would have had more improvement. Hindsight, ya know? I think we should be using at least a 30 sunscreen for quite awhile. I'm not happy with mine either. It has a tint in it, and my makeup doesn't go on well. Anybody have a good sunscreen out there, that looks o.k. with make up? I don't think you have sun damage yet. We're lucky it's not the middle of summer. Keep up informed on your progress, o.k.?
Hi Cubsfan,
Just wondering what you think of the comparison between your before and after pics. Now that you are all finished with your treatments I'm wondering if you see any residual redness.
Thanks,
Bluekit
Hi Bluekit, Yes, I'm done. I didn't have after pics taken last week because my face has broken out pretty bad. I went down on my antibiotics and all hell broke loose. I ended up talking to him the whole time about other options for acne. Unbelievable. I go back next month, and I'll have him take after pictures then. He told me he had just gotten in the new Fraxel machine, and hadn't used it yet. They said it's going to be great . When they go up to 25 on the laser, the pain will will feel like it's on 18. Sounds very promising. I'm planning on going back in the fall for 4 more treatments. I do see some residual redness about a half of on inch underneath my lip all the way across. It's a lot lighter than the rest of my face. It's kind of hard to hide with make up. I'm hoping that goes away soon. I'm happy with the progress, but I realize I need more treatments to see better improvement. Thanks for asking!
OKay well here i go again. A week and three days later from first fraxel and red that was horrible for first two days is now gone. Swelling left after 3rd day which was good. NOW scars are there still but i have to say that face is way smoother. Friends say it too. I am def back to normal peeling is done and again red has been gone since day 5. I am very pleased with this procedure. Again i can see scars still but face is def not as rough and complexion is much better. Waited to post till all the red was gone so not to be misleading. THe first 3 days i thought i would be a monster of redness for months. Then boom is just got so much better after that. I am def doing 4 treatmenst as month apart so will keep you all posted. Again my scars were on cheecks . For all wondering, think about this. If you can get your scars even ten to 20 percent better or you whold complexion looking more youthful then that is what you want. I would dare say 15 percent smoother off one fraxel. ALL you haters can respond but for scars on my cheeks i am very happy. Still need some works but after number 4 i can even dream how much better things could be. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE. 🙂 😀 :drool:
Wait till a month before you make any conclusions ok? I had my first and its been one over month after already. At first, I was really happy like u, looks very smooth, but after 1 month plus now, not much difference i see, I'm looking forward for the 2nd and the 3rd though. They say u can't see the difference on the first one, very minimal.
I dont agree. i am on day shy of two weeks out and the red has been gone for almost 8 days. swelling gone for ten days. my face has gone back to original form and i did wait for other stuff to subside. I do still see same scars but overall complexion is way beter. NOt that your hating but i am telling you that for my facial scars they are def smoother. I have same mirror that i looked in for years. Now i can stand closer than ever and smile. Went to doctor today and he said that improvements will continue. Well hopefull as i sound so far it is all good. HOpe everyone tries this great machine. will keep everyone posted on continued improvement
OKay well here i go again. A week and three days later from first fraxel and red that was horrible for first two days is now gone. Swelling left after 3rd day which was good. NOW scars are there still but i have to say that face is way smoother. Friends say it too. I am def back to normal peeling is done and again red has been gone since day 5. I am very pleased with this procedure. Again i can see scars still but face is def not as rough and complexion is much better. Waited to post till all the red was gone so not to be misleading. THe first 3 days i thought i would be a monster of redness for months. Then boom is just got so much better after that. I am def doing 4 treatmenst as month apart so will keep you all posted. Again my scars were on cheecks . For all wondering, think about this. If you can get your scars even ten to 20 percent better or you whold complexion looking more youthful then that is what you want. I would dare say 15 percent smoother off one fraxel. ALL you haters can respond but for scars on my cheeks i am very happy. Still need some works but after number 4 i can even dream how much better things could be. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE. 🙂 😀 :drool:
Wait till a month before you make any conclusions ok? I had my first and its been one over month after already. At first, I was really happy like u, looks very smooth, but after 1 month plus now, not much difference i see, I'm looking forward for the 2nd and the 3rd though. They say u can't see the difference on the first one, very minimal.
I dont agree. i am on day shy of two weeks out and the red has been gone for almost 8 days. swelling gone for ten days. my face has gone back to original form and i did wait for other stuff to subside. I do still see same scars but overall complexion is way beter. NOt that your hating but i am telling you that for my facial scars they are def smoother. I have same mirror that i looked in for years. Now i can stand closer than ever and smile. Went to doctor today and he said that improvements will continue. Well hopefull as i sound so far it is all good. HOpe everyone tries this great machine. will keep everyone posted on continued improvement
Two weeks, I was still smiling at the mirror my dear, u have to wait longer, then tell me ok? Now I think it has gone back after about 1 month plus.:( But I think we don't see results for the first fraxel, we need a few more. I'm excited about my next one.
OKay well here i go again. A week and three days later from first fraxel and red that was horrible for first two days is now gone. Swelling left after 3rd day which was good. NOW scars are there still but i have to say that face is way smoother. Friends say it too. I am def back to normal peeling is done and again red has been gone since day 5. I am very pleased with this procedure. Again i can see scars still but face is def not as rough and complexion is much better. Waited to post till all the red was gone so not to be misleading. THe first 3 days i thought i would be a monster of redness for months. Then boom is just got so much better after that. I am def doing 4 treatmenst as month apart so will keep you all posted. Again my scars were on cheecks . For all wondering, think about this. If you can get your scars even ten to 20 percent better or you whold complexion looking more youthful then that is what you want. I would dare say 15 percent smoother off one fraxel. ALL you haters can respond but for scars on my cheeks i am very happy. Still need some works but after number 4 i can even dream how much better things could be. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE. 🙂 😀 :drool:
Wait till a month before you make any conclusions ok? I had my first and its been one over month after already. At first, I was really happy like u, looks very smooth, but after 1 month plus now, not much difference i see, I'm looking forward for the 2nd and the 3rd though. They say u can't see the difference on the first one, very minimal.
I dont agree. i am on day shy of two weeks out and the red has been gone for almost 8 days. swelling gone for ten days. my face has gone back to original form and i did wait for other stuff to subside. I do still see same scars but overall complexion is way beter. NOt that your hating but i am telling you that for my facial scars they are def smoother. I have same mirror that i looked in for years. Now i can stand closer than ever and smile. Went to doctor today and he said that improvements will continue. Well hopefull as i sound so far it is all good. HOpe everyone tries this great machine. will keep everyone posted on continued improvement
Two weeks, I was still smiling at the mirror my dear, u have to wait longer, then tell me ok? Now I think it has gone back after about 1 month plus.:( But I think we don't see results for the first fraxel, we need a few more. I'm excited about my next one.
Yeah, just wait before you get everyone's hopes up. You'll be looking like shit again in no time. I still do, and it's been almost 3 weeks since my 4th. The only thing I see right now is a pink face and BIGGER pores and ice picks.
Hi cameron!
Did u have these ice picks to begin with or was there further scarring? Was there any improvement, if so on which scars and what percentage? I've got enlarged pores which do bother me. Im thinking mayb I'll just skip that area or something as they are close to my nose...*sighh* i dunno.
Thanks and good luck
M
OKay well here i go again. A week and three days later from first fraxel and red that was horrible for first two days is now gone. Swelling left after 3rd day which was good. NOW scars are there still but i have to say that face is way smoother. Friends say it too. I am def back to normal peeling is done and again red has been gone since day 5. I am very pleased with this procedure. Again i can see scars still but face is def not as rough and complexion is much better. Waited to post till all the red was gone so not to be misleading. THe first 3 days i thought i would be a monster of redness for months. Then boom is just got so much better after that. I am def doing 4 treatmenst as month apart so will keep you all posted. Again my scars were on cheecks . For all wondering, think about this. If you can get your scars even ten to 20 percent better or you whold complexion looking more youthful then that is what you want. I would dare say 15 percent smoother off one fraxel. ALL you haters can respond but for scars on my cheeks i am very happy. Still need some works but after number 4 i can even dream how much better things could be. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE.
Wait till a month before you make any conclusions ok? I had my first and its been one over month after already. At first, I was really happy like u, looks very smooth, but after 1 month plus now, not much difference i see, I'm looking forward for the 2nd and the 3rd though. They say u can't see the difference on the first one, very minimal.
I dont agree. i am on day shy of two weeks out and the red has been gone for almost 8 days. swelling gone for ten days. my face has gone back to original form and i did wait for other stuff to subside. I do still see same scars but overall complexion is way beter. NOt that your hating but i am telling you that for my facial scars they are def smoother. I have same mirror that i looked in for years. Now i can stand closer than ever and smile. Went to doctor today and he said that improvements will continue. Well hopefull as i sound so far it is all good. HOpe everyone tries this great machine. will keep everyone posted on continued improvement
Hi cameron!
Did u have these ice picks to begin with or was there further scarring? Was there any improvement, if so on which scars and what percentage? I've got enlarged pores which do bother me. Im thinking mayb I'll just skip that area or something as they are close to my nose...*sighh* i dunno.
Thanks and good luck
M
OKay well here i go again. A week and three days later from first fraxel and red that was horrible for first two days is now gone. Swelling left after 3rd day which was good. NOW scars are there still but i have to say that face is way smoother. Friends say it too. I am def back to normal peeling is done and again red has been gone since day 5. I am very pleased with this procedure. Again i can see scars still but face is def not as rough and complexion is much better. Waited to post till all the red was gone so not to be misleading. THe first 3 days i thought i would be a monster of redness for months. Then boom is just got so much better after that. I am def doing 4 treatmenst as month apart so will keep you all posted. Again my scars were on cheecks . For all wondering, think about this. If you can get your scars even ten to 20 percent better or you whold complexion looking more youthful then that is what you want. I would dare say 15 percent smoother off one fraxel. ALL you haters can respond but for scars on my cheeks i am very happy. Still need some works but after number 4 i can even dream how much better things could be. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE. 🙂 😀 :drool:
Wait till a month before you make any conclusions ok? I had my first and its been one over month after already. At first, I was really happy like u, looks very smooth, but after 1 month plus now, not much difference i see, I'm looking forward for the 2nd and the 3rd though. They say u can't see the difference on the first one, very minimal.
I dont agree. i am on day shy of two weeks out and the red has been gone for almost 8 days. swelling gone for ten days. my face has gone back to original form and i did wait for other stuff to subside. I do still see same scars but overall complexion is way beter. NOt that your hating but i am telling you that for my facial scars they are def smoother. I have same mirror that i looked in for years. Now i can stand closer than ever and smile. Went to doctor today and he said that improvements will continue. Well hopefull as i sound so far it is all good. HOpe everyone tries this great machine. will keep everyone posted on continued improvement
Two weeks, I was still smiling at the mirror my dear, u have to wait longer, then tell me ok? Now I think it has gone back after about 1 month plus.:( But I think we don't see results for the first fraxel, we need a few more. I'm excited about my next one.
Yeah, just wait before you get everyone's hopes up. You'll be looking like shit again in no time. I still do, and it's been almost 3 weeks since my 4th. The only thing I see right now is a pink face and BIGGER pores and ice picks.
surprised at the amount of haters but okay. Maybe my skin is not scarred as bad as both of yours. That is possible. Secondly i have been doing microdermabrasions over last two months. Have had 4 of them bi weekly so that could of helped as well. All i know is that the red is gone and yes face still has scars but simply so much better is my complextion. SOrry you two have such bad results. Try something else.
Hi Butterflies
I never understood why most floats never took and some did. As we discussed, I'd say 70% were in the bad buch where there was somewhere between 10% worse and 10% better. Basically, no change. On the other 30%, I probably got a 90% improvement. My redos did not work, so that was a wasted trip. Although disappointing compared to expectations and perhaps cost (travel was a big part), I did get a net improvement so I am happy I did the floats despite cost, hassle, and less than expected results.
As to fraxel, I have very high hopes and I feel there is very little risk. Even though every doc has classified my scars as shallow, I think the key is to have high settings for scar correction. I will post when I have something meaninful to report, which may take awhile becasue of the slow correction.
Ironically, I think my scars look a little worse with the swelling and redness and that they improve as time goes on after procedure. I think this is pure perception that is affected by ones view of how ugly the swelling is, etc. Anyway, I think the only valid pespective is pre and post pictures with a 6 month separation.
regards
1500 
...STEEP. 1000 seems to be the average. can u look for another practitioner on the fraxel website??
g'luck
M
Well, I had 4 Fraxels so far.
Sad to say I have seen little to no results. My skin may be softer and look a little more red and tanned but i still have a ton of scarred pores and a lot more pores are now visible after having these treatments. I just had a bunch of them before, now it's my entire cheeks. $6000 for this. I kind of regret doing this right now. I'll give it a little more time and see what happens but all I see Fraxel doing is just burning off a layer of skin, it's like a really bad sunburn then you go back to normal. I have one shallow rolling scar and a ton of scarred pores/icepick scars everywhere.. and they are all pigmented red. I may have a tiny bit of improvement with the icepicks and now i have more exposed pores. No improvement in the rolling scar. I have very oily skin type, the pore thing is my worst problem which I'm trying to fix and Fraxel has kind of worsened it..
Don't let yourself feel down yet.
I just went for a consult for Fraxel and the Doctor told me I would need a minimum of six to see improvement. I have minimal shallow scarring on my cheek. He charges $1500.00 a session which I can't afford right now, so I am going to wait. I have been reading some comments on the new Plasma skin regenuration. It seems positive so far.
Hi cameron!
Did u have these ice picks to begin with or was there further scarring? Was there any improvement, if so on which scars and what percentage? I've got enlarged pores which do bother me. Im thinking mayb I'll just skip that area or something as they are close to my nose...*sighh* i dunno.
Thanks and good luck
M
Yep, I had ice pick scars to begin with. You can see before and after pictures in my "Fraxel & Ice Pick Scars" thread. Those scars got bigger, and the other types have just stayed the same.
Right now, I would say to skip the ice picks and enlarged pore areas, but I can't give you the final word until I see if the magical collagen building process kicks in and improves them in the next 6 months.
Fraxel results seem so uneven by poster. I really appreciate the factual posts, especially with pictures, but don't like the angry posts, even if there is a reason to be angry.
I plan to post pre and post. The problem is that the pre that I took at home were done late last fall, so my daughter will have to get the same exact anlge and lighting, however, they are very close up 5.0 megapixel, large shots so the detail is excellent. With all my delays in starting treatment, it will be October 2006 before I think I can assess the final result with comparison shots. The Fraxel Dr also took pre and I assume will take post shots.
Until then I am trying to avoid getting overly excited or depressed, while being optimistic. I just know I did not get much change from 1st Fraxel, but that was at 15 and I was presentable from day 1. This last time was at 20, with perahps an extra 5-7% coverage, so the total energy was about 40% higher and wow am I unpresentable. I'm hoping that this means I will see positive change by the time I have my third at end of month. I thought I would graduate up to 25 next time, but now I am not so sure (My doc wanted to progress 15, 18, 20, 23; with 8 passes at 125). Any advice on this form those who have been through this?
Thanks Cameron 
Billyboy, I'm the same I'm trying so hard to have realistic expectations. Then u see +ve posts n I think "GAWD I hope thats me", Then the -ve ones n u think "SHYTE!"
The battle against scars is HARDDDD!! Geez i wish i could wake up and they would magically dissappear.
M 
sorry if this post is a lil pessimistic, but if you're not happy with your results from fraxel a month past your last treatment, then odds are you won't see a change in collagen remodeling during the next couple months to satisfy you. they say collagen remodeling occurs for up til 6 months, but really what you see in one month post-op is pretty much your final result. there might be continual remodeling, but nothing that will make you look any different from how you look at one month post op.
Hi guys,
just found an article abt fraxel :Fraxel
According to this it does break down scar tissue. if thats the case wouldn't results be permenant?? My major fear was that with age and less collagen the darned things wud show up again. if the scar tissue is broken down.....doesnt that mean the results r permenant 
????
Whadya guys think??
M
do you guys think fraxel laser would have a better effect on my acne scarring? i have a gallery that you guys can check out. also have any asian light skin have benefitted from this?? and isn't like really expensive to have like 4-5 treatment at least to see optimal results?
I went for a Fraxel consultation yesterday with a doctor who seemed to have all the right credentials and his office was very professional but...He was weird! I don't know how to describe it. He looked normal except that he never smiled or blinked. He just didn't seem to have a good people personality and I felt uncomfortable! However, he seems to know what he is doing. How important is personality and feeling comfortable with your doctor for treatments that will only be for a few months? Has anyone else encountered this? Is it important? I felt comfortable with his staff and nurses. I'd love some feedback. Thanks!
I've posted many times about what I have done, but I thought I might briefly repeat for new browsers:
1. 3 excisions by Dr Zacahry at UCSF: 2 turned out terribly - he is a poor surgeon and this is just the wrong technique for acne scars.
2. 22 punch floats by Dr Y in NO: only 30% of these turned out great (avg 90% improvement), while 70% had 0% avg improvement (some were slightly worse, some slighty better). I was so convinced this was a good treatment option, in prep for resurfacing, that I incurred cost of travel back to NO where he did redos (for free) on 5 (larger scars only). Again, not a high success rate, which I can't explain. I think part of the problem is that we were trying to fix one on the Zachary scars and it was not amenable to a fix. Also, in the first batch of 22, we tried some really small scarred pores/ice picks on nose, that were unsuccessful. My best results were on wider, deeper pits. My scarring is moderately extensive, but mild as to depth.Fixing deeper scars before Fraxel is critical, but please do yourself a favor and go for floats or punch grafts rather than excisions.
3. Selected Fraxel over dermabrasion because of risk/downtime factors and importance of Dr. With derm, I would only consider Dr Y becasue operator is so crucial. This is way less important with Fraxel, in my opinion. I am traveling to a lower cost area (away form high cost SF) that has a large laser center and purchased a package of 4. Before selecting them, I spoke to 1 of their patients for reference on success in reduicn scars and the like.
I've had 2, each by a different nurse (I think they have 3 nurses certified for Fraxel). I discussed with nurses, Dr Fitzpatrick's pricing and high reputation. We agreed that the main advantage of going to him is his vast experience and willingness/knowledge of when/how to be more aggressive with Fraxel. Other than this, I think all operators of this machine are pretty much the same. My first treatment at 15 (I unsuccesfully pushed for higher) did not yield any noticable improvement and I was presentable from day 1. I was successful in convincing nurse (she called Doc for ok) to use 20 (rather than their protocol of 18) for Fraxel #2 last Monday. Pain was no problem, but was I ugly with swelling, redness, and dry flaky skin. Unlike most posters, I think my scars look worse with the swelling. Now, I am slgihtly pink and the peeling is pretty much over. Becasue you are in chair for awhile, having a comfortable chit chat (i.e., a weirdo might be harder to deal with) helps keep your mind off pain. PS: Nurse #2 is doing Fraxel on nurse #1 for her mild scarring.
While it is premature to have an orgasm, I'm pretty excited that I am seeing some improvement for the first time from Fraxel #2. If this accelerates with passage of time and higher settings in my next 2, I think I may get a result so satisfactory that I will be done and will stop visiting these boards.
Hope this post helps.
I just don't understand how you guys are presentable so quickly! I am about two weeks (give or take) post 2nd fraxel. I still have some redness, not a lot (my husband doesn't notice). Hope it isn't permanent. I flake so badly that there is no way I can leave the house for at least 4 days and even then I feel uncomfortable! I had noticable swelling for at least a week. My treatments have not been that agressive either. And I have never had particularly sensitive or responsive skin.
After my last treatment I had a lot of pinpoint bleeding, the ice pack they gave me was covered with spots of blood.
Hopefully my reaction means I will get good results.
I'm feeling a little discouraged because I'm realizing I wont be happy with 30, 40, or even 50% improvment. I want at least 70%. And I'm not sure where to go after the fraxel. Maybe I will just keep having them done.
As far as how my skin looks now, I don't really know. It got contacts just prior to my first fraxel and realized I had not been seeing my skin properly. So, I'm not sure how much better, if at all, it is from before I started.
Question: After my first fraxel at a lower setting/higher density my scars were almost invisible immediatly after the treatment (due to swelling of course) but after my second treatment at a higher setting/lower density my scars were still visible when I left the office. I was covered in blood but I didn't have that kind of swelling that plumps up the scars. Why is that?
Faye,
Even I used to wonder about downtime. My downtime and healing curve is quite similar to yours. Am very swollen for 3 days ( even at low settings of 8,10,12 I did experience same swelling and redness ) and it takes almost a week for it to fully go away. My redness and then bronzing lasts for almost ten days to two weeks and face is sore to touch for more than a week. Maybe, it's a women thing 
as I have read more women reporting swelling and redness than men. Maybe, as men have tougher skin, they don't experience more donwtime. Surprisingly, for last couple of times even though settings were higher, I healed faster and was less red. So, maybe, it is also matter of skin getting used to it.
I just don't understand how you guys are presentable so quickly! I am about two weeks (give or take) post 2nd fraxel. I still have some redness, not a lot (my husband doesn't notice). Hope it isn't permanent. I flake so badly that there is no way I can leave the house for at least 4 days and even then I feel uncomfortable! I had noticable swelling for at least a week. My treatments have not been that agressive either. And I have never had particularly sensitive or responsive skin.
After my last treatment I had a lot of pinpoint bleeding, the ice pack they gave me was covered with spots of blood.
Hopefully my reaction means I will get good results.
I'm feeling a little discouraged because I'm realizing I wont be happy with 30, 40, or even 50% improvment. I want at least 70%. And I'm not sure where to go after the fraxel. Maybe I will just keep having them done.
As far as how my skin looks now, I don't really know. It got contacts just prior to my first fraxel and realized I had not been seeing my skin properly. So, I'm not sure how much better, if at all, it is from before I started.
Question: After my first fraxel at a lower setting/higher density my scars were almost invisible immediatly after the treatment (due to swelling of course) but after my second treatment at a higher setting/lower density my scars were still visible when I left the office. I was covered in blood but I didn't have that kind of swelling that plumps up the scars. Why is that?
Hi Faye, I always had to wait a week before I could go out of the house. When he went up to 22 and 24 I had to stay in even longer. The flaking was awful, and I couldn't put make up on. I feel the same way you do. I had 6 treatments with about 35% improvement. I see the improvement, but I'm not happy with my scars yet, either. He said I should wait 6 months before going back and having 4 more done. What levels were you at? I had 3 at 18, 1 at 19, 22, and 2 at 24. If I could go back, I would go with higher settings earlier. I do believe I wasn't getting much improvement at 18. I wish I could answer your question for you about the swelling, but I didn't have that happen to me. How many total are you getting? Hang in there, you will see improvement!