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I've asked my doctor about other procedures if I'm not satisfied with the fraxel results. He's recommending waiting at least six months before deciding how to proceed. So, it's like you said. Results continue for several months after that last treatment. Sheesh. I'd kind of like to get on with my life...can't get pregnant during treatment.
ChrissyC, I am pregnant now and can't wait to get my treatments. My skin looks worse now that I'm pregnant (I guess since I can't use Retin-A) and I'm having a very difficult time waiting til the Fall for Fraxel. And when the baby arrives and I can get treatments, I can just imagine how chaotic it will be to travel an hour and a half each way to the doctor, spend 2 hours there for treatment, all the while trying to nurse and keep the baby sleeping and content (my husband will be with me but still it's going to be difficult). Were you told that you can't get pregnant while going through the treatments? I was told that the numbing cream they use is the same as what the dentist injects when they need to do work on your teeth. My doctor said to wait until the baby is born but I still wonder what could be so bad about the numbing cream since only a little bit would get into your system. Have you been told not to get pregnant during treatments or are you just being cautious?
Blinny,
The doctor will not treat pregnant women for scar revision. I wonder how much it has to do with your skin just being wacky when you're pregnant. All those hormones, you know? The whole melasma thing etc. DId they say it was safe to nurse while undergoing treatment? I think what it actually comes down to is that they don't have any studies that prove that it's safe (who would the subjects be?), so the general rule of thumb is DON'T.
Yes, he did say that it would be okay for nursing since so little gets in the bloodstream and even less gets in the milk. I do think that skin is wacky during pregnancy and I am just wondering how much of my skin will go back to normal afterwards. And on top of everything I usually get post-partum depression (I've gotten it twice now with my other two sons' births) so I know that if my skin looks awful and I get depressed...well, I'm not looking forward to it so I'm trying to get a plan in place. I just wish I could get the Fraxel done now while it's easier without a new baby.
Dear all I would like you to have a clear understanding of Fraxel.
Fraxel is not good at ice pick. If you are treating ice pick I'm very sorry it does not help.... it is moderately or little good on box scars.
It is good at treating shallow scars and rolling scars. Particularly those of which have smooth edge. It is also excellence to treat texture problem. Particularly sun damaged skin and marks.
If you look clearly at the picture of the acne scar patient on fraxel website. That's what you should get. But before you get too happy... I would like you to look clearly. I managed to get a clear look at the photo from my doc's sales materials. The guys for a start had shallow rolling scars. And to make things worse is the black marks. After treatment... what really improve is the skin texture and the marks were gone. It makes the scar look softer maybe abit on the edge. The results are actully quite realistic and not as dramatic as you would expect.
Depending on your scar problems. You should choose the right kind of treatment.
I'm presently doing fraxel. Infact I'm testing on tca with fraxel which seems to be quite good... Its a bold experimental move but once its done I'll post my own analysis with picture on the web to help you guys.
If you want to treat ice pick... there is only two ways...
Excision and tca cross.
I'm presently doing fraxel. Infact I'm testing on tca with fraxel which seems to be quite good... Its a bold experimental move but once its done I'll post my own analysis with picture on the web to help you guys.
If you want to treat ice pick... there is only two ways...
Excision and tca cross.
Yes, I'd be keen to see your progress pics! Is the doctor at your clinic doing both, or are you doing TCA yourself?
My humble opinion as to efficacy of Fraxel on ice picks is that it depends on depth and perhaps width. Extrapolating from what I am seeing after 2 Fraxels, I would say that you will get a nice result on shallow scars and perhaps deeper scars, but only if they are very narrow. So, tiny icepicks might well benefit, especially if shallow.
My thinking is that all scars benefit from treatment. However, the benefit is not huge, so you might preceive great success on small or shallow scars because the scar is hardly visible after an improvement of as little as 25%. However, I believe if the scar depth is reduced by say 25% in the case of a large deep scar, your eye will perceive almost no benefit because the scar is still very visible.
So, I agree with both Chrissy and Hleyface. It depends on semantics as to what is an ice pick scar. I disagree with Holeyface as to efficacy of excisions. My 3 made a worse scar. I can't speak to TCA cross, but I do beleive that punch grafts and punch floats (I had some nice successes, but some failures too) are way better than excisions.
Woah. My skin is CRAZY dry. I tried to wear makeup today to tone down the redness, but there is so much dry skin that it looks all caked and cracked. This is the first time it's been this dry. At least the swelling is down, but it still looks pretty raw. Amazing that a jump from 23 to 24 could make such an enormous difference in terms of the downtime I am experiencing.
HI ChrissyC,
What do you mean it looks raw? Does the colour of the treated skin vary from the untreated areas initially?
Thanks
M
Woah. My skin is CRAZY dry. I tried to wear makeup today to tone down the redness, but there is so much dry skin that it looks all caked and cracked. This is the first time it's been this dry. At least the swelling is down, but it still looks pretty raw. Amazing that a jump from 23 to 24 could make such an enormous difference in terms of the downtime I am experiencing.
Woah. My skin is CRAZY dry. I tried to wear makeup today to tone down the redness, but there is so much dry skin that it looks all caked and cracked. This is the first time it's been this dry. At least the swelling is down, but it still looks pretty raw. Amazing that a jump from 23 to 24 could make such an enormous difference in terms of the downtime I am experiencing.
Hi Chrissy, I noticed that once I got to 22 and higher, it was 10 days before I could put make up on. The flaking was incredible, there was no way I could put make up on. It was also red longer, too. It sounds like you're experiencing the same thing I did. Hang in there! It will get back to normal soon.
M-By raw I mean that it is an angry red. It doesn't hurt and it doesn't "feel" raw. It just LOOKS raw. I can't even imagine what it must be like to have dermabrasion. I can tell where the dr. didn't run the laser. He was pretty aggressive with my cheeks, not so aggressive with my forehead, didn't do my chin. My forehead and chin look the same color already, but the cheeks look scaly and RED
#1cubsfan - thanks for the encouragement. WIth my previous treatments I used Origins "Perfect World" (which of course Iv'e run out of now) and I'm wondering if that helped with the healing. I swear, this is still hibernation-worthy. Especially since the makeup, although it tones down the red is making it look worse at this point - unless you're 5 feet away.
I really think overall success really varies per person but i am now 24 days out from first fraxel. i have a good amount of scarring on my cheeks. ALthough the scars are still there i have to say that overall the softness of my scars is dramatically better. I can stand closer to mirror and i am feeling so much more confident. I am really happy because there is improvement on some levels so number 2,3,4 should be even better. Dare i say for me that at least 50 percent improvement is my goal and based on number one it may get even better results. DOwn time is nightmare. 5 days that i could not even go outside. first 3 were unreal how bad my face was. after day 6 i could go in public but still very red. By day ten things really are better. just sunburn like. THen up until about day 18 i was bronzed. NOw fine and really looked better. HOrray for fraxel. Finally swelling took about 2-3 days also. GOod luck. 
Guys just wondering, how long does it take for the scars to slowly start popping back. From the looks of it, the whole " no recovery time" sounds like a load of BS!!! O well. And what is the avg % of improvement you guys noticed after the first fraxel?
M
Just back from fraxel #3! Finally! I asked to see Dr. Rapaport before the blue stuff went on my face and while I was waiting to see him I took a look at my before photos. The pics in regular lighting look like I barely have scars. The ones that bother me the most are hardly visible. But the pics under the flourescents. Whoa. But still, the scars that are most bothersome to me aren't all that noticeable. (there weren't really any closeups however). There are however spots that SHOULD be more bothersome to me. LOL
Anyway, he asked what I thought of the results so far. I told him my husband has said 25% improvement. He looked at the pics and at me and said, "I think he's right. We can do better. You should plan on coming back for that fourth treatment" (free of charge, thank you very much). At our initial consult he had said he would do a fourth if necessary and I was really envisioning having to fight for it, but HE'S the one that suggested it. Imagine my surprise!
So, level 24, 10 passes on the cheeks (where the scarring is worst), 6 passes on the forehead. I'm not nearly as swollen as last time (level23)
I asked him if he thought if a person were to have a fraxel treatment every three weeks for five years could they have perfect skin. He said he didn't think so, that the benefits max out after a certain point. For some reason it impressed me that he acknowledged the limitations of the laser. And he's still not pushing other procedures, which also impresses me.
ANyway. We'll see how I heal. After the second I noticd that overall skin tone was much better, but the scars, although more shallow are still most definitely there.
It would be nice if we could routinely get fraxels once a month for the rest of our lives. But I don't think it's like getting a facial. Some collagen is destroyed during each treatment.
I'm sure some regenerates. But I think part of the scar reducing effect is due to a certain amount of permanent collagen loss. It's as if the MTZs cause microscopic subcisions. (This might be one reason why skin tightening is a side effect of fraxel.)
ummm my understanding of fraxel is that u wind up with more collagen than u had before.
Just back from fraxel #3! Finally! I asked to see Dr. Rapaport before the blue stuff went on my face and while I was waiting to see him I took a look at my before photos. The pics in regular lighting look like I barely have scars. The ones that bother me the most are hardly visible. But the pics under the flourescents. Whoa. But still, the scars that are most bothersome to me aren't all that noticeable. (there weren't really any closeups however). There are however spots that SHOULD be more bothersome to me. LOL
Anyway, he asked what I thought of the results so far. I told him my husband has said 25% improvement. He looked at the pics and at me and said, "I think he's right. We can do better. You should plan on coming back for that fourth treatment" (free of charge, thank you very much). At our initial consult he had said he would do a fourth if necessary and I was really envisioning having to fight for it, but HE'S the one that suggested it. Imagine my surprise!
So, level 24, 10 passes on the cheeks (where the scarring is worst), 6 passes on the forehead. I'm not nearly as swollen as last time (level23)
I asked him if he thought if a person were to have a fraxel treatment every three weeks for five years could they have perfect skin. He said he didn't think so, that the benefits max out after a certain point. For some reason it impressed me that he acknowledged the limitations of the laser. And he's still not pushing other procedures, which also impresses me.
ANyway. We'll see how I heal. After the second I noticd that overall skin tone was much better, but the scars, although more shallow are still most definitely there.
It would be nice if we could routinely get fraxels once a month for the rest of our lives. But I don't think it's like getting a facial. Some collagen is destroyed during each treatment.
I'm sure some regenerates. But I think part of the scar reducing effect is due to a certain amount of permanent collagen loss. It's as if the MTZs cause microscopic subcisions. (This might be one reason why skin tightening is a side effect of fraxel.)
Ok, so the flaking was still pretty bad this morning. There was a thread a while back about using safflower oil as a moisturizer...I've been hesitant to do that because although it is supposedly non-comedogenic, the thought of oil on my face?? blech. I was desparate enough to try it this morning. Put some on before my shower, wached my face gently (no attempt to exfoliate AT ALL) and put some on after mt shower. What an enormous difference!! Was actually able to put on makeup without all the caking and cracking.
I'm only four days post treatment, but I have to say, I am very encouraged. My skin didn't look this good (in terms of the scarring) four days out with the first two fraxels. I know, I know that it is the residual swelling, but I'm saying that with the last two fraxels EVEN with the swelling it didn't look ths good. I'm actually feeling optomistic.
That's fantastic to hear ChrissyC.... Glad you are starting to see results. Emu oil is also good for dryness and doesn't break you out...although I don't know its effect on 'Fraxeled' dry skin.
I have my first treatment tomorrow and am absolutely petrified at this point. But reading positive posts helps me feel like it will be worth it in the long run. I just wish I could fast forward past the next two months.
Hi Guys,
Just had my first fraxel....Had it done at Dr.Skin in Melbourne, Australia. I had the numbing cream put on and also had anaesthetic injections which helped a lot with the pain. Honestly i felt woozy and didnt feel a thing till she got to near my hair line. The blue dye was being stubborn and refused to come off!! But my face was incredibly swollen. I didnt recognize my own face in the mirror, and found it very upsetting. Bawled my eyes out actually. GAWDDD the things we have to go through to get rid of these damned scars 
!
I had my cheeks done at 18-20 she said. Not sure of how many passes. Just hope that all the trouble we go through is worth something. I should be feeling really excited...but instead i feel very disheartened. i"m not 2 sure why. Good luck to all the other fraxelers out there.
M
Hi Guys,
Just had my first fraxel....Had it done at Dr.Skin in Melbourne, Australia. I had the numbing cream put on and also had anaesthetic injections which helped a lot with the pain. Honestly i felt woozy and didnt feel a thing till she got to near my hair line. The blue dye was being stubborn and refused to come off!! But my face was incredibly swollen. I didnt recognize my own face in the mirror, and found it very upsetting. Bawled my eyes out actually. GAWDDD the things we have to go through to get rid of these damned scars 🙁 !
I had my cheeks done at 18-20 she said. Not sure of how many passes. Just hope that all the trouble we go through is worth something. I should be feeling really excited...but instead i feel very disheartened. i"m not 2 sure why. Good luck to all the other fraxelers out there.
M
Hi,
Things will look worse before they get better. After 3 days you should be alright, the swelling will reduce and you won't be as red. The first treatment is always the hardest. Who treated you? Was it Dr Weinstein herself?
Al least being from Australia the treatment will be cheaper due to Medicare.
Take note of your settings and the number of passes, it makes a difference in treatment response.
You should only expect noticable results after your 3rd treatment. Give about 4-5 weeks before coming to any conclusions on improvement. Swelling is misleading.
Blaster
Congrats on your first treatment! If you're like most of us on here, you'll see improvements a lot sooner than that.Do you know what your settings were?
I don't know the settings but I'll ask next time.
She did three passes in each area or section or whatever. She had it set at 250 (pixels?) but said she could turn it down to 125 and do more passes if that was more tolerable. Last but not least, she did something else over the more scarred areas on my cheeks (but I can't remember what she called it. It was more intense and made a crackling noise.
I don't think she covered the area around my mouth and chin area good enough, though. The redness went away there much quicker and I had some break outs the days following. This didnt' surprise me because it's an area I am prone to break out in the first place. In addition, you have to put on that cream to help with the burn. Also, a lot of it seemed like the kind of purging you get when first going on accutane -- everything getting pushed up to the surface. And I think some of that was blue dye and cream trying to get out of the pores. But it is still a bit too soon to put harsh acne medicine on it. I am supposed to go in tomorow and they'll do microdermabrasion to get all the dead skin and stuff off my face to keep the pores from blocking up with it.
You know what I found more annoying then the sensitive burn after the treatment? On the third day, my skin itched like crazy!! I took a benedryl last night just to keep from unconsiously scratching at it.
Someone in another folder recommended Cetaphil cream (comes in a big tub) for dry skin. I found it worked far better than the heavy medical cream they gave me.
What do you guys use post treatment?
Woah. My skin is CRAZY dry. I tried to wear makeup today to tone down the redness, but there is so much dry skin that it looks all caked and cracked. This is the first time it's been this dry. At least the swelling is down, but it still looks pretty raw. Amazing that a jump from 23 to 24 could make such an enormous difference in terms of the downtime I am experiencing.
Try Neutragena
Healthy Defense daily moisturizer with spf30. It comes in light and medium tint.
I found it does three things: moisturizes lightly, provides you with that ever imortant spf30 and it adds just enough tint to help even out the red/blotchiness a little. And I've never had a problem with it clogging my pores.
I only used it when going out of the house.
I used Cetaphil cream at home.
--------------------------------------
Because I don't want to sift through 60 pages, I have a question to all:
Explain the various settings to me.
My esthetician (I know I'm spelling that wrong, LOL) explained the difference between the 125 and 250 (pixels?) and that made sense to me. More dots or holes in the 250 than the 125 and it requires less passes to cover the same amount of "holes." (Don't you love my terminology?)
But what I didn't ask and she didn't mention was the other settings a lot of people are talking about, such as 15 or 18 or 20 or 25......
What does that mean? The intensity of the laser beam?
I was red and dry but didn't get super peely or flaky. Not that I'm excited to be more burned next time but, I'm wondering if they went easy on me my first time to ease me into it.
My esthetician (I know I'm spelling that wrong, LOL) explained the difference between the 125 and 250 (pixels?) and that made sense to me. More dots or holes in the 250 than the 125 and it requires less passes to cover the same amount of "holes." (Don't you love my terminology?)
But what I didn't ask and she didn't mention was the other settings a lot of people are talking about, such as 15 or 18 or 20 or 25......
What does that mean? The intensity of the laser beam?
you are quite close. To be specific, it is the energy of the laser beam. Higher the energy, deeper will it penetrate and likely to produce more collagen.
Hi Guys,
Just had my first fraxel....Had it done at Dr.Skin in Melbourne, Australia. I had the numbing cream put on and also had anaesthetic injections which helped a lot with the pain. Honestly i felt woozy and didnt feel a thing till she got to near my hair line. The blue dye was being stubborn and refused to come off!! But my face was incredibly swollen. I didnt recognize my own face in the mirror, and found it very upsetting. Bawled my eyes out actually. GAWDDD the things we have to go through to get rid of these damned scars
I had my cheeks done at 18-20 she said. Not sure of how many passes. Just hope that all the trouble we go through is worth something. I should be feeling really excited...but instead i feel very disheartened. i"m not 2 sure why. Good luck to all the other fraxelers out there.
M
Hi,
Things will look worse before they get better. After 3 days you should be alright, the swelling will reduce and you won't be as red. The first treatment is always the hardest. Who treated you? Was it Dr Weinstein herself?
Al least being from Australia the treatment will be cheaper due to Medicare.
Take note of your settings and the number of passes, it makes a difference in treatment response.
You should only expect noticable results after your 3rd treatment. Give about 4-5 weeks before coming to any conclusions on improvement. Swelling is misleading.
Blaster
how much did your fraxels cost per treatment? how many you think youll need?
Alone they are $950 but if combined with some other treatment, I get a whopping $50 discount.
My treatment plan is scheduled for three total, so I have two more and $1800 more to spend...
so for three treatment you have to pay $1800??? ......
Its DAY 2 And im still HORRIBLY swollen. No going out today. OMG i cant believe they tell you, you can get back to work the next day 
. Maybe that applies to wrinkle patients but sure as hell not acne scarring patients. ANyhoo, I'm going to get me a whole bunch of DVD's to keep me company.
Good luck all
M