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Ienvy you guys because you have gotta fraxel laser .My dermatologist in Kuwait told me about it and iam very excited about this laser . Tthis procedure is not available in my country but my doctor will wait for more results on medium to dark skin (iam medium not very dark).any body with ethnic or olive skin hadve been tried this.
The fraxel is here in dubai (U.A.E) for a while now and coming to abu dhabi in 7 days.You can check cosmesurge laser centre in kuwait im sure they will be getting fraxel soon.
Is anyone taking Silica-OK supplement after thier fraxel treatment? my doc says he gives his patients this supplement for 2-3 months to build and strengthen collagen faster after finishing their fraxel treatments.
Jodie, yes, hubby is afraid I'll have a reaction to fillers. I hope 5 treatments is sufficient to give me at least some improvement; I'll decide once this has had time to work whether to do anything else. I've not noticed any tightening - the lines on my forehead just look not as deep.
MommyJ, I was on accutane twice, right after it got FDA approval (mid eighties, I think?) and then about 5 years later, the cysts came back and I did a second round. So it's been a loooong time and my scarring is old.
As to the crooked marionette lines, the lines started forming, came to a scar and sortof jogged crooked to include the scarred area, then continued. So the lines are kind of jagged instead of straight lines. And I have a couple of lines there that are horizontal to my jawline, too, which makes that whole area look REALLY bad. This is where I want to try some filler, eventually.
Shyone: It sounds like we have similar skin problems alright. I finished accutane in mid august and I'm anxious to start Fraxel. I've heard so many varying theories on how long you have to wait after accutane - from one month to one year, so I'm not sure what's right. My skin now SEEMS to be normal.
Hi, I'm considering fraxel treatments but I'm afraid of the side effects such as hyperpigmentation. If iI stay out of the sun while having my treatments done, I'll be ok? How long after my last treatment can it occur? My skin is pale, but tans easily. Should I ask my doc to do the test area before I go for the full face?
Dear ljgrn,
You mentioned that your biggest issue is hyperpigmentation in women. I am Indian with medium olive skin tone. I am considering the Fraxel laser but am afraid of the risks of hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone because I am only doing a portion of one cheek. Did you have any Indian/darker skinned patients, and if so, did they all hyperpigment following the Fraxel laser? Did the hyperpigmentation go away and how long do you think it took for it to go away? Thank you for your input! This message board has been so helpful.
Hi. I cannot deny that if you are Fraxeled with any setting above 6 and more than 8 passes you could have increased pigment. I tell my female patients that it is a choice they need to make because it is a risk. Also when women with pigment are doing Fraxel treatments you MUST stay out of the sun. Fraxel is causing you to make new tissue that is very vulnerable to sunlight. I have had several patients not listen to me and show up a month later with huge dark spots on their cheeks from a day in the sun, with sunscreen.
With darker skinned women I only Fraxel the scarred areas with high settings and the lowest setting for everywhere else. I have done Indian, hispanic, asian, and middle eastern women. As long as I stay only on the scars with the increased settings we do fine. All of our patients use Cosmelan II beginning four days after Fraxel and after the second treatment I have them use Triluma as well. This seems to be working very well for us. The higher setting causes a pink color to linger in the skin but goes away about 1 to 2 months after the last Fraxel and then their skin looks even.
I have done close to 1000 Fraxel procedures and have never scarred anyone. My biggest issue is hyperpigmentation in women.
Why in women and not men?
has anyone gotten worse from using Fraxel?
There were two-three posters who said they thought it made their pores bigger. Two posted pics, I scrutinized them and there were only a few small spots that looked bigger (they had pretty bad skin). They all had some things in common like really bad skin, very large pores, aggressive previous treatments like needling and dermabrasion, and very high intesity fraxels spaced only 1 week apart.
Other than that there are few posters who think it didnt do anything at all and a lot more who think it only helped marginally (like 10 percent). There are more than a few people who reported 30-50 percent improvement. I don't think anyone has reported more than that.
I've read all 108 pages and I think fraxel will give improvement. The issues are:
1. it is expensive and "hyped-up" so even moderate improvement can be dissappointing in terms of cost and expectations.
2. it is time consuming; although there is only days to a week of down time, a full treatment series takes 6 months to complete and improvements are subtle and gradual and continue for another six months afterwards. many people forget what their skin looked like beforehand.
3. the greatest improvement is in tone and texture less in scars. some say it reduced pore size, others say it did nothing for pores, others say it made them larger. virtually everyone said it reduces large scars.
4. it was only fda approved for acne scars july 2006 and only one study has been done on scars, so there is a lot of debate about using lower vs. higher settings. also the new fraxel SR1500 just came out last month so now doctors and nurses have to be trained on that.
5. emotional component. everyone wants "perfect" skin. even if we're willing to settle for modest improvement we want more. if every skin problem was cured we'd probably find something else we didnt like about our skin or appearance.
Thanks jamesjoyce.
I have very few shallow scars, and 2 large (splitpores).
I want to try to do the fraxel some docs. say 85% improvement???????
Since I don't have major scarring anymore.
What do you think?
My head is like spinning from all the happy vs sad people who have had it done.
Yours or anyones opinion would be appreciated.
hi i just thought i might post after reading through this thread and the others on this forum about fraxel.
great info!
i'm getting fraxel for various reasons - pigmentation after falling over and having stitches above my lip, acne scarring on my cheeks and a forehead scar from injuring myself as a child!
i'm now 11 days after my first treatment.
just a few questions about things i'm not quite sure about:
1) hyperpigmentation in asians:
how soon after treatment do you notice hyperpigmentation? and is it over the entire treatment area or just over preexisiting spots/redmarks?
is it dark or red or bronze?
2) fraxel to remove preexisting pigmentation:
how quickly do you see results? is the 'fading' immediate or does it take up to 6 months (ie the same time as scar improvement takes)
3) products on healing skin post-fraxel:
does cover it with makeup interfere with the healing or regeneration process at all?
also, is it advisable to exfoliate and use other products (eg serums, boosters, rosehip oil) or is better to avoid these?
4) swelling making scars appear better
i've read timeframes on the swelling from 5 days to much longer. at my stage (11 days) are my scars still artificially better just because of swelling?
thanks.. and apologies if these have been answered amongst the threads already. i don't think they have specifically but i may just have been information-overloaded *blush*
I recall this guy here who had fraxel for his scars & he was very
honest & said it was GREAT. His name was FloridaGuy I think. It
had Florida in it. Check his posts.
I didnt really see much in terms of acne scars on his face. He also had filler done on a wrinkle that looked impressive as it was virtually eliminated. But yeah he had a filler so there u go. He is in the Fraxel pictures through teh site and has a before Fraxel and after with no mention of any fillers so that makes u wonder????
Anyway I have to agree with Masterk who had his acne scars eliminated with excision and Fraxel. He said as many have that Fraxel is for very light scars. I would look into other things before thinking about fraxel if u have deeper scarring.
Dermabrasion and deep lasers work 100x better on these type of scars and would be an option if u have a month to burn healing enough to return to your job or whatever. I just couldnt see burning thousands for light improvments and improvments in skin tone. Those can be solved for much cheaper with other methods.
Also a powerpeel is effective if u have deeper scars but not a whole lot of them. Magnetixboy had this done and removed most of his scarring. It is essentially a spot dermabrasion and left him wiht scabs for a week over the scarred areas only.
Is breaking out after a Fraxel treatment pretty common? I've read through several pages of this thread, but it's too long for me to read the whole thing. I know at least one person mentioned that it made their acne worse... just wondering if that's the norm.
In the 6 treatments that I had done, I only broke out twice with small whiteheads on my chin. It was no big deal. I wouldn't worry about it happening.
Is breaking out after a Fraxel treatment pretty common? I've read through several pages of this thread, but it's too long for me to read the whole thing. I know at least one person mentioned that it made their acne worse... just wondering if that's the norm.
In the 6 treatments that I had done, I only broke out twice with small whiteheads on my chin. It was no big deal. I wouldn't worry about it happening.
Thanks... good to know.
I recall this guy here who had fraxel for his scars & he was very
honest & said it was GREAT. His name was FloridaGuy I think. It
had Florida in it. Check his posts.
I didnt really see much in terms of acne scars on his face. He also had filler done on a wrinkle that looked impressive as it was virtually eliminated. But yeah he had a filler so there u go. He is in the Fraxel pictures through teh site and has a before Fraxel and after with no mention of any fillers so that makes u wonder????
Anyway I have to agree with Masterk who had his acne scars eliminated with excision and Fraxel. He said as many have that Fraxel is for very light scars. I would look into other things before thinking about fraxel if u have deeper scarring.
Dermabrasion and deep lasers work 100x better on these type of scars and would be an option if u have a month to burn healing enough to return to your job or whatever. I just couldnt see burning thousands for light improvments and improvments in skin tone. Those can be solved for much cheaper with other methods.
Also a powerpeel is effective if u have deeper scars but not a whole lot of them. Magnetixboy had this done and removed most of his scarring. It is essentially a spot dermabrasion and left him wiht scabs for a week over the scarred areas only.
I have to advise people against powerpeel, I think it is dangerous. They do it until you bleed and the results aren't much. Risk for improper procedures and more scarring is very high. Not to mention being bloody and scabbed.
I joined acne.org when magnetixboy's thread was the hot thread on the acne scars forum. He said he got really dramatic improvement in his scars and posted after pics but he was wearing make-up and he didn't emphasize that. I even emailed him to ask if he was wearing make-up and his reply was "what makes you think I'm wearing make-up." Later I saw in another thread he advised someone about the make-up that he wears everyday to cover his scars and showed the same pic he was posting everwhere else saying his scars were gone. I also searched and saw the first after pics he posted (which he later took down) which showed his scars weren't improved much at all if anything. Take everything on acne.org with a grain of salt.
It makes me sick that a "doctor" would give you a number like "85 percent improvement." In the first place it's really impossible to gauge improvement in terms of a precise percent. Maybe they just wanted to make you feel comfortable, but more likely they want your money! Even in the clinical trial it was a matter of opinion based on doctor and patient's observation. Moreover no one on here has posted such great results (only great expectations, usually based on their doctors hype).
People have posted that they saw 50-60 percent improvement and thought more was possible with continued treatment, but the only other place I read 85 percent improvement was in the self-glorifying press release reliant-tech issued a few months ago. Saying things like "the majority of patients report results to be a 4 out of 5 . . . " in ambigous categories. Fraxel does work and is a major innovation for acne scarring, but its in the hands of the same cosmetic dermatologists who only a few years ago were using CO2 lasers and rotary dermabrasion.
I'm sure some are still paying off those tools in addition to their $100k fraxel laser. and now there is a new fraxel machine they have to buy. you know i emailed the doctor at baylor univ (the link to his patients pictures is a few pages back) and he said he thought the new fraxel SR aser was probably just a money maker but he was currently evaluating it to see if there wasa real difference.
Jodie, you would do well with fraxel I think. If you're not sure try a test area first under your chin, above the neck. If the doctor is ethical he will perform this at cost.
Thanks. One (new guy I see) is getting the whole new machine in Nov-Dec. He didn't want to buy the test one he had for awhile in his office because they used to be able to update the heads and this one I think it was the newest one couldn't. So he is waiting for the newest one to come out in Nov. (He has ordered it).
There is one more guy here who has I think the newer one now, but he is such a jerk. He has 22 different lasers, but somehow, has screwed up my (fillers - not for scars), and did IPL's for facial veins (I am very fair), and there is a better laser "The cub laser for that" 1 treatment, not 6 and way better longer lasting results. And this new guy actually injects some facial veins with needles, had it done today, no bruising, no pain. So I think I will wait till Jan. for the new guys machine.
Funny this other man has a HUGE clinic well known round the world, and his work sucks.
Maybe it is not the newer the laser, but the person operating it that gets results. And makes your exectations a reality. Like a person with bad scarring may get 30-40%, and myself 85-100%.
We'll see he thought I'd only need 2, maybe 3 to be sure. I can hardly wait though!!!
I had 4 fraxels and posted detailed photos. For some reason the Fraxel poll thread is not allowing me to vote. There are 3 things that bother me about reported Fraxel results:
1. The independently reported positive results on this board have virtuallly no photo back up. Because of my own reactions during my treatment process, I believe there is a strong bias to see/believe in improvements.
2. The small sample of poll results is not strong, but is not statistically significant in any event.
3. Photo comparisons made by those with a financial interest can easily be altered through lighting, angle and the like.
I had reasonably aggressive treatment, but weak improvement. I have read the marketing piece about the new model, reporting an average improvement of 75%. While I partly discount this % and the surrounding hype, I also suspect that Reliant must have strong reason to believe that this model will be way more effective. Therefore, it seems to me that it would be wise to not spend any more time and money on the older version and await the new one.
jamesjoyce: I've actually went to the same doctor as Magnecticboy one time awhile ago. I have to say that It isn't that dangerous at all. I dont think it helps with ice pick scarring because I didn't see much difference. It almost flatten one of my big (roundish) scar on my temple. I do think Megneticboy had a good improvement. I wouldn't mind going for another treatment if it weren't so far away. I think different treatments works depending on scar type. I realized from my experience that punch biopsy does work for ice pick scarring and Megapeel helps with boxcar or saucer type (large,round). I'm hoping that fraxel will help with superfical or large pore like scars and hyperpigmentation.
Suposedly, they kinda puncture small holes in and around the scarring. Where they wish the collegen to grow. (Like a template).
I believe it is the Dr's "skill" is where you get the results.
The new one may be better, less pain, downtime, and possibly be deeper.
But choose a doc. that has some skill. The best renound laser surgeon, here, in like in intranet and all.
And voila, he is not an artist.
Ha ha , on a note I have found a guy to do some Erbium Microlasers while waiting for Fraxel, the doc is getting it soon as posted. Newer than you guy's Dr.s. Comes out Nov.
I ended up going home with a face full of botox, with most of my facial veins injected, and going in 1 week for 1 quick laser to rid me of any facial veins. (not IPL), it does not last.
Hee Hee, I am a bit too young for botox, but it takes awhile to set in, already noticing my forehead will maybe look like my baby's.
He just wished for me to look great, nothing to do with money, and I am please with him.
I guess everyone is walking around with baby smooth foreheads and no laugh lines around there eyes, (I had no like wrinkles!) So he is making me pleased, while I await the new Fraxel.
All in the docs skill and where he places the laser for scarring.
I had my first treatment today with the new Fraxel. My doctor said he's the second one in the U.S. to have this. First of all, no blue dye. I put on the numbing cream an hour before my appointment. He did the level at 55 with 4 passes. It was MUCH less painful than the old Fraxel. I had injections in my face last time, and the pain was still awful. It did take much longer to do though. I would say I was in there for 45 minutes. This time around I am having my temples, cheeks, and chin done. He wants be back in 2 weeks. I thought I would space it out longer this time, but he wants me to come sooner. I'm really hoping that the swelling won't last as long this time. It pretty much feels the same as last time afterwards, burning and very red. He gave me a percentage of how much improvement I can expect to see at 40%. I was a little disappointed, I had heard it was in the 75% range. I'll keep you all posted, and let you know how it's going this week. Thanks for listening!
I've spoken to customer service reps at Reliant about my situation. They agreed with my comment that one advantage of Fraxel is that it is "fool proof" and not really dependent on operator skill. So, I still maintain that you want someone with experience in treating scars, but this is way different than the skill required of a surgeon.
Cubsfan, how much does the new fraxel cost in relation to the previous one? How many treatments? I had no issues with Fraxel pain or blue dye. My concern is efficacy. I read that it can up to 30% deeper. Have you read or has your doc told you to expect better results, or is just easier to go through? Best wishes
Here is the response as to why the Fraxel poll thread won't record my vote:
Hi,
Dan forwarded me a message saying that you were having an error on the
fraxel results poll. I took a look at the poll and it appears that the
poll wasn't constructed properly--the starter of the poll was not aware
that both questions had to be answered. So, basically, a different poll
has to be started for a scenario like this.
Hope this helps,
Joel
jamesjoyce: I've actually went to the same doctor as Magnecticboy one time awhile ago. I have to say that It isn't that dangerous at all. I dont think it helps with ice pick scarring because I didn't see much difference. It almost flatten one of my big (roundish) scar on my temple. I do think Megneticboy had a good improvement. I wouldn't mind going for another treatment if it weren't so far away. I think different treatments works depending on scar type. I realized from my experience that punch biopsy does work for ice pick scarring and Megapeel helps with boxcar or saucer type (large,round). I'm hoping that fraxel will help with superfical or large pore like scars and hyperpigmentation.
I agree with u totally. I still have magneticboy on my messenger. He posted dead on pictures that could not possible have been altered or the pocks filled in with makeup. He did that like 4 times and each time the results got more and more impressive.
Its a spot dermabrasion and will do great for some but if u are not a candidate for dermabrasion then it is not for u. Also if u have a lot of scars then obviously the real dermabrasion is for u. That guy had soem of the most impressive results in a very short tiem that i have seen on here to date.
