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I've had one Fraxel done with the first model. People generally said aggressive settings for that laser are somewhere around 25 or higher. What is considered aggressive with the new Fraxel laser (SR1500)? I understand the numbers used to measure the depth are not the same as the new one. Am I wrong? If not, will someone who has had the new laser please post what they think is considered aggressive? IAaave got my first treatment with the SR1500 on Thursday and want to understand as much about the settings as I can before I go in. Thanks.
I have mostly scared pores and samll ice pick and 1 large chicken pox. I have 5 excisions so I have linear scars from those. Overall I am at a point where I can cover most of my scars with makeup but you can definately see the bad texture w/o makeup. The doctor told me that I wouldn't be needing the new Fraxel because my scars aren't that deep but on the other hand they do not have the newest model yet. I also read form another posts that Fraxel help eliminate most of their shallow scars or scar pores. I really hope it is true w/ me. Billyboy is it possible I can view your photos? I really want to see the difference w/ my own eyes if you don't mind. I'm really trying to stay positive. Thanks 🙂
My photos were detailed and in very harsh light to highlight the scars. Even with that, they were not directly comparable because of slight diffeences in lighting and angle. Also, I had some floats between the pre and post photos that taint the comparsion. So, I don't think the photos would help you greatly. Most of the comments on my photos (posted on this board several pages back) had the theme of a very small improvement for such a high price. I am also hoping that I will continue to get some minor improvment with more time. The post pictures were taken 2 months after my last treatment and I have been told that it takes 6 months after last treament to see final result, so I may end up happier than I was at 2 months.
I now realize that I was naive in thinking I could see improvements even after a couple treatments. This was my wishful thinking combined with soft, fresh skin fooling my objectivity. The collagen rebuilding process is extremely slow, perhaps slower for someone of my age. It did not help my scarred pores, only very shallow scars. Staying positive is always important, but when you are evaluating how to allocate dollars for treatment, you also need to be objective. The first generation Fraxel did not help my scars very much. Maybe I needed higher settings. I am waiting for the new machine. I do think it is a safe treatment (things won't get worse) and I don't think results are operator dependent. These are positive attributes, so I have not given up on it.
I've had one Fraxel done with the first model. People generally said aggressive settings for that laser are somewhere around 25 or higher. What is considered aggressive with the new Fraxel laser (SR1500)? I understand the numbers used to measure the depth are not the same as the new one. Am I wrong? If not, will someone who has had the new laser please post what they think is considered aggressive? Iave got my first treatment with the SR1500 on Thursday and want to understand as much about the settings as I can before I go in. Thanks.
Anyone who has used the new fraxel.....what settings are considered to be aggressive? If I'm not mistaken, I believe the settings between the two don't match up.
Hi everybody, I just got back from my second Fraxel, and this was a bad one. I have 100's of blood marks on my face. My face is so red, it's actually purple. She did 2 passes at 60, and 2 at 55. She said not to worry about these blood marks, they'll go away in about 3 days. It's normal for this to happen, and next time it'll probably by worse!!! I asked about the settings, 20 being the lowest and 100 the highest. She said they usually start at 35 or 40 and end up at 60. It's burning like heck, and this one looks horrible. I just hope everything turns out all right. I'll keep you guys posted. She said they're seeing much better results with this new laser.
Hi everybody, I just got back from my second Fraxel, and this was a bad one. I have 100's of blood marks on my face. My face is so red, it's actually purple. She did 2 passes at 60, and 2 at 55. She said not to worry about these blood marks, they'll go away in about 3 days. It's normal for this to happen, and next time it'll probably by worse!!! I asked about the settings, 20 being the lowest and 100 the highest. She said they usually start at 35 or 40 and end up at 60. It's burning like heck, and this one looks horrible. I just hope everything turns out all right. I'll keep you guys posted. She said they're seeing much better results with this new laser.
So is 60 considered very aggressive or moderate? Did your dr. say what settings they have been using on the others that have been seeing good results with the new laser? I get my first session with the new laser on Thursday...I'm so excited. Thank you for posting this!!!
Hi everybody, I just got back from my second Fraxel, and this was a bad one. I have 100's of blood marks on my face. My face is so red, it's actually purple. She did 2 passes at 60, and 2 at 55. She said not to worry about these blood marks, they'll go away in about 3 days. It's normal for this to happen, and next time it'll probably by worse!!! I asked about the settings, 20 being the lowest and 100 the highest. She said they usually start at 35 or 40 and end up at 60. It's burning like heck, and this one looks horrible. I just hope everything turns out all right. I'll keep you guys posted. She said they're seeing much better results with this new laser.
So is 60 considered very aggressive or moderate? Did your dr. say what settings they have been using on the others that have been seeing good results with the new laser? I get my first session with the new laser on Thursday...I'm so excited. Thank you for posting this!!!
From the way my face looks today, I would say 60 is very aggressive. She said most patients end up at 60. She only did 2 passes today at 60 because my face was getting so many pin point blood marks. When I had the ice packs on afterwards with a paper towel around it, it had quite a bit of blood on it. I know this sounds grose, but I don't want you to be shocked if this happens. Best of luck to you on Thursday, and let me know how it goes.
Hi all. Haven't posted on this thread in quite awhile. But thought I'd post some encouraging news. I had the Visia imaging taken when I was about 1 1/2 months out from my last fraxel treatment (or was it two months?). The results were pretty disappointing. I went back today for a diamondtome microdermabrasion (I have a lot of clogged pores that I want to attempt to clean out while I wait for the new fraxel to come to my area) and they did another Visia image before my treatment (so they could have a before and after from the microdermabrasion). I'm happy to report that all my values had gotten much better. The slightest improvement was to pores - I went from 2% to 5%, but you know what? I'll take it! All this to say that the improvements DO continue after the treatment stops.
Hi all. Haven't posted on this thread in quite awhile. But thought I'd post some encouraging news. I had the Visia imaging taken when I was about 1 1/2 months out from my last fraxel treatment (or was it two months?). The results were pretty disappointing. I went back today for a diamondtome microdermabrasion (I have a lot of clogged pores that I want to attempt to clean out while I wait for the new fraxel to come to my area) and they did another Visia image before my treatment (so they could have a before and after from the microdermabrasion). I'm happy to report that all my values had gotten much better. The slightest improvement was to pores - I went from 2% to 5%, but you know what? I'll take it! All this to say that the improvements DO continue after the treatment stops.
YAY Chrissy!
That's excellent news!
Congratulations on the improvement!
Some of the values are better if lower (UV spots and porphyrins: scores represent the number of individual skin features detected). Higher scores are better for texture, wrinkles, spots and pores. They depict your ranking relative to others of the same age, gender and skin type. That's why I used the word "better" instead of "higher/lower" 
Guys you know I check out NYC derms, the famous ones, just for
the balls of it sometimes. I ask myself. "Why doesn't NYC's premiere
laser derm use fraxel or PSR? Maybe she's too heavily invested in
other lasers or what keeps her from it? I'm gonna try to get her to
answer me. hehe, and if I score I'll tell what she said.
hey all,
i just finished my first consultation with a local MD about fraxel. my first fraxel treatment would be next saturday, the 28th of October. I was quoted $2500 for 4 treatments total, this is perhaps the lowest package deal in Southern California, if anybody is interested i have referal coupons for 50% off your first treatment. My doctor was very nice about taking his time explain to me the effects of fraxel, this is the old machine by the way but he was saying that they are getting a new calibrate soon to the machine and will be making the laser go deeper but fewer "punctures". I wanted to go deep so i can have good results, also, i bought some creams to help prepare the skin for hyperpigmentation and a moisturizer also. hope that helps.
wow!!!! fraxel II is not a new machine but its a software upgrade?? amazing, now i'm happy because this is what my doctor was speaking about being able to go deeper but producing less wounds but getting better results. he also said that light skin patients has a better chance to go deeper and be aggressive.
FYI guys, Fraxel II is not a new machine, its just a software upgrade.
It permits the Fraxel machine to go to about 1100 microns as opposed to like 700 or 800 microns. Thermage, for example, goes to 3000.
I'm not sure that Fraxel II would be allt hat much better.
Are you sure about this? I will have to ask my doctor when I go for my 2nd Fraxel.
Cubsfan, thanks for sharing your experience. Wow, is all I can say. I know what you are going through. It is probably going to be me in 3 weeks. I started out at 40 and my face had a few blood pin point marks on my face especially on the top of my cheecks and my temples and on the bridge of my nose but they never broke though the surface to where I would see them on a paper towl. That does scare me a bit. I'm one week into my first Fraxel and my face is still a little red but most of the swelling is gone but from the flaking (which only happened once and I never got that bronze look to my skin the nurse told me about), my texture looks really great. My face is sitll a tiny bit sore/sensitive when I am washing it with a washcloth and drying it with a towl. It feels slightly prickly so I know something is going on deep down there 😉
Good luck cubsfan, sounds like your treatment is agressive and probably what I need too. Take care of yourself!
FYI guys, Fraxel II is not a new machine, its just a software upgrade.
It permits the Fraxel machine to go to about 1100 microns as opposed to like 700 or 800 microns. Thermage, for example, goes to 3000.
I'm not sure that Fraxel II would be allt hat much better.
I think there is some confusion about the different lasers being used. Awhile back, people were posting about the new Fraxel not using the blue dye and not hurting as much. (which we know isn't true from the people who've had treatments with the Fraxel II). I think they might have been referring to this laser:
http://www.palomarmedical.com/palomar.aspx?pgID=1012
It also uses the Fractional technology but doesn't require blue dye and hurts less because of the cooling built into the tip. 'Fraxel' is just a brand name for the laser Reliant markets; there are other lasers coming out that are supposed to do the same thing.
The place I go is getting the Palomar laser instead of upgrading their Fraxel laser to the Fraxel II. However, I have no idea how it compares to the Fraxel II. I have my last treatment next month and they will be using the new machine, so I'll update with how it compares to the original Fraxel. If anything, I'm glad companies are competing with new lasers..... Competition spurs innovation... I'm sure we will be seeing even more effective lasers in the future.
Hi guys,
I've been trying to research treatments but am so confused. :eh:
Each time I get sold on a procedure, I read something that tuns me off.
I've talked to a couple of dr.'s, but since they all offer different treatments, they tell me theirs is best.
(AGH!)
I just wanted to get some feedback.
I have mild scarring on my cheeks and a small amount around my mouth/chin.
Most of these came from acne I had in the 10-11th grade (i'm now pushing 30).
I'll admit that mine probably aren't as bad as some, if I stretch my skin, they go away, and in certain lighting they aren't REALLY noticable. On the flip side, if I gain the slightest bit of weight, or in bad lighting, my face looks AWFUL.
(Case and point, two years ago I spent a pretty penny on 10 microderm sessions w/mini peels at each because an aestician (sp?) told me it would greatly reduce my scarring, so that at my 10 year high school reunion I'd feel confident. Well, someone who hadn't seen me since said he remembered me because I used to have 'bad acne'. Stunned (because I could never admit to myself that it was that bad), I said, "are you sure that was me?" and he said, "yes, I can tell because you still have the scars". I can't tell you how bad I wanted to crawl into a hole and cry my eyes out)!)
So, anyway, sorry for the sob-story, :boohoo: i'm just so ready to get these self-esteem killers off of my face and out of my life!!
Any advice you can provide on Smoothbeam vs. Fraxel II, I would so greatly appreciate it!!!
I would go with the Fraxel if I were you, Smoothbeam really doesn't do much for your skin except for maybe taking out some redness. I don't think it can improve much on the texture and tone that the Fraxel can do. Fraxel is a much stronger machine where it will cause your face to swell, get red, bronze, flake... all the good stuff :clap: , where as you really don't go through anything with smoothbeam.
As for the price is pretty close, it was 500.00 for Smoothbeam and 600.00 for Fraxel (both cheeks only) , but honestly you get so much more with Fraxel.
Oh boy that just reminded me I have my 10 years reunion next year :wacko: . My acne scars didn't happen until after high school, during my first 2 yrs of college. I'll cross my fingers that my acne scars will have more improvement by then. YIKES!
Hi guys,
I've been trying to research treatments but am so confused. :eh:
Each time I get sold on a procedure, I read something that tuns me off.
I've talked to a couple of dr.'s, but since they all offer different treatments, they tell me theirs is best.
(AGH!)
I just wanted to get some feedback.
I have mild scarring on my cheeks and a small amount around my mouth/chin.
Most of these came from acne I had in the 10-11th grade (i'm now pushing 30).
I'll admit that mine probably aren't as bad as some, if I stretch my skin, they go away, and in certain lighting they aren't REALLY noticable. On the flip side, if I gain the slightest bit of weight, or in bad lighting, my face looks AWFUL.
(Case and point, two years ago I spent a pretty penny on 10 microderm sessions w/mini peels at each because an aestician (sp?) told me it would greatly reduce my scarring, so that at my 10 year high school reunion I'd feel confident. Well, someone who hadn't seen me since said he remembered me because I used to have 'bad acne'. Stunned (because I could never admit to myself that it was that bad), I said, "are you sure that was me?" and he said, "yes, I can tell because you still have the scars". I can't tell you how bad I wanted to crawl into a hole and cry my eyes out)!)
So, anyway, sorry for the sob-story, :boohoo: i'm just so ready to get these self-esteem killers off of my face and out of my life!!
Any advice you can provide on Smoothbeam vs. Fraxel II, I would so greatly appreciate it!!!
I would go with the Fraxel if I were you, Smoothbeam really doesn't do much for your skin except for maybe taking out some redness. I don't think it can improve much on the texture and tone that the Fraxel can do. Fraxel is a much stronger machine where it will cause your face to swell, get red, bronze, flake... all the good stuff :clap: , where as you really don't go through anything with smoothbeam.
As for the price is pretty close, it was 500.00 for Smoothbeam and 600.00 for Fraxel (both cheeks only) , but honestly you get so much more with Fraxel.
Oh boy that just reminded me I have my 10 years reunion next year :wacko: . My acne scars didn't happen until after high school, during my first 2 yrs of college. I'll cross my fingers that my acne scars will have more improvement by then. YIKES!
Where did ou get this 600$ Fraxel treatments.I am in CA ,bay area and i am unable to find any doctor that can do fraxel for this rate .
I live in TN and the Fraxel treatments range from $600-$1000 depending on how much area you have done. I would GUESS that you can't get it that cheap because the cost of living is much higher in CA.
It seems that with the regular Fraxel, a general consensus amongst the people that actually had Fraxel treatments was that for mild to deep acne scaring a minimum setting of 20 was required to see any sort of results. Anything lower was more for wrinkles and such.
For the new fraxel (SR1500), while still limited in the amount of experiences among this board, would we say that 40 to 60+ is now the new recommendation for mild to deep scaring? Again, only specific to the new laser (SR1500).
just got back from my second fraxel (well the first half of fraxel 2 as i split the halves of my face over 2 days)
this time i've got some of the pinpoint bleeding spots. i'm glad i'd already read about them on here or i would've been really scared/upset
and my cheek seems to tingle/pulsate more than last time
my question though:
has anyone found out how permanent fraxel results are?
(i'm not talking about the temporary swelling. but with the collagen, does it remain say 10 years down the track or will you need more fraxel/laser later on to maintain the effect?)
I called my doctor today(actually there are 2), and told him how bad I look today, and needed to hear his thoughts about it. He reassured me that everything is o.k. and by the end of the week these blood spots should be gone. He said this new laser is getting in deeper, and it's causing more bruising. He recommended buying Arnika from GMC, it helps bruising heal faster. My husband is going to pick it up for me tomorrow. The only thing I am surprised at it is the swelling isn't as bad as with the old Fraxel. It is swollen, but considering how many blood marks there are, I can't believe it's not worse. I hope this looks a
little better tomorrow. I wish I had somebody to talk to who has been through this!! 
CM77 My female doctor yesterday said 40-60 is their range.
FYI guys, Fraxel II is not a new machine, its just a software upgrade.
It permits the Fraxel machine to go to about 1100 microns as opposed to like 700 or 800 microns. Thermage, for example, goes to 3000.
I'm not sure that Fraxel II would be allt hat much better.
Are you sure about this? I will have to ask my doctor when I go for my 2nd Fraxel.
Cubsfan, thanks for sharing your experience. Wow, is all I can say. I know what you are going through. It is probably going to be in 3 weeks. I started out at 40 and my face had a few blood pin point marks on my face especially on the top of my cheecks and my temples and on the bridge of my nose but they never broke though the surface to where I would see them on a paper towl. That does scare me a bit. I'm one week into my first Fraxel and my face is still a little red but most of the swelling is gone but from the flaking (which only happened once and I never got that bronze look to my skin the nurse told me about), my texture looks really great. My face is sitll a tiny bit sore/sensitive when I am washing it with a washcloth and drying it with a towl. It feels slightly prickly so I know something is going on deep down there 😉
Good luck cubsfan, sounds like your treatment is agressive and probably what I need too. Take care of yourself!
Interesting. This Derm I saw is buying a new machine because his Fraxel is not upgradeable to the newest one. I wonder if it is then newer than what you guys are useing? (I have no idea?).
I think goblin may have had the lux1540. she had "the new fraxel" 6 months ago in baltimore with no dye. she said it was called 1440 though.
i'll look on the reliant site and see what is says about the SR using dye or not.
interesting to note the lux1540 is not approved for resurfacing. only coagulation. in lay terms that means its approved for destroying tissue (say for cauterizing blood vessels during surgery) but not for the purpose of renewing dermal/epidermal skin. fraxel is approved for resurfacing and for acne scars. maybe its just a matter of time while they do more tests.
Technical Specifications
Wavelength
Spot Size
Max. Fluence
Pulse Width
Max. Rep Rate
1540 nm
10 mm (100 spots per cm2)
15 mm (320 spots per cm2)
70 mJ per microbeam
5 and 10 ms
1.5 pulse per sec
*Lux1540 FDA cleared for soft tissue coagulation. Not cleared for skin resurfacing.
Update...
Swelling seems to be all gone from last fraxel. Redness is gone. Still pinkish in a few spots.
More improvement in overall texture. I'm pretty sure that two of the saucer scars show a tiny amount of "filling in." I'm certain that the sunken in spot on my left cheek has come up even more. I don't think any specific scars have vanished completely
Marionette lines are still present, but definitely softer.
Lines around my eyes show the most improvement.