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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!! :confused:
CM77 My female doctor yesterday said 40-60 is their range.
I felt the very same way you did after my fraxel. I woke up so swollen and with blood spots and I freaked. Called the office and they told me it was normal! Then I came here and read and I relaxed a bit. I was really swollen because I couldn't sleep elevated. My next Fraxel in a few weeks will probably be at the 60 level since my first one was at 40 so I will be experiencing the same thing as you are right now. So don't feel so alone!!! Did they tell you to get the lotion arnika or the pill form? A friend took the little pills before she had some plastic surgery to reduce bruising but I also saw a lotion in Whole Foods. I might pick up some of the pills to take before my next appointment. Are the pin point bleeding really bruises though? Mine went away in about 3 or 4 days.
Shyone, when is your next appointment? I bet you will get bumped up to 60 too.
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!! :confused:
CM77 My female doctor yesterday said 40-60 is their range.
I felt the very same way you did after my fraxel. I woke up so swollen and with blood spots and I freaked. Called the office and they told me it was normal! Then I came here and read and I relaxed a bit. I was really swollen because I couldn't sleep elevated. My next Fraxel in a few weeks will probably be at the 60 level since my first one was at 40 so I will be experiencing the same thing as you are right now. So don't feel so alone!!! Did they tell you to get the lotion arnika or the pill form? A friend took the little pills before she had some plastic surgery to reduce bruising but I also saw a lotion in Whole Foods. I might pick up some of the pills to take before my next appointment. Are the pin point bleeding really bruises though? Mine went away in about 3 or 4 days.
Shyone, when is your next appointment? I bet you will get bumped up to 60 too.
Thanks for the reply! It has been 3 days since my appointment, and I would say the blood spots are only 25% gone. This is going to be a long one. My husband picked up the cream. My doctor never said which one to buy. If your doctor does go up to 60, hang in there! I hope I get some results from this one. My temples aren't spots, it's literally purplish patches. She was only able to do 2 passes at 60 instead of 4. How many passes is your doctor doing? How many treatments are you getting?
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.
Hi Shyone, I'm happy to hear you're seeing some good results!
Hey guys, just came back from Fraxel (older version). From looking at her notes, the doctor started at Energy Level:15 and Density: 125 for 8 passes. She also went to level 18 and 7mm tip on my scars for 4 passes . I'm not sure what they mean at all but It hurt real bad. I was quiet about it though. Do you guys think it would help with scars at this level? She just advised to use Cetaphil for mosituering. I should also continue on Obagi after 1 week. She said I was very tolerant and that she would go higher the next time. I'm definately not looking forward to that! I'm looking for advice and I'm planning on reading this forum all over again. I'm not swollen right now but she told me that I will for 24hrs. Any suggestions for after treatment? I'm not planning on taking any pill either. Thanks.
It's amazing the pain and reaction difference people feel. I had a fraxel treatment done yesterday evening at level 40 with the SR1500 laser. I have no pinpoint bleeding, nor am I that red. My Dr. says she will stay at 40. I wonder how much deeper level 60 is as opposed to 40? I guess the dr. would need to estimate the depth of your scars and then base the setting off that? All-in-all, I'm a little red. Not that bad though. The pain during my treatment was very tolerable.
CM77: I think you are being treated with the newer version. It is suppose to be less painful base on the reviews on this post.
I have to say that this forum is really long. I've only read up to pg45. My skin has cooled down some. It is less red but more swollen. I can see all of my scars, it is so visible right now. I shouldn't expect to see results or else I might be disappointed in the end. I also told my doctor to go aggressive before she started. She mentioned there might be a risk of hyperpigmentation since I'm Asian. So far everything is fine. I have to say, the procedure isn't that bad. Only the first 1 hr. during and after the procedure was painful. I also noticed that others whos had Fraxel didn't start off @ Level 18. Is it because all doctors are different or is my doctor being aggressive?
CM77 and others:
I think the pinpoint bleeding is influenced by a few things. Obviously the depth of penetration is a factor, but I think the density of the MTZs and the number of passes also influence the bleeding.
The wounds are supposed to be microscopic. But if you are doing multiple passes some Microthermal Zones can get laid down on top of one another or next two each other. this would make the wound larger (althought still quite small). The wounding from multiple passes at high energy levels is probably something similar to a very light needling with a very fine roller.
One doctor I emailed had a name for the pinpoint bleeding. He called it Focal Macroscopic Necrosis or something like that. He said it doesnt occur at lower settings only higher ones. He didnt think it would lead to any scarring and the worst thing about it was probably making patients uncomfortable.
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 the new Fraxel is just a software upgrade as well because my doctor mentioned it to me yesterday. She plans to get the upgrade in a couple of weeks and suggests that I wait until then to get the next treatment. She's said the rep suggested going higher settings because my scars are pretty deep. I'll let everyone know how it goes after I get the treatment.
My doctor did 8 passes at 40, i think, i will have to go back and look at my first post. I am doing 5 Fraxels, once a month. I will pick up the arnika stuff too as I know my doctor wants to be agressive with me and well, I want the best I can get.
I am prepared to be housebound for 3 to 4 days. Hang in there I know how it is to freak out about these things. I just kept staring at my swollen red face in the mirror. My doctor told me to take Ibuprofen and antihistamines for the swelling. I love the cold mask you keep in the freezer too, that made a huge difference in how my face felt. I will post the link to where you can buy them for around $14, my doc office charges $25 so I am going to order 4 for my next 4 treatments.
Let me know how the bruising heals!!
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.
I felt the very same way you did after my fraxel. I woke up so swollen and with blood spots and I freaked. Called the office and they told me it was normal! Then I came here and read and I relaxed a bit. I was really swollen because I couldn't sleep elevated. My next Fraxel in a few weeks will probably be at the 60 level since my first one was at 40 so I will be experiencing the same thing as you are right now. So don't feel so alone!!! Did they tell you to get the lotion arnika or the pill form? A friend took the little pills before she had some plastic surgery to reduce bruising but I also saw a lotion in Whole Foods. I might pick up some of the pills to take before my next appointment. Are the pin point bleeding really bruises though? Mine went away in about 3 or 4 days.
Shyone, when is your next appointment? I bet you will get bumped up to 60 too.
My doctor did 8 passes at 40, i think, i will have to go back and look at my first post. I am doing 5 Fraxels, once a month. I will pick up the arnika stuff too as I know my doctor wants to be agressive with me and well, I want the best I can get.
I am prepared to be housebound for 3 to 4 days. Hang in there I know how it is to freak out about these things. I just kept staring at my swollen red face in the mirror. My doctor told me to take Ibuprofen and antihistamines for the swelling. I love the cold mask you keep in the freezer too, that made a huge difference in how my face felt. I will post the link to where you can buy them for around $14, my doc office charges $25 so I am going to order 4 for my next 4 treatments.
Let me know how the bruising heals!!
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!! :confused:
CM77 My female doctor yesterday said 40-60 is their range.
I felt the very same way you did after my fraxel. I woke up so swollen and with blood spots and I freaked. Called the office and they told me it was normal! Then I came here and read and I relaxed a bit. I was really swollen because I couldn't sleep elevated. My next Fraxel in a few weeks will probably be at the 60 level since my first one was at 40 so I will be experiencing the same thing as you are right now. So don't feel so alone!!! Did they tell you to get the lotion arnika or the pill form? A friend took the little pills before she had some plastic surgery to reduce bruising but I also saw a lotion in Whole Foods. I might pick up some of the pills to take before my next appointment. Are the pin point bleeding really bruises though? Mine went away in about 3 or 4 days.
Shyone, when is your next appointment? I bet you will get bumped up to 60 too.
Thanks for the reply! It has been 3 days since my appointment, and I would say the blood spots are only 25% gone. This is going to be a long one. My husband picked up the cream. My doctor never said which one to buy. If your doctor does go up to 60, hang in there! I hope I get some results from this one. My temples aren't spots, it's literally purplish patches. She was only able to do 2 passes at 60 instead of 4. How many passes is your doctor doing? How many treatments are you getting?
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.
Hi Shyone, I'm happy to hear you're seeing some good results!
Hi jjp007, Boy, 8 passes must have taken forever. This new laser takes much longer than the old one. I feel like they'll never get done. The red marks are 90% gone. It took 5 days, not as much as I thought it would. I had to go out yesterday, and I used my Bare Esscentuals make up. It covered the red marks completely. I love this make up. I have a lot of flaking on my cheeks right now, but the swelling looks like it's gone. I know it's too soon to say anything yet, but my cheeks are looking much better. I hope it stays this way. My doctor still wants me coming in every 2 weeks. I'm only doing 1 more in early November, and then waiting until after the new year. There is no time to do this over the holidays!
There is only one thing I'm concerned about. I'm a little worried that down the road they're going to find something bad about going so deep into your skin with this. Is this something any of you think about, or should I just forget about it?
My updates for today: My swelling and redness has gone down alot. Can't really tell if there are any difference cause I have flaking and dry spots on the cheek area. I can still she my excision scars. Skin is plumped which is making some scars look better. My chicken pox scar has gotten larger and longer looking overall more visible.
Hey guys I had my first fraxel about a month ago now! As I posted awhile ago I was freaking out because my skin was all bumpy and looked terrible afterwards. But now its smooth and looks better.
Unfortunately the weirdest thing popped up a few days ago. I have this ugly dark spot on my cheek. I have been wearing sunscreen and honestly havent been in the sun much, except walking through parking lots to the store. Anyway I went to the doctor and they gave me bleaching cream, but it seems to be making the spot look even worse! I am honestly not sure if this spot came from sun or if it was from the procedure and is just now showing up! Has anyone had this happen and if so, do more fraxel treatments help it go away?? I am kind of sad cuz make-up doesnt cover it well. Im scheduled for my next fraxel 11/2 but now Im scarred it might make it worse???
I had my first fraxel two weeks ago and about two days ago, I noticed a brown dot as well on my chin. Its the size of a small mole but it was so bizaar to me that it came out of no where. Has this happened to anyone else? Will it go away on its own or is this a new mole on my face? I am so sick of "maintenancing" my face post treatment and dont really want to deal with putting another product on it... Thoughts???
Hey guys I had my first fraxel about a month ago now! As I posted awhile ago I was freaking out because my skin was all bumpy and looked terrible afterwards. But now its smooth and looks better.
Unfortunately the weirdest thing popped up a few days ago. I have this ugly dark spot on my cheek. I have been wearing sunscreen and honestly havent been in the sun much, except walking through parking lots to the store. Anyway I went to the doctor and they gave me bleaching cream, but it seems to be making the spot look even worse! I am honestly not sure if this spot came from sun or if it was from the procedure and is just now showing up! Has anyone had this happen and if so, do more fraxel treatments help it go away?? I am kind of sad cuz make-up doesnt cover it well. Im scheduled for my next fraxel 11/2 but now Im scarred it might make it worse???
I had my first fraxel two weeks ago and about two days ago, I noticed a brown dot as well on my chin. Its the size of a small mole but it was so bizaar to me that it came out of no where. Has this happened to anyone else? Will it go away on its own or is this a new mole on my face? I am so sick of "maintenancing" my face post treatment and dont really want to deal with putting another product on it... Thoughts???
someone mentioned this many pages ago. they were like anyone gets this little brown spots? and then a couple other people were like "yes! yes!" I dont remember what they said about it going away or not. This is why i recommend people take the 3-4 hours to carefully read every page of this thread before going for fraxel. even if you've already decided to get the treatment reading all the posts will give you great tips about pre/post treament, costs, avoiding complications, etc.
for the people with brown/black spots ,it is most likely pigmentation problem due to excessive melanin production,a pre treatmeant retin and hydroquinone for atleast 3 weeks should be done and even after that i have read many people with this problem.This may go on its own but ive heard usually cause of this the fraxel is ideal to be done every 2 weeks rather than a month to avoid pigmentation problems/formation.
re the pigmentation:
yes it's probably due to melanin production.
mainly because of the shedding of the epidermis allows uva to penetrate more easily and cause melanocyte proliferation.
therefore,
1) you need to avoid uva (ie sun exposure) at all costs! ie sunscreen with PA +++ for high PPD and keeping indoors/shaded when possible
2) if you're skin type predisposes you to this, you can consider bleaching (the hydroquinone) to decrease melanin production/function. the recommendation here is to use hydroquinon for at least 2 weeks before fraxel and 4 weeks after.
although a standard regime (when not doing fraxel) is retin a and hydroquinone, it's not a good idea when doing fraxel. this is because the retin a will increase your skin's photosensitivity
3) some say using lower energy settings on skin types prone to pigmentation may be a good idea.
Well it's now 12 days since my first Fraxel and I would estimate the improvement at 60% which is excellent for a first time. I go back on Thursday for my second treatment and although I'm really looking forward to it I'm not looking forward to the puffiness afterwards. The flaking and pain I can deal with but the swelling is awful! However, the results are so good that I think I can deal with just about anything!!!!
x
Does anyone know if Fraxel results are permanent or do they have to be repeated?
Well it's now 12 days since my first Fraxel and I would estimate the improvement at 60% which is excellent for a first time. I go back on Thursday for my second treatment and although I'm really looking forward to it I'm not looking forward to the puffiness afterwards. The flaking and pain I can deal with but the swelling is awful! However, the results are so good that I think I can deal with just about anything!!!!
x
Does anyone know if Fraxel results are permanent or do they have to be repeated?
i've asked about how permanent it is too but haven't had any replies
i think it's hard to say because the technology is relatively new
congrats on the improvement!
Well it's now 12 days since my first Fraxel and I would estimate the improvement at 60% which is excellent for a first time. I go back on Thursday for my second treatment and although I'm really looking forward to it I'm not looking forward to the puffiness afterwards. The flaking and pain I can deal with but the swelling is awful! However, the results are so good that I think I can deal with just about anything!!!!
x
Does anyone know if Fraxel results are permanent or do they have to be repeated?
i've asked about how permanent it is too but haven't had any replies
i think it's hard to say because the technology is relatively new
congrats on the improvement!
The theory behind fraxel, if I understand it correctly, is that the laser damages collums of skin which stimulates your body to produce more collagen in order to heal the damaged area. If my understanding is correct and the results produced by fraxel are due to the body producing more collagen in the healing process, then the results are permanent. Or rather, as permanent as your particular body's collagen is - as we age, our collagen begins to decrease - which is why we wrinkle in the first place.
It is not like an injected substance that the body will absorb over time, resulting in your scars reappearing. The collagen you build as a result of fraxel is as permanent as your own collagen will be, whatever that happens to be for your body.
Hope that helps...
Well it's now 12 days since my first Fraxel and I would estimate the improvement at 60% which is excellent for a first time. I go back on Thursday for my second treatment and although I'm really looking forward to it I'm not looking forward to the puffiness afterwards. The flaking and pain I can deal with but the swelling is awful! However, the results are so good that I think I can deal with just about anything!!!!
x
Does anyone know if Fraxel results are permanent or do they have to be repeated?
i've asked about how permanent it is too but haven't had any replies
i think it's hard to say because the technology is relatively new
congrats on the improvement!
The theory behind fraxel, if I understand it correctly, is that the laser damages collums of skin which stimulates your body to produce more collagen in order to heal the damaged area. If my understanding is correct and the results produced by fraxel are due to the body producing more collagen in the healing process, then the results are permanent. Or rather, as permanent as your particular body's collagen is - as we age, our collagen begins to decrease - which is why we wrinkle in the first place.
It is not like an injected substance that the body will absorb over time, resulting in your scars reappearing. The collagen you build as a result of fraxel is as permanent as your own collagen will be, whatever that happens to be for your body.
Hope that helps...
that's basically what i'd hoped as well
my only concern is that the underlying tissue in the scars isn't as stable as elsewhere and the collagen doesn't survive as well in these areas
*fingers crossed it's truly permanent though*