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as for breakouts. your doctor SHOULD have prescribed an antibiotic to take while you recover. esp if you are acne prone (which all of us with scars are duh!). most people on this board were prescribed minocycline which worked well to prevent post treatment breakouts. you have to stay moisturized or you will slow the healing process and prolong the hyperpigmentation. most doctors dont know about biafine. www.biafine.com it is a burn cream that many on here have used. it doesnt clog pores. its prescription so you NEED to ASK for it.
this is why i recommend reading the ENTIRE thread before getting treatment. all this has come up several times. i know its hard but if you are proactive you can save yourself pain and misery and get better results. i mean you're stuck at home for a few days anyway.
why not read the thread or at least do a search for your questionns. sorry not trying to be mean but i keep seeing the same questions and problems on here. im glad to answer them over and over. i really dont mind. i just hate seeing people go through something they could have prevented by doing a couple hours of research.
remember most doctors are used to treating wrinkles and sundamage with fraxel. they are not sensitive to the needs of those with oily skin/acne and those being treated with higher than normal power settings. i mean common. even if you look at the reliant-tech site they are still promoting this as a no downtimes procedure. this is not the case for acne scarring. this thread is your best source of information. use it.
no i have to wait a year until im off of accutane. which is good since it has given me time to save money and read this thread top to bottom.
you might think its bad for me to give advice when i havent had the procedure. but i have read every page of this thread 3 or more times, many other related threads, emailed most people who had procedure, emailed doctors, gone for consultations, read every clinical study, every page of reliant-tech and fraxel, every private dr website i can find, blown up every picture on the fraxel slideshow and websites in photoshop on my 20 in screen to compare results, looked at competition, every fraxel news video on the web, emailed reliant many many questions, etc. honestly i want to be as best prepared as i can for my own treatment. if i can i try to answer questions and facilitate others to find information. i also think it is good to have someone on here who reads and posts over a long period of time. most people get treatment and stop posting after. that would be fine if everyone who came to the thread afterwards was able to sit and read the old posts.
take my advice or leave it. just dont get mad at me for trying to help.
Closed Comedo (A whitehead): A compacted mass of dead skin cells and skin oils. Visible as a small white bump under the surface of the skin.
thats what a whitehead is, and i am right, i do not need to moisturize because it clogs the pore from shedding dead skin cell, so i'm going to not moisturize until i speak with my doc tomorow, i can understand why you recomend moisturizng cause your on accutane and moisturizing is crucial there, but you are wrong for it does not pro long the healing proccess, it has nothing to do with it, i spoke wit a previous patient who had it done and she didn't moisturize, i would appreciate it if anybody who HAS DONE FRAXEL BEFORE to give feedbacks, but no pun intended james.
thanks for the definition of a whitehead. but that is misleading. a whitehead is mostly pus from your white blood cells attacking bacteria. a blackhead is more like the definition you posted (except of course it is dark). the reason blackheads dont get inflamed is that they are not infected because they are exposed to the air. whiteheads are closed and get infected by bacteria that is always living on our skin. they proliferate in the trapped oil and cause a local immune response, i.e. acne.
you can try something to stop the immune response like a topical steriod or something to kill bacteria like an oral antibiotic. i would not recommend corticosteriods like cortisone because they are known to impair healing after surgeries. some amount of inflammation is needed for a wound to heal properly. if you suppress the "immune response" with a steriod you are also suppressing wound healing. i recommend antibiotics.
i said not moisturizing will prolong the hyperpigmentation and increase the time it takes for your skin to recover. i have had several other laser treatments (not fraxel) and i always broke out post recovery. the only thing that helped was antibiotics.
btw i doubt your doctor has had fraxel either. what he has had is a couple hours of training from a reliant-tech rep on how to use the machine. if you're lucky he may have gone for a conference over the weekend.
anyway he doesnt sound like a very good doctor if he is telling you not to moisturize and not to take vitamin C. just look at the posts about dr. kovak on the last page. dr's do not know everything. mostly they give advice based on rules and tradition not what actually works. oh and im an RN.
if you're concerned enough to keep posting why don't you just do a search in this thread. you will come up with several people who "HAS DONE FRAXEL BEFORE" their posts will say the exact same things i am.
i understand you dont want to break out. my advice is get an antibiotic (even without insurance very cheap like under 50 bucks) and a good moisturizer. you can apply it for ten minutes and rinse it off you're worried about clogged pores.
The white bumps are very common with any hot laser procedure. It is called milia. Many people like myself, who don't really have active acne, and even those who have never had acne in their lives, get these whiteheads after an invasive skin treatment. They should be gone in about 5 days, and they should not leave any scars provided you leave them alone.
I was given a fraxel kit after my tx. which contained a mild cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen. It wasn't cetaphil, but called derma (something) can't remember. Basically the same as cetaphil. The suncreen was neutragena. I was told to use only these products for about 7 days, or until my skin looked relatively healed.
Some derms prescribe a mild Cortisone cream to be applied in extreme moderation to the milia. I used it and the whiteheads were gone in two days.
Hope this helps
Peach Pie
2nd day of 1st fraxel. :wall:
:doh: sighz, u know what i learned, i woke up today broked out wit a lot of white heads over my chin and other areas, its not a severe break out cuz its like tiny little white heads only but it looks disgusting. i think this is due to the fact that i was moisturizing and my skin was trying to shed and the moisturizer clogged the shedded dead skin with the pores and made me break out with white heads. i'm so glad i can just hide in my house for a couple of days, but i sure hope my skin gets better by next saturday for my uncle's engagement party. the white heads are kinda small, at a feet away, you can't see it, but up close you can see it, its like a moderate amount, i would say its nothing but now its a lesson learn. i'm going to STOP MOISTURIZING and just leave my face alone, no nothing on it and let the remodeling do its job underneath. i know that white heads are collagens stuck to pores known as over produced collagens. so yea... i sure hope them white heads don't last long... i'm still a little swolen, its nothing really, doesn't bother me, i lost about 9 lbs before the 1st fraxel so now it looks like i'm back 9 lbs, lol.
aside from that, no nothing on my face, i'm going to just let it be regular skin and of course avoid sun light at all cost. i pray that it will keep shedding and my white heads will be gone. :boohoo: :pray:
Yeah make sure to let the moistuerizer absorb onto the skin. You should look normal by next Saturday.
sighs, anybody know if after their fraxel treatment, preferably the 1st one, did they put anything on their face???? any moisturizer or just leave it with nothing on??? i have to wait til tomorow to ask my doc wsup but would like feedback now if anyone knows.
The nurse applied Aloe Vera on my skin. I bought some Saturday and am using it now.
you dont have to moisturize, but it will aid your recovery. besides calming and protecting your skin while it heals it will probably help soothe any pain.
did you have active acne during time of treatment or in the recent past?A doc said fraxel can be used to treat active acne but often makes it worse first. He was on fox five news. you can see the clip if you search their site.
i dont think a lot of doctors are all that aware to post-treatment acne because they are used to treating adults for wrinkles and sun damage. peachpie was fortunate to have a doc that gave her a kit. most probably believe what it says on the reliant site about patients "putting on make-up and going back to work."
also i would recommend everyone makes sure their doctor is a board certified dermatologist before "going under the knife." for $11 you can also get a report telling you if the doctor has been censured or sued. i didnt know how to do this before a procedure i had years ago. only later when i had complications and the doctor made me suspicious with his answers did i find out he was the most sued doctor in the state AND on probation while he operated on me.
I've only read up to 60 pages on this forum. It is simply too long. I've also done research and readings. I still like to keep updates on here whenever I see changes on my skin though. It might be similar to others but its something I can refer to later if I ever forget.
jamesjoyce: If it is inconvient for you to answer redundant questions then just ignore it. I'm sure others would help answer for Simply_Me.
I've only read up to 60 pages on this forum. It is simply too long. I've also done research and readings. I still like to keep updates on here whenever I see changes on my skin though. It might be similar to others but its something I can refer to later if I ever forget.
jamesjoyce: If it is inconvient for you to answer redundant questions then just ignore it. I'm sure others would help answer for Simply_Me.
im not being mean AT ALL. In fact i sympathize with her. the reason i tell people to read EVERYTHING is so that they can avoid having the complications in the first place. it bothers me to see people getting the same problems over and over when it could have been prevented.
im not saying dont listen to your gut, your doctor, or other fraxelers. but your spending thousands of dollars on this why not take just the relatively small amount of time and effort to read old posts for as much information, experiences, and opinions as possible--before you go and do something you cannot take back.
i think everyone should ask themselves would your rather
A)not read the entire thread, have pain and problems and less than optimal recovery
or
B) skip watching television for two days, read the thread, have an easy recovery and great results.?
just think: if you could have used this site 10 or 20 years ago maybe you could have prevented your acne from getting so bad that it scarred in the first place. or at least kept it as minimal as possible.
an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. i see it in the hospital everyday. obviously some things cannot be prevented but we are just talking about a little homework here. in the time it takes to write a post you can do a key word search within this thread to find what you are looking for.
i mean common, im sure everyone here could have read this thread 3 times in the last week if theyd just cut down on a few hours of mindless tv.
You know regarding the Fraxel Laser do you think it makes a difference what kind of doctor does it? Like does it make a difference if its a plastic surgeon, a medical doctor, or a dermatologist or is it all the same as long as they have gone through the Fraxel training? 
) I am just curious...I am still shopping around for a new doctor.
You know regarding the Fraxel Laser do you think it makes a difference what kind of doctor does it? Like does it make a difference if its a plastic surgeon, a medical doctor, or a dermatologist or is it all the same as long as they have gone through the Fraxel training? 🙂 I am just curious...I am still shopping around for a new doctor and I kinda wanted to be pointed in a good direction of where to start.
we had this discussion a few times. i wont say it again ok i will: please please read old posts!
anway some say yes some say no.
the doctor is not always the one doing the actual procedure. he will meet with you for consultation but his nurse or PA will usually do the procedure. the law varies from state to state. i know here in NJ the law requires the doctor to do the procedure, but this is not the case in most states.
it is important to ask this when you go for consultation. who will actually be doing my procedure? will the doctor be in the room? the office?
as for training. most docs get a training video and a few hours with a rep who may or may not come back periodically to answer questions (and, ahem, sell new products). some docs go for seminars and conferences on lasers. there were a few specific to fraxel seminars in big cities (sponsored by reliant) when it first came out. mostly promotional though. if you're lucky your doc attended one of those or was trained by someone who did.
if you can i would go to a doc that specializes in lasers. maybe even was part of the clinical studies with fraxel. this is hard if you are not near a big city like NY or san diego. one doctor said he did not become proficient in his practice until he treated about 300 patients with fraxel. the better doctors are usually more expensive. for instance fitzpatrick in san diego. but then again he has had only great reviews on here.
i dont think you will find many MDs or other general practioners doing fraxel. its a derm thing. you will find plastic surgeons and ENTs doing it, but i would stay away. plastic surgeons do their internships and fellowships in operating rooms. derms do them in ambulatory settings (mostly) where they see a variety of skin related problems like acne and acne scarring. this is my personal opinion but i also find most plastic surgeons to be egotistical, greedy, self-promoters. they add a laser or two to their repetoire but mainly their money and mind is in doing surgeries.
on the other hand you can find many derms who do nothing but lasers. usually a practice has several derms and one specifically who handles all cosmetic lasers. this doesnt necessarily make them competent though. the most important thing is asking questions like: how many patients they've treated (for acne scars NOT for wrinkles or melasma), how many patients with your skin type, your specific type of scarring, etc. I'd even ask for a patient testamonial. Almost no one does it but you can also search their medical record for lawsuits and complaints/censures.
you can ask about where the doc went to school residency internship fellowship and how long ago but they might feel you're putting them on the spot. that info is all available for $11 on the internet anyway.
If you are looking for a place to start, the fraxel site has a doctor locator. But it is by zip code not competancy. Sooo many docs come up anyway you may be overwhelmed. If you watch the slideshow on www.reliant-tech.com you can see the doctors names below each photo. there is also a credit page at the end of the show. some of those docs also participated in the clinical study that got fraxel FDA approved for acne scarring.
you can search for the actual clinical paper in a periodical index (usually requires membership) and see what doctors are there. I think those would have the most experience on acne scars but they might be too far away. there are a few testomonials in this thread (as well as docs to steer clear of) but you'd have to read old posts to find that.
I've only read up to 60 pages on this forum. It is simply too long. I've also done research and readings. I still like to keep updates on here whenever I see changes on my skin though. It might be similar to others but its something I can refer to later if I ever forget.
jamesjoyce: If it is inconvient for you to answer redundant questions then just ignore it. I'm sure others would help answer for Simply_Me.
im not being mean AT ALL. In fact i sympathize with her. the reason i tell people to read EVERYTHING is so that they can avoid having the complications in the first place. it bothers me to see people getting the same problems over and over when it could have been prevented.
im not saying dont listen to your gut, your doctor, or other fraxelers. but your spending thousands of dollars on this why not take just the relatively small amount of time and effort to read old posts for as much information, experiences, and opinions as possible--before you go and do something you cannot take back.
i think everyone should ask themselves would your rather
A)not read the entire thread, have pain and problems and less than optimal recovery
or
B) skip watching television for two days, read the thread, have an easy recovery and great results.?
just think: if you could have used this site 10 or 20 years ago maybe you could have prevented your acne from getting so bad that it scarred in the first place. or at least kept it as minimal as possible.
an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. i see it in the hospital everyday. obviously some things cannot be prevented but we are just talking about a little homework here. in the time it takes to write a post you can do a key word search within this thread to find what you are looking for.
i mean common, im sure everyone here could have read this thread 3 times in the last week if theyd just cut down on a few hours of mindless tv.
I know what you mean about doing research. I think it is very important too. Its up to Simply_Me to read this forum. But if he has questions, I don't think it will hurt to answer them for him. Even by reading all the posts, you might not remember it all unless you find it important at the time. Sometimes when I'm eager about something, I ask right away and then wait for answers but I would also look it up myself. I wished I had known this site before developing acne scars. But acne scars doesn't become someone's top priorty when you don't have them. Besides I think we should definately learn more on it during school or be more educated on the topic. Most people outside of this forum don't even know what acne scar is.
JamesJoyce: Lets drop this. I really want to read about peoples progress rather than arguing. It's only making this forum even more bigger 🙂
You know regarding the Fraxel Laser do you think it makes a difference what kind of doctor does it? Like does it make a difference if its a plastic surgeon, a medical doctor, or a dermatologist or is it all the same as long as they have gone through the Fraxel training? 🙂 I am just curious...I am still shopping around for a new doctor and I kinda wanted to be pointed in a good direction of where to start.
I think ones experience would be important.
You know regarding the Fraxel Laser do you think it makes a difference what kind of doctor does it? Like does it make a difference if its a plastic surgeon, a medical doctor, or a dermatologist or is it all the same as long as they have gone through the Fraxel training? 🙂 I am just curious...I am still shopping around for a new doctor and I kinda wanted to be pointed in a good direction of where to start.
we had this discussion a few times. i wont say it again ok i will: please please read old posts!
anway some say yes some say no.
the doctor is not always the one doing the actual procedure. he will meet with you for consultation but his nurse or PA will usually do the procedure. the law varies from state to state. i know here in NJ the law requires the doctor to do the procedure, but this is not the case in most states.
it is important to ask this when you go for consultation. who will actually be doing my procedure? will the doctor be in the room? the office?
as for training. most docs get a training video and a few hours with a rep who may or may not come back periodically to answer questions (and, ahem, sell new products). some docs go for seminars and conferences on lasers. there were a few specific to fraxel seminars in big cities (sponsored by reliant) when it first came out. mostly promotional though. if you're lucky your doc attended one of those or was trained by someone who did.
if you can i would go to a doc that specializes in lasers. maybe even was part of the clinical studies with fraxel. this is hard if you are not in a big city like NY or san diego. one doctor said he did not become proficient in his practice until he treated about 300 patients with fraxel. the better doctors are usually more expensive. for instance fitzpatrick in san diego. but then again he has had only great reviews on here.
I have read the whole thread and no I don't really want to read through the whole thing again... I have short term memory and cannot remember every single post. New questions arise, so when I have a new question I would like to ask it instead of going back to page 67 just to look for that one topic or question. I hope you understand. I think on this board people should feel free to ask questions and to share their experiences or whatever, so people can continue to learn and not have to worry about people getting tired of answering the same questions over and over again or being made felt as if they were stupid or lazy.
You know regarding the Fraxel Laser do you think it makes a difference what kind of doctor does it? Like does it make a difference if its a plastic surgeon, a medical doctor, or a dermatologist or is it all the same as long as they have gone through the Fraxel training? 🙂 I am just curious...I am still shopping around for a new doctor and I kinda wanted to be pointed in a good direction of where to start.
we had this discussion a few times. i wont say it again ok i will: please please read old posts!
anway some say yes some say no.
the doctor is not always the one doing the actual procedure. he will meet with you for consultation but his nurse or PA will usually do the procedure. the law varies from state to state. i know here in NJ the law requires the doctor to do the procedure, but this is not the case in most states.
it is important to ask this when you go for consultation. who will actually be doing my procedure? will the doctor be in the room? the office?
as for training. most docs get a training video and a few hours with a rep who may or may not come back periodically to answer questions (and, ahem, sell new products). some docs go for seminars and conferences on lasers. there were a few specific to fraxel seminars in big cities (sponsored by reliant) when it first came out. mostly promotional though. if you're lucky your doc attended one of those or was trained by someone who did.
if you can i would go to a doc that specializes in lasers. maybe even was part of the clinical studies with fraxel. this is hard if you are not in a big city like NY or san diego. one doctor said he did not become proficient in his practice until he treated about 300 patients with fraxel. the better doctors are usually more expensive. for instance fitzpatrick in san diego. but then again he has had only great reviews on here.
I have read the whole thread and no I don't really want to read through it again... I have short term memory and cannot remember every single post. New questions seem to always pop up so when I have a new question I would like to ask it instead of going back to page 67 just to look for that one topic or question. I hope you understand. I think for this board people should feel free to ask questions and to share their experiences or whatever whatever they have to share so people can learn and not worry about people getting tired of asking the same questions over and over again or being making them feel stupid or lazy.
im sorry its not my intention to demean anyone or stultify asking questions. for a long time I just kept answering peoples questions and never said anything about reading old posts.
but i see the same problems happening to peopel (e.g. lying doctors and post fraxel break outs). I started to encourage peopel to read old posts because honestly that is the best source of info. especially if you are stuck at home anyway during recovery. i mean honestly during recovery most people say they watch a ton of tv and dvds.
at any present time you ask a question on here you usually only get a few responses but the back pages are full of the info you are looking for. perhaps thats the problem--the answers are just too overwhelming.
obviously the majority of us are repeat readers. i'd advise everyone to read at least a few old pages every time they visit here. that how i did it. i also do queries every so often. of course no one can sit and read through the entire thing at once. even if you could there are links to follow and information to look up along the way.
i understand though. that why i answered ur question. just saying there are at least two other dicsussions about this topic you might want to search for.
😀
Vitamin E, like NSAIDs (eg, aspirin), should be stopped for some period of days prior to any surgical procedure because it thins blood. In the case of fraxel, the risk is lower, of course, but Vitamin E will lead to more pin point bleeding, which will slow down the clotting process, as well. Also, my nurse would stop in any area that had pin point bleeding, leading to less aggressive treatment.
I would also favor a cosmetic dermatologist over a PS for Fraxel. More importantly, I would select a laser center that does lots of Fraxel procedures for scarring (experience) and is willing to be aggressive if the risks are small. I truly beleive the procedure itself is foolproof once you have determined the proper energy level, density, and coverge, so a trained nurse is just as good as a Doc at performing the passes and recogninzing danger signs. You just need a Doc for advice and complications, not the actual procedure.
Also, I was advised to moisturize post fraxel. ( I used vaseline). The nurse told me that this helps to keep the scale on longer which promotes faster healing. I know others have been instructed otherwise, but that is what I did. I no longer have break outs.
These opinions are based on my experience with 4 Fraxels. Hope it helps
2nd day of 1st fraxel. :wall:
:doh: sighz, u know what i learned, i woke up today broked out wit a lot of white heads over my chin and other areas, its not a severe break out cuz its like tiny little white heads only but it looks disgusting. i think this is due to the fact that i was moisturizing and my skin was trying to shed and the moisturizer clogged the shedded dead skin with the pores and made me break out with white heads. i'm so glad i can just hide in my house for a couple of days, but i sure hope my skin gets better by next saturday for my uncle's engagement party. the white heads are kinda small, at a feet away, you can't see it, but up close you can see it, its like a moderate amount, i would say its nothing but now its a lesson learn. i'm going to STOP MOISTURIZING and just leave my face alone, no nothing on it and let the remodeling do its job underneath. i know that white heads are collagens stuck to pores known as over produced collagens. so yea... i sure hope them white heads don't last long... i'm still a little swolen, its nothing really, doesn't bother me, i lost about 9 lbs before the 1st fraxel so now it looks like i'm back 9 lbs, lol.
aside from that, no nothing on my face, i'm going to just let it be regular skin and of course avoid sun light at all cost. i pray that it will keep shedding and my white heads will be gone. :boohoo: :pray:
I wouldn't avoid moisturizing; it will just make the experience more uncomfortable for you. I have had nine Fraxels and have gotten those tiny whiteheads and rashy, bumpy skin after every single one. I have tried different combinations of products as well as NO products and the results were always the same. This doesn't happen happen for every patient. Just remember that although you cannot see everything that the Fraxel is doing, it IS a laser and there has been trauma underneath the surface of the skin. This can result in many reactions, unfortunately for some of us that means those tiny whiteheads. They usually go away within a week. If you want to help dry them out, a gentle Salicylic acid product (no stronger than 1.5%) will help.
simply me:
i'm doing fraxel treatments atm and have done a lot of reading and quizzed my doctor several times on post-fraxel care
the advice is:
start with aloe vera gel: at least for 48 hours, up to a week-10 days
you can then use whatever moisturiser you want, but they say simple is best. it's more for cosmesis and to help with dryness/flaking than anything else
the only stipulation is to avoid anything that will peel skin further (aha, bha, tretinoin, salicylic, glycolic acids etc) and anything that interferes with healing/inflammatory processes (in particular, my derm is against vitamin e). check your product ingredients lists
hth 
This thread has been very informative and helpful in me making my decision to get the Fraxel but it is over 110 pages long and while I have read it a few times I can't remember everything posted in it so someone asking questions this far into a thread shouldn't be made to feel bad. This boards search function doesn't always work as well as it should and can be confusing to some people. For someone who doesn't like repetitive questions you sure type out a lot of answers, which is nice of you to do,
Anway....... Cubsfan, what have you decided to do? I was wondering before you had ANY treatments with this doctor did the doc or his nurse go over everything with you regarding a specific laser and did they have you sign any consent forms. My doctor did all of this and more. I had to sign papers specifially regarding the FRAXEL 2 laser so I know that is the treatment I agreed to. I am so sorry you are going through this and the doctor sounds very dishonest. Trying to sell a non reliant laser as a Fraxel is just wrong! 
Good luck and let us know what you decide.
When people post their experiences can you post weather you are using the Fraxel 1 or 2. There has been so muh good information here as of late but it get confused about all the settings from one laser to the other.
I am having the Fraxel 2 done and my doctor started me out at 40 and he said this was semi agressive so I would think this isn't the hightest setting. I told him for my first time I didn't want to go as agressive as possible because I wanted to see how my skin reacted first but I didn't want to go to light either 
I go for my 2nd treatment a week from Tuesday and I am really looking forward to it. Other then what setting and how many passes he does what other information should I ask for?? I need to be specific.
Thanks,
JP
mz43026,
for sure i will keep you updated and everyone else on the thread. i remember reading that you were treated at 15 mjs at 8 passes, then they jumped it to 18 mjs for 4 passes? how was it at 18mjs? i was at 16mjs through the whole treatment and it was somewhat painful, perhaps more painful due to the fact that i didnt sleep that night.
are you peeling yet? i'm noticing a lot of peeling from my jaw already. also i'm just wearing a moisturizer i bought from my doc and using a gentle face wash. also i try to intake as much protein as i can, and my vitamins consist of vitamin C with rosehip, calcium, zinc, and MSM. i'm not sure if i'm missing anything else but if i get back to work this coming week, for sure i will buy some cod liver oil and gotu something.
we're somewhat very similiar mz.43026, i'm from Orange County and i'm 21, male asian with fairly light skinned and was treated at 16 mjs for 1st treatment, i still sure hope that i get to try the upgraded version of fraxel next time though.
I don't really think it was that painful now I think of it. It was particularly in some areas. I guess it feels like having a razor scrape at your skin. The pain is somewhat similar to Micro laser peel I've had and maybe I've tolerate some pain from doing so many chemical peels. You should tell your doctor to turn the cool air up high enough for you. My doctor turned it all the way up for me.
I already peeled on the 4th or 5th day. I've mention it on previous post. I'm taking Vitamin C and B6. I've started Obagi today for 1 week and then I will leave my skin alone for 2 weeks before 2nd treatment. You should be more swollen today right?
The Fraxel packet that the dermatologist had me fill out gave a list of things not to do before a treatment and what to do post treatment. It said to stay away from Retin-A and aspirin which makes sense. What really confused me was that it said to stop all vitamin C & E supplements 1 week prior to treatment (but not to worry about the small amounts in a multivitamin). Does anyone have an idea of why they would request this?
Well after laser he said these vitamins actually slow down the initial healing process, with this kinda stuff anyway. Leave it for 10 days or so he said. Later it is benificial, but not initially. HMMMM,,,,,,,
So I guess he is right.
simply me:
i'm doing fraxel treatments atm and have done a lot of reading and quizzed my doctor several times on post-fraxel care
the advice is:
start with aloe vera gel: at least for 48 hours, up to a week-10 days
you can then use whatever moisturiser you want, but they say simple is best. it's more for cosmesis and to help with dryness/flaking than anything else
the only stipulation is to avoid anything that will peel skin further (aha, bha, tretinoin, salicylic, glycolic acids etc) and anything that interferes with healing/inflammatory processes (in particular, my derm is against vitamin e). check your product ingredients lists
hth 🙂
melb666,
thanks for your advice. i woke up today somewhat itchy and irritated, i went with no moisturizing the whole 2nd day after fraxel. good news is that the white heads are dead, most of them, i still have some left but 3/4 of them are dried out and dead, some became blood scabs and light rashes. my skin seems really dry, but i'm happy cuz the whiteheads or milia is gone. i'm going to go to my local cvs store and pick up some 100% pure aloe vera gel. i'm a little less swolen, and i can see some of my scars re-appearing but MUCH BETTER AND EVEN MORE SHALLOWER, i miss the swelling effect where as you are virtually scarless. i will call my doc later today to confirm when i should re-apply the hyperpigmentation cream to my face for i know for sure the next treatment will be at 20 mjs (first one was at 16mjs). that's it for now, good luck everybody and God speed.
ask your doctor about vitamin C. I can't believe it is telling you NOT to take it. among other things, vitamin C is essential in the chemical reaction that creates collagen. burn victims are given copious amounts with their high protein diet in order to grow new skin. the same principle applies to fraxel. you're cheating yourself out of optimal results if you dont take vitamin C.
http://health.howstuffworks.com/vitamin-c1.htm
When I read the Vitamin C thing on the packet, I gave the nurse a funny look and said is this right. She said 'yep', and I didn't think to ask anything else about it. Simply Me found a plausible reason. I go back in two weeks, so I'll try to get some more info on it while the numbing stuff is kicking in.
ask your doctor about vitamin C. I can't believe it is telling you NOT to take it. among other things, vitamin C is essential in the chemical reaction that creates collagen. burn victims are given copious amounts with their high protein diet in order to grow new skin. the same principle applies to fraxel. you're cheating yourself out of optimal results if you dont take vitamin C.
http://health.howstuffworks.com/vitamin-c1.htm
When I read the Vitamin C thing on the packet, I gave the nurse a funny look and said is this right. She said 'yep', and I didn't think to ask anything else about it. Simply Me found a plausible reason. I go back in two weeks, so I'll try to get some more info on it while the numbing stuff is kicking in.
haha, i found a plausible reason?! :think: :clap: lol, hey seriously, take a good read at the pinned topic for holistic health and recovery from the pinned thread in this scar forum. plus vitamin C is good for you, if its not good to take the supplements then perhaps increase the organic form.
anyways, wow, my skin looks disturbing, lol its cracked as if it has scales so i bought that aloe vera pure 100 percent gel and it feels so good on the skin. my break outs of white heads are all gone and is now crusted skin. amazing...here's to even more recovery!! good luck fraxelers!
If any of you are in doubt about whether you are being treated at the proper settings for Fraxel, I am posting a chart from STL that indicates the proper power levels and treatment densities. This really takes a lot of the guess work in getting the most benefits from your Fraxel treatments and I highly recommend printing out a copy and taking it with you to your next Dr. visit if needed. It will also sell your point about the need for more aggressive settings if you Dr. tends to be on the conservative side with his/her treatment approach.
Now for the brainstorming session:
I have decided to edit this question to reflect more useful data.
The chart indicates the most aggressive treatment for scars at 20-25mJ/cm2 with a treatment density of 1250-> a pass density of 125-> MTZ/cm2 and number of passes 10 or greater which will yield a total coverage of 24% to 27%.
Let's try to paint a complete picture on the safe limits of this machine. What are the most aggressive settings your doctor has treated you at? Can anyone report successful treatment at settings of 25 with greater densities then 1250? I would be very interested in hearing your experiences.
