Hello,
I've had 5 fractional co2 laser treatments for my cheeks where I have acne scarring and was seeing some improvement. The last treatment I had, they had to change to Coolpeel laser because the machine I had been receiving treatments on needed repair and a considering getting rid of it. The provider at the plastic surgeon's office increased the settings and it was too strong because it gave me noticeable pinhole marks that I don't usually get.
So now I cannot go back to her and I worry that even if they change (decrease) the settings, it could potentially cause the same issues. I'm not sure.
I decided to get Clear and Brilliant laser to correct the damage done and the woman said that after 5, I would see good results and then again even more dramatic results after 10. I've done 2 already. Just had my 2nd a few days ago so I need to wait and see the results after this session. I do see a bit of a difference, skin is more smooth, but not much. My left cheek is my concern. It looks very textured with scarred pores. I worry that more laser treatments will make my skin look worse. Should I just not laser and do chemical peels?? Laser is essentially poking more tiny holes into the skin and I worry that by doing more, the skin will look more microscopically textured since I have porous skin to begin with.
Any suggestions and what could work would be really helpful and appreciated. Should I continue with C + B and assess after 5 treatments or stop doing laser and do chemical peels... or something else? I don't want to do microneedling or rf microneeling. I've had a bad experience in the past. I'm going to call the plastic surgeon's office and see if the old machine has been fixed/can be used. I've also been reading some favorable reviews of Thermage FLX for skin tightening and wonder if this could be an option.
Thank you!
Your skin actually looks good, so I think it's wise to make sure you don't do something to make it worse. Chemical peels is an interesting idea from a common sense point of view about not creating more holes, but that's not how fractional lasers work. They don't create scars, or at least very infrequently. They help remodel collagen and help smooth out the skin.
So, here's the thing. You have to get a bunch of treatments usually of whatever you're doing for it to work. So I might suggest sticking with what has worked in the past and getting it done a few more times. Or, I might also suggest stopping at this point. You look really good.
@dan Thank you for your input! I contacted the plastic surgeon's office and they said the co2 machine I used to get treatments from can no longer be used. Fractional Co2 laser has worked for me in decreasing the level of depth in scars (particularly boxscars). What I'm considering is seeing results from the Clear and Brilliant after 4-5 sessions, going elsewhere for another frac co2, doing chemical peels, and continuing with C + B (if helping which i'll know in time). Once I get little bit more improvement, I think I'll stop.
