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Smartxide - My Journey

MemberMember
5
(@srananman)

Posted : 02/20/2014 3:22 pm

 

Dear fellow scarbro's,

After years of finding solace on these forums its time to give back to the community. Inspired by the celebrities in scarworld, Ernestoria and DRaGz, I decided to make the big step and heal my scars.

Last week I've had my second SmartXide treatment which was preceded by a round of punch excision. The concept was that the punch excision would reduce i.e. a boxscar to a small line which could then be removed by a laser. Unfortunately, this didn't really work for me and the scars quickly sagged into their orginal state with additional cutting marks. The damage wasn't that big, but I still don't recommend doing it for acne scars.

The first round of SmartXide (Which is comparable to fraxel re:pair, mixto etc.) was more to be seen as a test round. I am of half dutch/half indian descent so because of the risk of hyperpigmentation the doc wanted to be careful at first. Well, you guessed it, with disappointing settings come disappointing results and the scars remained more or less the same. The good thing about it was that the laser removed some roughness of the skin which after more than a decade of acne became, well, rough. Just the fact I could notice something smooth in my skin made me pretty ecstatic and being human, I needed more of it.

Last Friday I had my second round of SmartXide. This time the settings were much higher and I could definitely feel the difference; it was pretty tough sometimes but perfectly bearable if you want to improve your scars bad enough 😛 I have included a before and after picture to this post for you to see what the situation is, there's an arrow on every picture for you to identify the position. Bear in mind that different lighting conditions and microswelling really distort the results and make the results look much better than they really are. Judging the results so far I feel that all what is happening are the edges of the scars becoming softer. And honestly, I think that's the only thing we can really expect from lasers; the cosmetic appearance can be improved but they can not be removed which is what we really want.

If there's an interest in this thread I will update it with more detailed pics of my journey. Oh, the scabs are a little disgusting indeed, but consider yourself a lucky man if you can have them as well

Wish you all the best of luck in your journey and always remember that it's perfectly possible to live your dreams, even with scars!

Timeline Pictures:

1st img: This picture was taken in July 2013 to send to clinics abroad for a quotation.

2nd img: This picture was taken on the 5th day of my second SmartXide. The microswelling is pretty evident in this one :)

3rd img: 7 Days post procedure. The lightning and microswelling make everything look pretty good.

Note: The clinic has a photo room in which pictures can be made in the exact same condition for trustworthy comparisons. When my treatment ends I will post the results here.

 

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MemberMember
10
(@zavvi)

Posted : 02/20/2014 5:08 pm

thats great buddy with laser as you already know judge your results after a few months do keep us all updated on how your doing it will defo help others in the future do you mind sharring with us where you got this treatment?

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(@blackrosesxox)

Posted : 02/20/2014 6:33 pm

I have some pitted scars on my cheek as well. I'm definitely following this topic to know more about it. I'm also going to support you through this, because everyone needs at least some support.

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(@zavvi)

Posted : 02/20/2014 6:40 pm

leoine look into fillers if theres skin missing like enerjet no laser out there can lift the skin

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1
(@blackrosesxox)

Posted : 02/20/2014 6:51 pm

leoine look into fillers if theres skin missing like enerjet no laser out there can lift the skin

My insuracne doesn't cover that and I'm going through money issues right now. I'm also on Tretinoin (won't be when I go to the dermatologist!) and my doctor said not to do anything like that. I also MIGHT be starting Accutane if my dermatologist agrees. I still have horrible breakouts so I can't treat any scarring/pitted scarring, sadly. I will look into something like that though, thanks!

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(@srananman)

Posted : 02/20/2014 7:26 pm

 

I have some pitted scars on my cheek as well. I'm definitely following this topic to know more about it. I'm also going to support you through this, because everyone needs at least some support.

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0
(@testytest)

Posted : 02/20/2014 11:34 pm

 

stay strong buddy. i started my journey about a month ago and I've only had 1 treatment so far. my scarring is much worse than yours and i would say the results are pretty mild as well. I'm really hoping for the best for you and so far it does look much better. that being said do you have a baseline photo?

 

 

also, when you get a chance, can you ask what settings the doctor used?

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270
(@blahblahblahblahz)

Posted : 02/21/2014 1:56 am

Good luck with your healing.

Question.... The scars on your cheeks, were these the scars that the surgeon attempted to punch excise? Are these the ones where the excision failed?

Our scars are quite similar. I agree that laser does not have the ability to lift the skin that much. It may soften the jagged, sharp edges and cause the skin to tighten (collagen contraction), but it cannot create focal volume to make the pits flush with the surrounding skin. The other thing is that when you laser the skin, all of the skin is removed by an equal amount, meaning that the peaks and valleys are leveled off by the same depth. Ultimately this may soften the edges, but the depth between the high points and the indentations are still the same, hence you still have the shadowing effect which accentuates scars.

In my mind, one should try to elevate the valleys (fillers, subcision), and then take down the shoulders of the scars to reduce the shadowing (lasers).

The swelling after laser makes everything look really good. It's hard to judge anything until 2-3 months out, when you see most of the true result.

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MemberMember
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(@srananman)

Posted : 02/21/2014 9:49 am

stay strong buddy. i started my journey about a month ago and I've only had 1 treatment so far. my scarring is much worse than yours and i would say the results are pretty mild as well. I'm really hoping for the best for you and so far it does look much better. that being said do you have a baseline photo?

 

also, when you get a chance, can you ask what settings the doctor used?

Thanks alot man, really hope the best for you too! I will contribute more pictures and information when I'm nearing end results.

Good luck with your healing.

Question.... The scars on your cheeks, were these the scars that the surgeon attempted to punch excise? Are these the ones where the excision failed?

Our scars are quite similar. I agree that laser does not have the ability to lift the skin that much. It may soften the jagged, sharp edges and cause the skin to tighten (collagen contraction), but it cannot create focal volume to make the pits flush with the surrounding skin. The other thing is that when you laser the skin, all of the skin is removed by an equal amount, meaning that the peaks and valleys are leveled off by the same depth. Ultimately this may soften the edges, but the depth between the high points and the indentations are still the same, hence you still have the shadowing effect which accentuates scars.

In my mind, one should try to elevate the valleys (fillers, subcision), and then take down the shoulders of the scars to reduce the shadowing (lasers).

The swelling after laser makes everything look really good. It's hard to judge anything until 2-3 months out, when you see most of the true result.

I have just uploaded a picture of today where I placed two small red lines towards the scars that had punch excision. Fortunately, the second SmartXide removed the excision marks which I mentioned earlier :) There are a couple of more scars that were excised though but at this point in the process making pictures of these scars is not really worth the effort as the results are pretty similar.

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(@testytest)

Posted : 02/21/2014 11:17 am

hey man awesome details and thanks for putting in the arrows. can you tell us the time frame between the 3 pictures you've taken so far? is the first picture baseline, 2nd, one smartxide treatment number 2 and third photo, after 2nd smartxide treatment? just need clairfication. btw that 3rd picture ur face looks amazing, but i know its probably microswelling depending on the time frame.

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10
(@zavvi)

Posted : 02/21/2014 12:05 pm

guys i dont want to scare any of you people but be careful with lasers any lasers look up the damage they can also fat loss etc burns look into the dermaroller it basically does the same thing as a non ablative laser basically guys i encourage you all to do and look at the alternatives before going for the laser. Too many people on this board just jump straight for the laser first

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MemberMember
270
(@blahblahblahblahz)

Posted : 02/21/2014 12:43 pm

Have you looked into subcision? For the deeper indentations, I think some subcision would help to possibly elevate them closer to the surface and make them more amenable to lasers.

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MemberMember
5
(@srananman)

Posted : 02/21/2014 2:28 pm

hey man awesome details and thanks for putting in the arrows. can you tell us the time frame between the 3 pictures you've taken so far? is the first picture baseline, 2nd, one smartxide treatment number 2 and third photo, after 2nd smartxide treatment? just need clairfication. btw that 3rd picture ur face looks amazing, but i know its probably microswelling depending on the time frame.

Np, I'll add a timeline to the main post asap

Have you looked into subcision? For the deeper indentations, I think some subcision would help to possibly elevate them closer to the surface and make them more amenable to lasers.

When I went to look for doctors there was just one that offered it and he told me subcision wouldn't have any effects on my scars. I seriously doubted that opinion as I have seen many other people getting pretty good results with it for all types of scars. It's also only offered in Holland under the name 'bio skin jetting' by these weird med spa's. One thing that also struck me was that when I mentioned subcision in the clinic I am being treated in now, nobody knew what it was... What the hell.. I should give it a try though

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7
(@wrocky)

Posted : 02/22/2014 12:16 am

guys i dont want to scare any of you people but be careful with lasers any lasers look up the damage they can also fat loss etc burns look into the dermaroller it basically does the same thing as a non ablative laser basically guys i encourage you all to do and look at the alternatives before going for the laser. Too many people on this board just jump straight for the laser first

While I agree that there is a risk, dermarolling is not exactly risk free either. I am talking about the professional dermarolling not the one that you can buy in stores. I consider doing Fraxel repair next month and then I will do dermarolling over summer after 6months with my doctor (with all the pre/post treatment creams etc). With lasers it really depends on your doctor, my doc will keep me overnight at the clinic just to make sure I heal ok, so hopefully she cares about my skin and not just after my money.

Srananman, I have done Smartxide lasers (3x), I dont consider it to be the best laser, while I did have some improvement I really believe that nothing comes close to Deep FX and Fraxel Repair in terms of the results that you will/can get with lasers.

http://www.realself.com/question/what-difference-between-fraxel-laser-and-smartxide

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(@testytest)

Posted : 02/22/2014 2:54 am

wrocky... what would you say your results were % improvement wise? also, how severe was your acne scarring?

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7
(@wrocky)

Posted : 02/22/2014 2:40 pm

wrocky... what would you say your results were % improvement wise? also, how severe was your acne scarring?

I really dont remember how much improvement I had, it was 4 years ago, however it was nothing that made me go "WOW" so I stopped doing them. I will however document my progress with Fraxel Repair next month.

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(@jennifersullivan)

Posted : 02/25/2014 1:55 am

This is cool. I have had laser skin care treatment from Beauti-Med Laser Skin Care Centre in Canada and have personally experienced how good and bad it can be at the same time. I have been always scared and guilty of having to expose my skin to such pressure and radiation. But it is the desire in every person's heart to look perfect and to have a skin devoid of scars and acnes. At least, lasers take away the scars though the trace remains in some cases. The bad point lies where lasers become ridiculousy expensive. I am quite happy with what I have done on my skin but I would recommend that lasers be done only if the situation is that bad.

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(@testytest)

Posted : 03/01/2014 12:10 pm

Srananman

any updates?

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(@4meracneguy)

Posted : 03/02/2014 1:41 am

Dude, buy the product Dermaflage for acne scars, or at least look into it. It will work to hide your scars. It will not work to hide smaller boxcars or any icepicks tho. It didn't really work for me, but i got ice picks that are way too small.

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MemberMember
5
(@srananman)

Posted : 03/03/2014 6:32 am

Right now the microswelling has subsided and seriously, my scars appeared exactly as they were before. My rough skin has definitely become a lot smoother and the general appearance has improved, but that's about it. When I have an appointment with the derm I will make sure trustworthy pictures are made and compared so I'm sure it's not just my mind playing games. I'll let you guys know!

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270
(@blahblahblahblahz)

Posted : 03/04/2014 9:41 am

That's exactly what everyone else says too. The post laser swelling makes everything look amazing.... It doesn't lasts. The true results don't take place until months post procedure.

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MemberMember
5
(@srananman)

Posted : 03/10/2014 8:26 am

That's exactly what everyone else says too. The post laser swelling makes everything look amazing.... It doesn't lasts. The true results don't take place until months post procedure.

I definitely hope so, so far the results are really disappointing..

Right now my face is also covered with hyperpigmentation which is really annoying as I have a very important job interview this week. I'm using a concealer to hide most spots but since I'm a guy this is all no fun. On the 21st of March I will have an appointment with my derm, I hope she has a solution for this.

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(@testytest)

Posted : 03/19/2014 12:47 am

stay strong... im sure it will get better with time.. did you have hyperpigmentation your first session?

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