So it's 3 weeks today before my first ever treatment for my rolling scars. I have a few questions if anyone has had the treatment done before, could you kindly answer them for me?
1. What percentage of improvement should I expect after my first session?
2. What should my aftercare routine be?
I know I will be told this on the day, but it will be a too late for me to get to the shops by the time they have told me. I heard vinegar soaks? What do I use as a moisturiser? (I live in the UK).
2. How long will it be until it will be acceptable that I can go outside?
Only having both cheeks done.
PS - I don't need the negative comments, I have seen them all before. My treatment is free done by a well known plastic surgeon therefore I do not have too much to loose.
Difficult to answer number one. I went in for an IPL and the esthetician recommended fraxel for an icepick scar. I would say it helped a decent amount after about a month.
I was told to use Aquaphor to keep it moist. The downside is the Aquaphor causes breakouts.
I had big swelling for about three days and it was a bit unseemly for another day or two after that. You're OK to go outside, you just don't feel like being seen for about a week.
I will add that when I went to another clinic for IPL, a plastic surgeon there said most physicians do not recommend fraxel. I think they prefer CO2. I believe he said the laser and/or results don't go deep enough. What I can tell you is that the side of my face that had fraxel doesn't get red marks like my other side, probably due to the thicker skin.
Difficult to answer number one. I went in for an IPL and the esthetician recommended fraxel for an icepick scar. I would say it helped a decent amount after about a month.
I was told to use Aquaphor to keep it moist. The downside is the Aquaphor causes breakouts.
I had big swelling for about three days and it was a bit unseemly for another day or two after that. You're OK to go outside, you just don't feel like being seen for about a week.
I will add that when I went to another clinic for IPL, a plastic surgeon there said most physicians do not recommend fraxel. I think they prefer CO2. I believe he said the laser and/or results don't go deep enough. What I can tell you is that the side of my face that had fraxel doesn't get red marks like my other side, probably due to the thicker skin.
Hi,
Thanks for your reply. Did your plastic surgeon give you the Aquaphor as aftercare or did you have to buy it yourself?
You mentioned that your surgeon said they prefer co2 over Fraxel? I presume you didn't have Fraxel:Repair, as that is CO2 if am correct? I am having Fraxel Re:Repair which is CO2 Resurfacing.
Btw, where are you from?
Why aren't you doing subcision? You'll get far better results for less money.
I will add that when I went to another clinic for IPL, a plastic surgeon there said most physicians do not recommend fraxel. I think they prefer CO2. I believe he said the laser and/or results don't go deep enough.
This is correct, laser is more for resurfacing than reversing atrophy. Best saved for last.
Fraxel is just a brand name. And there's Fraxel Restore (nonablative), and Fraxel Repair (ablative fractional CO2). I had Mixto CO2 done, which is similar to repair, so I'll share my recovery experience.
1) Improvement. This is something I can't answer at the moment.My overall face had a lot of improvement, but my scars I'm not so sure. the forehead wrinkles I was starting to get are gone, and another wrinkle by my eyebrow is 50-70% gone, maybe more. My scars are a bit harder to judge, however I noticed my scars do not sink in as much throughout the day. Before they would sink in more and more until I went to bed; now, no matter how late I stay up, they stop sinking in about mid-afternoon/early evening.
2) Aftercare. My doctor recommended washing with cetaphil and moisturizing with Aquafor healing ointment. I didn't breakout from it, but it is SUCH A PAIN sleeping with it on. It is so thick and greasy and kept getting in my hair. On top of that, I HATE sleeping on my back, so it was tough while healing lol. My doctor stressed that I need to keep my face clean to avoid infection, so I had to wash a few times a day and make sure to get all the ooze and crusties off gently with gauze, a warm wet washcloth, or I used paper towels a couple times. He had me come in the next day (and a couple more times during recovery) to make sure I was cleaning my face right (and making sure there were no complications)... which I was cleaning too softly the first day and not getting the ooze off well enough. So, moisturize, wipe crusties/ooze gently, clean with cetaphil, gently pat dry, then moisturize. However, this was my experience, and my aftercare routine was for a different, but similar, laser, and different doctors have different aftercare routines, I really recommend asking your doctor beforehand and see what he recommends. Some use vinegar soaks and I've seen some threads where their face is completely wrapped up. And I think Repair might actually be a bit harsher and go deeper than Mixto. Also, I really recommend getting enough protein while healing!
3) My face looked like crap for about the first month, it would get red easily, after washing, showering, putting on lotion, and would start getting red throughout the day. However my face looked fine enough to go back into the world about 7-10 days after laser. Most of the healing was done the within the first 4-5 days. Just be sure to wear sunscreen and protect your face for the next couple months. I recommend though getting a sunscreen that doesn't have many chemicals, because your skin will absorb more of it when its ablated. And I couldn't wear sunscreen or makeup or go back to my normal skin routine until about 10 days after laser. And my doctor said to avoid the sun for the first couple months... however... I'm an outdoors person, so I got really antsy being stuck inside so I cheated a bit and went hiking a couple times around sundown. I wore sunscreen of course though. Swelling will last about a month, however most of it will go away in the first two weeks. Also there were some tender spots and little bruises by my temples for the first couple weeks, even though the laser wasn't done too harshly in that area, but that went away in time.
Goodluck!
Thanks for your reply!
So I see a lot of people keep mentioning Aquafor as the moisturiser so I think I will go with that one. Do the plastic surgeons usually provide the cream as part of the aftercare, or would I need to get hold of this myself? They did tell me they will provide aftercare, but there we no mention of a moisturiser. It will be pretty hard to get out to the shops after he's told me after my treatment... I am trying to prepare before hand.
My doctor did give me some sample size tubes of aquafor (which didn't last very long for me lol), but he had told me what to get beforehand (cetaphil and aquafor).
Beforehand! I wish my doctor has the sense to think of doing that, instead he must expect me to walk through the local supermarket on the way home lol
I will give his secretary a call today and see what is involved, but at least iv'e got a heads up. I think I am going to go with Aquafor regardless of what my surgeon says, it sounds popular.
Thanks!
So it's 3 weeks today before my first ever treatment for my rolling scars. I have a few questions if anyone has had the treatment done before, could you kindly answer them for me?
1. What percentage of improvement should I expect after my first session?
I WOULD ESTIMATE I GOT 30% FROM MY FIRST REPAIR. THE 20% I GOT FROM THE 2ND REAPAIR ACTUALLY RESULTED IN THE MOST NOTICABLE IMPROVEMENT. REPAIR 3, 4, AND 5 GAVE ME 10% A PIECE, AND THE CUMULATIVE IMPROVEMENT IS WHAT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD.
2. What should my aftercare routine be?
I know I will be told this on the day, but it will be a too late for me to get to the shops by the time they have told me. I heard vinegar soaks? What do I use as a moisturiser? (I live in the UK).
I USED AQUAFOR WITH VINEGAR/WATER TO RINSE OFF THE AQUAFOR. I USED CETAPHIL AS A MOISTURISER. HAVE PLENTY OF GAUZE HANDY, AND I KEPT PINEAPPLE JUICE TO DRINK. YOUR FIRST SHOWER AFTER A FEW DAYS WILL SEEM LIKE HEAVEN.
2. How long will it be until it will be acceptable that I can go outside?
MY REPAIRS WERE ALL DONE AT 70MJ-60%. AFTER THE FIRST ONE I DROVE TO FLORIDA AFTER ONE WEEK, BUT I DON'T RECOMMEND THIS. THETRIP WAS RATHER DIFFICULT. MY FIRST REPAIR WAS MUCH MORE DIFFICULT THAN THE SUBSEQUENT REPAIRS - BY THE 2ND DAY MY FACE WAS SO SWOLLEN AS TO BE UNRECOGNIZABLE. I SUGGEST DOING THIS CLOSE TO WINTER WHEN THE SUN IS NOT AS INTENSE, AND YOU SHOULD ALWAYS WEAR SUNSCREEN. MOST PEOPLE NEED MULTIPLE REPAIRS AT HIGH MJ FOR SUCCESS. I SPEAK OF REPAIR BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT I KNOW. I AM A QUICK HEALER, AND NOT KNOWING YOU I WOULD SUGGEST ALLOWING 10 DAYS BEFORE GOING INTO PUBLIC. AFTER MY 5TH REPAIR I HAD NO QUALMS WALKING INTO 7-11 AFTER ONLY 5 DAYS.
Only having both cheeks done.
PS - I don't need the negative comments, I have seen them all before. My treatment is free done by a well known plastic surgeon therefore I do not have too much to loose.
YOU WILL GET NO NEGATIVE COMMENTS FROM ME, I HAVE BEEN COUNTERING THE NEGATIVE NILLYS ON HERE FOR YEARS.
So it's 3 weeks today before my first ever treatment for my rolling scars. I have a few questions if anyone has had the treatment done before, could you kindly answer them for me?
1. What percentage of improvement should I expect after my first session?
I WOULD ESTIMATE I GOT 30% FROM MY FIRST REPAIR. THE 20% I GOT FROM THE 2ND REAPAIR ACTUALLY RESULTED IN THE MOST NOTICABLE IMPROVEMENT. REPAIR 3, 4, AND 5 GAVE ME 10% A PIECE, AND THE CUMULATIVE IMPROVEMENT IS WHAT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD.
2. What should my aftercare routine be?
I know I will be told this on the day, but it will be a too late for me to get to the shops by the time they have told me. I heard vinegar soaks? What do I use as a moisturiser? (I live in the UK).
I USED AQUAFOR WITH VINEGAR/WATER TO RINSE OFF THE AQUAFOR. I USED CETAPHIL AS A MOISTURISER. HAVE PLENTY OF GAUZE HANDY, AND I KEPT PINEAPPLE JUICE TO DRINK. YOUR FIRST SHOWER AFTER A FEW DAYS WILL SEEM LIKE HEAVEN.
2. How long will it be until it will be acceptable that I can go outside?
MY REPAIRS WERE ALL DONE AT 70MJ-60%. AFTER THE FIRST ONE I DROVE TO FLORIDA AFTER ONE WEEK, BUT I DON'T RECOMMEND THIS. THETRIP WAS RATHER DIFFICULT. MY FIRST REPAIR WAS MUCH MORE DIFFICULT THAN THE SUBSEQUENT REPAIRS - BY THE 2ND DAY MY FACE WAS SO SWOLLEN AS TO BE UNRECOGNIZABLE. I SUGGEST DOING THIS CLOSE TO WINTER WHEN THE SUN IS NOT AS INTENSE, AND YOU SHOULD ALWAYS WEAR SUNSCREEN. MOST PEOPLE NEED MULTIPLE REPAIRS AT HIGH MJ FOR SUCCESS. I SPEAK OF REPAIR BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT I KNOW. I AM A QUICK HEALER, AND NOT KNOWING YOU I WOULD SUGGEST ALLOWING 10 DAYS BEFORE GOING INTO PUBLIC. AFTER MY 5TH REPAIR I HAD NO QUALMS WALKING INTO 7-11 AFTER ONLY 5 DAYS.
Only having both cheeks done.
PS - I don't need the negative comments, I have seen them all before. My treatment is free done by a well known plastic surgeon therefore I do not have too much to loose.
YOU WILL GET NO NEGATIVE COMMENTS FROM ME, I HAVE BEEN COUNTERING THE NEGATIVE NILLYS ON HERE FOR YEARS.
Well hopefully I will be another one on here with successful results. Do you mind answering what moisturiser I should use for my aftercare, would you recommend Aquafor too?
What percent of improvement should I expect after my first session?
Fortunes Hill - your percentage of improvement will be directly related to the MegaJoules of your Repair. I realized about 30% but I was also treated at 70mj-60%. As I said I experienced extreme swelling that lasted a couple of days. I thought I had made a huge mistake, but the swelling subsided at about day 5. You probably won't experience the swelling I did because I had my whole face, neck and eyes done. Because I had everything done it was easier to treat me at the high level because everything visible blended in. You can't use Aguafor as a moisturized for very long because it is like Vaseline. I said before that I used Cetaphil for moisturizer. Have everything ready prior to the Repair. I even got my pain meds ahead of time. You won't need pain meds for long, I just took them the first day, but I was given Xanax and that really helped relax me. In 2008 Repair was brand new, and they knocked me out for the procedure. By my 5th Repair they only used local anesthetic, and it stung a bit. Try to sleep elevated for at least a week, and also have several ice packs. I used full face ice masks from RealSelf.com
You just happened to catch the right guy because I don't post on here near as much as I used to. I tried dermabrasion with no results. I tried regular CO2 full face with no results. I tried the dermaroller with no results. I went to a plastic surgeon when Restore was introduced, and I was being set up for a series of treatments when the plastic surgeon came back into the room and told me Restore would not work. I was disappointed because of all the hype about Restore. About a year later Repair was introduced and I jumped on it, and I have never looked back. I am glad that I found Repair before all the negative people could influence me not to do it. I would still be sitting here miserable. REPAIR IS THE BEST THING I EVER DID!!! I joined this forum 2 weeks before my 1st Repair.
Fortunes Hill - your percentage of improvement will be directly related to the MegaJoules of your Repair. I realized about 30% but I was also treated at 70mj-60%. As I said I experienced extreme swelling that lasted a couple of days. I thought I had made a huge mistake, but the swelling subsided at about day 5. You probably won't experience the swelling I did because I had my whole face, neck and eyes done. Because I had everything done it was easier to treat me at the high level because everything visible blended in. You can't use Aguafor as a moisturized for very long because it is like Vaseline. I said before that I used Cetaphil for moisturizer. Have everything ready prior to the Repair. I even got my pain meds ahead of time. You won't need pain meds for long, I just took them the first day, but I was given Xanax and that really helped relax me. In 2008 Repair was brand new, and they knocked me out for the procedure. By my 5th Repair they only used local anesthetic, and it stung a bit. Try to sleep elevated for at least a week, and also have several ice packs. I used full face ice masks from RealSelf.com
You just happened to catch the right guy because I don't post on here near as much as I used to. I tried dermabrasion with no results. I tried regular CO2 full face with no results. I tried the dermaroller with no results. I went to a plastic surgeon when Restore was introduced, and I was being set up for a series of treatments when the plastic surgeon came back into the room and told me Restore would not work. I was disappointed because of all the hype about Restore. About a year later Repair was introduced and I jumped on it, and I have never looked back. I am glad that I found Repair before all the negative people could influence me not to do it. I would still be sitting here miserable. REPAIR IS THE BEST THING I EVER DID!!! I joined this forum 2 weeks before my 1st Repair.
Thanks for taking your time to write to me 
. I will only be using Aquafor while my skin is healing, so for around the first 7 days, then I will just be using a regular moisturiser, does that sound OK?
Btw, in your signature, you mention 70mj - 60%. What is the 60% for, is that something to do with the strength of the treatment, or is that your improvement? The reason I would like to know, is so that I can ask the surgeon the strength of the treatment, is all I need to know the MJ used, or is there more I should ask?
FortunesHill, the mj has to do with the power or depth, and the % has to do with the coverage. 100% would be almost impossible as I see it. I may be wrong but that is how I have always taken it. Part of Repair is the tightening of the skin. In laymans terms Fraxel Repair ablates tiny columns in your skin, nature takes over and your skin closes these holes reducing or eliminating the scar and tightens the skin. 70mj equates to about 1.2 - 1.4 mm ablation depth. Realistically there is no need to go deeper than this except maybe in the case of burn scars. Collagen growth is stimulated, and continued improvement is seen over time. Most people require multiple treatments. I certainly would not have been satisfied with my initial 30% improvement, and that is why I continued on with Repair. No other treatment showed any improvement. I was sold on Repair because of 2 non-acne scars that dissappeared after my first Repair.
I hope your read the part about ice packs because you will find these very relieving, and also get everything you need ahead of time including food. Pineapple juice is supposed to help and you may want to look into Omega-3s. Mix your vinegar/water before the procedure. If you are prepared the recovery is annoying but easy.
FortunesHill, the mj has to do with the power or depth, and the % has to do with the coverage. 100% would be almost impossible as I see it. I may be wrong but that is how I have always taken it. Part of Repair is the tightening of the skin. In laymans terms Fraxel Repair ablates tiny columns in your skin, nature takes over and your skin closes these holes reducing or eliminating the scar and tightens the skin. 70mj equates to about 1.2 - 1.4 mm ablation depth. Realistically there is no need to go deeper than this except maybe in the case of burn scars. Collagen growth is stimulated, and continued improvement is seen over time. Most people require multiple treatments. I certainly would not have been satisfied with my initial 30% improvement, and that is why I continued on with Repair. No other treatment showed any improvement. I was sold on Repair because of 2 non-acne scars that dissappeared after my first Repair.
I hope your read the part about ice packs because you will find these very relieving, and also get everything you need ahead of time including food. Pineapple juice is supposed to help and you may want to look into Omega-3s. Mix your vinegar/water before the procedure. If you are prepared the recovery is annoying but easy.
Wow, very kind of you for such a detailed response, your posts are really helping me get the most of my treatment.
I have noted the Ice Packs, but what do you think about the argument that swelling is a good thing and will be beneficial, and ice packs shouldn't be apply? This argument however may only me to do with subcision, I'm not too sure but I remember reading it.
Also may you just answer one last question, if you don't mind? What medication would I typically given? I have gastris/acid reflux, with a little erosion in my stomach so I have to be VERY carefully with inflammatory tablets and what I take. I am OK with paracetamol and co codamol, but anything such as anti-inflammatory tablets is a no-no?
I believe I was given Lortabs for pain, but it was the Xanax that really helped during the recovery. The pain was really not that bad, and I could have done without the pain meds, which I only took the first day. The ice packs were what the doctor suggested, and they really feel good. Rinse your face with the vinegar/distilled water mix and reapply the Aquafor. When you rinse your face be very gentle and blot rather than scrub your face. Have plenty of towels handy as things can get pretty messy. You did notice I said distilled water. Really your recovery should be much easier than mine simply because I had the most intense Repair over my entire face, neck and eyes. You should breeze through this if you are prepared as I outlined.