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asian skin and FRAXEL

 
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(@chi-gurl)

Posted : 06/04/2006 12:18 am

Hey everyone,

As i read through these forums i was looking to see if anyone else had the same symptoms from fraxel as I did but i didnt find much. so if any of you are experiencing what i am going through PLEASE let me know.

 

ok, so i am in my early 20's and i am of Indian decent. i have several icepick scars and some mild scars on my cheeks. to me they look pretty severe because its my face but most people say its mild to moderate.

 

Anyway,i had my 4th and final fraxel treatment 3 days ago. it is still pretty swolen and i have major bronzing. my bronzing looks nothing like the pictures on the fraxel website. its more like scabs, thick linear scabs down my cheek and chin. I CANNNOT cover it up with makeup because it looks even worse and i cant go anywhere for about a week cuz thats how long it takes for the bronzing to do away. even after that my skin looks pretty raw and it is really noticeable because my forehead is a warm bronze color and my cheeks look like raw meat. it actually takes about a month for my skin to look normal again.

 

scar results:

 

i honestly did not see any change until the 3rd treatment. the changes very subtle too, its almost like my scars icepick scars have widened instead filled in . they are still there and pretty noticeable but my skin is much smoother and my makeup glides on like butter so thats a major plus.

 

the procedure:

 

well, a major bummer is the pain from the fraxel. I take 10mg percocet, 1mg of xanax, and lidocaine ointment an hour before the procedure. The drugs are GREAT, but not enough cuz i still remember the memory of the sharp pain from the procedure. the whole thing is unbearable. i tear up and i have to hold my breath most of the time and i need many breaks. By the end im so out of it from the pain and the drugs that i blabber on about things that dont make any sense. its not fun at all.

 

The side effects:

 

well due to my yellow undertones and brown skin, i have hypOpigmentation on my cheeks. it started off as a small, round clearly demarcated patch on my cheek after my third treatment. i actually thought it was a ring worm or something cuz it would crust up and plus i had a pediatrics rotation. Thankfully, it was not ringworms it was contact dermatitis which i still have. im on a low strength corticosteroid for it.

 

wow, i wrote alot. i didnt think i had so much to say. ill just bold the main points so you guys dont have to read my side comments.

 

aite fellas,

take care... n let me know if any of you have the same experience.

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(@coolbreeze22)

Posted : 06/04/2006 1:14 am

am an asian Indian woman and 3 weeks post my 8th Fraxel treatement. Am skin type III, have same color and tone you are talking about ( fair yellowish goldenish which looks great if one has flawless and blemish free skin ) You observation is correct. The way Fraxel works, improvement will not be noticeable until 3 or 4th treatment. After 4th treatment, I started noticing prolonged redness and bronzing. I used to be very swollen for first 3 to 4 days and then my skin used to peel. But after that, I could always hide it under green/yellow makeup though color used to be darkish brown and it used to somewhat fade away after 3rd week as skin used to heal. Am slightly confused about scab you have mentioned. Has your skin already peeled ? Is it rough ( like dead skin ) to touch ?

Contarary to your experience, I noticed some hyperpigmentation which am treating currently using Tri-Luma bleaching cream. But am quite happy with Fraxel and am seeing more and more improvment and smoother skin. I was trying to improve scarred pores, shallow and small scars and indentations.

My settings : 8,10,11,12 ( at 250 ), 14,15,16,18 ( at 125 ) Am curious about your settings and who your doctor is.

Regarding pain, apart from numbing cream, my doctor used to give nerve block injections ( 4 to 6 nos. ) which greatly helped.

 

 

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(@tenntenn)

Posted : 06/04/2006 9:40 pm

I am an Asian male with, I think, Type II skin. I just had my 2nd fraxel a week ago. The settings have been:

1st: 10, 125

2nd: 12, 125

 

After the 1st Fraxel, I was swollen for a day and red for about 3-4 days. I did not experience hyperpigmentation. I think the setting was too low and I did not see a difference at all. I had my 2nd Fraxel 3 weeks later and was swollen for a day and red for about 4-5 days, though I'm still a little bit red in the cheeks after the 7-8th day. I have not seen a noticeable difference in the scars, but I do see that my skin tons seems smoother and is "glowing". But I am not sure because it is sunny where I am (San Francisco) and it could be due to the fact that my face is a little tanned from the sun.

 

I will post again after my 3rd. I hope to see some results then. Crossing my fingers.

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(@chi-gurl)

Posted : 06/04/2006 11:46 pm

am an asian Indian woman and 3 weeks post my 8th Fraxel treatement. Am skin type III, have same color and tone you are talking about ( fair yellowish goldenish which looks great if one has flawless and blemish free skin ) You observation is correct. The way Fraxel works, improvement will not be noticeable until 3 or 4th treatment. After 4th treatment, I started noticing prolonged redness and bronzing. I used to be very swollen for first 3 to 4 days and then my skin used to peel. But after that, I could always hide it under green/yellow makeup though color used to be darkish brown and it used to somewhat fade away after 3rd week as skin used to heal. Am slightly confused about scab you have mentioned. Has your skin already peeled ? Is it rough ( like dead skin ) to touch ?

Contarary to your experience, I noticed some hyperpigmentation which am treating currently using Tri-Luma bleaching cream. But am quite happy with Fraxel and am seeing more and more improvment and smoother skin. I was trying to improve scarred pores, shallow and small scars and indentations.

My settings : 8,10,11,12 ( at 250 ), 14,15,16,18 ( at 125 ) Am curious about your settings and who your doctor is.

Regarding pain, apart from numbing cream, my doctor used to give nerve block injections ( 4 to 6 nos. ) which greatly helped.

 

 

 

im glad im not the only indian doing fraxel. i just learned that my scab is actually from a fraxel burn. yes, she burned my skin. Im sure it will get better and hopefully not form a new scar. my settings were 8 then 22 then 16 , and lastly 18. my swelling is pretty much gone and its only day 4 post treatment. The bronzing has gone away and my cheeks look like the inside of a medium rare steak. Its also very rough and peeling a bit. I cant use moisturizer cuz ill break out.

 

i hope i see some drastic improvements from this because it is my last. i cant do fraxel anymore because it will really lighten my cheeks and make my skin look all weird and disproportionate. my doc has offered me some fat injections for free if this treatment doesnt give me 80% improvement. IA, I wonat need it.

 

i hope tri-luma is working for you. im using a compound similar to tri-luma but it has 6% hydroquinone plus retin A and hydrocortisone. I use it around my eyes because my light cheeks are making my eye area look darker. I think its really workinga well its too soon to tell really but im just giving myself a little hope. I cant tell if my scars have gone away yet but the marks are definitely there. I think they will be back but not as deep.

 

I am seeing Dr. Stein in Chicagoa but he doesnat do the treatments, his PA does it. Shes really sweet and she seems to know what she is doing.

 

take care and let me know how your treatment is coming along.

 

 

 

 

I am an Asian male with, I think, Type II skin. I just had my 2nd fraxel a week ago. The settings have been:

1st: 10, 125

2nd: 12, 125

 

After the 1st Fraxel, I was swollen for a day and red for about 3-4 days. I did not experience hyperpigmentation. I think the setting was too low and I did not see a difference at all. I had my 2nd Fraxel 3 weeks later and was swollen for a day and red for about 4-5 days, though I'm still a little bit red in the cheeks after the 7-8th day. I have not seen a noticeable difference in the scars, but I do see that my skin tons seems smoother and is "glowing". But I am not sure because it is sunny where I am (San Francisco) and it could be due to the fact that my face is a little tanned from the sun.

 

I will post again after my 3rd. I hope to see some results then. Crossing my fingers.

 

 

yea i didnt see any improvement after my first or second. i saw results after my 3rd and people started complimenting me on how great my skin looked. it wasnt really that great, my makeup made it look good. i hope you see results soona im sure you will . keep me posted.

 

take care

 

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(@blaster)

Posted : 06/05/2006 12:55 am

Hi,

 

I am a 29 year old indian with skin type IV. I just had my 3rd fraxel a week ago. My settings were -

 

1st- 20mj x 125 x 6 passes

 

Was very red for 2 weeks with peeling for 2 weeks.

 

2nd - 25mj x 125 x 8 passes

 

Red for 1 week, peeling for 1 week.

 

3rd - 30mj x 125 x 6 passes + 25mj x 125 x 6 passes

 

Extremely red for first 4 days with scabs and crusting. Still very red 9 days later. Peeling for 4 days so far. I think I over did the aggressiveness of the treatment. Seeing some improvement though, around 25%.

 

Currently taking a depigmentation lotion, but still worried about hyperpigmentation from last treatment.

 

Blaster.

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(@chi-gurl)

Posted : 06/05/2006 10:22 pm

Hi,

 

I am a 29 year old indian with skin type IV. I just had my 3rd fraxel a week ago. My settings were -

 

1st- 20mj x 125 x 6 passes

 

Was very red for 2 weeks with peeling for 2 weeks.

 

2nd - 25mj x 125 x 8 passes

 

Red for 1 week, peeling for 1 week.

 

3rd - 30mj x 125 x 6 passes + 25mj x 125 x 6 passes

 

Extremely red for first 4 days with scabs and crusting. Still very red 9 days later. Peeling for 4 days so far. I think I over did the aggressiveness of the treatment. Seeing some improvement though, around 25%.

 

Currently taking a depigmentation lotion, but still worried about hyperpigmentation from last treatment.

 

Blaster.

 

 

 

hi blaster,

 

yea those settings are pretty high. your results will probably be great. keep me updated.

 

-chi gurl

 

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(@catmin)

Posted : 06/11/2006 4:04 pm

bump

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(@scarface_hoping)

Posted : 06/11/2006 9:39 pm

hello chi-gurl, coolbreeze22, blaster, and all the asians in this forum!

 

i am asian, too. i haven't undergone fraxel laser treatment yet but my dermatologist told me to expect 15% improvement after 5-6 treatments. i was disappointed to hear such a low percentage of expected improvement since i have seen so many pictures of patients online with far, far worse scarring than mine who had upwards of 30% improvement. i'd be happy with just 25% improvement, but anything lower than that makes me have second thoughts about undergoing the treatment.

 

i'm glad that you started this thread. i hope more asians will post about their experiences with fraxel, so that we can make a comparison.

 

based on my research, compared to caucasian skin, asian skin is much, much more prone to scarring (darkening, keloids -- and everything else). i think my being asian has everything to do with the low percentage of expected improvement quoted by my dermatologist. my theory is that for caucasian skin, the higher your settings, the greater the degree of improvement. but for the more scarring-prone asian skin, you can't go nowhere near as high, and you have to settle for the lowest settings.

 

what were the settings used by your doctor?

 

name='catmin' date='Jun 11 2006, 03:04 PM' post='1169759']

bump

 

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(@catmin)

Posted : 06/12/2006 11:30 am

catmin, what does "bump" mean?!

 

 

Bumping the topic up to the top before it gets lost.

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(@chi-gurl)

Posted : 06/13/2006 1:07 am

Hi scarface_hoping,

 

Well, my doc told me to expect an 80% improvement after 4 fraxel treatments. However, he was wrong. Its been 2 weeks since my 4th treatment and my skin is still red and scared. I think the improvement is about 30% not 80. I have an appointment with him on Wednesday. He said he would give me fat injections which would permanently fix my scars. I donAaat know if I should do it though. He was not really correct about the fraxel improvementAaA IAaam not sure what will happen with the fat filler.

 

My settings have been:

8, 22, 16-17, and lastly 18.

I donAaat know the depthAaA IAaall ask on wed.

 

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(@pff)

Posted : 06/13/2006 3:51 am

the official meaning of bump:

 

B - Boot

U - Up

M - My

P - Petition

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(@scarface_hoping)

Posted : 06/13/2006 10:11 am

Chi-gurl,

 

All injections (whether of fat or whatnot) are temporary.

 

The danger is that Fraxel is FDA approved in the USA (where the majority of the population are whites, and where Asians like you and me constitute a minority -- a mere 3-4% of the population). Research that boast about its revolutionary nature has most probably been tested mainly on white clients. Plus the fact that dermatologists practising in the U. S. will also have had experience mostly with white clients.

 

My advice would be to have your dermatologist go the gentlest and mildest route.

 

I wish you good luck on your future treatments.

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(@scarssuck)

Posted : 06/15/2006 6:54 pm

I just had my first treatment. I am chinese.

 

Settings were at 14mj 125 density. I'm not sure what passes mean but it seems he went over some areas like 4-6 times. Some places where it hurt too much he went over it twice. Hurt like a mofo.

 

I am pinkish but now it seems my face is just very dark. Is this normal?

 

My face is swollen and all my rolling scars are gone. Only if it could stay this way ;(

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(@chi-gurl)

Posted : 06/15/2006 10:28 pm

yes the darkening is normal, it will start to peel in a day or two. afterwards, you will see pinkish raw skin underneath the tan dead skin but dont worry, it will fade as your skin heals.

 

passes are the amount of times the doc went over your skin with the fraxel.

 

and i know what you mean, i love the period when your skin is a little inflamed and your scars have disappeared. i wish it can stay that way forever!

 

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(@raylay)

Posted : 06/16/2006 1:29 pm

Hi scarface_hoping,

 

Well, my doc told me to expect an 80% improvement after 4 fraxel treatments. However, he was wrong. Its been 2 weeks since my 4th treatment and my skin is still red and scared. I think the improvement is about 30% not 80. I have an appointment with him on Wednesday. He said he would give me fat injections which would permanently fix my scars. I donat know if I should do it though. He was not really correct about the fraxel improvementa Iam not sure what will happen with the fat filler.

 

My settings have been:

8, 22, 16-17, and lastly 18.

I donat know the deptha Iall ask on wed.

 

 

I am really glad you started this thread because Asian Skin is so very different from Caucasian Skin. I am a type III, yellowish golden skin. My problem is enlarged pores on my nose cheek and middle brow area, one or two very subtle ice picks which didn't become apparent until about a year or so ago in my late twenties. Dr. Rokhsar in NYC gave me a consult on Fraxel and hyperpigmentation/Hypo wasn't a huge concern in his mind, so I am interested in everyone's outcomes.

On a scale of 1-10, with coverage, how bad would all of you rate your hyperpig or hypopig? Thanks!

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(@fireball)

Posted : 06/16/2006 3:12 pm

I also had a consultation with Dr. Rohksar several months ago and I am Chinese also. When I asked him about the hypo/er pigmentation, he kind of waved it off like it wasn't a big deal at all. Basically he said, so what you'll just look a little tan for awhile. He was part of that group that tested the laser first in California. He said he's tested on a lot of Asian skin and about 10% hyperpigment which is about the normal %.

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(@raylay)

Posted : 06/16/2006 4:37 pm

I also had a consultation with Dr. Rohksar several months ago and I am Chinese also. When I asked him about the hypo/er pigmentation, he kind of waved it off like it wasn't a big deal at all. Basically he said, so what you'll just look a little tan for awhile. He was part of that group that tested the laser first in California. He said he's tested on a lot of Asian skin and about 10% hyperpigment which is about the normal %.

 

I am glad to see Dr. Rokhsar is consistent in his advice, my worry is that he may be incorrect about hyper/hypo complications on asian skin types due to feedback on the board . I think Rokhsar treats conservatively to avoid hyper/hypo problems but there is still a risk, and I think higher than 10%. For example, he requested that the entire face is done not just spot reatments, so any effects are uniform on the face. In any case, a significant worry that my face could be worse than when I started due to hyperpigmenting.

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(@coolbreeze22)

Posted : 06/16/2006 5:54 pm

 

am currently treating hyperpigmentation after 8 fraxel treatments. I did spot treatments ( only cheeks, nose and some part of forehead ). I think 10 % figure is underplayed. I started seeing hyperpigmentation after level 12 and it gradually increased by the time I reached 18. It is normally temporary and just a reaction to any agressive treatment that is used on non-white skin. In the past, I have treated it a few times, so it is not a big deal for me. I am using Triluma since last 3 weeks and it has gone down a bit. Still, I think, I would need to complete one full cycle that is 8 weeks. The most important part in it, is not to freak out and patiently treat it. It takes atleast 4 weeks to see results of any bleach and 6-8 weeks for more complete results.

I would be more serious about hypopigmentation ( I never had any ) and am not sure what kind of treatments are available.

 

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(@ilikesushi2)

Posted : 06/16/2006 7:57 pm

I am asian and i have what is considered "mild scars". I had 1 fraxel back in april and my settings were 12/250 with 2-3 passes. Ihyperpigmented and havent had another treatment yet. however, what is odd, is that i hyperpigmented in areas of my face which i considered acceptable. I have shallow scars on one cheek and didnt hyperpigment in that area.

 

I was given both lustra and trlumina, but am currently using the lustra. iI still have areas of hyperpigmentation around my chin, but otherwise I am alomst back to normal. My doctor told me that he may consider doing smoothbeam or cooltouch in the meanwhile, and doing the fraxel treatment every 3 or 4 months since I was so sensitive. I will probably go this route and ask him to spot treat my right cheek which is my problem area.

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(@scarssuck)

Posted : 06/20/2006 6:16 am

I am asian and i have what is considered "mild scars". I had 1 fraxel back in april and my settings were 12/250 with 2-3 passes. Ihyperpigmented and havent had another treatment yet. however, what is odd, is that i hyperpigmented in areas of my face which i considered acceptable. I have shallow scars on one cheek and didnt hyperpigment in that area.

 

I was given both lustra and trlumina, but am currently using the lustra. iI still have areas of hyperpigmentation around my chin, but otherwise I am alomst back to normal. My doctor told me that he may consider doing smoothbeam or cooltouch in the meanwhile, and doing the fraxel treatment every 3 or 4 months since I was so sensitive. I will probably go this route and ask him to spot treat my right cheek which is my problem area.

 

 

Bump

 

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(@chi-gurl)

Posted : 06/25/2006 12:45 am

it has been about 25 days since my 4th fraxel and my skin looks pretty good. its still a little red but overall, the texture is smoother and my scars are barely noticeable when i wear makeup. i would say that i have a 40 to 50 percent improvement. my skin HAS lost some pigmentation but who cares!

 

i actually have people telling me that my face looks like its glowing. i can finally enjoy life and be a part of society without being all self conscious. Man, it is a great feeling

 

i am glad i did fraxel.

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(@fireball)

Posted : 06/25/2006 3:20 am

Hi guys. Wow I'm so glad you started this thread.That's awesome that you got such great results. I had a consultation with Dr. Rohksar in NYC because I have some family over there but I also had a consultation with Dr. Parker in Colorado which is where I live. She does not have much experience with Asian patients at all since there are not many of us here. In fact when I asked her, she was pretty honest and said that she's only treated 2 Asian patients with Fraxel and both had pigmentation problems so she wanted to stop doing it until she learns more about it. I was going to get it done with Dr. Rohksar because he seemed more experience...but he is SO expensive. It's like half the price to get it done here. And it seems like everyone here has had some pigmentation problem anyway, right? So should I just suck it up and get it done here? And just ask her to start at like level 12?

Questions:

1) What levels have you all been on?

2) What aftercare are you guys using?

3) How many days are you red, bronze, peeling for?

4) What kind of scars do you have?

5) If you have pigmentation problems are they permenant or are they treatable with creams over time? How much time? Is hypopigmentation easier to treat that hyper?

6) If you do end up having pigmentation problems, can you cover it up with makeup?

7) How many months between treatments?

8) Any breakouts between treatments?

I appreciate it guys.

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(@simply_me)

Posted : 06/25/2006 5:18 am

hows fraxel for post accutane patients???

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(@chi-gurl)

Posted : 06/26/2006 12:32 am

Hi guys. Wow I'm so glad you started this thread.That's awesome that you got such great results. I had a consultation with Dr. Rohksar in NYC because I have some family over there but I also had a consultation with Dr. Parker in Colorado which is where I live. She does not have much experience with Asian patients at all since there are not many of us here. In fact when I asked her, she was pretty honest and said that she's only treated 2 Asian patients with Fraxel and both had pigmentation problems so she wanted to stop doing it until she learns more about it. I was going to get it done with Dr. Rohksar because he seemed more experience...but he is SO expensive. It's like half the price to get it done here. And it seems like everyone here has had some pigmentation problem anyway, right? So should I just suck it up and get it done here? And just ask her to start at like level 12?

Questions:

1) What levels have you all been on?

2) What aftercare are you guys using?

3) How many days are you red, bronze, peeling for?

4) What kind of scars do you have?

5) If you have pigmentation problems are they permenant or are they treatable with creams over time? How much time? Is hypopigmentation easier to treat that hyper?

6) If you do end up having pigmentation problems, can you cover it up with makeup?

7) How many months between treatments?

8) Any breakouts between treatments?

I appreciate it guys.

 

 

 

1. i was started on 8 for my first fraxel then 22, 16,and 18.

2. i used H.Quinone 6% the first time but stopped when my skin lost pigmentation. i drank a lot of orange juice and water. now that i am thinking about it, i probably should have taken multivitamins.

3. i was swollen and peeling for about a week and i was red for a month.

4. i had a few rolling scars, a lot of ice pick scar, and one chicken pock scar. most of my ice pick scars have softened greatly and my rolling scars have filled in most of the way.

5. my hypopigmentation was pretty noticable at first but it blended in as i was out in the sun alot.

6. yes you can cover it with makeup

7. i waited 2 months in between

8. yes plenty of breakouts but that is normal for me.

 

-hope it helped!

 

 

i did not do accutane at all but i know some who did. she waited a year before starting fraxel. Her skin takes longer than mine to recover.

 

 

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(@fireball)

Posted : 06/29/2006 5:44 pm

Thanks for answering all my questions Chi-girl. I was wondering for those of you that had hyperpigmentation problems, this is where the skin darkens right? Does this look like a slight tan? Or is it like a horrible obvious darkening? I am Chinese and I think my skin type is III-IV. I am seriously considering the fraxel procedure but this is the only thing that really scars me.

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