What is Active Fx really like?

I have many of same q's about activefx. Also is it same as deepfx?

I just had the active FX laser treatment done yesterday (3/28) I was pleasantly surprised that it was not as painful as I had heard it would be. I did take a valium about an hr. before & the Dr. gave me 2 Lortabs about 20 mins. before the procedure. He also applied some serious numbing cream. The combination of all that worked very well for me. Today I look sunburned w/ some swelling mainly around my eyes. I have some red and brownish dots on cheeks and chin. I'm keeping the ointment on my face and using ice packs frequently. I hope the end result will be worth it!

I had Deep Active FX five days ago. The redness is totally gone, however I do not see any change in my appearance. The deep lines are there, I seem swollen at the bottom of my face. Is this unusual? Am I being impatient? My Dr. told me I was. I cannot imagine that building up collagen in up to 6 mos. is going to make all these lines disappear. I would like to hear from others.

update: I had the deep and superficial active fx done on 3/28. Went for post laser check-up 4 days after on 4/1 and Dr. said everything looked very good even alittle ahead of schedule. Most of my face had already peeled. He said I wasn't using enough of the vaseline type stuff which might be why I was feeling very itchy. Also said if you stayed greased up all day and night the redness will go away sooner. When I got home I put alot more "grease" on! Today the redness is much less and I should be close to normal by tomorrow! It is still hard to say what my results will be. My cheeks do seem smoother, eye area less wrinkled but still pink, pores seem smaller.

Hi, I have a Deep FX treatment scheduled for May 16th. Honestly I am getting worried about the redness issue. I have had fotofacials to remove the redness in my face. Did you end up going through with the process?

Did you end up getting the treatment? I have seen 6 of these procedures done so far, and this is my advice. Take anti-anxiety medication and pain medication BEFORE the procedure! Also, a very strong numbing agent 45 minutes before your procedure makes it much more tolerable. You want someone to be there to drive you home. You will be slightly sedated, and uncomfortable. You'll probably appreciate all the help you can get! After your procedure... Ice, rest and ointment!!! Most patients have only reported discomfort for the first 2 days.

I am writing to tell you about my ActiveFx and DeepFx treatment I had yesterday. I am an RN as well as an esthetician. I have several years experience working with plastic and cosmetic surgeons in three states. I have comments from both sides, as a nurse and as a patient. I have personally tried Thermage, Fraxel, and now Activ/DeepFx. I have moderate sun damage and fine line around my eyes and mouth. I can already see the tightening around my eyes and mouth. As far as pain, I think all three of the treatments I have tried feel about the same. I did have a topical anesthetic applied every time prior to the treatment. With Thermage and ActivFx I also took Percocet and Valium an hour before the treatment. With Fraxel I just had Valium to relax. As for results, it is early to comment on the ActivFx, but already I see more improvement than ever before! With Thermage I saw nothing. I waited weeks for the collagen rebuilding and still nothing. Fraxel showed minimal improvement in skin tighening but left me with a stiped effect on my neck. On the second Fraxel I only had my face done and didn't see anything improve. I know I should have done more to get the full effect of Fraxel, but for the price, I elected to try ActiveFx. If I could do it all over again, I would definately go with Activ/DeepFx. Results are much better and the recovery is the same.

I had the active fx 7 days ago. I will be honest. I took pain med and they put numbing on my face but it hurt. I breathed through it because I wanted the doc. to take his time. As of now I am still red as lobster and have to go back to work tomorrow. my eyes and face were swollen for the first 3 days, my face for 5. They say you can't see the results right away. That in six months is when you will look your best because that is when you have developed more collegen. So, I really can't say if I am happy I did it. I had some wrinkles above my lip and a scar. Main resaon I had this procedure. But I did hear that the non-fractional laser is much better than the fractional laser. Fraction means just what it is. A fraction. Hope that helps. Still in limbo!

I have scheudled this procedure for May. If you were not asked about cold sores your provider is not giving you good care. Those of us with cold sore issue need to take a n anti viral medication before and after treatment. the rest of your desciption is the same as I was told.

I had this procedure two weeks ago and I do see a difference. My doctor told me that the process is working and I should see a very big difference in my skin. I thought the worse day was the day after the procedure. Eyes were swollen, skin red. I applied a petroleum type jelly that the doc gave me for a few days. I actually think I feel better and that I do look better. The cost was $1350. and believe me, that was alot for me. Go for it, you only live once.

Daissey - please consider posting your experience by Writing an Active FX Review. Other readers would love to hear about your results.

I had Active fx done 3 days ago. I have been MISERABLE ever since! I went in for Fraxel, then inquired about the flier in the office on Active fx while I was being numbed for Fraxel. They convinced me that they were not impressed with the results of Fraxel, even after 4 treatments. I have 2 young kids and I knew I wasn't going to do Fraxel 4 times, so I decided (with only researching for 10 min on my Blackberry) that I would do Active fx. They convinced me that it was less painful that Fraxel, less downtime and more than a 4x better result. I was sold. So I did it on my face, neck and chest. I asked for a vicodin. The actual laser wasn't painful for me, it just felt hot. They didn't tell me about popping these peices over my eyeballs, under my eyelids, that they keep in the whole time. They also told me I could take my kids to Disneyland in 3 days, and here I am alone at home while my husband took my 2 and 4 year old. Reality: 1st day, really swollen and totally greasy from the vaseline. I had little spots of blood all over my face. I was surprised by this. Couldn't sleep all night, totally started to burn like the worst sunburn times 10! Next day: swollen and PURPLE. Did not eat one thing all day (1st time in my life) bc I was in so much pain. I felt like I was a serious burn victim. Could barely open my eyes. I definitely scared my kids, and did not want them to come near me bc I was in soooo much pain! My face felt like I had expected, but my neck and chest felt like I was getting 100 bee stings every minute. It was HORRIBLE!! The dr. told me to come in so he could look at it to make sure there was not infection, etc. No infection, he just said the laser might have gotten too hot. He gave me a prescription for 2 vicodins evey 4 hours, but they still didn't help! I fet loopy, but still sooo itchy and bee sting-like. I took a cold shower, and took off all ointment on my neck and chest. I called a random dr. office off the intenet who say they have performed over 2,500 active fxs and they said they would recomend putting a cold wet paper towel on it and continue doing that. It worked!! The itching stopped and I kept on the vicodin and wet towels all night. Day 3: I seriously look like I was in a fire and lucky to get out alive. It is so horrifying to me that I actually did this to myself. I am peeling like a lizzard, but it still hurts really bad to touch it, even to wash it, which you are supposed to do 3 times a day. I can't move my head side to side or back and forth. My chest and neck are still purple, and I can't see that this will subside any time soon. Oh, best part is now I have little pimples from all the vasoline. My dr. said results are "long lasting." Now I am reading they last a few years. This is a major deal, not "minimal" like they say. You can't exercise until your face is healed, and you clearly don't want to see a single person. My husband is so horrifed. Here's my advice: if you plan ahead, get childcare for at least 4 days, have money to blow for something that only lasts a few years, and you don't have to see anyone (not because you're vein, but bc you are in so much pain), don't mind sitting at home for at least a week....then go for it! If you need to drive your kids around, if you don't have a supportive spouse, if botox will give you similar results, if you can't sit at home for a week...then don't do it. The recovery is painful and ugly. Hopefully when I check back next, I'll say they were great results. But I can't imagine any results being worth all this :(

I had the Deep & Active FX yesterday. I just read all the above reviews and felt compelled to write. Yes, very painful but my doctor gave me the topical Lidocain for 1.5 hours prior plus shots of Lidocain in my gums and optionally my forehead (I didn't want needles there, wish I had though, as it was very painful there) First, I think your doctors should not be suggesting direct petroleum jelly as a healing ointment. Many of us with acne scars got them because of clogged pores. A Non-comenogenic lubricant makes far more sense. My doctor GAVE me the following full-sized products: Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser,a topical antibiotic ointment called Biafine and another product with copper-peptide complex (wonderful healing complex for this procedure) called Complex Cu3 (none of which hurt or burn but instead were soothing.) These are fabulous and highly recommended by me. Why? I have no pain at ALL today and seem to be healing much faster than the Portrait facial that I had a year ago. Please beg your doc for these. Dr. Hunt in Tampa has always had excellent patient care, staff and products. Everything I mentioned above was included and my cost was $2500. The people there are wonderfully knowledgable and the level of care is second to none. My face is a bit swollen around the eyes but the rest is getting brown and ready to peel! I hope it starts soon but they gave me a realist timeline of each day and I must say again, the Biafine and Complex Cu3 have been a Godsend. I have no pain and haven't since this first morning after the procedure. I will try to post my results in a week or so but again, realistically, I will have my best results in the next 4-12 weeks. After doing fraxel with minimal improvement and Portrait for about 20% improvement, I am hoping this further improves 20-30% but will have to wait to see! As for the person who said their doctor performed Actives to 2500 patients...well, that seems hard to believe since it hasn't been available for much more than a year. That would mean about 250 working days a year 5 Actives a day EVERY working day....hmmm, be skeptical and research the doctor and the office. Good Luck and will type soon! L in St. Pete

I had it done yesterday. I was given a topical numbing cream and then after 40-50 minutes was given injections of ( I think) lidocaine in my gums etc.(that hurts too). In some places, like the eyes, the procedure was unbelievably painful, and other places, like the cheeks, it wasn't too bad. But, I had deep and active on the eyes (oh that active hurt after already having had the deep), and just active on the rest of my face. Last night my face was quite swollen, painful, and tight, with some burning. Mostly the eyes were swollen. I wasn't able to sleep much last night, and when I looked in the mirror this morning I was horrified. My eyes are slits. My face especially under the eyes is swollen with fluid. My husband says it looks like I was in a fight then a fire. I called my doctor and I am being precribed steroid eye drops. I was told not to wash my face and keep it coated with aquaphor...on top of everything else I am worried about zits from that now too. I am on an antibiotic and a anti-imflammatory. I absolutely have to go to work Monday, I am praying this alleviates a little by then. I am hopeful for good results after all this.

Had Active FX done in March. With numbing cream I thought it was very tolerable. Afterwards I was scary looking but felt fine to be out in public by day 4. Now my skin looks good. The improvement is subtle, but lines around my eyes, mouth and pigment had definite improvement. Paid $1,350. I wouldn't want to pay more than that.