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what's recovery like from fraxel laser treatment?
c8
Submitted by c8 on June 8, 2008 - 11:38am. Viewed 1836 times
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Results after Fraxel laser treatment
Was it worth it?
Percent of consumer reviews saying "Yes":
87% Breast implants
86% Tummy tuck
85% Pixel laser
83% Invisalign
82% Blepharoplasty
81% Smart Lipo
79% Facelift
75% Lasik
74% Botox
73% Permanent makeup
71% Rhinoplasty
70% Deep FX
70% Fraxel Repair
68% Active FX
66% Chemical peel
64% Juvederm
61% Restylane
61% Perlane
58% Sculptra
56% Liposuction
54% IPL
53% Radiesse
52% Fraxel Laser
50% Accent XL
49% Mesotherapy
40% Lifestyle lift
40% TITAN
37% Thermage
37% Lipodissolve
33% Brite Smile
18% Velashape
18% Velasmooth
14% Thread lift
c8
5/25/08
Hi D & C,
I am glad to hear about your experience with the Fraxel repair. Your experience is what I am seeing in the majority of my patients, as well as what I hear from my fellow physicians.
Realself.com serves a great purpose for both patients and physicians who may need answers to their problems. On sites such as this, the negative results seem to predominate. Happy and satisfied patients are less likely to take the time to comment.
Just as in the "real world" do something good for someone and they will tell 4 of their friends, but do something bad to the same person, and "everyone" will hear about it. Enjoy your younger looking face and keep us informed of your progress. Thank you.
Dr. P
6/5/08
Dr P
It has now been 2 weeks since my procedure, and I would say I have seen a 50% improvement in acne scars. I am 60 and wonder how much collegen improvement I can expect, or hope for. I went into this expecting at least 2 lasers. I had mine done at 70mj and 60%, 4 passes and except for tightness in the face I feel like I am totally recovered. I am a very quick healer.
6/5/08
Sounds great. I think that you will produce some collagen. I'm seeing that a lot of the changes are early, about 30% are late. I'd see how you are after about 3-4 months and decide if you want another one,
Steve Weiner, MD
6/5/08
Hi Dazed,
You should continue to see improvement over time. You will likely get more improvement with your second treatment.
Please let me know what that fabulous "cocktail" you received that made the Fraxel repair experience so tolerable. I would love to share that we my patients.
Thanks.
Dr. P
6/6/08
Dr. P.
Sorry it took so long to reply, but I finally called the office today and here is the Cocktail - Demoral-Phenergan and Versed, plus a Xanax 1 hour prior to the procedure. To me this sounds like a pretty powerful mix, but it sure made it easy for me.
6/6/08
Hi D,
No wonder you were dazed. Thank you for the information. Wish you continued improvement with your Fraxel repair results over the next few months. Be well.
Dr. P
5/24/08
Dr P
I was in today for a follow up and they told me, but I didn't write it down. I go back next Tuesday and will ask again and let you know. I have read so many comments on this being painful that I was a bit suprised. Other than a lot of swelling and it looks like I fell asleep in the sun, I could go out in public.
6/10/08
I am scheduled for a Fraxel treatment in a couple of weeks. I asked my doctor if it was re:pair or re:store and he insists it is re:pair and ablative, but not Co2, with only a few days of redness, minimal flakiness, no peeling. He said it stimulates collagen and tightens skin.
Does this sound like re:pair? It sounds more like re:store to me, and how can I tell if he says it's re:pair? I don't want to spend a lot of money if I am not getting the strongest treatment.
He also said his office was getting a new Reliant Fraxel machine that just came out, but that it was for deep wrinkles and scarring, which I do not have.
I am very confused.
6/12/08
Dr. P and Dr Weiner
Do you have any comments on Copper Peptides after Re:pair - best brands - strength?
6/12/08
Kendra, I believe there are only 30-35 Re:pair machine in the whole US, and by his comment about getting a new machine I would say that he doesn't have the Re:pair yet. To avoid confusion I don't even use the word Fraxel anymore. If you come back on with what you are hoping to accomplish the doctors will advise you on what is best for you.
6/13/08
Hi Dazed,
I posted a comment recently about the anti-inflammatory benefits of copper peptides. I think that Skin Biology, Neutrogenia, and ProCyte are effective. Good luck and be well.
Dr. P
6/13/08
Hi Kendra,
Go to the Fraxel.com site, put in the zip code of your physician, and then scroll down until you see your doctor's name. Under his name, there are icons for restore, refine, and repair. Make sure that restore is listed under his name. The company will not list the icon until the laser is in the office. Let us know what you find and if your confusion is cured. Good luck and be well.
Dr. P
7/8/08
I just had my first Fraxel treatment yesterday and it was a breeze. I know everyone has a different pain tolerance, but this was no big deal. I know some people suggested xanax or valium but I can't imagine needing that. I almost fell asleep during the procedure. I was prepared for a lot more pain then what it turned out to be. I still am a bit swollen and my skin is really red and tight. I read that pineapple is a natural anti-inflammatory, so I ate a lot of that the week before. The Dr said I did great and had very mild swelling. Not sure if the pineapple had anything to do with it, but I'm happy. I returned to work immediately after having the fraxel procedure done and my clients thought I had a sunburn from the 4th of July weekend. I can't wait to see the results and I'm having my next session in 4 weeks!
Amy
Bradenton, Florida
7/8/08
Thanks for the comment. The pineapple juice idea is interesting. I know other RealSelf readers would love to hear more about your experience. Please consider writing a review. Click here to write about your experience with Fraxel.
In fact, if anyone else has an experience with a cosmetic procedure we also want to hear from you! Go here to share your story.
7/8/08
AmyH, please clarify. With Re:pair recover is at least a week, and by the 2nd day your face would be very swollen. I never use the word Fraxel alone because of the different procedures. You must have had Fraxel Restore to be back at work so quick because day one with Re:pair is bloody and oozing. It would be great if everybody would specify their procedure and the level of treatment. ie my Fraxel Re:pair was done at 70mj and 60%.
7/9/08
Yes, it was restore then, I had no blood or ooze
7/9/08
Amy H, I had Re:pair done and by the 2nd day I could have scared Freddie Kruger with swelling that made me look like PumpkinHead. I bought some pineapple to eat while in recovery also.
7/10/08
Dazed,
Your results should be more dramatic than what I will get right? Do you think the pineapple helped with your swelling? I was going to try Bromelain but decided just to do canned and fresh pineapple. So far I'm happy with everything. It's only been 4 days though, so we'll see. I did like the tight lineless look I had with the swelling. Surprisingly, a lot of the fine lines I had under my eyes and at the sides of my eyes are gone. I'm not sure if I would see results that quickly, so maybe I'm still a bit swollen although I don't feel or look swollen.
8/21/08
Dazed I am in my 4th day of Re:pair, wasn't told about the pineapple, but will try it. I had a full face, brow and neck. I have a regement 4 to 5 times a day including vinegar andcold water soaks. Still a lot of redness but swelling is slowly going away.. What do you use on your face? Sue
8/23/08
Can you tell me of your results from the Fraxel restore? Did it help tighten your facial area? Improve pore size? I also am thinking of having this treatment. Thanks!
8/28/08
I finished my 2nd fraxel restore treatment and it was a little more painful then the first treatment. I love the results so far! Treatment 3 is in a few weeks. They told me to just use a mild cleanser and moisturizer and a daily sunscreen. So far I can see a significant reduction in acne scarring on my cheeks, tighter pores, a few fine lines (crowsfeet) I had around my eyes are completely gone, my pores are tighter & my skin overall looks brighter and clearer. I can't wait for the results from #3!!
8/28/08
Hi LSue,
Be patient. I have found that the redness really decreases between 7 to 14 days. It also depends on the aggressiveness of your treatment. The deeper and denser the treatment, the longer it takes for the erythema (redness) to go away. But the good news is that you should see spectacular results. Jane Iredale mineral make up is excellent at concealing redness to cut down on your social downtime. I hope that you recover quickly.
Dr. P
8/29/08
LSUE, after the initial vinegar period I started using Cetaphil. I am now using Skin Biology Super Cop 2x and Super CP Serum. These are Copper Peptides. I hope this posts correctly because something is messed up with the box I am typing.
9/2/08
Hopefully you will be hearing from patients who have had Fraxel repair treatments.
I have now treated about 40 patients, 39 have had phenomenal results. One patient did not get the tightening of skin that we had hoped for, nor the overall improvement desired. People are different and we all have slightly different skin health, and we all recover and heal uniquely.
My patients and I have found that there is an overall younger appearance of 5 to 10 years. Patients say that they are hearing, "You look rested and healthy".
We are seeing tightening of the forehead with a slight elevation of the eyebrows. The affect on the upper and lower eyelids is remarkable making the eyes look younger, in the majority of cases the results are nearly as good as or better than actual eyelid surgery.
The most consistent finding is increased fullness and lifting of the cheeks and midface area. This reverses the process of volume loss and sagging that we unfortunately see as the aging process travels through our late 30's, 40's and in those lucky individuals, 50's.
The treatment does not get rid of "jowls", but helps a bit. In patients with lax neck skin there is marked improvement. The treatment is not a face or neck lift, and does not replace those surgeries.
Overall tone, texture, and color of the skin are very nicely improved. Pore size is improved as well. The results on brown pigmentation have been spectacular, as have the results on acne scarring (both color and evenness of the skin surface). I look forward to continued improvement in patients treated with fraxel repair for up to 6 months after their treatment as there is continued new production of collagen.
My only caveat that Fraxel re:pair laser is an extremely powerful laser technology so please choose your physician most carefully. Be well.
Dr. P
9/9/08
This is in regard to the Fraxel re:pair. It is one day of oozing. You'll have swelling that will be the worst on the 2nd day after the procedure and swelling will be mostly gone by 5-7 days. Peeling will start on the face about day 5. Redness will get to a pink color about day 7 or 8. You will remain pink for 4-8 weeks.
10/28/08
2 weeks ago I had my first fraxel treatment for melasma. I have read many places that people take topical numbing or oral pain releivers prior to treatment. I did neither of these. It was slightly painful, but tollerable. My skin was red and swollen the first day, but nothing terrible. I had little to no flaking. It has now been over 2 weeks and I have seen no improvement at all. Could the laser have been too weak?
10/29/08
Hi 1'st time Frax,
The treatment of melasma with Fraxel re:store uses lower energy levels and less density consequently the treatment is much more tolerable as it is a lighter treatment. This is necessary because of the nature of melasma, a more superficial pigment; also to minimize the possibility of post inflammatory hyperpigmentation. It does take from 3 to 5 treatments separated by at least 3 weeks to see results. Avoid sun exposure, use sun block, and speak with your treating physician about possible hydroquinone lightening creams. Good luck and be well.
Dr. P