Fraxel Laser: Stories

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Bad Rash After Procedure

  • Not Worth It
  • Cost: $900
  • Dallas, TX

I had my first treatment 2 1/2 weeks ago. I don't...

  • 24 Oct 2007
I had my first treatment 2 1/2 weeks ago. I don't see any difference yet, but my biggest concern is the rash that developed afterwards. I had swelling and redness for two days, then peeling started and by the 5th day most of the peeling had subsided, but I had a horrible red bumpy rash on both cheeks, from my jawline up to the top of my cheekbones, and it itched like crazy. With make-up most of it was covered up, but the itching was horrible. Now most of the rash is gone and my face is breaking out. Have any of you had this rash and what did you do about it? I am suppose to get my second treatment next week and am very leary about going and starting all over with this itchy mess. ANY suggestions?

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I had fraxel restore over 12 months ago and I'm from Australia. My skin has deteriorated over this time. I am now permanently red, irritated and have strange lines down my neck which can only be described like a cat has scratched me but deeper. They are all very close together everywhere the laser has been. I regret this procedure enormously and no dermatologist can seem to help me. I've had a couple of vbeams since to try and help with the redness but to no avail. My skin texture has also changed for the worse. I am now very self conscious.
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Dear Little one.
I had a very similar 'rash' that cleared up in about 6 days. I too had swelling that went away by the 3rd day, I had scabs on my chin and a bronzed look that went away after 6 days. After that, my skin looked great. I had my fraxel done about one year ago and I am still very pleased with the results. However, i did think the treatments had more down time then advertised. They suggested I could go out in public right after the procedure but I felt the first three days, I looked too strange to be in public.
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hi, I had Fraxel done 4 days ago. My skin did have that red sunburned look for about 2 days and a little bit of swelling but the swelling went down by the third day. What I have now is a bronzed look but my skin has what I can call a 'scab' on it! it's dry skin with a little bit of those white heads (filled w/pus). Is this normal? I put lotion on my skin and its getting better I just want to see if anyone can tell me when the "scab" will go away...it's flaking so i'm assuming it's the skin getting rid of the old stuff and making way for the new stuff...
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I also had a Fraxel Laser near my outword eyes corner & sideways and also on front cheek around 40 days back but still have rashes & its itchy & now worrying if it leaves pigmentation. Rashes near eyes area are more itchy. Doctor presribed me some antibiotic azithromycin & fusidine ointment but when not healed with it he said to use another Nadoxine ointment...Then i was out to another city for vacation in-between.There i showed the same to a dermatologist. he said u r having laser reactions..and gave me some another antibiotic (cefradoxin which causes me diarohea as a side effect & stopped later by him) and T-bact (muprocine)ointment. but still its not healed. Now i m back after vacation to the same city & today going to my earlier doctor for diagnosis....i m very confused now...and worried if it causes pigmentation...also its very itchy....and now because of these things....m thinking of either cancel my further fraxel treatments or postpone it till winter....plssss help me soon...looking forward for the help.
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I didn't use any special treatment - just kept the area well moisturized. They did clear up and my skin is fine.
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  • kinnar (unregistered guest)
  • 4 years ago
i got fraxel repair done last week and have developed whiteheads some of them turning to pimples. my doctor advised me to eat azithromycin for 5 days but that has not helped. she has now asked me to use clindamycin for 10 minutes and wash it off. I am worried. Please help
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Try erztaco cream to see if it's fungal...The antibiotics haven't done much for others...I would demand a culture and uv pics
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They don't have an answer - just said to keep using sun block and moisturizer. It's better now so I am very relieved. It's very strange that it only happened on the 3rd treatment, and only lasted 2 days. I was treated by a dermatologist so I'm sure he knows what he's doing - I played tennis 2 days after treatment so maybe it was a result of too much sun! Anyway that's me finished with Fraxel!
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What did the provider have to say about the problem?
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I have had 3 Fraxel treatments and at the first appointment they asked if I was prone to Fever Blisters which I am not. I didn't ask why, but I had my third treatment 4 days ago and on the 3rd day I developed ugly bumps which became little white pimples - awful. This is the first time I've had such a reaction but I have noticed that each treatments gets progressively more painful so maybe the laser depth is increased. I initially had Fraxel for the smile lines on either side of my mouth and I must say they are smoothing out quite nicely... but I think I'll give it a break for awhile. I had my treatments about 6 weeks apart. I'm sure if there are impurities under the skin they will be stimulated so one should be warned not to have it before an important occasion!!
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I am so sorry to hear about your results. It is so unfair. I hope you sued the mnanufacturer or the doctor because they don't care; they're not the ones who have to live with the bad results! I'm sure most of the doctors are well-qualified to use the fraxel, but it seems like they don't care about the people who don't have perfect results. They just move on to the next patient. I hope you find a way to fix your problems that still exist. If you ever need a great doctor for fat grafting (as you were mentioning to someone else), there's one that I know of in California. He's supposed to be outstanding. People come from all over to see him. Let me know if you want his name.
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Thought I'd share my experience with fraxel. I have brown spots and poor skin texture (reason for trying fraxel). I had my first fraxel treatment on Saturday. For me it was a very painful experience (very hot after the 4th pass up to the 8th). I did have a bad reaction to the numbing cream but as soon as it was wiped off and a new one applied, the rash and burning stopped. When I got home, I looked like a tomato - very red, sunburnt look. By evening my eyes started to swell (under the eyes) Sunday I awoke to a scary swollen face which my dermatologist told me would happen. She also told me it would subside in 3 days. Today is day 3. The swelling has subsided. There are a few white bumps and my skin is mostly red, bronze, and feels like sandpaper. I also have very minute little scabs (for lack of a better descriptions). I assume the scabs are the reason for the sandpaper feeling. Today, day 3, the swelling is much subsided. My dr. wants to wait until the end of summer to resume treatment as I'll be working in AZ and she doesn't want me to be exposed to too much UV. She also stated that the wait is ok - studies haven't shown this to be a detriment to treatment and that successive treatments are cumulative in effect. My skin is really itchy but I think it's from the sunscreen so today I'll try to find a sensitive skin sunscreen. I've been washing with clinique and moisturizing like crazy with an e cream. The e cream has a cooling effect which I like. The area under my eyes and around my lips are still swollen and look bruised and I do have shadows I didn't know I had around the mouth. Hopefully this will go away in 2 weeks. I am worried about hyperpigmentation. Has anyone had this problem? Well, just my experience so far.
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Hi Awalk, contact me offline so I can find out more about your case and look at your pictures. My email address is {edited} and you can find out more about me in the Expert Section. I would be happy to try to help. We have the Fraxel Re:store Glass Erbium in our Center. -- Editor note: This user can be contacted privately by clicking on their username.
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Dr Epstein I was doing research on how to fix my issues.I don't know if you saw my pics or not but it's a mess...I've been researching fat grafting due to the stem cells also a injection Vavelta...What do you feel about these procedures in relation to healing damaged skin.. When researching the fat grafting I came across an article relating to fat stem cells and neuropeptide Y Dr. Stephen Baker, an associate professor of plastic surgery at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., and colleagues have uncovered a biological switch that allows them to selectively grow fat. They published their initial findings last summer in the journal Nature Medicine. By inserting pellets containing a growth factor known as neuropeptide Y under the skin of mice and monkeys, they were able to stimulate the growth of fat deposits. (They’re currently experimenting with growing breast-implant-like lumps in mice.) Baker thinks the first possible use of this technology will be to stimulate fat in deflated, aging faces. Unlike fat transplants, which the body tends to reabsorb, these deposits should be permanent, he says, because the growth factor helps the fat establish a blood supply and take hold. He says human trials could be underway within two years. I googled neuropeptide Y and it said its released by stress factors in the skin....It reminded me of my boyfriend in school an athlete..They would soak a injury in warm then ice water to heal faster...Do you think this would work after fat grafting or reduce healing time for resurfacing..It worked well for them...They swore by it.....Do you know of anything I could try that's less invasive to get my pre frax skin back??? I am at my wits end. I would have to travel to london to get Vavleta, it's new so I'm hesitant..Have you heard anything about this treatment or any other that may offer improvment in skin quality... Thank you for all the great answers!!
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I like the idea of paper towels because I know no one used them and did not wash them properly. I hope that Dr. Epstein does not go back to baby wash cloths.
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Your rash my be from dryness (eczema / atopic dermatitis) and nothing to do with germs.
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Both are good as long as it's not the towels or washcloth my son uses to wash or dry his feet or body..LOL Peter your a lucky guy..I wish I lived in Dallas so I could have such a detailed caring doc... Detailed aftercare instructions and making sure they are followed by stressing the importance is half the procedure that could determine half your results.. You hear so many avoidable complications from people who aren't given aftercare intructions..Or don't read them..Taking a minute to stress the importance saves everyone time and heartache
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I am in dr.Epstein's care and truly feel blessed. He recently switched form baby wash cloth's to paper towels ?
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I believe jepstein is a fraxel expert and should be able to answer your questions if given all the info. I have seen his result.
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Barbie S, If you could provide more info, we could help more thoroughly. Tell us as much as you know about the following: Settings, post-care regimen(putting on face immediately post-tx), and anything else you had on your skin prior or during treatment. It could be many factors. Let us know as much as you can and we can sort this out better. So far the leading candidates would be infection or irritation with a skin care product.
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See your doctor or a dermatologist. This could be a fungal infection. Candida is the most commmon fungal infection.
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I just had my third fraxel treatment. I gotten a rash after each but this is much worse then the others. I am afraid to go out of the house. I have been given an antibiotic and I do not feel I my rash is improving. It itches and when I scratch it feel soooo sore. Why does this happen? I am not going to do this again unless I can figure out why.
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why baby wash cloths($0.50ea)nad not regular wash cloths($0.25ea)?
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awalk, great info about germs and laundry. Do you have any information on germs on paper towels? I just pulled out an old article on CO2 Laser Treatments of the Neck. This article suggested White Vinagar Soaks using "Baby Washcloths". You can buy them new for a few bucks at Target or WalMart and launder them seperately from other clothes. awalk, what do you think of this. Would you use paper towels or new baby washcloths? awalk, I really appreciate your interest in this area. I really think it has important clinical value!
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Baby washcloths all the way!as opposed to regular even for everyday washing..Paper towels are great too if you don't wash separate ect..The baby cloths are gentle have a fine weave/texture will lay flat on your face and hold the moisture better so it's not dripping down your face while you soak... This is such an important thing to do after resurfacing..Especially any type of fractional because it relies heavily on transdermal elimination… Many people with scarring may have some level of abnormal elimination issue… I believe this and moisture are a crucial part of the process for good results..So anything that can increase comfort and convenience will increase the frequency and consistency My mom has always used baby washcloths for facial cleansing and swears by them.... For the Vin/Water soaks you could even cut slits Smiley face...More comfortable and sanitary.... This is good simple advice for anyone using a washcloth to cleanse..It can prevent cross contamination as well as gentle but more effective cleansing. Think about the old abrasive scrubs compared to the fine micro crystals.... Dr. Epstein as my niece would say (Your da Bomb). What an amazing doctor you must be to take the time to be so informed and dedicated to the smallest details, They make all the difference, continuously searching, expanding your wealth of knowledge…It’s obvious you strive for perfection… My kind of Doctor!!…Anyone in your care is truly Blessed..
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