“Fractional CO2: my Trip, Age 59 (Lip Lines, Marionette Lines & Old Age Spots) - Fort Myers, FL”

Hi I just schedule my fractional co2 treatment for next week. I am scared. They said they would give me 15mg of valium and apply the anesthetic ointment. They also said they might do some facial nerve blocks. Do you really think this all needed?

Hi Maureen, I got Fractional C02 laser for full face. I am at two weeks and fully healed. He did two swipes on my upper lip lines as that was one of the reasons I had it done. They are not gone though---but are not quite so deep. They say it takes up to three months for your skin to finish healing so I am hoping the lip lines will get better. Not sure what the difference is between fraxel and Fractional? But since it is almost double what I paid I am sure it must be better!!?? My skin looks better as it is dewey looking---I could go out without scaring anybody after 4 days---but it seemed like forever! Let me know what you decide to do! Patti

Hi Maureen I saw your comments under Liskaveen's post. I am having CO2 laser resurfacing on Feb. !6. I am also having my eyes done and a lower face lift. My price for the laser is also $4000 plus O.R. time and anesthesia. I am having it done for severe scarring. I was on a medication for a year due to an illness that caused a lot of blistering type breakouts. The picture I have posted on here is age 40 prior to scarring. I am now 50 and will be taking preop pics and postop pics daily. I have just joined so I don't know if there is any way we can email eachother privately on here. I'd be happy to keep in touch with you and let you know how things go if you are interested. I also found another site makemeheal.com there are all kinds of peoples personal pics on there also. Good luck and get in touch if you would like. D.

HEY gypsygirl did you do it i go tomorrow i must say i'm nerous i swell really bad anyway every morning when i get up i'm swollen, i've always been that way even when i was young and i bruise easy also. so i'm sure i will be a mess. hope i don't have a break down over this. haha i'm having the CO2 done. do you smoke? they didn't tell me to stop but i just read on the paper work they gave me that i'm to stop , but i hope it means after the co2 cause i'm still smoking i'll tell them tomorrow when i go in well hope things went well for you byeee megan

Vanessa, they used Fractional c02 laser.

I had the erbium laser five weeks ago- supposed to be gentler with less healing time than the CO2. I am still beet red with very little natural skin showing through. There is no way I can go out looking like this. Three times I've tried cover-up make-ups (the latest was yesterday) and I look so unnatural and feel self-conscious in public. Afterwards I have redder skin and lots of skin eruptions and rash. I see my doctor & his nurse tomorrow to find out why I'm having so many problems (even after I've been on Desonide for two weeks). I have to shower and shampoo my hair in cool water and blow dry my hair on cool - even these make my face red and irritated. Mine may be an abnormal case, but it sure is inconvenient and socially limiting.

Hi Kay, I used Aquaphor during the peeling stage. Really greasy, but it has healing properties. I also started taking Vitamin E as it is good for your skin. I also went on-line and searched for people that have done this and what creme they use afterwards. One of them was NIA24---which I found cheaper at Amazon.com. It is a skin strenghening complex with niacin. They have a website NIA24.com and it is very interesting. I just want to make sure that after I spent all this money on my face that it stays good! Never used to use sunscreen before---but now I do! My skin has no age spots now and is very clear. Your redness will go---mine did---just seems like it takes forever.

Hello, I had my co2 laser done on Jan 13th. I was very swollen for 5 days and then it started going down, I didn't leave the house for about 7 days and even then I was a little hesitant because of the redness and flakiness. I used a gentle cleanser right from the beginning (just using my hands). I am still red and a little dry, but it can be covered with make-up!

OH girl you got me scared, i go tomorrow.i've been worried ever since i decided to do this, it sure cost alot for it not to work, cause i don't have alot of it.haha i have had some fillers done already i spend alot on that, and now that the swelling has gone it's like the air came out of the balloon you know i swell and bruse easy. this might sound crazy but on about the 4th day the swelling was just right, my face was full not so hollow, oh lordy i like alittle swelling. what i hate on my face the most is my joses there awful.i problembly really need a mini face lift but my doc said to try this frist. has any one had a mini done? i'm just way to scraced to do that if i had a friend to do it with me i might would then, but everyone i know would think its awful and never even think about it, i don't understand that, so i don't even tell them they don't know i'm doing this. i don't know how i'm going to hide from them

The procedure itself was bearable. There was no pain at all afterward---but red and scaley. I was "out in public" 5 days after the procedure. Any more questions you may have please feel free to ask.

I did the Ablative Yagg erbruirum (spelling) full face laser Feb 1. This was like doing a CO2 laser. I slept upright to help swelling for 2 weeks, and I also am one that bruises and swells easily -- the down time (social) is LONG, but --- this IS the most bang for the buck! Fractional, if you read up on it - only removes "part" of the skin versus removing all the skin at once and at varying levels depending on how deep the wrinkles are. My ps did a partial closed healing, (two days) and then open. Maybe this helped keep the face pain down as no air touched most of my burnt off face until it grew new skin underneath? Helped with some of the swelling, but I seriously looked like a balloon face for almost 3 weeks (please understand this was ALSO due to the extensive fat fill she did where I had some very colorful bruises haha) PAIN PILLS do not scrimp and take the "less" amount! When they write 1-2 pills every 4-6 hours, the first week I took TWO every FOUR hours and that kept all the pain away. Make sure your doctor's understand about "Pain Management"! I had NO pain. I went under general anthesthia for the surgery (because of the fat fill) ... and regiliously took 2 pain pills every FOUR hours -- this helped allow me to do the necessary face care afterwards. I think the doctors give the "best case" scenerious when talking about how SOON everyone will heal -- This is SO dependant on your own bodies healing, your general health, after care AND how much they do. In my case, I put aside 1 month! The end of 3 weeks was a BIG turning point as most all the redness left (except under the eyes where they went very deep)... Make up? Grew up with brothers so I'm not a big make up gal and don't want to put "extra" junk on my face to irritate it IF not necessary (I work from home). I could NOT be happier with my flawless, NO sun damage, no wrinkle skin! Heck, after 4 weeks I still can't see any pores even. Every line is gone, I'm pink under both eyes still (but time will resolve that)... and I kept 50% of the fat fill :-) Goood luck to all!! (oh I thought 4k was cheap in Florida's quote)... mine was $5,200.00 but I had a one time shot (and Care Credit TY TY TY) to DO this, so I went for the biggest bang for the buck -- full Ablative lasers give that. MrsBoots

I am very happy so far with this procedure. I had fractional CO2 with a Lumenis laser. The worst part is the tight and itch that comes afterwards. It has been three days for me and I have beautiful new pink skin underneath. Still peeling. Still somewhat swollen but much better than the first day. I will keep updating.

Sorry, did not take any before photo's. Didn't know about this website till afterwards. I did not have severe marionette lines, but they are gone now.

Hi, We have very similar marionette lines. I posted today a question asking if an ablative laser treatment or "liquid facelift" would correct my lines and prejowl sulcus. You said a facelife did not...so, did you opt for the laser? If so how do you like your results and what laser exactly did they use on you? I am finding all of the different types of lasers very confusing. Most posts do not specify which laser is used which to me, is one of the more important things to know. thanks, Lisa