Fraxel Repair: Stories

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6 Weeks In From Fraxel Repair Surgery

8316anon
posted 3 years ago
updated 3 years ago

Worth It
Cost: $2,150
Livingston, NJ

I had the Fraxel Repair done at the end of...

31 Mar 2010

I had the Fraxel Repair done at the end of February and everyone in the office kept telling me that the more heat the doctor uses when doing the surgery the better the outcome. Unfortunately I had extreme pain when the doctor was doing it and I could not stand the pain at all let alone the heat. It felt like he was scraping my skin off my face. I was told that there is a very very low percentage of people who feel pain at all, all they feel is heat. So try not to be to alarmed by this. I would understand if I had been taking pain meds and my body got accustomed to the meds but I had stopped all medication 2 weeks prior to my surgery. Like I said this is unusual.

I am 6 weeks out of my surgery and I can say for the first week my skin was very red and towards the end of the week it got extremely itchy from the healing process. I hadnt noticed anything at all prior to the 6 weeks and was devestated but now I am beginning to notice small changes so give it time.

My doctor has offered (for free) to go over a small section of my face that he feels was not attented to much because I was in pain. I have to wait the full 6 months before he will address that area again. So far so good tho.

Great review?

Comments (5)

Michael A. Persky, MD 26 Apr 2010

Hi Lin, So true. The proper techniques of topical, oral, IM, and local anesthesia need to be used to keep Fraxel repair patients comfortable. Patients should not suffer pain during the procedure. Thanks for sharing your experience and glad to hear about your great results. Be well. Dr. P

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Lin in MA 24 Apr 2010

I had fraxel repair 3 months ago. I never felt a thing. From reading a lot of these posts it sounds like a lot of doctors are doing this procedure without proper medication. My advise is to make sure you find a doctor that can medicate properly so you are not in pain during the procedure. My results have been fantastic so far.

Michael A. Persky, MD 2 Apr 2010

Hi, Sorry to hear that your Fraxel repair experience was so traumatic. The treatment should not be painful with the proper preparation of the patient. This includes oral medication, topical numbing ointment, a narcotic injection, local nerve blocks, and tumescent infiltrative anesthesia. Anything less will result in patient discomfort, even at low laser treatment settings. It is important to make sure that your treating physician is able to give the proper anesthesia for Fraxel repair. It sounds as if you have a nice physician who is willing to treat you again. Glad to hear that you are seeing positive results. Good luck and be well. Dr. P

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rbrt 29 Jun 2010

Dear Dr. Persky, Have a good day! I have a question about what you said above,if you do not mind. I did fraxel repair treatment for the second time, but I am not satisfied with the results, even though the first treatment (10 months ago) is really good and satisfying. At first FR treatment i got rid of many scars. I made me so happy. After the first treatment at 50 setting, my face became like a paste or dough (which is used to make bread) and was as if the cells of my dermis mixed each other. Much swelling and redness. Again the results were very satisfying. Almost all my scars were gone except two-three. As for the second one at 40 setting, I waited 9 days for my skin to peel off. It was traumatic and suffering physically and physiologically . On the 9th day, it started to peel off. laser marks, new 5-6 scars, some wounds on my cheek and forehead being resulted in purulence. In short, the results of the second one is much worse than (even) the results that first treatment gave after 7-8 months later. I do not want to accuse the doctor of the results, i think s/he is a good doctor but when I asked why, I could not get a satisfying answer to my question. When I search for the reason in REALSELF, I came across your sentence..."Anything less will result in patient discomfort, even at low laser treatment settings."This might not be the exact reason.I do not know. Thanks a lot.

Michael A. Persky, MD 29 Jun 2010

Hi rbrt, Your question is complex. I would be happy to speak with you when I return to my office from Italy after 7/8. In the meantime, discuss your concerns with your physician and follow instructions. Speak with you soon. Dr. Persky

View answers from Michael A. Persky, MD