MiXto Laser: Stories

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MIXto CO2 Laser BEWARE

jd1menke
posted 5 years ago
updated 5 years ago

Not Worth It
Cost: $1,500
Dr. Michael Cedars (Oakland CA)

Four weeks after getting the first of two planned...

14 Apr 2008

Four weeks after getting the first of two planned treatments I look worse than when I started. My face is bloated, saggy and the area under my eyes is baggy, discolored, red and puffy. On day two I developed a staph infection. I only hope my face returns to the way it looked before treatment but have grave doubts as I enter the fifth week. Many of the sun spots are already returning. I honestly see no improvement; only a face that looks ten to fifteen years older than before treatment. The doctor is responsive, professional and caring. Nevertheless the truth is I look much worse and regret every day I did this. I try to not look in a mirror at all and just go about my day keeping busy. What a disaster.

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expertmyarse 6 Dec 2011

Birdchip I feel so sorry for you. I can not believe the cheek of the doctor to tell you that you are "misrepresenting what happened" or making false claims. It is disgusting, what a disgusting man. You don't put lasers to peoples skin and a burn, hairloss, itch is a negative skin reaction. Why would anyone want to turn up to an appointment to feel pain? A feeling of pain would cause avoidance, as the doctor states you avoided appointments. We can clearly see that all this doctor has cared about was the money . He is clearly in denial. Just because you have the title of doctor it doesn't license you to play god. You may have passed exams to become a doctor but it is clear if you were to take an exam on your morals you probably wouldnt pass. You know how you feel, birdchip, and your feelings are 100 percent VALID. You only have to read various stories to understand the difficulties those have had after having had laser treatment, including fatloss, hairloss,increasing wrinkles, loss of elasticity. Youth and beauty can only be achieved through natural means, eating healthily, not wearing toxic makeup, avoiding sulfates. DO NOT let anyone con you out of your money, suggesting otherwise or investing in your insecurities. Birdchip, i wish you all of the best. For anyone considering having laser treatment here is a forum for people damaged by ipl laser treatment, birdchip is not strange, alone or wrong. iplandlaserdamagesupportdot com

Light 11 Sep 2010

Sorry to hear that! Keep up positive. Get some consultations from other doctors. See what they say.

iloveplastic 28 Apr 2010

I would like to see the pictures.

darby2010 24 Mar 2010

I just had the mixto and am really pleased with my results as well. My doctor is in San Ramon as well....I was/am very pleased with him and his staff.

Birdchirp 4 Mar 2010

I will be posting my professional photos showing all the hair around my hairline that the doctor burned off. He burned hair going back one inch. Incidentally I had a friend present before and during and after the surgery that witnesses sthe doctor giving me his card and writing his home and cell phone number down, and encouraging me to call him aabout anything. On the third day I began itching so bad that even benedryl did not even pahse the itching. It was unbearable and becasue my adrenals were secreting so my=uch cortisol I was up all night long for two weeks straight. It was very hard on my adrenals because I was in a fight or flight mode. I had asked the doctors nurse about itching before the proceedure and she brushed it off and said " just becasue someone else ithced doesn't mean you will". I called the doctor at home several times because I could not bare the petroleum that he insisted I reapply to my skin, which I did religeously. this is very very bad for the skin however because it does not allow it to breath. It can cause a severed reaction. I had a reaction to the horrible cleanser he gave me with his own name on it and to the petroleu. junk from the laser company that he instructed me to use. The problem is that I followed all of his directions andinstructions and everything caused me to become irritated or sick. Interestingly enough each time I called the doctor at his home, he took my call. Most of the time his wife answered and I nicely asked to speak to Dr. ------, and she nicely connected me to him. Now someone that doesn't want to talk to someone elswe would tell his wife to screen the call and he simply would have the wife say he was busy or that he was not home. This was not the case. He always talked to me, although it made no difference at that time or the outcome of his lousy work. At some point the doctor asked that I no longer call him at home, so I stopped calling him there. He was afraid of being sued becasue he did not provide me with honest disclosures and becasue he burned off a bunch of my hair, so he filed papers to get a restraining order. I refused to contribute to his madness or to waste my money on attorneys. for all of you out there, incase you don't know anyone can get a restraining order against anyone else. They don't have to prove a thing. All you have to do is write up a bunch of lies and sy that someone threatened you and go into court and you will get a restraining order against the person that suposedly threatened you. It is really big business for the legal profession and it can cost $4K to deal with it. I went to two follow up visits at the doctors office and told him I was afraid of him becasue of what he did to m and I refused to go into his private room and insisted on meeting with him in the lobby. All he had to offer me was a very strong shot of cortisol which my nuerologist advised me to refuse. My neurologist said " Oh don't you dare let him inject you with cortiso, that will really mess up your adrenal glands" I trust my neurologist and do not trust the doctor at the lasser center in San Ramon. Like I said perviously a well known hairdressor in Lafayette sknows many women who have also had a bad experience at this laser center and whose faces this doctor has messed up , just as he has with mine. I never was at all rude to the doctor or his wife. The doctor was negligent and gave me disclosures that must have applied to several years earlier when he was much less aggresive using lower settings on the Mixto equipment. He made three passes on the sides of my face and to this day I have prickly sensations on the sides of my face and my skin is red and feels burned. It has been 6 months how and the doctor said I would be heeled. I wanted to have blephoroplasty surgery on my eyes. the doctor and his nurse were very aware prior to my surgery that I wanted to have the blephoroplasy after the laser resurfacing to my face. They both assured me I could do it within a month or two after the resurfacing surgery however I cannot. The doctor from the laser center Dr. T as you probalby know him, states that the prickly pins and needle sensation I have been having now for 6 months is the formation of collegen. Dr. T is a dermatologist. Interestingly enough all of the plastic surgeons I have consulted with state that thsi feeling is nerves. What in the heck has this docotr done to my nerves. He was way too agressive and has damaged them. WARNING WHAT EVER YOU DO DON'T GO TO THE LASER CENTER IN SAN RAMON THIS DOCTOR DOES NOT KNOW EWHAT HE IS DOING. STAY TOONED FOR MY PHOTOS OF THE BURNED OFF HAIR LINE AND MY BEFOEE RESURFACING PICS I LOOK MUCH BETTER BEFORE THEPROCEDURE I recommend maybe doing the less invasive fraxel where you go back for multiple treatments and then have a face lift. The CO2 in the worng hands can be very damaging and it is a huge shock to the face, the organs and the entire health of the body. The fractional CO2 is suposed to be akin to a second degree burn. My experience was deeper than second degree. Thanks for reading this and I sincerely hope it was helpful. Stay tuned for the photos.

spreadjoy 9 Mar 2010

Wow, you called the doctor at home several times, his wife was nice to you, they spent time and money to get a restraining order???? Sounds like they really didn't want you in their office. Valium might help you. My niece just had mixto and she looks FANTASTIC!!!

Light 11 Sep 2010

Birdchirp, very sorry to hear that. I'm just considering this type of treatment. Your story will make me research this issue in more detail and restrain from the procedure until I find a perfect candidate. The way the doctor reacted to the outcome of his treatment tells me that he is a con artist covering his activities with a doctor title. I don't know how it works in your world, but there should be some association of such doctors and also the company (Lasering USA) you could officially mail your story and pictures to. What I discovered from my doctor experience is that one can kill you and another one can save you. So stay in a positive mode and find 2-3 reliable and experienced doctors to consult. This will expand your knowledge on what has happened and what to do. Except the post-treatment and recommendations that you trust most. Stay focused on getting better and visualize it. Pin a picture on the wall where you look young and healthy. Look at It, so that only positive things come to your mind. You'll get better soon. The main thing is that you are alive!!!

doofie 8 Nov 2009

I'm sorry to hear about your experience with Mixto. I just had a consultation with one of the dermatologists in practice with your laser provider and I'm very reluctant to have any treatment done now that I've been reading all of these posts. I live in Oakland and have worked as an esthetician for a dermatology group in the building your doctor practices so I know he is well respected in the medical profession. So if a doctor of this caliber can produce unpredictable results and you have experienced, what can be said about other doctors. To be fair to my laser doctor in his practice, she did warn me of the possibility of complications of Mixto laser especially with my skin type. She recommended VBeam for my pigmentation and Fraxel restore for skin refinement due to my asian skin. She believes in being conservative with any treatment she provides and was very clear about her explanations and patient with my questions. I never felt rushed and she came highly recommended by a friend of mine that just had Vbeam done for sun damage. Thanks for your post and I hope you can find a remedy that gives you a result that you're pleased with.

Birdchirp 25 Feb 2010

I would not recommend Mixto. It has been 6 months now and I have nerve issues in my face. My face still feels tight and burned with the pin prickle sensation. And I have twice as many scares as before the treatment was done. I have not seen any results. As a result of the way too agressive laser treatment my skin is left over sensitive to many products. I suffer from black heads that I never had before and enlarged pores since havint the Mixto. The doctor that treated me gave me release papers that stated I would only be red for two days and swollen for one or two days. I have been very fatiged and require a lot of sleep since the treatment because he really damaged the skin on my eylid too. The disclosures which I will post at some point down the road have a lot of falacies. As a result of my complications the doctor told me he revised the paperwork after my proceedure. It has been very emotionally devestating for me because my skin was so nice before the procedure. My scares were hardly visible before hand. It is hard for me to handle all the new scars. I am not alone either. A hairdressor in Lafayette claims she knows many women whose faces have also been ruined by the dermatologist in San Ramon. I don't know if my nerves will ever heel from this tragic burn.

Michael Tomcik, MD 27 Feb 2010

I am Dr Michael Tomcik M.D. and I did perform Co2 on this patient. She totally misrepresents everthing. She was shown 5 patients pictures from before and each day for 7 consecutive days and 1 month and 4 months. My photo shows pink skin at 7 days and she was told she would need to us Jane Iredale hypo allergenic makeup for 2 to 3 weeks. Please call our office and we will send our pre and post op instructions as well as our original informed consent and you can judge for yourself who is telling the truth. Yes, we revise all of our paperwork on a regular basis and I thanked her, because although itching is mentioned (This patient had 4 free 1 hour consultations and 3 pages of her questions were answered) I felt more in writing would be helpful. She followed NONE of our directions. She used NONE of our post laser creams, she missed 5 appointments and finally showed up 11 days post op. She insisted on being seen at our back desk not in an exam room. I told her that I felt this was inappropriate, however, since she was the last patient of the day I accomidated her with two of my staff present. She was standing in an area clearly marked as under video and audio survellince. My Attorney informes me that, of course we have to protect her identity, But patients can listen to this tape because we have disguised her voice. Also you can listen to 8, twenty to thirty minute phone messages left on my home phone all between 2 and 3am.) We demonstrated to her ice in a plastic bag with a dry wash cloth to place on itching skin, I gave her a medium strength steroid ointment and showed her how to use it. She ranted for 26 minutes about 3 hairs that were singed and I told her they would grow back. She called me again at 3 am to complain that she was still itching. She, of course, had NOT used the ice or the steoid cream. I reexplained that these calls were inappropriate and that if she was not going to follow directions that I couldn't help her. I also offered a free consultation at The University of California Dermatology clinic. She responded that she had already seen all six professors there and that they were "incompetant Quacks" and that the same was true at Stanford. Speaking about her "skin sensitivity", She told me before the surgery that she "couldn't use any products on her face." That is why 1 full hour was spent explaining all of the medications and she was given all of them pre op to try behind her ear to make sure that she would not have a problem. She signed a separate informed consent and agreed to use them. I would not have done the laser otherwise. She did not use them. I take pride in my work and will always work with reasonable people. That has been my philosophy for the last 35 years as a Dermatologist. As to her claim, "A hairdresser in Lafayette claims she know many women whose faces have also been ruined by the Dermatologist in San Ramon", I say put up or shut up. This is a false accusation which my Attorney feels is slander unless she comes forward. Is she brave enough to publish her before and after photos? I think not. When she threatened lawsuit, I called my malpractice insurance company. They informed me not to worry, because I was not the first Dermatologist that she had falsly accused and they had delt with her before. My Attorney filed and got a restraining order. The judge granted this after she failed to show up and left a phone message which he read to the court where she basically said the judge was incompetent and irresponsible. I also told this patient that her anger issues and failure to see what is obvious to everone my be a reason to seek Psychiatric help as I do sincerely believe that might be what is best for her.

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darby2010 5 Mar 2010

I don't know about anyone elses experience but my own and all I have to say about Dr. Tomcik and his staff is that they were/are very professional, provided easy to understand information and made double sure that I knew everything about the laser procedure and the recovery I'd chosen to have before they would schedule the procedure. My procedure (Micro Fractional Co2 Laser) went as planned and I was appreciative of Dr. Tomcik being aggressive with a few of my problem areas. I knew that there would be swelling and itching because his staff prepared me for this. When I called to ask a question about topical benedryl (because my husband was trying to get me to use it) I spoke with Dr. Tomcik personally because he gave me his cell phone number so that he could always be accessable to me as I healed. The issue of the benedryl had been addressed in the literature but we were in the car at the time and so I just called Dr. Tomcik and asked the question. He was very encouraging and reassuring as always. Whenever I doubted anything about how my healing was progressing I would reread the material that I had been provided and found every answer that I needed such as "how long would the redness last?" The answer was for at least two weeks and then in rare cases it could last for up to 8 weeks. I know that each persons experience is different but I have been so pleased with Dr. Tomcik and his staff that although I live almost two hours away from San Ramon, I will continue to use Dr. Tomcik as my permanent Dermatologist....he's that good! Hope that this helps the next person who checks out this site.

Birdchirp 8 Oct 2009

Hello, I had Mixto in San Ramon on august 21, 2009 and had the same experience as you. My skin is all saggy and I have no elastin left at all. I look older. My skin was nice a tight before having the procedure. Now I have saggy jowls and more lines and puffiness in my chin. I have more scars than ever. I am a very attractive woman and the docotor has ruined my face. I literally have a completely different appearance for the worse. We should talk about this some more.

Michael Tomcik, MD 21 Feb 2010

Please see my numerous posts about birdchirp. Any prospective patient can call our office to get a copy of our informed consent and judge for themselves what we actually tell patients. I also offer a 1 hour comprehensive medical and cosmetic evaluation of your skin with specific recommendations

View answers from Michael Tomcik, MD

Birdchirp 30 Aug 2009

I almost forgot to mention that my scars and lines show up more now than they ever did prior to this horrendous Mixto laser procedure. I have not been able to go anywhere and my face itches so much I can hardly stand it, and there is absolutely no benefit what so ever. I am left with these saggy jowls at the corner of my face. When is my face ever going to recover from this traumatic experience. I am an attractive woman and this has made me look worse!!!!! All I can say is I am not going to pay for this!!!!!!!!!!

Michael Tomcik, MD 21 Feb 2010

The remarks by this patient are simply not confirmed by the post operative photo I took 11 days after the procedure. Any prospective patient can call our office and request a copy of our informed consent and judge for themselves the real truth. Also going to our website at advanceddermcare.com to see photo of our actual patients and on a consultation we will show you 5 patients photos on days 1 through 7 as well as 1 month and 4 months. These picture were shown to birdchirp on 4 separate 1 hour free consultations. If she would allow me to post her before and after photos so the readers of this forum could judge for themselves who is telling the real truth

View answers from Michael Tomcik, MD

Birdchirp 30 Aug 2009

Hello San Fran Dude, I had a Mixto on my face on August 21, 2009 , just 10 days ago. My face looks worse than before the teretment and I am still beet red. My face itches and stings like crazy. The doctor and I think we both know who he is did not inform me of the itching as a side effect. He hands out paperwork yet fials to inform the patient of the real side effects. He writes in his post op papers that the redness lasts for maximum of 7 days. Ten days later I am so so red and my skin is so overly sensitive. I missed a big engagement on Saturday, The doctor said I would be done with the peeling and burning by the 29th, yet I am far from it. My skin stings and burnsa and itches constantly.And my lines show up more than before. I am placing a stop payment on my credit card and requesting a refund from dr. tomcik. He misrepresented everything to me and so did his nurse. I am misserable

Michael Tomcik, MD 21 Feb 2010

I am Dr. Michael J. Tomcik M.D. and I did perform Mixto microfractional Co2 laser resurfacing on birdchirp on August 21 2009. I feel compelled to tell my side of the story. This patient had 4 free 1 hour consultations on July 10, 2008, November 19, 2008, July 10, 2009, and August 14, 2009. In All 4 appointments The pre and post operative medications were discussed in detail because the patient was concerned about side effects. I reassured her that since I have been using these products and medications on several thousand Co2 resurfacing patients since 1992 that I was familiar with all the side effects and would be available to take care of her in the unlikely event that she would have any problems. Also the patient was shown pictures of 4 different patients on days 1 through 7 as well as 2 weeks and at 4 months. I also showed her my pictures from 2 years ago pre operatively and 7 days post operatively which definitely demonstrates That my skin was pink and required about 3 weeks to return to my normal color. I explained that over 95% of my face only patients were able to use our very light mineral powder makeup by Jane Iredale to cover any imperfections until it completely healed. It was also explained to her that it take up to 6 months to see the final results. I have a signed 5 page informed consent which explains all of these things. She also signed and initialed and agreed to follow directions and use all of the medications as instructed. The real truth is that she used none of our medications and failed to show up for any of her post operative visits until 9/01/2009 fully 11 days after her surgery. She was a no show for 5 scheduled appointments. A post operative picture demonstrates remarkable tightening which was confirmed by 3 of my staff members. She called my home between 2 and 4 am 8 times between 8/26/09 and 9/01/09 to rant for 20 to 30 minutes. These phone messages are available for any prospective patient to listen to. When I offered a free consultation at UCSF Laser clinic, she refused and told she "has been their and that all 6 professors were incompetent." We now have a court restraining order against this patient.

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nadiahoney 26 Mar 2012

When I see how poor this doctor's grammar is, it does make me a bit worried about how he handles a laser -- what if he couldn't even read the instructions?

Megan P (Community Manager) 27 Mar 2012

nadiahoney, please stay focused on the content. We have strict community guidelines against personal attacks, and this is bordering on the line. We want RealSelf to be a positive place where people can share their thoughts and experience.

SanFranDude (unregistered guest) 27 May 2009

I had Mixto Co2 laser in San Ramon 1 week ago but after all the peeling,i don't see any improvement with my acne scars,i still have the same scars before the treatment.Is it too early to evaluate?The Doctor said in 10 minutes after the treatment you can see results,i think it's baloney to claim that.I'll continue to watch for any changes and i'll keep you posted whether Mixto is worth a try for $2600.

beautyontheway 5 Jan 2013

Hi! So a few years now after your Mixto CO2 laser procedure, any changes? I had mine done 8 months ago, and it removed my acne scars about 50-60%, I am very happy!!! I am thinking about doing it again.....