Fraxel Repair: Stories

I sure hope that pore size reduction is permanent. However, it's most likely due to swelling. Didn't your doctor ttell you this? As long as you're still swollen, pore size, wrinkles, certain acne scars, and other textrual irregularities will look improved. Let us all know this time next year how your skin looks. Hopefully, you won't be left with pebbly texture, thinner dermis, and either hypo- or hyperpigmentation. The best you can hope for with these treatments is a mild tightening due to slight amounts of induced scar tissue (ie collagen - scar tissue is pure collagen without the elastin and it's arranged differently than collagen in normal dermis). BTW, these treatments do nothing for elastin. You might end up with slightly wider but less deep pores (again, a scarring effect that can sometimes look better than what you started with). Also, the swelling can last for many months (depends on how deep the burn was), so until that goes down, you won't really see what you got. Then all this business about 6 mos to 1 yr to see final results boils down to: it takes 6 mos to 1 yr for scars to mature. The scar tissue forms but it remodels for up to a year. I wish these doctors would be more honest with people about how these "peels" (and that's just what it is - a CO2 peel that's been fractionated) work. They all want the money. If you went in for pore size only, there is NOTHING that permanently reduces pore size. I'm afraid you wasted your money and hopefully, your skin will go back to normal without the usual side effects. It's basic histology and these doctors know it. They want the money though... If your skin doesn't go back to normal (as I said look at it in about a year to really judge), then please file a complaint with your state medical board and with the FDA.

Your pores will most likely be tighter only temporarily. See if they're still tighter in a year. I suspect in a couple of months (if even that), the pores will reappear as the swelling subsides. The swelling also serves to mask wrinkles, ceratin acne scares, and other textural abnormalities. Hopefully, you won't notice any long-term dermal thinning or irregularities this time next year. Best wishes.

Fraxel restore or repair? The cost seems quite low for NY.