Laser Resurfacing: Stories

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Candela Quadralase C02 - Troy, OH

Buggahroo
posted 1 year ago
updated 9 months ago

Worth It
Cost: $600
Troy, OH

Just yesterday I had my second treatment with this...

5 May 2012

Just yesterday I had my second treatment with this laser. The Dermatologist said I would probably need 3 treatments to be happy with the results......as you can see, the scars are pretty bad!! I'm having a treatment done every 2 months. I was happy with the results of the first session, I definitely saw an improvement of probably 20-30%. And the thing that really gets my hopes up is that it continues to get better for 6 months after the procedure!
I took this picture today about 24 hours after I had the laser treatment done. So there might be some swelling making it look better than it will after the swelling goes down, but I will update with new pictures in about a month.

It's been about a week since I had my 2nd laser...

14 May 2012

It's been about a week since I had my 2nd laser treatment, and I took some new pictures today. I gotta say I am really happy with the way this treatment is working. I thought I was always gonna be insecure about my scars...but with the way it's going, after my next treatment they may not even be noticeable anymore!!!! Thank God for technology!!!! :)

It's been a month and 2 days since my 2nd...

6 Jun 2012

It's been a month and 2 days since my 2nd treatment.....Just updating with new pics. :)

Hi everyone! It's been a month and 2 days since I...

8 Aug 2012

Hi everyone!
It's been a month and 2 days since I had my 3rd treatment. I'm posting new pictures even though I still have 8 months to see my final results! And I am going to take pictures on my 9 month mark to post on here too, so you haven't officially gotten rid of me just yet! lol. Anyways......I hope my review has been helpful to anyone out there looking to get laser treatment done for their scars. I know I had a hard time finding before and after pictures of my type of scarring before I went in and did the surgery...so that's why I decided to post my embarrassing photos!! I hope everyone that tries this procedure gets the results they are looking for and I also hope you don't let your scars hold you back from anything no matter how insecure you are about them! A lot of people have something about themselves they are embarrassed of....and not everyone notices the same things that you do. Keep your head up high and believe that you are gorgeous no matter what.....cause you are!!!! :-)

2 months after my 3rd laser treatment and I'm just...

11 Sep 2012

2 months after my 3rd laser treatment and I'm just updating with new pics.

Great review?

Comments (31)

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Jan Bernard
19 Jan 2013

Hey! How's things? Would You mind updating with pictures? I'm interested how does the progress look like. All the best!

AlissaBanks
26 Nov 2012

You have reached great results! I tried laser skin rejuvenation michigan and I got great results too!

Buggahroo
27 Nov 2012

Thank you! :) I'm so happy to hear you've received good results from this procedure too!

Jan Bernard
13 Nov 2012

Hey. How are You? How is Your regeneration going? Anything new worth mentioning?

Buggahroo
27 Nov 2012

Hi there... Still doing good, thank you. I haven't taken the time to take new pics yet but maybe I should do that and compare to see if there has been anymore changes. Other than that I don't think there is anything new to mention. But thank you for keeping in touch!

Megan P (Community Manager)
13 Sep 2012

Thanks for posting new pics for us - looking good! :)

Jan Bernard
1 Sep 2012

Did You used anything to get rid of discolorations? Because looking on Your picture with dog I would say You look amazing. Not only I can't notice any scars or discoloration marks, I just can't stop looking into Your Eyes. You look so charming.

Buggahroo
5 Sep 2012

Wow thank you so much! :) I do have make up on in that picture and also that was taken before I had any of the procedures done. That's why I had my hair covering my cheeks lol...but still, thank you for your compliment. Although, the redness has faded out a lot after my 3 sessions. It used to be very red to where I would not go in public without make up....and now it's a faint pink color so I'm not as insecure about leaving without make up!! I never thought I'd be able to do that again. I'm not gonna have another treatment for another year or so just so I can see how much more it will improve in the upcoming months. I'm excited to see what the turn out will be! :)

Jan Bernard
5 Sep 2012

Well, thanks for response. I'm sure You will see constant improvement, although let's be clear, You look simply... beautiful.

piyu376
18 Aug 2012

hii friends i have been jst researching in this forums from a long time since i am very depressed about my acne scars which are not very deep but i have them all over my cheeks very shallow my doctor recommended me co2 laser should i go for it or not pls answer me bugharoo will be very grateful to u.........................................................

Buggahroo
5 Sep 2012

If your scars are shallow like you say then you have an even better chance of this procedure working for you! Just keep doing your research and make sure you really educate yourself on it and that should help you decide whether or not you want to go through with it. Good luck with whatever you decide!

Megan P (Community Manager)
9 Aug 2012

I absolutely love your most recent update - you are so right about not letting the things that bother us about ourselves hold us back! Thank you so much for choosing to post pictures. I know its not easy to post a picture of a thing you are self conscious about. You are so brave and kind to post these for others to learn from - thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Buggahroo
8 Aug 2012

Hi Eileen! Wow that is definitely a lot more than what I paid for sure! Make sure you check around to get the best doctor and also the best price... Esp since you will more than likely need more than 1 treatment to get the results you're looking for. Yes there is another laser for the redness...I believe it's called the VBeam laser..at least that's what it's called at the place I go to. And actually the VBeam is 200 per session as opposed to Quadralase which is 600. But my doctor said for redness you need about 5 sessions of VBeam.
The "acne" that I had did subside on its own....it was there for about 6 months....and honestly I don't think that's what it was anyway. To make a long story super short....I lived in an apartment for 8 months until realizing there was toxic mold in the floors and had this horrible breakout of boils and a bunch of horrible crap on my face. When we moved out, it went away. So I can't really give you a routine of what I did to make it go away since I believe it was an issue caused by the mold that went away when I moved out of that place. But I've always used Neutrogena 24/hr Acne Clearing System and I rarely break out when I use it so if you haven't tried it maybe you could give it a shot!
As far as I know the Quadralase does not improve acne...But there is the Blue Light laser that supposedly does treat it. I read about it a few times online....definitely look it up! I know that in my area there is a spa that does Blue Light for about 50-100 dollars a treatment. And I think that you can still get the Quadralase done when there is active acne but they try to encourage you not to because they say it would be pointless to treat your scars if you have the possibility of still getting more scars from current breakouts.
I will post new pics very soon.....If you have any more questions I'm here so don't be shy! Good luck!!! :)

Eileen3863
7 Aug 2012

Hey there!
I like your pictures! You look great and the improvement is very evident. I can't wait to see your latest pictures!
I have a consultation scheduled for August 30th. I am excited, but my doctor charges thousands more than you paid.
I could be wrong about the price, but when I asked what the whole face cost, the receptionist told me around $5,000 but to be sure, I'd have to set up a consultation.
My scars are not as deep, but I think I have more than you, and in more areas. Also, your skin appears to be a little less sensitive than mine. Do you know anything about the quadralase and redness? I'm guessing there is another (expensive) laser for redness, but I'm not sure.
Anyway, from your photos, it looks as if all of your acne had already gone away some time ago.
I was curious if you know this or not - will the laser improve or treat current acne?
If not, is it bad to even get the quadralase done while acne is still present?
I have pretty sensitive skin with some redness so I'm guessing I'll have to save my vacation days so I can relax at home and heal from the redness and peeling...
How did you clear up your acne or did it clear up on its own?
What is your skin care routine like and is what cleared up the acne?
Anyway, any info you have to offer would be great!
Again, would love to see your latest pics!

Soham
24 Jul 2012

Hi Buggahroo ,

I have a lot of similer type of scarring like you.Now My derm has prescribed me for Deep ablative fractional Co2 laser.I know there is risk of hyperpigmentation as I have Indian skin.THis is because of there will be a lot of scabbing,peeling of the burned skin.Did you see same type of peeling.how long did your redness last?How long was your down time.My down time would be 10+days.Do you thing this going to improve the type of scarring we have.Thankssssss..

Buggahroo
5 Aug 2012

After my treatments my skin feels like sandpaper for about 2-3 days then on the 3rd-4th day it starts peeling.....pretty much looks like peeling you would get from a sunburn...white, flaky skin. And as far as the redness goes, it has been a month since my 3rd session and I am still a little pink. But it is a common thing and make-up covers it up. It takes about 5-6 days for me to be able to put make-up back on and actually go in public....but if you research it, it tells you that down-time is anywhere from 4 days to two weeks. So I guess that part just depends on you and how quickly your skin heals. I really have seen a noticeable improvement in my scarring. I haven't updated with new pics yet from my last treatment because I've been pretty busy lately but I will post some soon. But yes, I do believe that for the type of scarring we have it can most definitely improve them bc I've seen it on myself. But you have to realize that not the same results always occur for everyone....but I do believe there is something out there that can help scarring if one thing can't! But give it a shot and make sure you are patient bc it can take up to 9 months to see the final results from these laser treatments. April of 2013 is my 9 month mark....so don't just expect to go in there and get the treatment and a week later to have your results!! It takes time. :) Good luck!!!!

blueblue
17 Jul 2012

Hi Buggahroo, how are you going after your second session on you acne scarring? I did my second round of smart dot on the 29th of june so been 19 days and have to say im really not happy!!! Showed the doctor the grid marks i had from the last one so he didnt go as hard on my face... about 3 days alot of the swelling went down. On the 7th day i started to cry as my skin looked so good acne scarring still there but slowly flatting out...no grid lines, all gone! But now my face looks terrible it even looks like there is more scarring in places i didnt have them... i know he didnt do it as strong because i could't really feel it, the time before i thought i was going to jump off the bed!! i have even more wrinkles than before even though i hadnt gone there for that... dont know if the more you swell and when it goes down you wrinkle... I am booked back in for round 3 in late september though i am really unsure what to do now!!!! i dont know if i should just have a face lift stretch out all that scared skin so at least the scarring if flat .. Oh but sooo much pain and money... and i still want to look like me! Acne scarring is the worst thing EVER!! hope your having far better results : )

Buggahroo
5 Aug 2012

Hey blueblue...Sorry I hadn't replied to you sooner, I've just been having a pretty busy life lately. But anywho.... I think that if you are not seeing good things after your second session you should either reconsider your doctor, or reconsider the treatments. I only say that because after every session I've had I only see good things happening to my skin. Maybe you could consult with a different doctor to talk about more options....I know you might have been joking when you said something about a face lift to stretch out your skin but what if that really is an option for you that could give you your desired results! Like I said before, laser resurfacing may not work for everyone....so maybe it's time for you to look on to a plan B. I'm really sorry that it hasn't worked out for you........But I know there has to be another option for you!!

Buggahroo
25 Jun 2012

Thank you Laura! I didn't check with my doctor about the settings...but maybe the next time I go I will ask her what settings she used and post it on here. I've read those same comments about it being set too high and bad things happening....I guess you just have to find a dermatologist who knows what they're doing

Laura4711
18 Jun 2012

Iam happy for you Buggahroo =) thank you for sharing your experience with so many details. How agressive was your treament? I have read comments of people saying that their doctor kept a too high setting for too long, not sure how you checked this before you did your treatment.

Megan P (Community Manager)
6 Jun 2012

WOW!!!! That is HUGE change in your scarring!! Did the doctor say if all the swelling was for sure gone?? Please keep us update if things stay the same or if you see any changes over the next few weeks - so excited for you!!

Buggahroo
8 Jun 2012

Thanks!! Yes, the swelling lasts for up to two weeks but it's been over a month so there is no swelling. I will be updating again after my 3rd treatment. :-)

blueblue
17 May 2012

Thank you some much Buddahroo for your positive advice, i will take that on bored as sometime reading all the reviews you start to doubt what you have done. Dont get me wrong i do see an improvement but as you said im up close in the mirror everyday looking at my face, days i think it looks good and others i think there is no change. I ask my husband and he tells me every day that he can definitely see a change. He said he didnt even notice my scares before,( thats because he loves me, hes a good man) he said my scares are still there, but not as bad, more to the surface not so deep. he said he wouldnt tell me that it worked if it didnt as it costs alot of money, and to lock myself up for a week, alot if you see not results. He is encouraging me to go back for number 2! My dermo said i'd need 3 shots of laser to get the results. How long did you wait between treatments. So glad your seeing results i can see your results from your photos and they look fantastic!! Will you post some more a few weeks after this treatment? I have taken some photos but it depends on the lighting at the time, sometimes i cant even see my scares in photos (love those shots) but that is not the case, when i take them too close the flash must be too strong it whitens out my face makes me scare free!! Thank you again : ))

Buggahroo
17 May 2012

I'm so glad your husband helps keep you positive!! It's really nice to have someone around who is always encouraging you and telling you they see a change! My derm told me to wait 2 months in between lasers....My next one will be in July like yours. Thank you so much for your comment on seeing results on my scars..I really hope you see great results when your sessions are complete (I'm SURE you will!!) I will definitely post more photos probably in about a month from the last photos I uploaded. Btw I know what you mean about taking pictures and the lighting being just right to where you look like you have no scars......I love those shots also!!!! lol..One day we will be able to take pictures in any lighting and have no scars in them and in real life! :)

blueblue
16 May 2012

Hi Buggahroo, witch CO2 laser did you have done? And when was your first treatment done? I had the SmartXide Dot laser done 3 1/2 weeks ago, my first treatment and still have mixed feeling about it. At first i was over the moon now i can still see the dots on my skin and when i wear make up have to keep a check on it as the day does on as i can see are the dots. At times l look like ive walked into a fly screen door. i too have very bad acne scarring very, and have lived with it long enough. I think it is a little better it did look alot better last week this week looking a bit like i started( i hope not) im counting on the 6month mark i do go for my next treatment in july so im praying it helps!!