“Was almost frightened off, but so glad i did the fraxel now!”
Fraxel Laser: Worth it
Pain: Uncomfortable
Just to clear up pricing, the $450 was an inital payment and the total will work out to be about $2000US.
Firstly, I'm getting fraxel to treat hypopigmented (white) scarring on my arms which are, as I understand it, harder scars to get rid of. I had my first treatment 3 days ago and am very impressed with how well it was handled and how smoothly it all went.
The experience itself:
I went in 3 days ago to have it done. I took the day off work as I was anticipating pain and/or horror. I had this done by a doctor at a dermatology clinic, rather than by an esthetician.
To be truthful, the laser was very strong. Before the procedure, I was given a painkiller and anesthetic cream on the actual area to be lasered. This stuff was also extremely strong. To give a better idea, I also had injections of cortisone into the scarred area after the lasering was done. I could not feel the injections at all but I could still feel the laser, and pain from the laser, though it was mild bordering on moderate, though certainly not unbearable. Judging by that I'd say that without the numbing cream the laser would have been sheer agony. I do not recommend doing fraxel without the numbing cream, as the experience would be horrendous. The actual lasering only took a matter of minutes, it was over with quite quickly.
Afterwards, I was given after care information as well as moisturizer to use on the area. I had redness, just like a sunburn, but even after the numbing cream wore off, I barely felt anything. There was no swelling at all, still no swelling at all, and now, 3 days after, it looks like a slightly darkened, healing sunburn.
It's only been days, and the skin is still darkened and sandpapery, but I can already see some lessening in the appearance of the scarring. I'll post more updates after my second procedure, which is next month.
My overall advice? The doctor you see makes all the difference. I'd advise seeing a doctor and not a beautician. Don't be scared off by the negative experiences of others which, while valid, and I feel deeply for those people and am very sorry to hear about what happened to them, that does not mean a negative experience for everybody. I was so scared I almost canceled, and am extremely glad now that I didn't.
The next bit of advice - get the numbing cream. Don't do it without it, this is a very strong laser and without any painkillers, it will hurt. As it was, for me, the pain was bearable.
More updates to come once I can start to see more, and before my next treatment!
Updated on Apr 26, 2009:
Ok, had procedure number two done a few days ago.
That, was painful. The first time it hurt but this time, more so. Not during the process, but afterward it seems like it's more tender than it was the first time, that's because the skin is newer and thus more tender this time around.
It's gotten to the point where it's dried out and is sandpapery, and looks like a bad sunburn. It's starting to itch so I'm guessing it's healing well. The improvements are still coming along, some of the scars are almost invisible now, but the worse ones are taking longer to lessen in appearance.
It's still early, I'll update once the swelling/redness/bronzing has gone.
Mar 8, 2009Comments and replies (42)
465 posts
12 Apr 2009
Why did they inject cortizone after they did the laser??? It defeats the purpose of stimulating colagen,,,,, you have micro holes in your face.. Is it keloid/raised white scarring??? How many procedures has your doctor done like this?? Please keep us updated... I have heard of people getting a cortizone shot for an cystic acne or joint swelling/injury to reduce swelling ect....but never after Fraxel..... Is this a new thing??
19 posts
9 Mar 2009
The scarring is actually on my arms, not my face, so I have it a little bit easier in that way. Admittedly I'd be more nervous about getting laser of any kind on my face. The cortisone is because the scars are raised, white (hypopigmented), the goal being to flatten the scars a little more to help the healing process. The doctor has done procedures like that before but, due to privacy reasons, of course, I don't have an exact number. However I will keep updates as the treatments, and let you know how it's gone, whether good, bad, or ugly. Thanks for your advice, I'll keep in mind all you've said. :)
20 posts
26 Mar 2009
Hi, I was wondering how you obtained the scars on your arm. I have many white, slightly raised, fine scars from seld injury. Do you think Fraxel will flatten and blend my scars with the rest of my skin?
19 posts
8 Apr 2009
Sadly, my scars have the same cause as yours, which is why I'm desperate to get rid of them. It's now been a month since my first treatment and my next is in two weeks, but I am seeing some improvement and the scars are definitely looking flatter (I think that's due in part to the cortisone injections done at the same time as the procedure). So, it's early days, I'll be able to tell you more after my next treatment. But if it keeps improving then I'll be very happy with the procedure and won't hesitate to recommend it to others with the same thing. So, to sum it up, if it keeps improving as it seems to be then yes, I think it could help. But I'd be able to give better advice further on in the treatment once I have more results. :)
20 posts
9 Apr 2009
I appreciate your response so far. Please keep us updated on the progress. My appointment is on the 24th of April and I have come close to canceling my appointment a few times.
19 posts
11 Apr 2009
That's quite a coincidence..mine is just a day ahead of yours! I came close to canceling as well, and I'm glad I didn't cancel as this seems to be my chance to get rid of the scars...as you probably know, they're an awful thing to live with. I'll update after treatment two, because they say the second isn't like the first. I'm happy to document every step of the way. :) Good luck with your appointment. Hope it goes smoothly as mine seems to have. are you doing Fraxel laser or Fraxel repair?
20 posts
12 Apr 2009
I'm doing Fraxel Restore. How about you?
19 posts
12 Apr 2009
Same, Fraxel Restore (aka Fraxel Laser).
465 posts
12 Apr 2009
Lara I hope The treatment goes well for you..It sounds like they are doing the right things for you... Best Wishes Keep us updated
19 posts
13 Apr 2009
Thanks :) There was one thing which did frighten me a little at first, that being some small light patches (hypo pigmentation) that appeared a few weeks after. Thankfully,and to my intense relief, the affected skin seems to be slowly but surely going back to the normal color. I'm keeping an eye on all and any progress, though.