fresh.air

Geneva5042,
I had Fraxel REPAIR, the most intense level of laser treatment. I would say I looked OK, peeling etc. gone within eight (8) to ten (10) days, and looked "good" within two weeks. I had a "suntanned" glow, on my fair skin for at least a month and half.
A lesser level will not take as long to heal, of course! Good luck!

My doctor had me rinsing my skin with a mild vinegar/mostly water solution, several times a day... about 2 tablespoons of distilled vinegar per quart bottle of distilled water was used for this mix. Soft gauze pads were heavily soaked in the vinegar/water solution and then the soaked gauze was placed over my skin for awhile (10 to 20 minutes). This vinegar soak softened the flaking skin very gently along with the old aquaphor...making a newer cleaner surface for reapplication of a new coating of Aquafor. It was also very cooling and soothing. I have not heard of pineapple for healing skin...and am a little surprised that you would want to use this. Pineapple has the enzyme PAPAIN in it. Papain is the same enzyme one finds in Adolph's Meat Tenderizer... pineapple and papaya juices are also used in meat marinades to break down proteins because of their high papain content. Your facial skin has just been through a lot!!! Please consider being gentle with it and allowing natural healing to occur. Please do not pick or pull anything that is not fully loosened. I know what you see in the mirror now is far more than you expected... been there, done that : )!! Give it some time and you will be very pleased. If you cannot schedule a teleconference, you may find yourself explaining what you had done in your meeting, or canceling altogether... but any one of these options is better than permanently harming your skin. Wishing you the very best of luck with this!!!

This is in reply to "K-Dude's" question about how I feel now, 9 months after the procedure....Please note these comments are about FRAXEL REPAIR - THE MOST INTENSE LEVEL of Fraxel laser treatment: By November 17th, about 18 days after the procedure, I looked very presentable with a glow from my "tan". I had a huge business meeting that day. During my presentation someone commented that I looked like a "California Girl", which I attribute to the bronzed effect and color that remains for quite some time after the Fraxel procedure. The swelling was minimal too by day 18...and completely gone within three to four weeks. Now, 9 months later, I feel my skin has a healthier and somewhat firmer look and feel... Not a huge visible difference, but noticeable to me. There are still fine lines, especially above my upper lip and in the crow's feet area around my eyes, BUT these lines are fewer and have softened...they are not as deep as they were before. There is no real difference in my pore size. I think the most improved area is the thin skin around my eyes, which became much tighter (ie. less baggy). Skin tightened around my jowl line too, and that is a pleasant result. I am fair skinned and had some dark spots. These did not dissappear. The largest one looks smaller, but the others have remain unchanged. I think my initial comparison of FRAXEL REPAIR's effect on my skin to seeing a fresh coat of paint in a tired old room is a good one... same old walls (same skin) but very refreshed. I love the refreshed look from the procedure. Also, because I do think there is some health benefit to rebuilding lost collagen, because I've enjoyed the reduced lines and glow of my skin, and because the frightening recovery period is just a memory, I am now glad I had FRAXEL REPAIR. I would NOT recommend FRAXEL REPAIR to anyone who is very squeamish or on a tight budget. I think the cost versus the horror of the recovery period and the minimal result are hard to justify...UNLESS your fine lines and skin texture are absolutely driving you crazy. You will have tighter healthier skin after FRAXEL REPAIR, but you will still have "crepe" like lines where you had them before, fine lines (softened) where you had them before and your pore size will be the same. Best of luck to you "K-Dude" if you are going through with this option.

It's day four of my recovery from FRAXEL REPAIR. I had the procedure on 10/30, and looked like "The Great Pumpkin" for Halloween. My face was incredibly swollen, and bloody at each tiny laser entry point ... it oozed clear body fluid in some places...very very scary and appropriate for the day. I was afraid my eyes were going to be completely shut by the increasing swelling. Swelling started to go down a bit on day three. Today (day four) I'm still swollen, deep red and cannot be seen in public without upsetting people. It looks like I have a very serious burn, with spotty areas of dark red-brown crusting skin on about 40% of my face. FRAXEL REPAIR does not hurt post-procedure, but is frightful in every other way. I'm sure there are many long-term benefits to this procedure, for people with serious skin damage from sun-exposure or other skin injury. I expect that after the peeling, intense swelling and intense redness subside there will be improved skin. I would not recommend this for simple cosmetic improvement however. It is just far to intense and costly. FRAXEL REPAIR is one step shy of a complete surgical face-lift in seriousness. It is for people who want a lift and improved skin without stitches and general anesthesia. It is NOT a lunch-hour procedure and it is not a breeze. You look way more than "sun-burnt" with the highest level of FRAXEL treatment. I am hoping for the best and expect long term healing and improvements revealed OVER TIME...months of time. I can already tell I will still have some larger pores, fine lines (yes really), some sagging and sun damage visible on my skin, but there will be a small improvement that's noticeable to me... caution: this is not a miracle treatment...just a way of improving and brightening things the way a fresh coat of paint brightens a room.