Wonderful doctor!!! I've had 3 IPL treatments done in the last 6 months. Both women and men actually ask me what I do to my skin. I tell them the secret is to find the right dermatologist who knows what to do. And the results will speak for themselves
I had a consultation with Dr Ramsey Markus at BCM in Houston to address some acne scarring I had on my cheeks. I've previously had 3 sessions of Fractora treatments with no improvement as well as countless facials, treatments, microdermabrasions etc. Nothing seemed to help! I expressed all this to Dr Markus during our consult and he was very sympathetic and understanding. He took the time to explain a few things to me and lay out my options. He highly suggested a series of laser treatments to improve my boxcar and ice pick scars. I think he could sense I was very hesitant to take him at his word seeing that I've had no luck with past dermatologists and their empty promises of improvment with Fractora. He then offered to do one Deep Fx treatment free of charge if I agreed to allow him to post my before and after pictures on his website. I of course agreed! Day of procedure: numbing cream was applied to my skin and I was also injected with several numbing shots. These burned slightly but trust me, you want them. Procedure took a total of about 30 mins. Laser was uncomfortable in sensitive areas, like around the eyes and nose. But it's bareable. Immediately after I had a few droplets of blood on my face and was slightly pink. Almost unnoticeable. My skin felt tender and sunburned. The redness and oozing gets worse over the following 24 hours. I did not wear makeup of any kind for the following 4 days after treatment. I highly advise taking at least 4-5 days off of work. Redness can be masked with makeup for the most part 4 days after. I had this procedure on a Thursday and it is now the following Monday. Without makeup, I'm still uncomfortable being in public. I still have some micro swelling which others don't notice but I can. My face looks a bit more plump, which isn't a bad thing. Because of this the scars seem to be gone but this isn't an accurate result. The Dr said the true results can be judged around 3 months post procedure. I've been sure to keep my face and hands very clean and my skin protected with vasaline. This is very important. It's also key to be gentle while washing and no picking or excessive touching of the face. Let it heal. The redness is still present and looks funny but is significantly improved. Overall I am very hopeful. I'm pleased with how my face is healing and although it's been pretty unpleasant and a bit of an annoyance to have my face look crazy these past few days, I have a good feeling that it'll be worth it in the long run. I'll be sure to post before and after pics and to update in about a month on my progress. I also highly suggest Dr Markus to anyone in the Houston area who suffers with skin issues. He goes above and beyond the call of duty and I couldn't be more pleased with his professionalism. The total cost of the Deep Fx to both cheeks was quoted at $700, again he waived this fee in my case in exchange for before and after pictures. Updated on 24 Jan 2016: I see a slight improvement. Some days seem better than others. Acne scars can be very tricky. Still have some hyperpigmentation on cheeks. Some days it's worse than others. This is by far the worse part of the treatment.
I had my first of five Fraxel treatments on Friday, May 8th. My doctor applied numbing cream to my face 2 hours prior to my treatment and rubbed the cream into my face every 20 minutes while I waited. When it was time for my treatment, I was given a hand-held cooling wand to use as needed to cool my face. I received the treatment on my cheeks and chin for acne scarring. I didn't feel the first pass, but it got a bit more intense after each pass. I would describe it as hot pricks polling across my face. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the worst) I would rate the pain at a 3. My face became swollen, but never hurt afterwards. Right now, the swelling has gone down a little bit, but my skin is more red and starting to flake. I can already tell a difference in the texture of my skin. My doctor used 55 mjls. My treatments will be spaced one month apart from each other.
I had done it over a year ago, did one session/month for 4 consecutive months ($500/session, price excludes the numbing cream). I still have acne, still have scars. While I was getting the treatments, I was using topical creams like Duac (which does help a little) and Doxycycline. I also cut back on dairy a lot (Dr. suggested it, said a cow's hormones may somehow affect me). The results from the Smoothbeam were temporary--it basically flattens the pimples, smoothing your face, and then the medications help a little in preventing the acne. It's been a year, and I'm just as unsatisfied with my face. Thinking of starting Accutane now.
