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POSTED UNDER ActiveFX REVIEWS

Unexpected Experience..

ORIGINAL POST

I had my Active FX Co2 fractional laser done on...

Elle RusseSeptember 14, 2008
WORTH IT$1,500

I had my Active FX Co2 fractional laser done on Thursday, today is Saturday..

First off I was totally unprepared, I had read all kinds of articles on the internet...but when I was told by the tech at the dermatologists offce that I needed a dental block as well as the ointment I was nervous...I told him I had read "minimal" discomfort..and why did I need a dental block...he said he had it done without anything at all and nearly passed out from the pain...That scared the wotsit out of me...I almost got off the chair and ran off..It wasnt what I had been reading..

I wasnt sure what to do, but I knew that if I didnt go through with it after finally getting to this point, I would be disappointed with myself..

I had to think about it though...and my friend helped me decide...she wanted to see how I fared before she undertook the procedure..lol.

I asked for valium 10 mg and that helped calm me down ..I also didnt realise there were two kinds, one is a one time deal and the other needs to be done over three treatments, one a month...I didnt want that one.

I have to say the dental block didnt bother me at all, didnt even feel it...and the laser over the cheeks and mouth area werent felt..but around the side of the face and the upper eyelids especially under the brows were pretty painful...I gripped my friends hand tight and the tech too...(I have long nails...and they felt it)...I thought it was a lot more than "minimal" discomfort so the information isnt true out there...The tech said he was going to be honest, and the doctor said the same, it hurts.

However it is pretty quick...

Well right after the procedure I had little blood pin points..and my face was very hot and uncomfortable, but not painful...they put vaseline on my face and I had my instruction sheet..I forgot to get the Aquaphor and Topix light recovery complex in my hurry to get home..I wonder if that will be a bad decision...

Anyway I didnt really need the pain med, the ibuprofin was good enough, but I took one to sleep I had no problem sleeping at all...my face was purply red and slightly swollen, I actually liked the swollen effect, it filled in my under eye hollows..lol..

I did put a cold face cloth on my skin and the vaseline..

Today Saturday, I guess day three, I feel fine...it feels a little tight and slightly itchy and some of the skin is peeling off...I can see pink skin underneath and I am excited to see how it will be after all the dead skin is gone..My big peeve that I wanted to improve was old acne scars on one side of my cheek near my mouth, and very dry crinkly under eyes for some reason...he did my eye area so I am hoping for a great improvement.

One of the reasons you dont see many before and after pics is just people want their privacy..Most poeple dont want everyone to know their personal business..especially when it comes to cosmetic procedures..

I have to say it was a strange experience, but one I would do again as far as today goes..However i havent seen the end results yet..

My skin is light olive,so I am hoping I dont get hyperpigmentation. I am going to say overall satisfaction is very good...but I cant say for sure until I see the end results...

Watch this space...

Elle Russe's provider

Kevin Welch, MD

Kevin Welch, MD

Board Certified Dermatologist

4.3 | 9 Reviews
PROFILE

Elle Russe rating for Dr. Welch:

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Replies (16)

Elle Russe
September 16, 2008
Hey its me again, Elle, This is actually day six, if you count the dayof the procedure..I have had a couple of e mails regarding this blog.. I am getting "cabin fever"...I am trying not to go outside, although this morning it is so beautiful out there, almost a fall day, definitely nice for Florida..lol..so I did sit outside for a while in the shade.. My skin has just about all peeled now, I was expecting a more dramatic peeling effect, dont ask me why...anyway it is very pink and fresh looking underneath...Karen H...as to your queries...It has made some difference to my under eye, like you I am in my forties and even though I always wear sun screen on my face my eyes were pretty dry underneath...The marionette lines are softened some but to be honest I think most of the skin treatments, be it laser or dermabrasion work better for fine lines than deep lines...I didnt have any fine lines, except the under eye as I said...The old acne scars(yes I used to pick)have definitely improved... My face is still somewhat red and splotchy around the chin area..that appears to be where the laser was concentrated more... The pain factor, apart from the initial procedure, isnt bad at all, at least not for me...I would say there was really no pain after the initial four hours or so after. There was some hot swelling discomfort..and as I said an ibuprofin and cold wash clothes took care of it.. The doctor put me on three days of 40 mg prednisone and ten days of valtrezx 1gm...I hate taking those, but it is necessary for skin recovery apparently.. If anyone wants to write me regarding this I will answer any questions I can..and I will add more when I see how things improve...It takes several weeks or months to see the collagen regenerate..but so far it looks pretty good...If you are thinking of it get all the information you can as we are all very different in out healing process and what works for one doesnt work for another...
Sharon Pettit
January 12, 2009
Can you tell me who your doctor was, and is this doctor in Pensacola?
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Sharon at RealSelf
January 13, 2009
Hi Sharon, Doctor information is located at the top of the review. Please note, you'll need to be signed in to view, which requires free registration for an account.
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Sharon at RealSelf
September 16, 2008
Hi Elle, Glad to hear things are going well for you! I'm looking forward to keeping up with your updates. :) All the best, Sharon
Roop
September 22, 2008
Hi Elle, I am considering Fraxel's fractional laser resurfacing done around my eye area to help reduce dark circles and minimize the few fine lines I have. I am of Indian origin and have an olive skin tone and am 44 years old. I am wondering how long the redness/pinkness of new skin remains. I don't like wearing much make up & am eager to know what it is like for you now especially around the eye area. Thanks for your help.
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mshahmd
May 1, 2009
Be careful. You will need pretreatment with a product such as Triluma to keep your pigmentation risks as low as possible. Also, the darker your complexion the less the laser energy allowed. Instead of laser, consider chemical peels, eyecreams, and hyaluronic acid gels. You are quite young and can get improvement without the significant risk of the laser. Good luck, Dr. Shah
Elle Russe
September 24, 2008
Hi, It will be two weeks on Thursday, today is Tuesday Sept 23....I am happy with my treatment I will be honest about it..if I wasnt I would say...I am Mediterranean descent and so I have a light olive skin also, I had heard some poeple with darker complexions had hyperpigmentation and such...It is all about the individual...we are all so different. I REALLY wanted to get this procedure done. I had read alot about it and looked at pics... Yes, as some poeple say there arent a great deal of pictures out there..but that is basically because most poeple want to keep this kind of thing quiet..most cosmetic produres.. The guy at the dermatologists office who did the prep for me was very dark skinned and it made a huge difference to his skin..He had alot of deep acne pits and just one treatment..So far I can see it has reduced the dark shadows under my eyes, which I have always had to an extent, even as a child... I am still slightly pink though...and I am sure this will take some weeks to fade..but to be honest I dont mind the pink at all..to me it looks healthier than my yellow undertones..lol.. I dont wear much make up on my skin at all..never have...i do like eye make upe...as you know the more you age the more crinkles and dark shadows appear under your eyes..it has definitely improved for me.. I am also excited to see how much better my skin gets as the collagen starts to repair itself over the weeks and months to come.. If you have an hesitations talk to the doctor in depth...write all your questions down to ask...but remember that everyone heals at different times and the treatment appears to be slightly different on each individual..I can only say I am very happy I did it..and it was worth the $1400 I paid..The dermatologist did say though that it is better to do the whole face rather than one area such as the eyes, because your skin will look different...It wasnt about the money either, cos there wasnt alot of difference in the under eyes or whole face.. if you have more questions dont hesitate to ask me...and I will let you know more as time goes by... Elle
Bethia
September 30, 2008
Hi Elle, Thanks for posting your updates. I am going to have this dome in couple of months and would like to know more about it. MY doctor said I only need to take 1 Valtrex pill before the procedure. Maybe I should contact him and ask why that is so when you were prescribed 10 days worth. Anyway, thanks for sharing.
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