Fraxel Gone Horribly Wrong - Fort Worth, TX

I had three ablative fraxel treatments one month apart from each other on my whole face and front of my neck. The first one was on the lightest setting, the second higher and the third one was at the highest Setting. The first two sessions went without any problems after about five days. This last one hurt really bad and the pain only got worse as the weeks ticked by. It was this last treatment that scared the he'll out of me. Not to mention how I was scaring myself by coming here to realself and havingmy own personal little meltdown by reading the horror stories about ablative fraxel and how it's affected other people. So, four weeks out from my last treatment, I swear to God my face looked worse than it ever had in my life. All the bad acne ice pick scares and box car scares I had as a teenager were back and new pin point holes were in my face that I had never ever hadbefore. My pores were huge and my nose was full of blackheads. Not mention my face and neck were bright red and felt like I was baking them in an oven. I had to deal with this pain for a total of five weeks! At week four I came to real self and scared the he'll out of myself because of all the horror stories I read here. Then during week fivemy face got so hot and red I thought I'd make the biggest mistake of my life by having ablative fraxel. I so regretted having done it. My life was over I thought. Then I remembered how good I'd been taking care of my face and neck for the last five weeks. Washing it twice a day with obagi soap, using obagi toner and the tns with the awesome stuff that is in there. FOLLOWING MY DOCS ADVICE. Keeping my neck and face hydrated, using the sun screen. But also during these weeks I had started putting retin A back on my face after my initial sluffing of skin from the last treatment. One of the astiticians at the Docs office told me to do this. NOT the one who did the procedure but I did as she suggested. Everyone is different. I'm no spring chicken and co e to find out I was and am healing slower than what I feel is normal from the cumulative effects of these procedures. Especially this last one. So I went back to my Doc. saw him personally and was told to keep doing what I'm doing except cut out the Retin A. I also bought a clairisonic pro cleaning brush for my neck and face. (not from my doc. office though, they don't take C.credit). As soon as I quit using the Retin A myface settled down and almost overnight my face and have made a seemingly Miraculous improvement. Im here to tell all you women that are coming here looking for answers as to why your face looks WORSE after ablative fraxel and are scared to death you really made a giant mistake to be patient. Make sure you are supporting your skins healing. For Gods sake get yourself a clairisonic cleansing brush. Wash your face with it twice a day and use obagi cleanser, toner and a good rejuvenator. Personally in addition to the obagi products and the TNS I'm using emu oil to. It extremely emollient and is non irritating to my skin that is still oh so sensitive five weeks out.
In closing I'd just like to reinterate..dont or stop freaking out. Calm down, make sure your helping your skin to heal itself and be patient. I read a story on here the other day of a woman that had fraxel and did NO after care at home!!! She came here complaining that her face itched and burned like crazy and that it was not her fault and blamed the Doc. Let's try to stay rational and use some common sense when dealing with this issue. Our skin and mental well being are to important not to. I've literally made myself sick worrying over this and had to go to the other Doc to get a shot and so e penicillin because my immune system has been compromised because of all the horrible worry of doom and gloom I've put myself thru over this. My skin is getting well and today after five long weeks I can say its looking pretty marvelous. Take good care of yourself and your skin. If you do that I do believe chances are you and your skin will turn out fine.