35 Years Old with Acne Scars - Irvine, CA

Hi,
I felt it was important to write a review and share my story, as I had read so many before going in for treatment. Sorry, I will not be posting pictures, because I was private about my treatments. I had acne scarring on my cheeks - ice pick and rolling - left over from puberty. The scarring was a heavy secret insecurity I carried all these years. So last year, I chose to make the leap and get the Fraxel Re:Pair treatment. I had tried dermabrasions, IPLs, and chemical peels. NOTHING gave results like the Fraxel:Repair!! This week I had my fourth treatment (all have only been on my cheeks). I highly recommend local anesthesia if you are getting this done. It can be painful depending on how aggressive your doctor is going. The down time is definitely a week. The first night expect no sleep. You must sleep sitting up to avoid further swelling on one side and messing your pillow cases with blood or ooze. Sounds bad, but more than anything else its just annoying. The oozing lasted two days for me - not as bad as it sounds. Then the crusting begins, but easily washed away with water and little bit of vinegar. I am usually swollen all week. But, I swell up easily. So icing is required. Each time, I returned to work after a week. The redness, because I am Hispanic (tan), was visible for at least a couple more weeks. I used green makeup primer and liquid foundation to reduce the redness. Most co-workers thought I was either sunburned or wearing a lot of blush. When the redness disappeared I did have some hyperpigmentation. Darker skin is tricky and I was told this would happen. I was given hydroquinone for lightening. After a month or so of using I switched to vitamin C serum. Both seem to work fine with time. In my opinion, the improved scarring trumped any discoloration that was easily covered up with a little makeup. It will fade. Three treatments gave me 80% improvement. Whats left looks like large pores and I am HAPPY with that. You'll never get 100%, but you will get major improvement. After the 1st treatment, I saw major results within ONE month. In fact, I was so happy, I cried at my follow up visit. My skin is smooth, tightened, scarring is filled in. My confidence has picked up tremendously because of it! People I had not seen in months, and had no idea what I had done, were now complimenting my skin. I wish I had done it sooner. I am over the moon with the results. I would recommend anyone who has wished their scarring away, and thinking about this, to do it! Especially if you are in CA - Christopher Zachary is amazing. The overall experience was emotionally difficult (to see your face, swollen, red, and with light oozing), but WELL worth the results. As a bonus, it has made me look a few years younger =) I hope sharing my experience has helped answer someones doubt/questions. Thank you.