POSTED UNDER Fraxel Repair REVIEWS
Fraxel Re:pair for Scarring - La Jolla, CA
ORIGINAL POST
I had a fraxel repair session done for acne...
lauren2980January 28, 2013
WORTH IT$2,200
I had a fraxel repair session done for acne sacrring on my cheeks (went ahead and did my upper lip and chin to help it blend better once it's all healed).
Day One: Thursday 01/24 at 4:30p.m. Went in with no makeup they put numbing cream on my face for about an hour gave me valium and a shot of something else to relax. They followed with idocain ( I think) shots into my face to numb the areas. Because I had the laser right below my eyelids they had to put in metal contacts to protect my eyes, not uncomfortable at all but it did feel strange to not be able to see anything at all.
Pain on a scale of 1-10 was a 3 overall. There were tiny areas that I could feel more than others( right by my ears) but then some areas I really didn't feel at all ( my upper lip area). My doctor and his staff were amazing! One time near my ear I must have flinched or something so they stopped and injected more lidocain so that I couldn't feel the laser. My doctor did say that I had a fair amount of bleeding ( I do tend to bleed easily). Post pocedure NO PAIN at all of any kind. Very mild bleeding continued for a few hours after and I started with vinegar soaks as they instructed followed by aquaphor.
Day 2: still no pain what so ever. A LOT of swelling made it a lttle tough to eat things I had to open my mouth very widely for ( so maybe plan accordingly. I loaded up on tons of healthy foods and orange juice etc to help promote healing
Day 3: A LOT OF SWELLING, when I do the vinegar soaks I am using ice pack gently layed over the soaked gauze and that's helping. DRINKING A LOT OF WATER to help reduce swelling and promote healing.
Day 4: slept elevated last night and it made A BIG DIFFERENCE much less swelling but still swollen. Some of the dried blood is starting to come off on it's own. My doctor told me not to rub or wipe or anything like that.
The main reason I wanted to post on this site was to be able to show progressive pictures because that's what i wanted to see when I was researching so i will upload my photos now. Unfortunately I was a bit out of it immediately after the procedure so the first photo I took was about 5 hours post procedure. I will do my best to update as I go
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UPDATED FROM lauren2980
6 Month Review ( Almost 6 Months)
lauren2980July 18, 2013
It has been almost 6 months since my fraxel Re:pair treatment and I am still very happy with the results. I can't say it's a 100% improvement and I no longer have scarring but honestly I would say at least 60% better, maybe more. My scarring is far less noticeable, especially with makeup on. The products I use are very simple now, I use cetaphil gentle skin cleanser with a clarisonic face washing brush, at night I use Retin A. I have always used Retin A but Dr. Groff also said that this would help improve/maintain my results over time as well. During the day I just use cetaphil moisturizer with SPF 55. I am very pleased, my face is still slightly pinkish in some spots but honestly I don't really care about that part, it's the scars that really bothered me and the occasional pinkish tone is easily covered with makeup. I HIGHLY recommend this procedure, and Dr. Groff for the fraxel Re:pair
Another great perk I have noticed is that for some reason I hardly ever break out since having this procedure done. That in itself has been worth it for me.
Another great perk I have noticed is that for some reason I hardly ever break out since having this procedure done. That in itself has been worth it for me.
Replies (25)
July 18, 2013
It burns the oil glands, so that's why you have fewer breakouts. Also: I don't want the pinkishness. Maybe a different procedure is for me.
July 19, 2013
Keep in mind I also use Retin A nightly which is notorious for making your skin red. That is likely the cause at this point, not the fraxel re:pair
July 20, 2013
I love it, and every dermatologist I have ever spoken to sings it's praises. Along with 20 years of research to back it up. Retin A is amazing in my opinion. Hope you find a procedure that works well for you.
July 20, 2013
Lauren 2080 - I wouldn't even respond anymore... I'm sure everyone agrees they are happy you've had a good outcome! Thanks for sharing your story and God bless :)
August 17, 2014
Wow! Your comment doesn't fit nicely here. I have enjoyed reading Lauren2080's reviews & experiences so much, it's actually been so interesting, thats a lot of time she spent helping strangers with their questions for free, thank you Ms. Lauren2080, I am completely prepared mentally for my VBeam and Fraxel treatment!
August 17, 2014
Good luck with your treatment Jeannettestell!
Just for the record I am still sooooo happy that I did fraxel and will do it again when I have mother week of downtime that will allow it
Keep me posted on how you like it after Jennettestell
July 20, 2013
By the way, is there a line of demarcation still? He didn't feather it.
July 20, 2013
Nope, no line anymore at all. Retn A causes the skin to renew itself more quickly basically. It causes the skin to turn over more quickly. For me it helps to get rid of sun spot and uneven pigmentation. Plus, it prevents wrinkles.
July 26, 2013
Do you have a pic of before the treatment? Just want a sense of where you started from versus now.
July 29, 2013
I am getting this treatment next month. I have a similar treatment history to you in that I been through a series of re:store and would say my scars improved by about 10% maybe even. Congratulations on your results as 60% is quite impressive. My level of scarring is similar to yours I think. Do you have any before photos? Do you know the settings that were used? Thank you for posting your progress you look beautiful. Yes Retin A a good product that I use too. Seems like we may have a similar attitude to skin care. As an aside, I have also had treatments while looking for acne scar solutions of Restalyn Vital Light. This is not a filler as such and did not do much for my scars but is more of a dermal moisturiser and I would recommend this acne scars or not just too give your skin a dewy boost.
March 12, 2014
I was wondering if your skin felt smooth 2 weeks after the procedure- I'm 2 weeks out and my skin feels a little rough and when I look closely in certain light I can see tons of tiny holes- I guess it's enlarged pores but they are all over especially concentrated on my cheeks and jawline where you don't usually see pores... I'm really worried and was just wondering if this is because I'm still not totally healed yet. Did you experience this? Another thing is my skin never peeled.
March 12, 2014
It's going to take a few months to heal ... So don't stress.. It's a process... You're skin will be back to normal after time
March 13, 2014
Hi Natalierose33- yes, I definietly had exactky what you are saying it looks like tiny needle marks or something. if you think about it the laser is doing damage to make your skin kick into it's healing ability so yes, I had the same thing and it went away. To be honest I don't remember how long it took, but I remember it freaked me out at first as well. I didn't have peeling but I definitely lost a layer (or a few of skin) did you? If you didn't I would find it hard to believe that you had fraxel Re:pair. Did your skin look similiar to my first picture after your procedure?
March 13, 2014
Hi Lauren thank you so much for responding that makes me feel so much better! Yes I looked exactly like your first picture, I posted pictures- I think you can see them if you go to my profile. My Doctor is supposed to be one of the best but he didn't fully prepare me for this. One of the nurses told me my skin would look beautiful (although pink) after 5 days! If it weren't for your post/pictures and some others I would have been really freaked out. My skin never peeled but I definitely must have lost some layers because it's still pretty pink 2 weeks later and it was super itchy and irritated up until a few days ago. Starting to get better but the needle marks (good way of describing) had me worried. I can't thank you enough for posting your experience, it really has helped me through mine.
March 13, 2014
I'm so glad you found it helpful. Yes, that's very normal. I was red/pink for months after but then it totally went back to normal. I would still stay 60% improvement and plan to do another re:pair treatment sometime in the next year or so because I was so pleased with my first treatment. Once your skin heals ( a few months down the road) I would highly reccommend the product Perricone MD formula 15. It is made to raise wrinkles but it raises my indented scars perfectly and you can see it working immediately. As in, you put it on, 20 minutes later your sunken in scars aren't sunken in anymore. I have used it for years for that reason. I would say to go to your local Nordstrom and get a sample of it, try it for yourself but it makes a world of difference immediately for me ( I would wait a few months to try it though because your skin is still super raw right now). Good luck, let me know if you have any other questions!
March 14, 2014
Great tip! I will for sure be trying that. Even if I love my results with repair I'm not sure id be able to do it again for some time but maybe fraxel restore, do you think it would be worth it to do a few fraxel restores in a year or so? Also, how long after repair did you start retin A?
March 14, 2014
Right now it probably seems crazy to think of doing another re:pair but if your resuts are like mine (60% better) it will probably be very reasonable to consider doing it again. I think I waited 2 months or so. I would ask your doctor though just to be sure. I don't rmemeber exactly. Hope your seeing improvement everyday! feel free to let me know if you have questions! P.S. I did continue using aquaphor on my face every night for 3-4 months and that seemed to help, for me at least
March 14, 2014
P.s. I just looked at your photos for the first time and your skin looks gorgeous!!!!
March 26, 2014
Thank you Lauren- it doesn't really look that great in person. I'm not seeing that much improvement, the deeper scars are a little shallower but other than that no change. I'm still pretty pink, and uneven blotchy red, and my skin texture is still rough looking up close. I'm so afraid that won't go away. I'm hoping I will slowly start to see improvement over time. Trying to stay positive! I can't wait to try that perricon md! Thanks again for everything!
UPDATED FROM lauren2980
Still happy!
lauren2980June 9, 2015
Still very happy with my result. Would still high;ly recommend this. I am just waiting to have 10 days of downtime so I can do it again. I would say the results have dimished maybe 10% because it's been so long but they typically say that it lasts about 2 years and I past that and have only lost about 10% of my result. Couldn't be happier, some of the best money I have ever spent on anything.
Replies (3)
July 15, 2017
I thought the results were permanent...
July 15, 2017
Just read the next post, wow I never knew that. Do you know if any of the other lasers offer permanent results for acne scarring?
Replies (63)
Thank you for sharing your review. Â Yes we would love to see the progression pictures. Â Keep them coming please.