POSTED UNDER Fraxel Laser REVIEWS
Complete & Honest Pros & Cons Reviews After 1 Fraxel Application with a 24 Y/o Male. - Montreal, Canada
ORIGINAL POST
___ About Me___ I'm 24 years old and decided to...
bisonbisonApril 20, 2016
$100
___ About Me___
I'm 24 years old and decided to do Fraxel as it seemed to provide overall skin benefits and wanting to stay ahead of the curve in terms of my looks. I'm a performer and so to me this is a form of investment.
___ About doing the procedure___
I went in, and the nice lady at a local beauty salon recommended a number of things that I could do to rejuvenate my skin. I had undergone a major weight loss in my teens and so certain things like fillers & a lift could also be helpful in my case. That said, I decided to go with the Fraxel laser as it seemed to be an easy overall procedure.
She began at a lower setting. After doing about an inch or two of my face she said that I was really good and decided to increase the strength of the laser to a medium.
___ After the produre___
I had the typical week of reddish peeling skin. I had 1 red blister on one eyelid that peeled off but is still visible a month afterward (going away though). My eyes kept tearing up for about 4 weeks and just recently came back to normal. My cheeks are still numb to this day, so I'm guessing that the "deeper" effects are still rolling in.
My skin itself feels better. The consistency if it makes any sense, is a little stronger, and I feel like my face is more rigid. When I touch my face it is smoother to the touch.
On to the worst part of this procedure: I have some scarring on my forehead. The typical holes that are mentioned in many of these reviews, as well as tiny little horizontal "lines" / wrinkles. I know these came from the laser because when I had done my 1 application, she had skipped holes here and there, and my red spots were a little bit like a checkerboard all over my face, with untouched skin here and there.
If I had to describe the changes briefly: the skin itself is stronger and healthier -- but damaged at the most external layer. My skin shines better in pictures -- but in person in a brightly lit environment, a close examiner might mistake my face for snake leather boots.
So here are my departing questions:
Given that usual scars (mosquito bites, etc) usually take a long time to heal: how long would it be before the procedure completely stops to alter my skin? (I'm guessing that it might take a couple of months before my cheeks stop feeling this numb?)
What are other procedures / products for me to consider in order to resurface the utmost external layer of my skin? If I pinch my forehead a little bit, all of the lines and holes disappear; leaving my skin looking great; so it almost seems to me like the damaged has "shrunk" my skin into itself? My guess is that there is a layer of dying skin on top and I'd love for it to shed, but I can't say that I see this happening at the moment.
Thank you for your time.
I have abstained from uploading pictures as of yet given that the results look very similar to most other uploaded pictures.
I'm 24 years old and decided to do Fraxel as it seemed to provide overall skin benefits and wanting to stay ahead of the curve in terms of my looks. I'm a performer and so to me this is a form of investment.
___ About doing the procedure___
I went in, and the nice lady at a local beauty salon recommended a number of things that I could do to rejuvenate my skin. I had undergone a major weight loss in my teens and so certain things like fillers & a lift could also be helpful in my case. That said, I decided to go with the Fraxel laser as it seemed to be an easy overall procedure.
She began at a lower setting. After doing about an inch or two of my face she said that I was really good and decided to increase the strength of the laser to a medium.
___ After the produre___
I had the typical week of reddish peeling skin. I had 1 red blister on one eyelid that peeled off but is still visible a month afterward (going away though). My eyes kept tearing up for about 4 weeks and just recently came back to normal. My cheeks are still numb to this day, so I'm guessing that the "deeper" effects are still rolling in.
My skin itself feels better. The consistency if it makes any sense, is a little stronger, and I feel like my face is more rigid. When I touch my face it is smoother to the touch.
On to the worst part of this procedure: I have some scarring on my forehead. The typical holes that are mentioned in many of these reviews, as well as tiny little horizontal "lines" / wrinkles. I know these came from the laser because when I had done my 1 application, she had skipped holes here and there, and my red spots were a little bit like a checkerboard all over my face, with untouched skin here and there.
If I had to describe the changes briefly: the skin itself is stronger and healthier -- but damaged at the most external layer. My skin shines better in pictures -- but in person in a brightly lit environment, a close examiner might mistake my face for snake leather boots.
So here are my departing questions:
Given that usual scars (mosquito bites, etc) usually take a long time to heal: how long would it be before the procedure completely stops to alter my skin? (I'm guessing that it might take a couple of months before my cheeks stop feeling this numb?)
What are other procedures / products for me to consider in order to resurface the utmost external layer of my skin? If I pinch my forehead a little bit, all of the lines and holes disappear; leaving my skin looking great; so it almost seems to me like the damaged has "shrunk" my skin into itself? My guess is that there is a layer of dying skin on top and I'd love for it to shed, but I can't say that I see this happening at the moment.
Thank you for your time.
I have abstained from uploading pictures as of yet given that the results look very similar to most other uploaded pictures.
Replies (8)
May 18, 2016
Are you sure you got Fraxel for $100??
June 28, 2016
Yup. Same machine used on me can cost 1000 and more in this city. I've been a deal hunter for a few years.....
August 23, 2016
I appreciate your post. I have been wondering about how happy people are with their fraxel experience. I am older than you and have a few wrinkles, etc. I also have sun damage. My own experience is that the best help I have had is from Retin A. There is a video on Youtube by a woman who has been using Retin A for 30 years. She's in her 60s and looks 30. Another Youtube video says that 0.!% Retin A daily can actually prevent skin aging. I also have been doing facial exercises. If I had started at your age with these two things I could have saved myself some grief. Neither of them is invasive or risky at all. You're smart to stay ahead of the curve.
August 23, 2016
Hello bison bison,
Let me first just start by saying I'm very sorry that you had a poor experience with those laser. I am an experienced laser technician with nearly eight years under my belt. I performed quite a few treatments myself for various conditions of the skin including acne scarring, Whitehorse, find lines, and wrinkles. As well as using the Dual wavelength to treat pigmentation and sun damage.
Now I'm very interested to know what the parameters are that were used with the laser. Also, were you using any topical Solutions prior to or post treatment? If so, what were you using.? A lot of different things can tie into how the laser affect your skin including light sensitivity, changing pH, sun exposure prior to or post treatment, and also proper post care. There's also the potential that the wrong parameters could have been used for your skin type, or it's possible that the technician performing the treatment could have mishandled the device during treatment. To be honest, developing scarring as well as discoloration or lines is a very unusual response.
It is also important to understand that there are a number of different models for fraxel. If I'm not mistaken I believe there are four different Generations. The latest of which being the fraxel Dual. The two earlier Generations are the fraxel Reliant as well as the fraxel restore. Both of those are very aggressive lasers and if mishandled can actually damage the skin. If you could, try to find out which of these lasers was used also try to find out the parameters such as the wavelength of used, the fluence, the treatment level, and how many passes were done on your skin. Your provider should have all of this information detailed and documented. Hope to hear from you
Let me first just start by saying I'm very sorry that you had a poor experience with those laser. I am an experienced laser technician with nearly eight years under my belt. I performed quite a few treatments myself for various conditions of the skin including acne scarring, Whitehorse, find lines, and wrinkles. As well as using the Dual wavelength to treat pigmentation and sun damage.
Now I'm very interested to know what the parameters are that were used with the laser. Also, were you using any topical Solutions prior to or post treatment? If so, what were you using.? A lot of different things can tie into how the laser affect your skin including light sensitivity, changing pH, sun exposure prior to or post treatment, and also proper post care. There's also the potential that the wrong parameters could have been used for your skin type, or it's possible that the technician performing the treatment could have mishandled the device during treatment. To be honest, developing scarring as well as discoloration or lines is a very unusual response.
It is also important to understand that there are a number of different models for fraxel. If I'm not mistaken I believe there are four different Generations. The latest of which being the fraxel Dual. The two earlier Generations are the fraxel Reliant as well as the fraxel restore. Both of those are very aggressive lasers and if mishandled can actually damage the skin. If you could, try to find out which of these lasers was used also try to find out the parameters such as the wavelength of used, the fluence, the treatment level, and how many passes were done on your skin. Your provider should have all of this information detailed and documented. Hope to hear from you
UPDATED FROM bisonbison
1 month post
A bit of a timeline
bisonbisonApril 23, 2016
Lol, I've shed alright. A long time ago.
The real issue is that there's been some seemingly permanent damage done to the skin. Allow me to demonstrate with a couple of pictures:
- before the procedure, (taken before going) (2 months ago)
- 2 days after, the scabs had peeled
- 5 days after, the redness begins to go away
- taken with lighting to show that fatty deposits around my nose & eyebrows have changed as result of the laser. (positively) also redness had cleared up
- this last one taken up close with red light to show the little holes and lines that have happened as a result of the laser.
Overall I shy away from mentioning this procedure to people just in case someone ends up with little holes on their forehead because of something I said.
I'd personally value a demonstration of this kind of scarring going away, otherwise it has the be said that with this many negative impressions the Fraxel procedure really does look like a dead end deal.
One improvement I've noticed is that for a while the eyelids had thickened and loosened, but it seems that they're slowly coming back to normal. That said, there are a lot more little white dots.
The real issue is that there's been some seemingly permanent damage done to the skin. Allow me to demonstrate with a couple of pictures:
- before the procedure, (taken before going) (2 months ago)
- 2 days after, the scabs had peeled
- 5 days after, the redness begins to go away
- taken with lighting to show that fatty deposits around my nose & eyebrows have changed as result of the laser. (positively) also redness had cleared up
- this last one taken up close with red light to show the little holes and lines that have happened as a result of the laser.
Overall I shy away from mentioning this procedure to people just in case someone ends up with little holes on their forehead because of something I said.
I'd personally value a demonstration of this kind of scarring going away, otherwise it has the be said that with this many negative impressions the Fraxel procedure really does look like a dead end deal.
One improvement I've noticed is that for a while the eyelids had thickened and loosened, but it seems that they're slowly coming back to normal. That said, there are a lot more little white dots.
Replies (3)
August 23, 2016
Oh, ps. I just wrote a comment about my experience with Retin A. You mentioned permanent damage from the fraxel. I did a 25% TSA peel on my hands, and burned myself. I even posted a video of it on Youtube. That was in March. I thought I was scarred permanently, but the Retin A has almost completely cleared it up. I noticed that a minor burn from a curling iron on my forehead healed amazingly fast also. I say this because it helped me and it might help you. It works gradually and stimulates elastin and collagen.
October 14, 2016
I wouldn't really expect good results from "a nice lady at the beauty salon." Why didn't you go to a plastic surgeon?
March 22, 2017
You look like you have olive skin like me. Did they warn you about the fraxel laser would darken?
Debra
Debra
UPDATED FROM bisonbison
1 month post
Eyelid Ridge??
bisonbisonApril 23, 2016
I've added one last picture for today. You can see that 1 eyelid has a "ridge" and the other eye doesn’t.
.... That was never there ........ neither do other family members have that.
But yeah as I said it's coming back to normal slowly, so this particular issue I'm not paying much attention to.
Also yes I do need a haircut -- but I work from home and the weather only just got warm around here, so do please forgive me.
.... That was never there ........ neither do other family members have that.
But yeah as I said it's coming back to normal slowly, so this particular issue I'm not paying much attention to.
Also yes I do need a haircut -- but I work from home and the weather only just got warm around here, so do please forgive me.
Replies (1)
April 29, 2016
I'm a Fraxel Laser damage victim and the damage I am experiencing- on going damage after 4 years is no joke!!! Please hear me loud and clear FRAXEL and ALL LASERS DAMAGE HEALTHY SKIN CELLS!!! It doesn't matter how well the technician uses the device on your skin eventually the laser ruins your healthy skin cells. Read up on laser damage, read Angela Walker's story. You will see that all of these lasers just harm your skin. They work like a microwave and burn the inside of your skin. You don't even know the extent of the damage until time passes, It's terrible!!! Doctors DO NOT know how to treat the damage AT ALL. The laser company WILL NOT help you either. I've reached out to everyone and got no support and no solution to my on going problem. It is very sad and scary. Please leave yourself alone and just baby your skin. Do not stay in the direct sunlight and wear sunblock everyday. Your skin is vulnerable be gentle to it.
Best of luck to you:)
Best of luck to you:)
Thank you for posting! Do you have any photos? Love to see your results!
Have you started flaking at all? I know you mentioned you wanted to your top layer to shed.