Hoping for Healing After Fraxel Restore Treatment

I was just wondering how old everyone is that had laser treatments. I think the younger ones will heal better than us older folks. Don't give up hope, we have to be strong. I just went to the derm and told her about all the stories I read and what happen to everyone. She said she now uses the dermapen that I had told her about years ago. She went to a lecture and now that's what their telling people to do for scars & large pores. I met with the girl who does it for her and she says she's been getting good results from people and she puts on a stem cell serum after then a peptide mask. I go back in a couple weeks so i'll see if I can find out the serums she uses Sorry you've been getting mail from people attacking you. Horrible. That's the last thing you need to wake up to.

I was 23. Young.

I was 33.

I was 53 Never touched my face before except to wash it. I had a couple scars from acne that I thought after hearing about lasers there was finally something to help them. Boy was I wrong. Finally able to do something for myself & it made a mess of my life. So sorry you were so young. I heard from a lot of people in the last 8 yrs and it's so hard on the young girls, so many told me they don't go out & want to quit school and don't want to socialize to meet new people. I really feel for you and everyone going though this mess. We all trusted our doctors. Now I find it hard to trust any of them esp if they bring up laser again to me. Just needling now and fillers for dents. I went in for 3 pock marks and came out with a face full, fat loss, broken blood vessels etc. Spending so much to fix this mess when we all should be out enjoying ourselves. I had gone for more laser treatments to fix what the first one did and all I did was waste my time and money. Fat or filler for fat loss & needling for scars & pores. I noticed I really used my dermapen hard a couple weeks ago and the pores look smaller. Still have to work on the scars. I swear I pray for us all to find an answer. still waiting to hear about recell being legal here. The put out these machines & say their ok after hearing about all this damage but when we hear of something that can help they don't approve it. What's with that?? So sorry for you youngens. all we can do is pass the word that it's dangerous to others who are thinking of it. I had laser for scars, why they would do the whole face?? is ridiculous when they don't know if your skin can take it or not.So sorry Janey and lefOx your both so young to have to deal with this.

I think Obagi does it best. Before you can have an Obagi peel, you must prepare your skin with products for several weeks. There is peeling and redness and it's a pain, but it is to get your skin ready for what is coming. Personally, I have gotten a series of milder peels, once every six weeks, in an effort to ready by skin before the Obagi Blue peel. The office that will do my peel has discontinued the use of CO2 laser as they had too many complaints and complications. Peels have been done for over a hundred years, lasers are still a long way from being safe. Doctors are egotistical, they don't like to be challenged, and if something goes wrong, well....it's either "very rare" or, it's your fault, and most certainly not their fault. Ever.

I had the Obagi peel with my fat transfer and lift. I used other peels before Sorry to say it didn't do much for me. It did take away a bit of darker skin on my neck, half of it was darker than the other side because when I had the erbium done he only did half my neck so the other half looked different in color. The blue peel helped a bit with that. Yep the ones who did the damage always say it's your fault. Mine said I had scars under the first layer and now they show, that's a bunch of BS. I didn't have deep dents from fat loss and scares around the scars that I had and on my chin and all over my cheeks. Oh he also told me I needed therapy and walked out of the door while I was begging & crying for him to help me.

Yes, I know. I had dents and gouges in my upper thighs after VelaShapeII in one of those Newport Beach offices that was run by a registered nurse, but a doctor was available only in case of a problem. He came in and looked at the mess that was created by two treatments that left me looking like I had road construction on my legs. He said, "Well, it doesn't look as bad as my wife's lipo scars...."! They trivialize it and try to make you appear nuts. It's a no win situation with them. We trust them and we are taught to respect their skill and education and they take advantage of that respect by using ridicule and dispassion. Don't place your faith in them, they are not worthy....

:(

Hi Sats. I can relate to how your doctor walked out on you. My doctor said she couldn't see any damage. When I threatened to take it further she said there was nothing I could do as I had signed the waiver form. So I just asked her to give me some advice as obviously I was a bad candidate and my face was burning even after two months. She just laughed and told me I was hormonal!! She was lovely before she got my money and ruined my skin. I don't know how these doctors manage to sleep at night knowing what they have done to others.

You are so right. I have had some really good treatments, and I also have been scarred on my arms and legs by bad treatments. VelaShape is a strong laser that should not be used on fair, thin skinned women, especially if they are older. It can melt the fat too fast and the heat of the applicator can actually leave it's imprint on the skin. The fat is gone, the skin is thinner and lax, and the scars remain and grow deeper with age. You can go to one doctor after another, and they are sympathetic, but they have seen these bad results before, they may even know the doctor that is the culprit, but the procedures continue. It's a slippery slope we take when we succumb to the allure of what they promise. And, it's pretty sad that the industry capitalizes on our desire to "grow young".

That's why I don't like to "blame the victim" I feel the doctors, the medical device industry, and the regulatory authorities are FAR MORE culpable in so many ways: violating the oath to first, do no harm, failing to spend as much resources in treating and preventing complications as they do in pushing the procedures, and failing to protect the public from unsafe devices and procedures!

I agree I am made to feel guilty every day about a facial scar every day God help us all

Yes, very small improvements over time. You also get used to seeing it, and get better at covering it. I read your review and I feel your pain so clearly. The anger, the depression. We all feel it. All I can say is settle in and get ready for a long recovery. Stop going back to your doctor who did this and start from scratch. Your not going to get much help from doctors. In the beginning you shouldn't do anything harsh to your skin. Try to give your self permission to be upset. You've been assaulted basically. Treat your self kindly. When is your wedding?

This July :( ... If I can go through with it.

Remember it's one day and you can get through it. I can see your damage because I know what to look for but to others it's not as noticeable. With some good make up you'll look a lot better. Don't let it ruin your life. I know it seems like the end of the world, and believe me I know, I missed out on so much the first year out and still do on occasion. The long term is what you have to look at. It will get better.

i agree

Ok it's reassuring that it will get better ... It's disheartening to hear that it may take a year or longer. I'm worried Im just going to break down and cry on my wedding day and not be able to get in front of all those people ... I have the most amazing fiancé in the world and its so hard for him to see me like this. I want to be able to live to tell about this traumatic event but getting up in the morning is so hard.

And I'm a teacher so its so hard to come to work and be happy and cheerful for the kids

Its a good thing you have someone who love you
For who you are in spite of your issues
Best of luck to you:-) :-) :-) :-)

Wow I Assume you meant that in a nice way but it didn't make me feel good at all. I don't think my appearance has ever been my strongest asset, but that does not mean that I don't want to have self confidence in my appearance and that has much more to do with how I feel about my self than what anyone else thinks. My husband doesn't care, you're right. I do however. I guess I'm lucky? I don't feel lucky and honestly what if I wasn't happy in my marriage or something? Should I just stay with him because no one else would ever want me? Sheesh.

Would you recommend TCA peels to improve texture amd help skin look smoother?

You'll probably be fine. Everyone's skin is different. Good luck'

Hi I also have textural damage on my nose from IPL tteatments. I was being treated for a sun spot and in the meantime a scar I had now looks worse and I have an additional scar from where pigment crusted off. This is effecting me sand as you. Total nightmare. It's all I think about. I've lost weight and its ruining my family and social life as I don't want to be seen. So glad I found people I can relate to!

So sorry I didn't research before going for treatment or I would have never done it. I feel like I paid money to have my life ruined. So depressing and what I wouldn't do to have my old skin back even tho it was far from perfect.

It makes me really sad to hear this keeps happening to people. It's affected me too, I avoid seeing people since my injury...I don't know what to call what happened. I think of it as a disfigurement although I get flak for using that term as people think it's too harsh. Let me know how your peel goes. I tonight of doing one but I've been told my skin is too sensitive.