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It has been 5 months since my procedure and I...
It has been 5 months since my procedure and I think I would have to see both before and after pics of then and now to remind myself what I looked like before because I see myself every day and may have gotten used to my "new" face. Mind you, I only had one procedure and had decent skin before, so it's not like this was a huge miracle. How could it be? It was one time and most doctors recommend a package deal. I have a very good skin care regimen and credit my looking younger than I am to that, not necessarily to the Fraxel. I think in order to really be satisfied, you need to ask yourself why you are doing this. For me, I just wanted to be refreshed, get rid of some of the sun damage and freckles and not have to wait for several cycles of peels and microdermabrasion to give me what I wanted. Instant gratification for a fresher complexion was my driving point and I certainly got that. So, am I happy? Yes indeed. But, I probably would not do it again for several years because it truly was downright painful and the downtime for me was almost a week. I don't have the desire or time to go through it again. However, if my face truly was terribly damaged by sun and age spots, then I would have much more of an inclination to do this again because I did see enough of a difference after the first time to be a believer.
I think it is important though to understand that this won't fix everything. I have had Botox in the past and fillers for fine lines and had hoped that Fraxel would make it so I would never want that again, but muscles and movement of them create the wrinkles and unless you are using a paralytic agent like Botox to stop that movement, no amount of laser will get rid of those. I made the mistake of thinking almost too positively and thinking I would come out looking like a teenager and that was just not realistic.
So, if you want a pick-up and want to look fresh, then I say go for it, but be realistic in your expectations and understand that some people found Fraxel to be very bad, so take their opinions into consideration and weight the pros and cons.
I think it is important though to understand that this won't fix everything. I have had Botox in the past and fillers for fine lines and had hoped that Fraxel would make it so I would never want that again, but muscles and movement of them create the wrinkles and unless you are using a paralytic agent like Botox to stop that movement, no amount of laser will get rid of those. I made the mistake of thinking almost too positively and thinking I would come out looking like a teenager and that was just not realistic.
So, if you want a pick-up and want to look fresh, then I say go for it, but be realistic in your expectations and understand that some people found Fraxel to be very bad, so take their opinions into consideration and weight the pros and cons.
Oh, one last thing before I forget..I spoke with a...
Oh, one last thing before I forget..I spoke with a dermatologist who recommended NOT using Aquaphor or any other petroleum based moisturizer, especially during the first day or two because it traps heat and can make your skin much more uncomfortable. Try the Biafine, which I LOVE though it is a prescription, or La Roche Posay Cicaplast, which is used specifically for post-peels and microdermabrasion. Also, Aquaphor can clog pores and unless you really scrub it off (which you wouldn't want to do after Fraxel), it can stay like a film on your skin and cause break-outs. You may already be miserable due to redness and peeling and pain, so do you really want to add insult to injury with Vaseline or Aquaphor? Now I know why my skin was so red and had pinpoint bleeding spots when I washed it. I felt like I had to be much more agressive because my skin felt more gross than it needed to. Just my opinion, but I think the Dermatologist obviously knows better.
UPDATE- Day 4 All I can say is "WOW!" It has...
UPDATE- Day 4
All I can say is "WOW!" It has been 4 days now since my Fraxel Dual session and I have noticed a HUGE difference in my skin in such an amazing way. It seems like my skin changed literally every hour. Yesterday was Day 3 and it was the worst in that I just looked pretty terrible- my skin looked super dry despite lots of hydration and was still a little red. But, as I washed my face that night with Cetaphil, the dead skin sloughed off, revealing fresh, new skin WITH NO FRECKLES. I was amazed! I will admit, seeing that made me get a little aggressive with the washing and I noticed small, pinpoint areas of bleeding from too much rubbing, so don't do that. Just be patient. But, as I looked at my hands, I saw brown pieces of skin which were my freckles. I know, it sounds gross, but it made me realize that this truly does work.
So here is my regimen...rub a quarter sized amount of Cetaphil cleanser onto dry skin and gently massage with fingertips then wash with cool water (warm is ok too, but it might be a tad uncomfortable for new skin). I use Cetaphil anyway and usually use it on dry skin at night to take my makeup off and then rinse, so I know it is a good product. I then apply a thick layer of the Biafine cream given to me by my dermatologist, but Aquaphor will work well too. I don't care for the Aquaphor in the daytime because the feeling of the petrolatum base is annoying to me. A good moisturizer or Biafine for day and Aquaphor for night and SUNSCREEN if you're going out. I have Neutrogena Faces with 95 SPF. No kidding. And that's it!
All I can say is that I know some people had very bad experiences with Fraxel and that is a shame because if what I am seeing 4 days into it is just the beginning (the effects are supposed to be gradual over several weeks to months), then I am SOLD.
I will post again in another week or when I see different results.
All I can say is "WOW!" It has been 4 days now since my Fraxel Dual session and I have noticed a HUGE difference in my skin in such an amazing way. It seems like my skin changed literally every hour. Yesterday was Day 3 and it was the worst in that I just looked pretty terrible- my skin looked super dry despite lots of hydration and was still a little red. But, as I washed my face that night with Cetaphil, the dead skin sloughed off, revealing fresh, new skin WITH NO FRECKLES. I was amazed! I will admit, seeing that made me get a little aggressive with the washing and I noticed small, pinpoint areas of bleeding from too much rubbing, so don't do that. Just be patient. But, as I looked at my hands, I saw brown pieces of skin which were my freckles. I know, it sounds gross, but it made me realize that this truly does work.
So here is my regimen...rub a quarter sized amount of Cetaphil cleanser onto dry skin and gently massage with fingertips then wash with cool water (warm is ok too, but it might be a tad uncomfortable for new skin). I use Cetaphil anyway and usually use it on dry skin at night to take my makeup off and then rinse, so I know it is a good product. I then apply a thick layer of the Biafine cream given to me by my dermatologist, but Aquaphor will work well too. I don't care for the Aquaphor in the daytime because the feeling of the petrolatum base is annoying to me. A good moisturizer or Biafine for day and Aquaphor for night and SUNSCREEN if you're going out. I have Neutrogena Faces with 95 SPF. No kidding. And that's it!
All I can say is that I know some people had very bad experiences with Fraxel and that is a shame because if what I am seeing 4 days into it is just the beginning (the effects are supposed to be gradual over several weeks to months), then I am SOLD.
I will post again in another week or when I see different results.
Provider Review
La Jolla Laser Cosmetic Clinic
Schedule with Tami, the Nurse Practitioner and you will not regret it. She is knowledgeable, informative, really knows her stuff, and clearly is skilled and trained well. I am a Physician Assistant myself, having previously worked in Dermatology, but changed specialties long before Fraxel came out, so I understand the caution people may have about someone other than an actual doctor being the one to administer treatment, but I urge you to educate yourself before you assume a Nurse Practitioner or a Physician Assistant is not capable or not as good as a doctor. In fact, many more in-depth cases in Dermatology are seen by the doctor, whereas the cosmetic procedures are seen by Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants. So, more often than not, the NP or PA is actually more skilled! Both doctors and nurses who work in laser have to attend classes, or have extensive training before they start treating patients. Just because a person does not have MD after his or her name does not make them any less capable.