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Fraxel Laser Treatment: Norah talks about her fifth treatment
August 9, 2009 - Follow me on Twitter
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***Review submitted by our reader Norah who is becoming our specialist when it comes to fraxel laser***
If you’ve not read Norah’s first four features documenting her fraxel laser treatments, I’d highly suggest you start there because it will not only make more sense, but you’ll truly be able to get a sense of what’s involved in this acne treatment and you can better determine if this might be the solution to dealing with your acne scars.
Norah’s recount of her fraxel laser:
Fraxel laser treatment session #1:
Have you considered laser resurfacing to get rid of your severe acne scars?
Fraxel laser treatment session #2:
What you need to know about using fraxel laser to remove your acne scars
Fraxel laser treatment session #3:
Fraxel Laser: Reader Norah goes for her third treatment
Fraxel laser treatment session #4:
Fraxel Laser: Norah’s fourth treatment to remove acne scars
>>> Here’s what Norah had to say about her latest Fraxel laser treatment:
Finally! The day has come for my last Fraxel treatment. As many of you reading this know, I have an incredibly low pain threshhold, and Fraxel is far from a painless procedure, so I’m quite happy that it’s all over.
I went to the hospital with absolutely no make-up on this time, and the technician said she could definitely see progress since the beginning of the series of treatments, which is something the dermatologist echoed when I saw her in March. I still don’t see it, but as I keep saying, I see myself every day so it’s hard to tell.
I will say that I went on holiday a little while ago and just the other day I was looking at a photo someone took of me on the holiday where I had very little make-up on, and I thought the texture of my skin in the photo looked pretty good … it actually looked “normal”, which is something most people take for granted, but something I’ve struggled to achieve through heavy layers of make-up for over 20 years. Even in my hotel bathroom after showering each morning, I saw clear, calm, smooth skin in the mirror, which gave me a little thrill inside. 
Following my usual two Percocet and numbing gel, the technician got to work and this time she ratcheted up the laser to the maximum setting the dermatologist recommended for me. The first pass-through was almost tolerable — I certainly wouldn’t say it was pleasant, but I wasn’t squirming or crying. The second pass-through was definitely more painful and we had to take breaks in between each section of my face, but I kept psyching myself up by telling myself it was the LAST one and in a few minutes, it would be ALL OVER and that I could do this!
As an aside … when I was on holiday, I decided to get a small tattoo and I was terrified of the pain, but after my Fraxel laser treatments, it was practically a piece of cake! Not painless, but certainly endurable! Go, me!
The swelling the next day was no worse than it was last time around, which is surprising because the setting was a little bit higher.
Five days later and the swelling is all but gone, however, my face remains quite red and scaly. But I know this will pass in a few more days.
I have to really protect my face from the sun this summer (which I would do anyway, but I have to up my SPF from 45 to 60) as the sun is the worst thing that affects my skin’s ability to heal properly (same advice the tattoo artist gave me). Collagen remodelling (which is essentially what Fraxel laser is all about) takes a good 45 days (6 weeks) for the initial effect to be seen, so I’ll be examining my face closely in mid-to-late July to see how it looks.
When I saw the doctor in March, we agreed that after my last appointment in June, I would take the summer off (they don’t generally do Fraxel laser treatments in the summer anyway, because of the sun) and come back in October for an assessment.
I have a feeling I might need a couple more sessions, but the technician told me even if that’s the case, I can concentrate on specific areas that need it — e.g. cheeks, nose — instead of the whole face. Less pain, and less expensive, too! I didn’t know you could do that, I thought you had to have the entire face done, always, but that apparently isn’t the case.
At any rate, the dermatologist will determine what areas and how many treatments when she assesses me. The maximum number of sessions any of her patients have had has been eight, so I’m looking at a maximum of three more sessions in November, December and next January. The things we do to look good!
Have a terrific summer, Beauty Match readers, and I’ll report back in autumn!
P.S.: Did you know, if you live in Canada, cosmetic surgery (such as a Fraxel laser treatment) is tax-deductible? I didn’t know this before I started, but I’m glad to know it now for next year (you can claim up to 12 months after you start treatments). So save your receipts!
>>> You’ll find all the details here: cosmetic surgery IS tax-deductible in Canada!
A note from Krizia: It would be great if U.S. and international readers could also share their experience with Fraxel laser treatment and also let us know which countries consider cosmetic surgery as a tax deduction!
We want to know what you think. Do you agree? Or disagree? Leave us a comment!
Posted by Beauty Match on August 9, 2009 | Permalink
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Topics: Adult Acne Skincare, Anti-Aging Skincare |
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