Question
Fraxel repair - How much downtime can I expect?
I am 45 and lately I've been feeling like I just look old so I wanted to try the Fraxel repair to go after some wrinkles, sun damage, et al. However my husband's class reunion is coming up and I don't want to look like a burn victim in public. How long does it normally take to heal after Fraxel repair? How long before you can at least cover up the redness with makeup? Does the peeling go on for a long time?
Asked by: Sharon from Washington, D.C.
Answers (1)
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June 13, 2008
Profractional Laser downtime
There are quite a few fractionated lasers available, and I have experience with the Profractional Laser.
The downtime from this laser is only 3-4 days before you are able to wear makeup and cover the pinkness that remains. The remaining pinkness usually resovles wihtin 7-10 days.
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8/31/08
I had the fraxel Repair may 9th. I was in bandages for over a month and could not leave the house.
8/31/08
I'm nine weeks post fraxel repair and still have pigment issues that I can now cover with make-up. I was told to expect 10 days of down time which was a joke. I was still hiding in my house at 6 weeks.
11/6/08
It has been about a year since I have had my two fraxel procedures now. I found it extremely painful. They applied a bright blue dye to my face and then the numbing cream all over my face. Which felt very weird because some got on my lips and dripped down my neck. I don’t remember the painkillers they gave me but im pretty sure it was Demerol and a Tylenol 3. So I sat there for approximately an hour before they started my procedure. Oh and they also gave me one of those stress balls to grip onto to try to make me forget about the pain… they started on my forehead. It felt like someone was taking a very abrasive substance that was on fire and digging it into my skin. I can tell you my hands were clenched so hard and I couldn’t stay relaxed. My legs were stiff and I just wanted it to be over and done with. The worst part was on my upper lip, which I kept on asking when that part was going to be over… I wanted to tug that machine out of her hand…
So it all ended. It took about 45 minutes… the lady washed my face with some gentle soap and put cool cloths on my face and some cooling cream…I asked to see my face, which was probably not the best thing to do…. Its like I was expecting to see a completely new face or spectacular results right away…. but all I seen was a swollen, blue and red face…. So I went home and iced my face all day long… and my skin was already peeling and I had the urge to scrub my face to get all of the skin off… but I decided that probably wasn’t the best thing to do right after surgery…. so the next morning I woke up and my face was hardly red anymore… but just a little swollen around my eyes and by the 2nd day I was completely normal again… I peeled about a week later and it was nothing a little cream couldn’t handle… and since then I have tried Affirm laser… I heard better things about it… I recommend asking for numbing cream with that treatment before hand… I found it quite uncomfortable, but it only took about 15 minutes to do the whole treatment…but today. About 6 months later… my scars are less noticeable and I have fewer lines around my mouth and forehead… not too sure if it was the fraxel or if it was the affirm laser that gave me these results though………