My experience of Intracel and Fraxel for acne scars and wrinkles

[utterflapdoodle]

One week ago I had a combined radio frequency microneedling (i.e. Intracel) and Fraxel CO2 laser treatment for my face.

I'm 51 so the main thing I was concerned about was ageing skin but the first thing the dermatologist saw when she looked at me was my acne scars. I have a long history with acne and quite a lot of rolling and atrophic type scars that I had more or less resigned myself to living with.

I was excited to hear that the Intracel could help the scars and the Fraxel would improve wrinkles and signs of ageing so I signed up for it on the spot.

Did it hurt? Yes it bloody well did. A numbing lidocaine gel was applied to my face before the procedure but it was still very uncomfortable.

The doctor did two passes of the microneedling, the second one deeper than the first. The second one hurt like an absolute bastard. The only advantage of all that pain was the Fraxel that came after didn't seem so bad, sort of like very hot sprinkling on the skin.

The recovery was pretty rough. There was lots of swelling. My face felt hot and tight and there was terrible itching at day two or three when the superficial skin started to peel off. I looked absolutely horrendous for about five days. Really godawful. The type of horrendous that would scare small children.

At one week out there is still some residual redness and a little swelling lingering around the cheeks but at least I can go out in public now with some make up.

It's a bit early to be looking for results but I can already see the scars have improved markedly, especially the atrophic scars. My cheeks look much smoother and I can see that the pore size around my nose has decreased. Though it will take months to see the final result.

For maximum improvement I should probably have one or two more of these treatments. If you had asked me two days after the procedure if I would do it again I would have said absolutely not but now my skin is feeling much better and I can see the first results I'm tempted to do it again.

If anyone wants to ask me anything about the procedure itself, the recovery or the results then fire away.

Forgot to mention that I can also already see an improvement in pigmentation marks. The small brown spots I had from sun exposure are mostly gone.

Was the fraxel for the benefit of the scars or was it the micro needle? May I ask the cost?

The radio frequency microneedling (Intracel) is the one that helps the scars most. The Fraxel targets wrinkles and pigmentation marks.

If your main concern is scars then the Intracel treatment is the one to go for. Outside Europe the main brand names are Infini and Secret RF.

I haven't received the bill yet but it should be around 1200 euros for one combined treatment.

Thanks for sharing your experience (& being brave enough to do it in the first place!). Pls update again in a month or so x

I do intend to update this thread periodically. I should be able to judge the results better after one month but I've been told the full results aren't visible until up to six months after the treatment.

If anyone is considering a radio frequency microneedling treatment I'd suggest these tips for a faster and more comfortable recovery.

• Ice. After the treatment for the first two days at least use cold compresses or ice packs on your face frequently. Ten minutes every hour at a minimum. Do this like it is your job. I didn't do this enough and paid the price with severe swelling.

• Do not lie flat. Try to sleep with your head propped up as much as possible. I realised this too late after I woke up and could barely open my eyes for the swelling.

• Keep showers short and cool. Again like a total idiot I overdid it with steamy hot showers which just made things worse.

• Use a neutral moisturiser designed for dry skin conditions. I used Epaderm cream and slathered it on when my skin was feeling tight. It doesn't relieve the tightness entirely but it helps.

Hello!

Thanks for sharing, I'm looking into this and was just wondering about an update?

Hope you've seen good results!

Any update years later