Has anyone had it done? I really want to get it done and my husband has agreed to pay for it. I had cystic acne as a teenager that left me with ice pick scars on my cheeks and right between my eyebrows. It’s always made me so self conscious. I learned about Fraxel and laser skin resurfacing recently and have wanted more information. The stuff you find on the internet is more advertising for it, so of course it’s only going to tell you the good. I want reviews from actual people. Of you have had it done, or know someone who has, can you tell me about the improvements they have seen and would they recommend it to others?
Re: Fraxel/laser skin resurfacing?
I don’t have ice pick scars and never had any type of laser treatment. However, I did do some research on laser treatments when I thought it could help with hyperpigmentation and spoke to a good friend who is a dermatologist. At the end, I chose not to do it. These treatments are super costs ($500-$800 per treatment in my area usually) and multiple treatments are required to see any results. Even then, there are no guarantees that the scars will go away completely or even to the point where you are satisfied. This was the main reason I chose not to do it, and started with Retin A/chemicals peels etc.
That being said…here is a link that gives you reliable advice on what your options are with ice pick (depressed) scars. I would highly recommend doing consultations with SEVERAL dermatologists and get feedback on what they feel is your best option before you pick a doctor/option.
Re: Fraxel/laser skin resurfacing?
saimab33? Are you in Toronto? if yah then where are you thinking of going?
A close friend of mine got it done (she is desi) and she looks absolutely glowingly gorgeous mA!!! She didn’t have any ice-pick scarring but just marks on the cheeks, I was quiet happy for her that she didn’t get any pigmentation perhaps because she solely wears sunscreen with 100 SPF 
I have been wanting to get it done for a while but along with the pricing more worried about the pigmentation. So when I go I am gonna go in the fall but then I have to leave the house to take my kids to school, so best time would be the summer months but I don’t want to stay cooped up inside hiding from the sun. Dilemma dilemma 
Re: Fraxel/laser skin resurfacing?
OP, have you checked out the Realself and Makemeheal sites? There should be reviews on the procedure from people who've had it done as well as a ratings for whether they thought it was worth it and before + after pics..
I agree with Paheli though.. Perhaps you should try Retin-A and peels first.. Less expensive and you can get amazing results from them..
Re: Fraxel/laser skin resurfacing?
which peels are you talking about deeba? and what is retin A treatment? can we get those in pakistan ?
Re: Fraxel/laser skin resurfacing?
While I think she should still start on RA/light peels like Lactic to improve overall skin…..these are not going to get rid of ice pick/depressed scars. 
The only peels that MAY help are high levels of TCA (25% or higher….should be done at a derm’s office) and phenol (but this is not good for desi skin as it destroys pigment. Ice pick scars can be a very hard to remove.
Fraxel/laser skin resurfacing?
Royal, I am originally from Toronto but now live in Ohio. But if I wanted I could get it done in Toronto as well as my husband is from there as well. The only reason I wouldn't get it done in Toronto is because when I'm there I mostly have to stay with my in laws and I don't want them to know I'm getting it done. But if for some reason I did decide to do it there, I would do it in Markham at Lynde Center for Dermatology. That is where I have gone all along for my skin treatments.
Thank you everyone for the feedback. I was looking into TCA peels and then got pregnant, so obviously I wasn't going to do any of that. My time line is for next summer/fall. I have done some of my own research as well and it seems people are not satisfied with Fraxal. It is newer technology with less down time, but apparently a lot of people get hyper pigmentation and rough skin. I will continue doing my research on the CO2 laser as well which is older technology, with more down time. But apparently more people have positive results.
The thing about getting peels done is that they won't do anything for the ice pick scars. Now my scars are not horrendous. You can only notice them when I wear foundation because the foundation sinks into them even when I use primer.
Cost is not really an issue, as I did my research and told my husband in total it could cost up to $5000. He has agreed to pay for it as he knows how I feel about my skin. The only thing I had to agree to was letting him get LASIK lol!
Re: Fraxel/laser skin resurfacing?
I’m interested to know the average diameter of your scars.
Unlike pigmentation marks, these are areas of scar tissue and can either be small (scarred pores), slightly larger irregular shaped indentations or larger.
To get any improvement in these, you need to ‘damage’ the area again to stimulate new collagen production and healing. I would forget about Laser and look into dermarolling or dermastamping (medical grade) as these techniques will do just that. I would do some research to find a good cosmetic/plastic surgeon that performs these treatments. Proper dermarolling/stamping is very operator dependent and you need to go to someone who has experience and knowledge.. it needs to be aggressive enough to make a difference. You will probably also be given some creams to use in conjunction such as Retin-A.
This page has some more info if you scroll down: Medical Skin Needling, Dermaroller, Collagen Induction Therapy Information
Personally, I know one person who has had it done for areas of scar tissue on her face caused after another procedure and it’s worked really well.
Electrolysis, although primarily for hair removal, causes similar effects in the skin but within follicles. I had scarred pores and some small ice pick scaring on the apples of my cheeks from acne and even though I did not need any hair removal in the area (there are hairs but they are tiny <1mm), my electrologist wanted to do some work here as she explained it would improve the appearance of the scars. It has and the skin is dramatically smoothed out - well my whole face is really since I had a ton of work done over the ‘beard’ area. It’s not something I’d suggest - my electrologist is no ordinary practitioner, I’m just sharing to explain why I believe properly done dermarolling can make a difference.
Re: Fraxel/laser skin resurfacing?
I was looking into TCA peels and then got pregnant, so obviously I wasn't going to do any of that. My time line is for next summer/fall. I have done some of my own research as well and it seems people are not satisfied with Fraxal. It is newer technology with less down time, but apparently a lot of people get hyper pigmentation and rough skin. I will continue doing my research on the CO2 laser as well which is older technology, with more down time. But apparently more people have positive results.
The thing about getting peels done is that they won't do anything for the ice pick scars. Now my scars are not horrendous. You can only notice them when I wear foundation because the foundation sinks into them even when I use primer.
Cost is not really an issue, as I did my research and told my husband in total it could cost up to $5000. He has agreed to pay for it as he knows how I feel about my skin. The only thing I had to agree to was letting him get LASIK lol!
Of course you should check with your OB and/or dermatologist but I'm not sure why TCA would be an issue for pregnancy. It doesn't get into your blood stream. The recovery sucks and may be extra difficult with pregnancy symptoms/hormones….but I have never comes across anything that stated pregnant women can't do TCA.
You're right about Fraxel. Results with laser treatments vary and even after spending thousands of dollars….you may not see any improvement.
You're willing to spend $5K and already know that this can take MONTHS/over a year before you see any results. With that being said….I don't think you have anything to lose by spending a few hundred to get a deep professional TCA peel. Recovery is only 7-10 days and it may not get rid of the ice pick scars, but most likely will make a big difference in your overall skin. After TCA recovery, then you can decide how much more work you want done. (Just my personal opinion lol).
If you already know where you're going to get the procedure done (whatever it is), then have you done a consultation with them to see what they recommend? Stoppit's suggestion of derma rolling is also a great one. But before you spend all the time/effort researching all this…..make sure place actually offers it.
Yay @ hubby getting Lasik! I had it done years ago and its one of the best decisions I've ever made lol. :)
Fraxel/laser skin resurfacing?
I haven't actually spoken to any professional yet because we will be moving from this city next June. We don't know where we are going yet (my husband is a resident so it depends on his work). Once we move then I will start looking into various doctors.
Thank you all for your suggestions. All your ideas give me things to research myself and also ask any doctor that I visit about. This gives me more options.
I still do want to try the TCA peels for discoloration and brown spots from acne scars. I will speak to my OB first, but would be willing to look into getting those done before doing anything more aggressive.
Stoppit, my ice pick scars are not very large in diameter and not very deep either. They are probably like what you described you had.