Booked in for my first PDL treatment this monday, wil try get some before and after pics up sometime. Im getting excited

If you get PDL done at high energy u will bruise purple, but if u have mild energy done since its your first time no bruise, also ask your dermatologist (I hope your going to a dermatologist) to use the stacking method, thats when he or she does a 2nd pass over the skin area in other words the size of the lens on the laser should be a 10 mm when it zaps u should feel a cold sensation and a mild zap, then he or she zaps that same spot again then move on to next spot and 2 zaps, then again etc.etc. gives better clearance of redness.

I was taking it for about 3-4 days and Ijust noticed no more flushing or blushing, but not a slowing down, it just stopped!

between paxil and PDL my skin is more pale than before, and I have another set up in about 10 more days which will be my 3rd!

Thanks Jason, do u have any before and after pics? even if the before pic is just one of u out on the town or whatever and the after one u can take?

U really cant go by pictures, because even in my before pics I cant notice redness, but in a mirror I can, and now its way better but Im not done with PDL treatments yet, going to get about 2-3 more over the next 2-3 months.

Wow, so much of what you have said has struck a chord with me. Being anxious in public places, turning red in hot rooms or sunlight, flaring up for absolutely no reason, seeing the redness in mirrors but not in pictures, pretty much everything. Just the other day I was telling my mom how embarassed I get in public about my face and she said I should try Paxil. At first I really didn't want to because I figured it would just buzz me up enough to not care instead of actually getting rid of the redness. But after reading this I'm definately going to try to get a prescription. The only thing I'm worried about is that if I am honest and tell my doctor why I want the Paxil she may not give it to me or wont give me a high enough dose. I do have a question for you though.... if you started the Paxil and the treatments at the same time, how do you know that its the Paxil and not the treatment that cured the redness??

Because PDL does not solve flushing and blushing, but Paxil does. Paxil is for social anxiety disorder which alot of people have but even more so with people who have KPRF because of the way it looks its normal to feel embarrased over it no one wants to look different. PDL removes the permanent redness, and Paxil removed the extra redness from flushing and blushing, once thats gone u can tell how red ur face really is which mine was mildy red but mainly pale, so I have PDL treatments done to remove the redness from the KPRF, as the redness from flushing and blushing constantly is gone and actually the flush and blush is worse redness then just the KPRF redness, but when combined (KPRF redness and when u flush and blush) it makes your face as we all know BEET RED. or like one guy on this forum wrote:
It looks like I have 2 jelly donuts living under my cheeks. so let ur doc know u have anxiety in public (which is social anxiety) and its prescribed for that, but many docs prescribe thing for off label uses, like accutane is for severe acne, but docs prescribe it to people who ask for it to clear up KPRF, which it does not.

oh so what your saying is paxil only stops the blushing but you need pdl to remove the permanent redness? what is pdl?

Pulse Dye Laser, no Im not saying u need pdl but u can tell what your skin looks like after the flushing which is (the hot sensation u get in ur cheeks and ears) and the blushing which is ( the color red u get in ur cheeks and ears) is gone from Paxil. if you still have redness and u can live with it, or PDL can remove the redness of kprf.
KPRF is not a one treatment kind of thing if it was things like this forum would not exist. and believe me when you say only stops the blushing, you would be amazed how much better your skin and life is.

search the forum or net for Pulse Dye Laser.

yeah i was talking to my dermatologist about a laser treatment but she said the results arent guaranteed and it leaves bruises and scars. but now i think ill try the paxil. do you have to keep using it or just use it for awhile?

OK, if ur dermatologist said it leaves bruises and scars then find a new derm there are a few different lasers IPL, PDL etc, paxil I would use for a while and then see. and read up on PDL. PDL is designed to treat redness, scarring is very rare less than 1%, bruises maybe if setting is very high but heal in 2 weeks. the paxil will make a difference and then if u want to go further get PDL also. give paxil a few days to get in ur system, dont expect a miracle overnight mine took 3-4 days. but like i said stop the flushing and blushing and u can tell what ur skin looks like, (better). paxil 20mg is the effective dose, 10mg did nothing, I take mine at night about 1-2 hours before bed, doctors might say in the morning, but it can make u feel tired the first week. I never wanted to take paxil because I thought it was going to make me just forget about KPRF by relieving the anxiety, but it did so much more by stopping flushing and blushing, and ur more talkative and outgoing like say when u were younger.

I wouldn't write off PDL because of what 1 dermatologist said. Many of us here have had PDL treatment for redness with excellent results.

In fact the only medical journal article (that I am aware of) that has been specifically written about KPRF

(refer:
Keratosis Pilaris Rubra: A Common but Underrecognized Condition -- Marqueling et al. 142 (12): 1611 -- Archives of Dermatology )

states PDL had an excellent response (refer to Patient 25 in the Table).

Unfortunately if you didn't read the article carefully you would be forgiven for thinking that nothing helped this condition.

It is a shame that the writers of this did not take this success story of patient 25 a step further and do a trial of PDL and KPRF sufferers such as done for KPAF (refer Journal of Cutaneous Laser Therapy 2000)

Because KPRF is not that common not all derms have a lot to do with it. Do some research on PDL yourself and perhaps speak to another derm if you have access to one to get their opinion on it.

yeah, my dermatologist has had me on a bunch of topical creams and lotions for the last 6 months with no results but she still claims that i need to "give them more time" so im really thinking about trying to get pdl treatment when i go back in a couple weeks. does anyone know if it is covered by insurance?

it is if your derm writes up ur diagnosis as a HEMINGIOMA, then insurance would cover it thanks to ur derm. ur derm would have to go along with it basically, but some derms are greedy and want the money up front.

If you have a derm with a good bedside manner and is experinced with IPL and PDL, you can have it covered under your insurance. how? bottom line is your derm will write a different diagnosis that is covered most likely a (hemingioma) which is a port wine stain and bill the insurance company which is covered. but some I cant say all WANT there money up front for treatments.