I had Nlite non-ablative laser therapy. It cost $1200 US for 3 treatments (top facility in the area though). It wasn't worth $300.00. I saw zero improvement in any type of scarring. There was no pain really, a few of the 'zaps' in the thin skin at the outside corner of my eyes, and inside corners by my nose were mildly unpleasant, but very minor in my opinion. Unfortunately, so were the results. I broke out right after the first treatment, for one thing. I saw zero improvement in depth or darkness or size of scars. I didn't have any more improvement in active acne either. In place of this, I would recommend glycolic peels and MD Forte III Facial Cleanser (I am not a doctor or salesperson for MD Forte). This cleanser alone has helped my skin more than the laser ever did. It has a high Glycolic content (I think it's 30%), and for a boost, I leave the cleanser on for a few minutes while I wash my hair in the evening, a few times a week. Nlite = waste of money, in my opinion.

Ohhh..yes, i wish i had read all ur commments before i did it :((( Now i`m 2 months after full face CO2 laser resurfacing and can`t even imagine when i`ll look normal again. I had bad infection after the dressing was taken off and now my face in very red in patches and with red vertical stripes from laser work. Maybe someone could HELP and give me some information about some creams or whatever to reduce redness. I`m using Hydrocortisone and Laserfade but they do not seem to work at all. I need to go to my lectures!!! :((((

Wow! I am so shocked to read so many negative comments about co2 and erbuim lazer as my results have been amazing. I have had 3 dermabrasion which gave reasonable results, but left pigmentaion and white marks and a slightly shiny face, you can only have it on the "fat" parts of your face so I was unable to have it done on my forhead or eyes the result was uneven skin tone. A few years later I had co2 which gave life changing results! it improved my skin about 60% I was told you can never get rid of scaring however you can improve the texture of your skin ie make it look more even (flatter) and not bumpy. I decided to have another lazer to improve on my 60% and this time had erbum as my doctor thought the other to strong for what I needed now,(as there had been such a good improvement) again it improved on what she had done before obviously its just a guess but it would be very high at least 60 -70%. Before people would be able to see my scars now if I ever mention it they don't know what I'm talking about! sometimes I mention I had severe cystic acne, and they can not believe I had such a disease based on how my face looks. You should not have ablative laser if you are darker skin, my background has Indian and English so I was only just light enough(otherwise you will get hyper-pigmentation). The pain is bearable, the worst day was the day after, but of course everyone has a different pain threshold. I will be having another one soon as it has been four years since my last my skin is so amazing now my doctor believes I don't need an ablative laser so will go with a non ablative laser. All these procedures have been over the last 10 years with a few at least a year between procedures. This will be my last procedure for my acne scaring yippy. I really hope this helps someone. Shop around and ask the doctor if you can communicate with some one who has had it done better still, find a doctor through word of mouth good luck.

Had the new non ablative laser the FRAXEL done. I had my 4th one two weeks ago. I am getting some good improvement already and should get continuted improvements over the next few months which could result in a satisfactory experience. It is costly (over 3k for the 4 full face treatments) but the downtime is only the weekend. I would never do a c02 due to the risks and down time associated with such a strong ablative laser.

had CO2 for mild scars with some ice picks around the cheekbones. made it worse and the resulting black marks it produced took a year to heal. subsequently went for what i thought was smooth beam, non-ablative with no downtime that's supposed to stimulate collagen(although it's more expensive here than in canada- i envy you!) and it's the best thing. if i could afford it i would go more often. have not had micro derm though due to mixed reviews

People should be aware that there is a huge difference between the Yag:erbium and the CO2. For lighter or moderate scarring the Erbium should be used as it can provide in many cases the same results (if done by the right doctor) while having much less downtime or chance of hypopigmentation (white marks).

The smooth beam is also a good method for reducing oil, shrinking pores and preventing future breakouts while at the same time stimulating collagen. It is quite cheap here in Canada. I myself go once a month and usually spend around 50-75 dollars.

The v-beam is a good choice for reducing/preventing redness or 'flush' and as a bonus stimulates collagen.

***
For lighter/moderate scarring- use s-beam combined with micro-derm for at least 6 months...then erbium if that fails

Moderate/heavy- Erbium, and C02 only as last resort and make sure it is done by a very experienced physician

Ice pick scars- s-beam combined with micro-dermabrasion is very affective

redness- v-beam

For the emotional/psyc aspect..i really suggest seeing a psychologist/therapist...very helpful..and SSRI's and anti-depressents can be very helpful in many cases.
Good luck.

(ps. my rating is for the s-beam/v-beam lasers only)

Absolutely not worth it!!
I had the C02laser resurfacing exactly one year ago
I am in my late forties but had very nice skin - very little sun damage to begin with but some lines around my eye. I went to top doctor and paid top $$$ - he assured me that since it was already in good condition the results would be amazing.
The recovery was a nightmare - very painful (even worse than the back surgery I had several years ago). As for the results, well it barely softened the lines around my eyes. Worse yet, it left ice pick scarring on my checks which had been totally smooth. I am not happy and do not recommend this procedure!
My

Just had laser resurfacing done 5 days ago. Thought I would die from the pain! I am now in the "glop" stage of recovery (aquapor on face 6-8 times a day) and I must say that right now I'm not too sure this was all worth it. No wrinkles remain on my face, looks like some of the acne scarring remains...but I am still very swollen. And very red. Reading the other comments really frightens me, because I had no knowledge beforehand of what to expect post-operative on this procedure. But I think I paid much less than the others on this forum for the procedure, and I had it done at a 1st class hospital, the Cleveland Clinic. The doctor is optomistic on my recovery. Time will tell...

Had two dermabrasions followed by one laser surgery.
In certain lighting it did produce much smoother results.
However, in other types, such as recessed lighting (my personal favorite) I still look like the elephant man.

Had laser resurfacing back in 1998 for mild-moderate acne scaring. The redness did not disappear until 6-8 months afterwards, and left a dime-sized hypopigmentation spot (white spot)in one area. Not worth the money and *extended* recovery time.