2 replies to this topic

[jacno]

I weighing the risks of doing lasers (fraxels) say if my skins olive and i develop hyper pigmentation from a fraxel repair, will it go away by itself? How well do cremes work? If it fades with cremes, does it forever come and go?

[understanding]

Hyperpigmentation (darkening) will go away on its own, but it takes forever. Think of a red mark left behind after a pimple. I think with those lasers hyperpigmentation is guaranteed, isn't it? Fraxel Re:Pair is a C02 laser. I had non-fractionated C02 laser resurfacing 86 days ago and there are still areas that are pigmented. I have olive skin as well. My dermatologist told me it was unavoidable.
Having said that, there are prescription drugs that can help fade them, almost all have hydroquinone in them.

To prevent the chances of it happening or sticking around for a long time doctors often tell their patients to use a prescription retinoid nightly for weeks if not months leading up to the procedure.

And having said that, I'm not convinced Fraxel Re:Pair is worth the money. Half of the benefit from C02 lasers is the thermal damage they create, they don't create it if you're downtime is less than a week. Just my opinion. Go on RealSelf.com and look at reviews. Almost always Fraxel Re:Pair is very expensive too. Not a lot of people love it.

Hypopigmentation (lightening) is permanent and cannot be reversed. Considered rare, but obviously serious.

[Callum.]

Not permanent, just takes a whileee to go away