Ablative Fractional Lasers
Results
Side Effects

Ablative fractional lasers shine an intense beam of light at the skin in a dot-matrix (imagine tiny polka dots) pattern. The light completely removes (ablates) the epidermis in this dot-matrix pattern, leaving some of the skin intact. It also stimulates the underlying dermis to produce more collagen and elastin over time. Ablative fractional lasers attempt to approximate the efficacy of ablative lasers while not completely removing the entire surface of the skin, thus reducing side effects.

This procedure is normally repeated 3 times in 1-month intervals, and you should see gradual results with each session. And after your last session, your skin should continue to improve.

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Compare To Other Treatments
5
16.1%
4
22.3%
3
20.5%
2
8%
1
33%

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April 21, 2010

Pros:

I haven't seen the results yet. my fingers are crossed at the moment. They told me that I need to wait for six months to see a full result and it's been only a month and I've just received my second fraxel laser treatment yesterday. I'm in my early 20's therefore no fine wrinkles or brown spots. However I do have light pigmentations and somewhat severe scars from teenage acne. I have my third fraxel laser treatment on May 1st. So I guess time will only tell!

Cons:

Very painful. Many patients who had fraxel laser treatments have written on the review that the pain was tolerable. Nope not for me. Even though I was fully covered with the numbing cream for an hour and ten minutes, yes I still could feel the severe pain especially for the second time around. Plus, my face was so swolle from the first session. The next morning, I could barely open my eyes because my face was so swollen. It's expensive, painful, anti-social for three days.

NO PAIN, NO BEAUTY. If you are searching for major improvements on your skin, then you will go for at least three fraxel laser treatments. Not only it will requires you to be fiancially flexible but there is also downtime to recover from the treatment. Make sure to search for a clinic that gives you some pills to tolerate the pain.
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September 13, 2011

Pros:

Looks like it might of helped for one larger boxscar

Cons:

-Can still see lines of demarcation
-Still patches of red skin
-Few Red Lines that weren't there before
-Left cheek still tingles

Fractional Erbium Laser: I'm not going to write a review bashing or blaming lasers like a lot of people on here have done. It's my own fault for not taking care of my acne before it caused damage to my skin. However, I will say that I haven't seen too much improvement. I underwent a free trial on a new prototype laser and was very optimistic since my doctor seemed very high on it. I'm suppose to have another free treatment shortly but I'm going to pass. I heard that Co2 lasers are the only ones that will give improvement to scars but this was suppose to penetrate as deep while being safer. I took about a million before and after pictures and I'm not quite sure if the laser caused any new damage, I am positive though that it didn't help and I do regret receiving treatment. I definitely have blotches of red patches that were not there before. So I don't think I would fare too well with a Co2 laser like Fraxel Repair. I just would advise anyone to do research and be 100% sure this or any procedure is what they truly want. I scoured the internet non stop for about two weeks but did feel rushed into it since it was free. I still do trust my doctor and the practice since they are very kind and only want to help. I just haven't seen the benefits. Who knows, I was told collagen production takes awhile and it would take 3 months to see it's full effect. Just hoping that one day they will perfect stem cells or some treatment so we can all fix our damaged skin. Good luck to anyone who undergoes any treatment and sorry about the lengthy review.
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July 8, 2008

Pros:

helped reduce hyperpigmentation... had a very aggressive treatment.

Cons:

am experiencing the "breakout from hell" right now. :( started 4 days after treatment... a week later, my entire chin, below my mouth, around my mouth & underneath my nose area are completely filled with acne. :( mainly cystic...

had i know this was one of the potential side effects... i would NOT have had fraxel done. chances are i may end up w/ more scarring from this horrible breakout. everyone responds differently, i guess. hope you all have far better results & luck than i have. :)
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June 12, 2011

Pros:

none!
and don't get false hope by reading reviews of people that aren't a full year out from this procedure

Cons:

Expensive at $900 a treatment x 4
Doesn't work
fat atrophy
loss of skin elasticity
permantent redness
enlarged pores

I very much agree with Anonymous from La Jolla CA. Don't reveiw this procedure untill you're at least 6 months out, but more like a year or futher. These lasers plump your scarrs for about a month after each session and honestly your face does looks great, but sadly you've only been tricked into thinking its working, so you do more like the doctors say. However, once you stop the treatments, after about a month or 2 the swelling goes down your face looks exactly the same as before the treatments, or maybe worse if you end up with permanent redness in areas like I did. Then, a few months later you're in for the real treat. After about 6 months was when the real side effects kicked in. I started noticing enlarged pores, I had permanent redness at the base of my nose and smile lines, loss of skin elasticity, and fat atrophy. The tissue on my face continued deteriorate for at least a year. It aged my skin so much by the time I was only 24 (I was 22 when they were done). I wish I had never had these done. They did nothing for my scars and aged my skin drastically
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August 31, 2009

Pros:

Had the procedure three days ago - performed by a plastic surgeon which was important to me. Can only list cons right now.

Cons:

Wow - my face is so broken out I can hardly believe it.

Every blackhead I have seems to have opened into a pustule type pimple. Still - I think that is good because it is clearing out deep blackheads that I have never been able to get rid of. Still - I had the procedure Friday and planned to be back in the office today (Monday) but these pimples just keep appearing. The redness is pretty bad too but I can minimize pretty well with mineral makeup. My face was extremely swollen the day after but has improved daily - cheeks still a little chipmunky today but probably not noticeable to anyone but me.
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January 20, 2014
DOT Co2 Laser:
I have had a total of three Co2 DOT lasers performed by a well-known dermatologist in Washington State. I had all three done within ten months, basically three months apart. Some background on my skin: I had SEVERE and I do mean severe acne from a horrible reaction to Accutane in August of 2008. It was so bad that I had to be home-schooled by a tutor for the first half of my sophomore year because on my first day of school, people thought I was diseased. Yes, it was that bad. The acne however, cleared up - but as you know, sever acne usually leads to severe scarring (which is worse.) Some how, my scars were not traditional acne scars - they did not indent, but they were a dark-red color, mixed with raised scarring and hypopigmented scars. It is/ was a mess. I was left with shallow-indented scars which were reduced by the three laser treatments, however, my hypopigmented scars and redness were never reduced. Now I'm sure you're thinking that these red scars I mentioned were just post-inflammatory and that they went away. WRONG. They have not gone away. I will tell you what has somewhat helped with my hyperpigmentation/ white scars: Hyperpigmentation - not washing my face. Not using retin-a. Not using moisturizer. Not using exfoliants. ONLY using sunscreen. Hypopigmentation - Rubbing ginger root on those areas. BTW - this review is probably choppy and terrible because I'm wayyy tipsy right now. But if you have any questions, please ask :) WE CAN BEAT THESE SCARS/ ACNE, PEOPLE. XOXO Steven
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February 24, 2013

Pros:

Peeled some older marks

Cons:

Pain
Can't go out for atleast 5-6 days
Expensive
Orange peel texture
Made face more oily
Broke me out horribly
Made new scars appear
Red Blotchiness
Big pores

Don't do it! it may seem like it works at first but after 6 months your face becomes a mess. I only got it done on my cheeks and you can see the difference from my skin before fraxel and its SO much better. And its funny because I ONLY breakout where I got fraxel done..... I regret it. At first it seemed like it worked but after a month I started getting real bad cystic breakouts. PLEASE DON'T do it, its not worth it!
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September 4, 2009

Pros:

none

Cons:

> 6 months of social downtime.

Fraxel repair on full face in mid Jan for scars on cheeks. Still have demarcation lines, hyperpigmentation, sensitive skin, & stubborn whiteheads. Only see about 20% improvement on scars. Still spending more money to correct hyperpigmentation with bleaching creams, tretinoin, peels at salons, etc.
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May 3, 2009

Pros:

Recovery time was reasonable. Well worth the money. I will do it again soon. Only treatment was Jan 01. Results are awesome.

Cons:

Looked like I had been in a wreck at first.

I have taken 2 rounds of accutane. I believe the laser helped prevent the severity of future breakouts. It has been explained to me that darker skinned people may have different results. I am as pale as anyone comes, so that may play a role in the success in my resurfacing.
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December 19, 2012

Pros:

None

Cons:

Orange Peel Texture
Fat Loss
burning and tightness under skin
More scars
Micro holes
Hypo and hyper pigmentation
Cystic acne

I had Sciton Profractional laser done to my cheeks for mild acne scarring. Before this I was just using lemon juice to take care of my scars and it worked so much better. If I could only turn back the hands of time. Please really think about having this procedure done. A dermatologist performed this procedure and it ruined my skin. It is serious surgery. It destroys all your good collagen and replaces it with weaker scar tissue. I am 33 and am considering getting a fat graft. Before this I only had to worry about acne scars that only very few people notice. Now I am battling skin discoloration, more severe acne, scarring and textural changes, rapid aging and depression.
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Finding a Doctor

The right dermatologist can make a big difference to your patient experience and the success of your acne treatment plan. Here are the steps to find a dermatologist who is a good fit:

  1. Use the search feature on the American Academy of Dermatology website to look for board-certified dermatologists in your area, and filter the search results for doctors with a special interest in treating acne.
  2. Read online patient reviews of any dermatologists you are considering and ask people you know whether they have any experience with these dermatologists.
  3. Do your research and go to your first appointment with questions prepared.
  4. Listen to what your gut feeling tells you once you see a dermatologist in person. If you are not completely comfortable, try a different dermatologist.
Find a Doctor Using The American Acacemy of Dermatology Website

Finding a Doctor

Only a select few plastic surgeons specialize in acne scar revision surgery. Be certain to find a provider who specializes in acne scar repair and who is passionate and experienced in this area.

Be sure to:

  • Look at before and after photos, the more the better, especially patients with similar scarring to your own.
  • Be realistic about results. Look for improvement, not a cure.

Questions to ask a potential scar revision specialist:

  • Are you board certified? Be certain that they are board certified.
  • How long have you been performing these procedures? Normally, the more experience the better, however, some younger surgeons may be more on top of the latest procedures.
  • Can I speak to some of your other patients? Ask for references for several patients who had similar scarring and speak to them about the process and their satisfaction with results.

Red flags:

  • Their story changes: As you discuss different treatment options, if they tend to change their mind easily, or agree with whatever you say, consider this a red flag. A confident, experienced surgeon will possess strong, unwavering opinions.
  • Your gut tells you "no": Trust your gut. If you just don't feel that the doctor is the right fit, trust that and move on. On the other hand, if you feel they are the perfect specialist for you, trust that feeling.
Find a Doctor Using the American Society of Plastic Surgeons Website